Separating big box Livistona Chinesis?

[newtopalmsMD]

I have three pots of Chinese fan palms from a big box store.  Two have fronds as tall as 5 feet, while the third (much younger) has nothing over a foot or two.  Each pot has 4 separate crowns.  Has anyone tried to separate what appear to be separate plants with any success?  Will there be 4 separate root systems, or will there be one root system with 4 off shoots?  Are most of the plants likely to die from surgery? If separating is possible and advisable, what is the best time of year to separate them (fall or early spring) I am in zone 7a.  (My plan this winter is to leave them in pots (already transplanted to 15 gallon pots) on the south side of my house and move them into the garage when evening temps drop below 20F to try to preserve foliage.)

Thanks for any advice/shared experiences.

[Rickybobby]

I haven’t had that experience with your palms but earlier this spring I had a pot of 3 majesty’s. One rotted and died so i took the chance to save the others and was very careful to separate the remaining two. Afterwards obviously the pot size needed would be a lot smaller so they both got pots to suit them and so far about 4 months later they are doing perfectly fine. I just know the younger and less time for the roots to intertwine the better 

[Rickybobby]

A side note I have 4 Phoenix roebellinis in one pot. (Bought this way) they are so hard to please. So much competition and there all growing so fast. I should have tried separating them when I first got them. I can’t water them enough right now  and I’m afraid to damage them if I separate. 

[Laaz]

Very easy. Pull them out of the pot & spray the roots & work them a part. Livistona have no problem with this.

[Rickybobby]

2 hours ago, Laaz said:

Very easy. Pull them out of the pot & spray the roots & work them a part. Livistona have no problem with this.

What about roebellinis?

[Laaz]

Not sure, I don't grow them.

[Palm crazy]

5 hours ago, Laaz said:

Very easy. Pull them out of the pot & spray the roots & work them a part. Livistona have no problem with this.

Yeah, I agree, they are easy to take apart and re-pot in the spring. I would bring them in anytime the nights go below 25F that way you won't have any leaf damage. 

[frienduvafrond]

These were much smaller than 5g, but they separated fairly easy. They never missed a beat after. They are getting their fan leaves now.

[newtopalmsMD]

Thanks for all the good advice. I now have my first spring project scheduled !   And the fan palms will spend a bit more of the winter in the garage.  Thanks Again 

[howfam]

I don't know why they put them in one pot anyway. L. chinensis is a full size palm and deserves its on space. 

[Estlander]

9 minutes ago, howfam said:

I don't know why they put them in one pot anyway. L. chinensis is a full size palm and deserves its on space. 

Probably to get that fuller look. Not a fan of them doing it either. Can’t imagine what the end result would be with, say, 9 trunks growing so close to each other, like the one I have in ground. 

Sure, looks good now, but what about in the future? It’s gonna be a massive clump one day. 

I’m hoping some of the trunks will die out trying to compete, or I’m gonna have to remove/kill some of them. 

[kinzyjr]

On 10/3/2018, 4:15:23, Rickybobby said:

What about roebellinis?

I've never had an issue separating any phoenix I grow (phoenix canariensis, phoenix dactylifera, phoenix roebellini, phoenix theophrasti, phoenix reclinata).  The roots are very tolerant of grade change and replanting on all of these.

[Sandy Loam]

Just bear in mind that if you separate them, those livistona chinensis will grow straight (not curved) trunks.  Even two of them growing together at the roots will make the trunks curve.   To my eye, that species looks better with a curved trunk.  

[howfam]

On ‎10‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 9:31 PM, Estlander said:

uld leave them singleProbably to get that fuller look. Not a fan of them doing it either. Can’t imagine what the end result would be with, say, 9 trunks growing so close to each other, like the one I have in ground. 

Sure, looks good now, but what about in the future? It’s gonna be a massive clump one day. 

I’m hoping some of the trunks will die out trying to compete, or I’m gonna have to remove/kill some of them. 

I bought a pot with 3  L. chinensis about 2  years ago and separated them immediately. I was exited that they all seemed to be surviving, but one by one , they all died within the first 14 months or so. I wish they would just sell them as single trunk, or at least give buyers a choice single vs. multiple stems. 

[Merlyn]

Last spring I bought a Majesty triple from a big box store, it was the smallest pot size they offered.  I think they were in a 2G pot.  Since I wasn't sure if they would like being washed clean and manually separated, I just took a big kukri knife and carefully sliced down between to give each a roughly equal amount of roots.  This might have been a bad idea, but they all survived.  In the ground it took them about 2 months to visibly start growing.  They have all doubled in size this year, even though they are a bit yellowed from a lack of fertilizer.  

I have considered buying a couple of Livistona Chinensis pots in triples and doing what you described.  I kind of want to plant a Chinensis hedge.  So let us know how yours turn out, and how you separated them!