I have a Madagascar Palm that is having some issues on its trunk. I got this plant from a friend who was getting rid of it as it was not fairing to well in the ground. It originally had branches coming from the top but those broke when taking the plant down as it was hard to handle since it is pretty sizeable. My question is about the light spots on the trunk. Seems to be rot as some of those spots have opened up and looks like rot but then dries up. It has put out tons of new leaves and the current branches are new and have grown since I have had it. The major damage near the top in between the new branches is from the old branches that broke. What could be causing these spots and how can I prevent them? They seem to multiply since I’ve had it. I’ve had this one for about a year.
Those look like lesions to me. Most likely caused by a fungal infection, but identifying what actually caused them would be very difficult at this stage. Was there a sprinkler or other water source close by? One other thought, they appear directed at the white wall, and also a location that gets full sun. Could it be sun burn? Getting the double-whammy of direct sun and reflected sun from a wall may have caused sun burn which resulted in the lesions...