Question
Greg,
Greg,

The palm is a house plant in the UK and there are no insects.  Any other ideas?

Michelle
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The text above is a follow-up to ...

-----Question-----
I have a 1' high Madagascar Palm (pachypodiums) which until recently was doing very well.  Now though all the new leaf growth has gone black and has a stickiness to it.  I can remove these leaves and this seems to have no ill affect on the plant, however it does look a little strange now as it has a set of full leaves half way down it's trunk looking rather like a bally dancers tutu!  There is still lots of new leaf growth, but it always seems to suffer the same fate, even when I'm really agressive about removing damaged leaves.

Can you please advise what this fungus/rot is and how I can treat it?
-----Answer-----
Dear Michelle,

I have many Pachypodiums and have not experienced that particular issue. It may be caused by an insect. There are a number of sucking insects (thrips for example) that prefer new growth and may be causing the damage. Look at the new leaves to see if you see any bugs on the underside of the leaf. There are a number of insecticides that will work, but make sure that is what your dealing with first.

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Greg

Answer
Dear Michelle,

I would be extremely surprised if there were no insects, however I will have to take your word on that. The only other cause I can think of would be either a mildew or mold, which usually exists in a very humid atmosphere. I have been hard pressed to find anything on either, except this excerpt from a plant forum:

"I have another pachy problem I need help with: Two of the four baby pachys I have developed what looks like black mold at the top of the plant & now have no leaves at all. I've dug around this forum & others & tried a few things: 1)very dilute chlorine bleach lightly sprayed on the black area, no affect. 2) Pour a few drops of hydrogen peroxide on the black area, it foams like it's doing something, the black area has receded in one plant but the other, no affect. In the Orchid forum many posters state cinnamon works very well as a fungicide & general problem fixer."

There are treatments for molds and mildews other than what is listed, and I would check with your local nursery on what works best in your area. Sorry I could not be of more help. Being from a place as dry as Arizona limits what I have seen in terms of diseases.

Sincerely,

Greg