GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post - Palm tree has become wobbly at base of trunk

Jeff Layman[_2_] · 29-04-2018, 09:04 AM posted to uk.rec.gardening

On 29/04/18 06:48, wrote:
On Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 7:25:07 PM UTC+1, Jeff Layman wrote:
Whatever, I'd support it with some
struts and wait for several months just to see if it pulls through.

--

Jeff

Struts sound like an idea worth trying. Thank you for that.

By the way, the same thing happened to a cordyline I had some years ago in the same area. I wish I had then know your tip about cutting it off at the base and replanting the trunk! I suspected root rot, because the ground here is basically clay, except for the small area where the tree was planted, but underneath, it's all clay, so such plantings may get waterlogged in the root area.

Does your P. canariensis have any offsets? If so, it might be worth
removing them and trying to root them. Phoenix dactylifera (date palm)
is propagated this way as it is one of the few palms which can be rooted
from offset cuttings. Maybe P. canariensis will behave the same way.

With regards to planting over clay, it may be better with plants like
phoenix to build them up on a mound to help drainage. The problem with
clay is that you dig a hole, put good quality well-drained soil in, and
plant the tree. Then it rains heavily, and the hole acts like a sump and
fills up with water, as it can't drain away quickly through the clay
walls and bottom. I succeeded in killing a rare 25 years old
Carmichaelia stevensonii that way, which had lived happily in a pot
until we moved and I had plenty of room to plant it. I had no idea that
I had chosen the worst part of the garden (in terms of waterlogging) in
which to plant it until it was too late.

--

Jeff