Self cleaning palms

[Tracy]

So this is a little different twist on self cleaning palms.  I have a clump of Chamaedorea hooperiana which was a potted patio plant for several years before it outgrew the pot and space.  So I dropped it into the ground and used it to shade a small 1 gallon Pritchardia martii I had acquired and was going to plant.  Fast forward a few years and the Chamedorea hooperiana had to be staked to keep it from leaning over the growing Pritchardia.  Occasionally I have had to re tie up the hooperiana as the Pritchardia has grown to almost a similar height but apparently I missed a few stocks.  I'm guessing the wieght of the flowering hooperiana stock which was leaning got too much and it snapped off at the ground.  I still have plenty of stocks on the hooperiana but it "self cleaned" this one stock.  Anyone seen this "self cleaning" with other clumping Chamaedorea?

[-2 brian]

I too have a large hooperiana clump that I have to keep tied back to a larger palm trunk behind it for fear of it leaning way out into the sidewalk and snapping off. I have noticed something similar on a large seifrizii that I have but instead of the trunk snapping off it just fell against a raphis nearby and the head has now turned upward and is growing up again. 

[Steve Mac]

I think that is typical behaviour for hooperiana, mine is similar but has not actually snapped off by itself.

When they lean out too far I snap them off.

We have two bunches that require cleaning out the bottom, cutting off the flower heads and snapping back all too often for my liking.

Coincidence, we also have a seifrizii in there doing the same as brian's.

And Tracy, we have a cataractarum (ugly thing it was)  that has broken off by itself and looked just like your 'self-cleaning' example. 

I actually don't mind the leaning look, but we don't have the space for it. 

 

[Jim in Los Altos]

I’ve had to stake a few stalks of one of my C. hooperiana also. They often grow at sharp angles. I’ve had a couple of stalks break off as well. Here’s a photo of some growing under one of my mature Howea. 

Edited July 18, 2019 by Jim in Los Altos