Did I plant this Christmas palm too high?

[drewsg]

This is my first time buying and planting a Christmas Palm. The guy said make sure to plant it at least two inches above ground, but I don't know if I went too high. I wanted to dig a little further out, but sprinkler pipe prevented me doing so. Tips, critiques? 

[drewsg]

any help? post got buried while I was waiting for activation

[Merlyn]

Welcome to PalmTalk!

It's definitely too high, generally you want the base of the Root Initiation Zone (RIZ) approximately at ground level.  Too deep can cause problems with rot, which is probably why the nursery said plant it 2 inches too high.  You could either pull it back out and dig down another 1-2 inches, or "mound" it around the base with dirt and mulch on top.  If it's only been in the ground a few days then it hasn't rooted in place.  Personally I'd tilt it to each side and pull a bit of dirt out from underneath it.  Here's the best diagrammed guide for planting depth I've found:

http://www.marriedtoplants.com/palms/palm-tree-growing-tips-mounding/

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

@Merlyn2220 that is a great link especially for beginners. Only question i would ask is what kinda dirt you got @drewsg ? In my area I plant like you had cause of our gumbo clay. You definitely came to the right place Welcome to PT !!! 

[drewsg]

13 hours ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

It looks slightly high but not anything to be concerned about. It’s better than too deep. The only thing is that some of the top roots will become exposed over time. You can amend with a top dressing of soil to help. I would be more concerned about the sprinkler line. Over time these roots will spread out and become a significant root ball. If you need to work on the sprinkler line and have to cut the roots you could damage the plants. Can you move the plant to not interfere with the sprinkler line? Or re route the sprinkler line?

 

12 hours ago, Merlyn2220 said:

Welcome to PalmTalk!

It's definitely too high, generally you want the base of the Root Initiation Zone (RIZ) approximately at ground level.  Too deep can cause problems with rot, which is probably why the nursery said plant it 2 inches too high.  You could either pull it back out and dig down another 1-2 inches, or "mound" it around the base with dirt and mulch on top.  If it's only been in the ground a few days then it hasn't rooted in place.  Personally I'd tilt it to each side and pull a bit of dirt out from underneath it.  Here's the best diagrammed guide for planting depth I've found:

http://www.marriedtoplants.com/palms/palm-tree-growing-tips-mounding/

 I have no problems digging the plant out to put it deeper if that's what better for plant, do I have enough clearance from the house to move it away from the sprinkler and put it deeper?

11 hours ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

@Merlyn2220 that is a great link especially for beginners. Only question i would ask is what kinda dirt you got @drewsg ? In my area I plant like you had cause of our gumbo clay. You definitely came to the right place Welcome to PT !!! 

Thanks for the welcome and replies.

I have no problem digging the plant out and moving it back so I can put it deeper, but the reason why I put it so forward because I was worried about the plant having enough clearance from the house. How much can I move it back without the House being a problem?

As for the soil, it's definitely more sandy than clay.

[Merlyn]

I planted a similar triple and put it 6-7 feet away from the house, that seems to be fine for frond clearance.  Yours looks like it is maybe 4 feet away, which means the fronds will brush the house.  That's a personal preference, I suppose, it's not like the fronds are oak limbs that will destroy that stone on a windy day.  I have a couple of Queen palms that I planted way too close to the house.  But I did that on purpose, knowing I'd have to cut off a couple of fronds to keep them from ripping up the wall and eaves...at least until they grew up over the roofline.  So as long as the rigid part of the frond isn't likely to damage anything, then the position is up to you.

You do want to avoid having a high pressure sprinkler head aiming at the tree, since it'll cause crown rot and trunk rot.  I have a bunch of the "broad fan head" sprinklers covering my tropical beds, but the spray from them is more like a regular daily rainstorm.  High pressure heads can, over time, quite literally cut through the trunk of a palm.  There's a local nursery here that has a 40' tall Pindo with a big hole in the side from one of their nursery sprinklers-on-a-stick.  If you can move the sprinkler that would be a great choice.

[drewsg]

Ended up digging it out and putting it inch or so deeper. Does this look better? Also moved the sprinkler line to the edge of the driveway. 

[drewsg]

Thanks everyone for the help.

[Merlyn]

As long as the bottom of the bulged "trunk" area is approximately at ground level, it should be happy!  Moving the sprinkler is a good idea, so you don't end up with problems later.  I agree with Johnny's suggestion on the grass.  Lawn crews will use the weedwhacker around the base if the grass grows right up to the trunk.  Repeated hits with the string will cut up the trunk and/or top of the roots, which definitely is not a good thing!