What's eating my chinese fan palm?

Chinese Fan Palm (Livistona chinensis) is most threatened indoors by spider mites, which cause the distinctive drooping leaf tips to look stippled and dull. Scale insects frequently colonise the stiff petioles and trunk, and mealybugs can appear at the crown. Regular inspection and humidity management are the key controls.

Yellow and bronze stippling on the large fan fronds, webbing on leaflet undersides near the petiole, and loss of the healthy dark-green sheen. Shower the entire palm monthly to knock off mites. Maintain humidity above 50%. Apply insecticidal soap or neem oil spray every 7 days for three to four cycles; cover leaflet undersides thoroughly.

Brown or white shells on the trunk, petioles, and frond ribs; honeydew dripping onto lower leaves; yellowing fronds. Scrub scales off with a stiff brush dipped in rubbing alcohol. Apply neem oil or horticultural oil spray across the trunk and fronds. Repeat monthly until clear.

White cottony clusters at the crown and petiole bases; sticky residue; slow or stunted new frond emergence. Dab colonies with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab. Treat the full plant including the crown with insecticidal soap or neem oil spray, repeating every 10 days.