Question
I just bought a beautiful fishtail palm. I was assured that it does not have any diseases just requiring a lot of TLC. When I brought it home I discovered that on the underside of all the leaves and on the stalks there is a brown/dust-like powder. It comes off easily. Is this normal for this particular type of plant? If so, what is it?

Answer
I have often seen this on mature Fishtails and it didn't seem to effect them at all, but I would wash the fronds down well and spray them with a Copper Fungicide once every couple of Months just to keep it at bay, it is a fungal problem, but easily controlled. Just follow the directions on the lable and you should do fine.