To lean a palm...

[AS in SA]

Below is a picture of a queen palm that I planted a few years ago that is now growing into some telephone/cable lines. Looking back, I should have planted it at an angle to avoid this - but didn't plan well. I know it's just a lowly queen, but I really like the yellow coloring that it has. I was thinking of ways to tilt it now - I've seen other adult queens that get tilted by wind etc. and wind up being ok. Just wondering how I could do this manually and thought someone on this board would likely have tried this. My thought was to use a saws-all to severe the roots around the back of the palm, somehow lean it forward and then brace?? Any advice or experience that can be shared would be appreciated.

[Little Palm]

Not a good idea, just relocate it away from the wires.

[The Palm Nut]

I have relocated these palms, they are quite tough and can handle root damage without much setback. But I always had a backhoe to it, this was years ago of course as now most are just removed and composted. In your case with the pool so close that probably isnt an option. To give it the lean look, do as you suggested trying to keep as many roots as possibe. As it seeds in the years to come it will be a nightmare cleaning the pool though. Personally I would cut it to the ground and plant a different type of palm that the area will allow.

Cheers

Mike

Below is a picture of a queen palm that I planted a few years ago that is now growing into some telephone/cable lines. Looking back, I should have planted it at an angle to avoid this - but didn't plan well. I know it's just a lowly queen, but I really like the yellow coloring that it has. I was thinking of ways to tilt it now - I've seen other adult queens that get tilted by wind etc. and wind up being ok. Just wondering how I could do this manually and thought someone on this board would likely have tried this. My thought was to use a saws-all to severe the roots around the back of the palm, somehow lean it forward and then brace?? Any advice or experience that can be shared would be appreciated.

[The Germinator]

Keep us posted, I have a similar problem but my Queen is a lot further away from the pool. I am afraid to dig it up because it is so large.

[peachy]

Leaning queen palms is a futile exercise as they straighten up again all by themselves. I planted a fairly tall one years ago and the ground moved, leaving the palm at a 45 degree angle. I thought it would grow through the kitchen window at one stage, but it started to straighten itself out, at first with a noticable bend but even that has diminished considerably over the years. I would recommend that you move it. Even with 75% of the roots gone, it will re-establish itself quickly and without any last damage.

Peachy

[Kostas]

For your Syagrus to develop a good lean,you will have to lean it slowly over the period of about 2 years as if you lean it at once,it wont develop a beautyfull curve but rather not look too beautyfull once grown. This will require that you either push it away from a sturdier than your palm object(cement pole or something) or pull it from somewhere sturdy. I dont know if you have something to push it away from where it is though...So pulling it would be your only option unless there is something you can use besides the wooden fence which would itself develop a better lean than the palm if pushed of course! Pulling it from somewhere away would require cables which wont look very good untill the lean degree you are after is achieved...Leaning it at once may be easier but wont give as good a result that gradual leaning and i dont know if it will save you much time without cables as you will have to support the palm till it roots well again,probably for a year...

Of course,you can only safely apply well distributed pressure to mature wood only,so anything still covered with leaf bases shouldnt be touched!

Wish you the best with the lean!

[Walt]

[Walt]

It would have made little, if any, difference had you angled your queen palm towards your swimming pool and away from the overhead cable wires. Plants respond to what's termed as "geotropism," and always want to grow straight up, so the gravitational pull runs down the center axis (trunk center) of the palm/plant.

I learned this many, many years ago when I had a landscaper install three queen palms in a close grouping. I had the landscaper lean all three palms away from one another at a 45 degree angle. They quickly readjusted themselves and grew vertically again.

Had you initially angled your palm, within months you would have seen it starting to bend back into a vertical position. (This can be observed in a matter of hours using a small container plant with a stem, such as a small tomato plant. Just place the container/pot on its side where the tomato plant is now horizontal to the ground. Within hours you will see the plant starting to bend upwards again.)

The two queen palms below were blown over by high winds to an approximate 45 degree angle. If you look closely you can see that at the point when they were blown over the new growth on the trunks started to go back to vertical again. Years from now the bend transition will be far more apparent.

The way I see it, you are either going to have to remove/relocate your queen palm, or sever the roots on the back side (opposite the pool, and then use equipment, etc., to pull your queen palm towards the pool to a 45 degree angle. Then it would have to be supported until new roots re anchored the palm. I would suggest the former option.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Walt

[Ricigliano]

Simple Just dig around it like you are going to remove it. After you have all the soil removed and you have a nice root ball ,like you would see in any B&B nursery. Then push it over to how you want it. I have done this before, so when you have it like you want it. Push it over some more, because Queens will right themselfs fast. The first time I did this I didn't get the angle I was looking for. Because of its size, it's still a smaller tree .I don't think you will have to brace it, if you pack the soil down really good afterwards. But if it makes you sleep better, brace it. GOOD LUCK

[Ricigliano]

P.S. Feed that baby!

[Davidl]

"P.S. Feed that baby! laugh.gif "

The look could be from being to close the power lines.

Edited September 12, 2009 by Davidl

[rozpalm]

If that were my pool I would nuke the queen and get something less messy and more exotic and lean it out over the pool. When queens lean they tend to right themselves very quickly and do not usually develop a graceful curve like other palms. Queens also develop a bulge at the point of the bend and go from a nice round trunk to more of a oval shaped one. As someone said, to get a really nice curve with a queen you need to curve it gradually.

[Dave H]

AS in SA,

I have done this years ago b4 I became inflicted with the palm disease. I had a decent size queen that had been in the ground a couple yrs, maybe a little smaller than yours that I was trying to get that tropical leaning curving up coconut look, and so I dug out one side and pulled and pulled and leaned it over to almost a 45 deg. angle. It did not blink other than maybe slowing the growth temporarily. It does begin to turn up pretty quickly once it gets growing again, so I'm not sure how much distance away from your power lines you will get or need. If you don't need much it may just do the trick...

Dave