Hello, One day while sitting besides my ponytail palm I just noticed that the cracks of the " elephant skin" on that particular spot were darker than other places on the caudex. When I just poked a finger, it just went in and there was ash like black power coming out. I just kept peeling off the skin and it came out to look like a crater caused by a meteor . I live in Madhya Pradesh state of India, the climate here is very much like California ( except the draught) The question is, what is it ? Will it harm the tree furthermore? What's the cure ? Thanks
Looks like a root rot, possibly caused by initial intrusion by other organisms (so a pathway opened up for the rot to enter). What little I've read of it online, it is likely fatal. Assuming that's what it is, the fungus will have grown into (currently) living tissues of the plant so a treatment of a fungicide will likely not work.
