Is this coconut too close to our water tower/house?

[PhilippineExpat]

Is this coconut too close to our water tower/house? I already know it's a super tight fit, but I'm hoping it will realize it's cramped and try to go tall and skinny with smaller fronds to compensate. Do coconuts do that? The neglected coconuts here grow massive with 20 foot fronds when they have room to breathe, so I'm thinking I should transplant this coconut outside. That said, I'd rather not transplant it unless I have to because it will become a great shade for our seating area. If I have to move it, I have a very young wodyetia x veitchia hybrid to plant in its place.

[NOT A TA]

Yes, it's too close IMO. It'll be a real pain as the palm gets bigger. Move now while it's easy.

I'm interested in the water tower. I've never seen a small one on a residential property. Is it for potable water?

[PhilippineExpat]

3 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

Yes, it's too close IMO. It'll be a real pain as the palm gets bigger. Move now while it's easy.

I'm interested in the water tower. I've never seen a small one on a residential property. Is it for potable water?

Alright, I'll move it tonight once the sun goes down. I think deep down I knew that but I didn't want it to be true. Thanks for the help!

As for the water tower, where we live there are a lot of things that can cause water shortages. For example, when we lived in the city last year there was a water shortage because of El Nino and the government rationed water for 2-3 months and many days we had no water at all. Another example (after we moved to our new home outside the city) is when the local volcano erupted in January and we had no running water for a week because the ash contaminated the water supply. To get potable water here you have to go to a water station or get your own filter system, so the water tower is for running water for general stuff like cleaning dishes, flushing the toilet, bathing, etc. We can also drink it if we use our life straw. Unfortunately the water tank system was very poorly installed, so we took it down. We're undecided if we will put the tank back up because it costs a lot of money. I honestly want to remove the tower because we could fit a date palm there (especially if I move that coconut). Fortunately we no longer live in the big city, so maybe water shortages won't be as bad here next El Nino. I'm hoping the water tower will prove to be unnecessary so we can get rid of it. We really just got it because of our awful experience last year in the city and we were building our house during the water crisis. 

[NOT A TA]

Ah, thanks for the explanation!

[NOT A TA]

22 minutes ago, PhilippineExpat said:

We really just got it because of our awful experience last year in the city and we were building our house during the water crisis. 

Have you considered fixing/keeping it and then using it as an attribute rather than looking at it as a obstacle? I imagine free falling vines hanging, swaying with the breeze, potted plants sprouting out the top. The lower supporting part becoming a trellis with flowering plants and such. All while retaining the functionality should it become an asset during water emergencies.

Add a ladder and it becomes a functional lookout tower!

[PhilippineExpat]

10 minutes ago, NOT A TA said:

Have you considered fixing/keeping it and then using it as an attribute rather than looking at it as a obstacle? I imagine free falling vines hanging, swaying with the breeze, potted plants sprouting out the top. The lower supporting part becoming a trellis with flowering plants and such. All while retaining the functionality should it become an asset during water emergencies.

Add a ladder and it becomes a functional lookout tower!

Haha there actually is a ladder there but the pics are at the perfect angle to hide it. We actually use the tower a lot to hold up our shade, hang laundry, and we sometimes put potted plants up there that need a lot of sun. We also tried germinating some palm seeds up there, but it did not go well. Right now there are some potted carrots up there, but again the camera angle hides them. We've thought about growing pole beans and stuff up the tower and maybe having wandering jew hang off of it. But one reason I am reluctant to have any long term plants up there is we get lots of typhoons every year and the wind could blow them off. Therefore, maybe just climbing stuff like pole beans is the only real option if we end up keeping the tower.  I will say a reason to keep the tower is we have a nice little fern and selaginella garden underneath the tower and they're all thriving. Too bad a giant fern can't fit under there! 

Edited May 13, 2020 by PhilippineExpat

[PhilippineExpat]

Here it is in its new spot between 2 senorita banana plants. Also, here's a pic of the palm we planted in its place. I posted it on palmtalk before and people guessed it has a hybrid foxtail and manila palm.