Question
I have had this indoors and growing well for well over a year. Now it has white spots on the stems of the leaves and the new shoots are covered with this white sticky stuff. What should I do? Thanks

Answer
Laverne,

White sticky stuff is very vague. We have to first determine what it is and it could be several differnt insects or a fungus. If it is spider mites you would see fine webs all over the plant, aphids are black or brown, mealy bugs which also attack palms look like bits of cotton balls in leaf crotches but if you look closely you can see a soft pink insect under the cotton. Look closely at the substance with a large magnifying glass and you should be able to tell if you are looking at insects or something that looks more like a mold or fungus.

Fungus looks like dust over the plant.  It can be more effective if you have a hand held shower. Give it a good washing then allow it to dry and see if it comes back. If it comes back it may well be a fungus. In that case I would first try spraying it every other day with Lysol type spray over the entire plant for 3 weeks and see if that resolves the problem. I have resolves several fungal problems using Lysol. It is a mild fungicide that you can use indoors. Most other fungicides I reccommend you only use during the summer outdoors or in a very well ventilated uninhabited room.  

I really suspect it may be mealy bugs. To treat them on a small potted palm in your home I would put 16 ounces of rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol) then add 16 ounces of water and 2 teaspoons of dish soap. Put this mix in a spray bottle and spray the entire plant making sure you get the fronts and backs of all fronds and the surface of the soil. Spray the plant twice a week for at least 3 weeks after all signs of the mealy bugs are gone to make sure you get any that hatch out and are babies before they lay eggs. Consistency is the key to geetting rid of them. If you miss a couple of sprays eggs will hatch and they will produce another round of insects, then you are basically starting over. This solution will kill them on contact but has no risidual effects on the insects or the plant or you.

You can opt for chemical sprays from a garden center that you can spray on it but I reccommend you do that outdoors and wear a breathing mask while using it. Also wash your clothes and yourself thoroughly after spraying. Just look for a spray that is labeled for mealy bugs. Read the instructions and follow them.

I opt for the alcohol spray solution because it is a lot safer but because there is no residual effects you have to spray it for a longer period. Good luck.

Darlene