Q. I have 100’s of palm
seedlings coming up in my yard. Can you tell me the best way to get rid of them,
short of pulling them up by hand, which for me would be physically impossible! I’m
88 years old.
seedlings coming up in my yard. Can you tell me the best way to get rid of them,
short of pulling them up by hand, which for me would be physically impossible! I’m
88 years old.
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| Palm seeds are released in abundance from Washingtonia fan palms. These seeds are nearly 100% germination. They will land in shrub beds and even come up through mulch. |
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| When you try to pull them when they are very young and in dry soil they frequently break off. |
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| But when you pull them when they are a bit larger and the soil is wet they will frequently pull out with their entire root system. |
A. I am sure there are
probably some weed killers that will kill palm seedlings but those weed killers
would not be safe around other landscape plants. I have had no luck killing
them with Roundup even at the highest rate.
probably some weed killers that will kill palm seedlings but those weed killers
would not be safe around other landscape plants. I have had no luck killing
them with Roundup even at the highest rate.
I understand your dilemma in pulling them but If you pull
them when they are about 12 inches tall and the soil is wet they should pull
out fairly easily including the roots. If you try to pull them when they are
small or cut them off they may regrow.
them when they are about 12 inches tall and the soil is wet they should pull
out fairly easily including the roots. If you try to pull them when they are
small or cut them off they may regrow.
I know this may be a lot of work but if you use a shovel
in wet soil and just push the shovel in three or 4 inches a couple of inches
from the Palm seedling you can pop them out of the ground pretty easily.
in wet soil and just push the shovel in three or 4 inches a couple of inches
from the Palm seedling you can pop them out of the ground pretty easily.
If you are to use chemicals, a.k.a. weed killers or
herbicides, then you would select something that kills woody plants and spray
them individually so that the chemical does not harm other plants.
herbicides, then you would select something that kills woody plants and spray
them individually so that the chemical does not harm other plants.
If you are going to use a weed killer, pick one that kills woody plants but apply it with a spray bottle, wedding only the leaves and not the soil. These types of weed killers can damage other woody plants in the landscape including trees, shrubs and fruit trees.
You might try a different category of herbicide control, I use triclopyr to stop re sprouting of cut tree stumps, you can find it as 'brush and vine control' by Monterey at the nursery. an old small paint brush could be used to 'paint' it on instead of spraying which would contaminate the soil or other plants and being only on the sprouts it should absorb and kill only them.
Also, prevention is better than the cure, first, have the seeds cut out before falling or use a 'pre-emergent' weed control that stops germination but doesn't affect established plants, this should stop them from sprouting and eliminate the need for pulling them (I have no direct experience with this process but the idea is sound and should work…). Other than that, consider removal of the parent palms if they are no longer of any viable landscape aesthetic value and have become a maintenance problem. Good luck!
This was very helpful, thanks
You say cut the seedlings out of the palm tree? I couldn't even get a scissor lift up to where they're growing. Or a bucket how do you expect to get them cut off?
wishing my neighbors would not love their palm trees that border my yard… wishing they would come over and clean up the flower and broken frods mess as well as pull out the seedlings that grow in my flower bed. hundreds of them.
Those neighbors whose palm trees are sprouting in their neighbors yards, such as in my yard, should pay for their removal. It is only fair! There should be a law against it. I am up and age and love my garden but when I see the palm blades growing EVERYWHERE, between the sidewalk, rocks, in planters and probably would grow on my head if I stood still, it makes me angry and very sad! It feels like a losing battle. The neighbor could care less! He never as much as shows his face to clean up his ugly yard. So Frustrating!!!
I have been having trouble with these invasive palms as well. I have tried roundup, as well as brush and vine killer to no avail. I tried pulling them out, but first, if I don’t get the entire root, they grow back, and I’ve got thousands, perhaps even millions of them. I haven’t tried a pre emergence preventer yet, but will try it today. I’ve even used a blow torch to try to burn them out, but they are very hearty little suckers. They are very difficult to burn, and even when I’ve been successful to burn the top, they eventually begin to grow again. Why anyone would want these in their garden is beyond me. At first I thought they were a cheap and easy way to landscape, but I never realized the trouble they cause. They are worse than any weed I’ve had to deal with. At 80 years of age, they are getting the best of me.
Yes, they are very difficult to get rid of. The palm seeds germinate easily and are a big nuisance. They are very resistant to weed killers as you found out. Roundup and other weed killers safe to use around other plants will not work. One method is prevention. Cutting off the flower stalks in mid to late spring before the seeds form. But how do you do that if the palms are tall? This is possible only if you combine this with annual frond removal at the same time. The second is to pull them. If the new seedlinga are left to grow about 12 inches tall and the soil is wet they will pull from the ground. Shorter than this they wont. Taller than this is too difficult to pull. The other method I have not tried is to use the old fsshioned dandelion weeder or what is called now the asparagus knife. I wonder if inserting this tool an inch into the soil and cutting the palm will work. https://www.amazon.com/Companies-Inc-2942100-Forged-Dandelion/dp/B00OPA61GS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=8GG7JSNWA7KL&dchild=1&keywords=long+handled+dandelion+digger&qid=1597138829&sprefix=long+handled+dandelion%2Caps%2C558&sr=8-2
https://www.amazon.com/CS-OSBORNE-2500-ASPARAGUS-KNIFE/dp/B00CHQ1O6O/ref=sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=asparagus+knife&qid=1597138951&sr=8-3
Surely, someone has had success when using a herbicide?
Schedule your palm leaf removal to coincide with flower stalk removal.
Its not just finding a herbicide that works but also has the label permission to apply it for that reason.
Absolutely! Exactly the same issue, but these are full of rats! Sooooo aggravated right now…
What about injecting weed killer into the root ball.
You shouldn't need any weed killers at all if these Palms do not suck her from the base. Both California and Mexican fan Palms do not sucker from the base. Date palms and Mediterranean fan Palms will sucker from their base.
Do you think an electric tiller would tell them out of the ground? My siblings are about 6 in high
Xtremehort I have no idea what you are saying here. Can you explain more clearly? Sounds like you are saying weed killers are not needed. Then how would you remove or prevent these seedlings from growing?
Either pull them from wet soil or cut off/kill the tops.