Chinese Fan Palm

Palm Aphids:

Most Aphids are commonly known as the greenfly or black fly, and they are one of the most common pest for indoor houseplants. The Palm Aphid is unique in the fact that the female doesn’t move and forms a distinctive ring of white wax around its body. They are not likely to kill your plant but these sap-sucking insects will infest the younger leaves of the palms as well as excrete a sugary waste product called “honey dew”. This waste often attracts the “sooty mold” fungus to those leaves.

To treat the Aphid infestation you should first try to wash off the colonies from your plant. To do this use a strong spray bottle using water. This treatment will not work with all species of Aphids. The next method to try is with a fine spray of soapy water on the colonies. This will interfere with their ability to breathe. If the second method fails, you will need to succumb and purchase a systemic poison or a spray containing malathion. We suggest Malathion because it has a relatively low human toxicity.

Spider Mites:

Spider Mites will look like tiny dots on the underside of your palms fawn. They usually live in large groups, so you will definitely see more than one of these tiny dots in a group on the plant. Spider Mites are known as such from the silk webbing that they leave behind on infested leaves. This presence of webbing is the best indication that your plant may be infested.

Spider mites can commonly become a problem on both indoor and outdoor plants after certain insecticides have been sprayed that may have killed the natural enemies of the mite. The best thing to do when dealing with Spider Mites is to find an insecticidal soap that you can use to wipe down the plant leafs. It is advised that you test out the insecticidal soap on a small portion of the plant before applying it to the whole plant.

Scales:

All palms are susceptible to infestation by a variety of scales. Some of these varieties include Magnolia white scale, oyster scale, and thread scale. Due to the waxy hard shell on most varieties of scale chemicals don’t usually have much of an effect on these insects. The average size of these pests is anywhere from 1/16th to 1/8th of an inch but on occasion you will come across some varieties that are about four times larger. The varities with the waxy shell can have its protection removed by simply scraping it away. It is easiest to tell the difference as the soft scales (no armored protection) produce honeydew while the armored scales will not. Scales feed on your plant by sucking on the plant’s sap. This will promote poor growth which will eventually stunt the growth of your plant. It can also lead to your plant being infested to sooty mold.

The most practical thing to do for your first attempt at cleaning up your plant from its infestation is to use soap and water to wash off the leaves and stems. If your plant is heavily infested, you can try an insecticide spray schedule on your plant that involves 2 to 3 sprays a week every two weeks. It is usually best to discard the plant however before the infestation can spread.

Potassium Deficiency:

Symptoms that your plant has a lack Potassium may always vary among different types of plants, but it will consistently appear on the oldest leaves on the plant. Yellow spots will appear on the leaves that are almost completely translucent. In some cases this is followed by the leaves rolling and giving a burnt or dead looks from the tips inward. As the problem persists it will makes its way from the older leaves into the younger leaves until the plant is dead. The best way to take care of this problem is to find a fertilizer that contains Potassium Sulfate. This should bring the color and life back to the new leaves on the plant.

Nitrogen Deficiency:

When you start seeing some discoloration and yellowing of the leaves on your plant it is usually caused from a Nitrogen Deficiency. The yellowing usually start at the tips of the leaf and works its way inwards with no particular pattern. It will consume the old leaves from oldest right up the plant until only the newest growth stays green. Here are a few recommended tips to handle a Nitrogen Deficiency. For those who own fish aquariums is to empty some of the aquarium water they have replaced into the soil of their plants. Another solution would be to spray the leaves of the plants with a foliar fertilizer [fertilizers made especially for applying nutrients to the leaves] with a mix of about 5-10-5 (percentage of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium).

Magnesium Deficiency:

Magnesium deficiency can first be detected by observing the leaves of the plant as with most other deficiencies. If you notice orange/brown veins on the leaves that would be one of the first indications. This is further identified with withering or curling of the leaves which will eventually lead to the burnt look around the tips of the leaf. The best/organic way to treat this deficiency is to take Epsom salt and mix it in with about 2 gallons of water. After doing so take a spray bottle and gently mist the plant a couple of times a week.

Manganese Deficiency:

If you notice that the new growth on your plant is a pale green with transverse veins, then it is most likely a manganese issue. The best way to treat this deficiency is to take manganese chelate and spray it on the leaves. After doing so take a spray bottle and gently mist the plant a couple of times a week.