Xtremehorticulture

Tied Palm Should Pop On Its Own

Q. How long do you keep fronds tied up after planting Mexican fan palms?                                             A.  When large palm trees are delivered to a property for planting, frequently the fronds are gathered together and tied up in a bunch at the top. If they are wrapped correctly the fronds will bust open these ties as it pushes new growth. If it is wrapped incorrectly they may have to be cut but this is seldom. It has been cool. Give it more time and wait to see if it does it on its own. Otherwise cutting the ties can be done any time after planting. The purpose of tying them is to make the tree easier to load and transport on a truck, unload and plant. This decreases damage to the fronds during transport and planting.

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Can I Transplant a 10-year-old Palm Tree?

Q. We have a palm tree, perhaps a Mexican fan palm, that was planted close to a wall and I have to move it because the wall is damaged. I’m guessing the palm was planted 10-15 years ago. Can the palm be transplanted or is it a loss? A. You have two problems with that palm; it is too close to a wall which makes moving it very difficult and it requires a crane if you want it moved. Moving it will be very expensive and it will not be worth, monetarily, transplanting it to a new hole. If you decide to move it anyway then you would move it during the warm spring months or even summer but avoid moving it during fall and winter. Wall cracking because of roots lifting the wall. This is typically not the case with Palm trees but the trunks of some palm trees can be a problem.             Palm trees are full of water and fan palms can run from 200 to 500 pounds for every foot of trunk depending on the diameter of the trunk. Palm trees with larger diameter trunks can weigh 1000 pounds or more per foot. This does not include the weight of the root ball.             Cut your losses and have it removed. Unfortunately palms do not burn very well and are not used for firewood since it produces little heat when burned and burn quickly when dried. The wood does not compost very well either.

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