Rescued sabal palmetto. Now what?

[floridaPalmMan]

I rescued this sabal palmetto today from certain death and now I don't know what to do with it.

Not really sure where it can go in my yard yet so I'm wondering if I can pot this thing. Will it survive?

The root ball was hacked to heck so I don't know if potting it will be possible. Plus I'd need like a 30 gallon pot and supports since this thing is way larger than it looks in pictures.

Right now I've got it in a plastic bag and moist soil diaper but unsure how long it can stay that way without being planted.

Do I have to make a decision in the next 24 hours? How long before I kill it with inaction?

[NorCalWill]

From what I've read here, Sabals don't transplant well in general. With not much of a rootball, I'd just stick it in the ground somewhere and hope for the best rather than going to all the trouble of potting it up in case it doesn't make it.

[teddytn]

Looks like it has enough trunk that it should be able to regrow roots. When people mention rejuvenated palmettos, it’s an exact situation where a palm is dug and then potted to regrow roots to be planted later. Either planting in ground or potting I would say you have a very good shot with that big of a palmetto, especially since you rescued it, you’ve got Mother Nature on your side with it!

[floridaPalmMan]

27 minutes ago, teddytn said:

 you’ve got Mother Nature on your side with it!

Yea I'm hoping to get some palm karma on this one. Especially since this poor palm was being tortured.

If you look at the first picture, you can see that it was decapitated multiple times. That's because the palm was growing very close to their neighbors garage and every time the fronds got large enough to touch her (the neighbor) garage, she would decide that it was now her property and would come out and decapitate the palm.

If you look at the zoomed in image of the upper trunk, you can see the decapitation lines.

What will this look like as it continues to grow due to the multiple decapitations? Will it's trunk be distorted in the future?

 

Edited May 26, 2021 by floridaPalmMan

[PalmatierMeg]

Transplanted Sabals regrow new root systems anyway so a huge rootball is not necessary. Replant it at the same level it had been growing then keep it erect with a tripod of 2x4s attached to blocks of wood wrapped in burlap or old towels. Trim off all leaves except the newest spear to reduce transpiration while the palm regrows its roots. Water in well and make sure to keep watering as long as dry season lingers until the rains come.

Kudos to you for trying to save this abused palm.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

I agree with everything Meg just said. I believe the palm gods will treat you and your sabal right. Good job with the rescue!!! 

T J 

[Johnny Palmseed]

When I see large Sabals being transported they don’t have any roots or leaves. You can trim off the roots because I think they will deteriorate anyway. I would not try to pot it. Instead, pick a good spot and plant it using the above described support method. You can use a root stimulator (phosphorus) product along with your watering. As far as time goes, the sooner the better. However, a few days will not matter much. It is probably the best time of the year to do this. You should know by the end of the summer if it will make it.

[floridaPalmMan]

Holy bajesus this thing was heavy but it's in!

A couple tow straps, a dolly, and a little elbow/back/shoulder/knee grease and boom, a hopefully saved palmetto.

First, I used the tow straps to pull it off the trailer inch by inch

 

Then inched it into the hole and tried to angle it as much angle as I could with a 4x4 and deck block.

 

Lifted it as far as I could with a couple tow straps to get it at a 45 degree angle then squatted it up the rest of the way.

 

Now here it is, buried with some Miracle grow palm soil and sand getting water. 

Still have to cut the excess fronds off as per @PalmatierMeg's advice but after that it should be up to the palm gods to see how this turns out.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and good wishes. It's all up to mother nature & irrigation now.

[KsLouisiana]

12 hours ago, floridaPalmMan said:

Holy bajesus this thing was heavy but it's in!

A couple tow straps, a dolly, and a little elbow/back/shoulder/knee grease and boom, a hopefully saved palmetto.

First, I used the tow straps to pull it off the trailer inch by inch

 

Then inched it into the hole and tried to angle it as much angle as I could with a 4x4 and deck block.

 

Lifted it as far as I could with a couple tow straps to get it at a 45 degree angle then squatted it up the rest of the way.

 

Now here it is, buried with some Miracle grow palm soil and sand getting water. 

Still have to cut the excess fronds off as per @PalmatierMeg's advice but after that it should be up to the palm gods to see how this turns out.

 

Thanks everyone for the advice and good wishes. It's all up to mother nature & irrigation now.

Hey man! Good work! I know they're unbelievably heavy! Last year we rescued one about that size out of of a ditch that was uprooted from hurricane Laura.  It started to get rot from all winter and no growth. And ours had to be cut back just like this! So I'm happy to what mine will look like with some new growth.  Im sure yours will do alot better since its summer time! Best of luck to ya

[NorCalWill]

On 5/25/2021 at 7:15 PM, NorCalWill said:

From what I've read here, Sabals don't transplant well in general. With not much of a rootball, I'd just stick it in the ground somewhere and hope for the best rather than going to all the trouble of potting it up in case it doesn't make it.

I'm really glad that others chimed in about this, because obviously I didn't give good advice. I once posted about transplanting a Sabal minor, and overwhelmingly, people said it wouldn't survive. That is what I based my reply on. Good luck with your Sabal, sounds like it has a good chance of regrowing roots and making a comeback.

[JubaeaMan138]

The Cigar cut if I’m correct? 

[Valhallalla]

I read somewhere that they estimate there are between six and seven kajillion individual Sabal palmettos in the state of Florida. All of them deserve to be saved IMO. It is our state tree after all. Bravo on giving this one a new lease on life!

Good luck.

[Johnny Palmseed]

8 hours ago, NorCalWill said:

I'm really glad that others chimed in about this, because obviously I didn't give good advice. I once posted about transplanting a Sabal minor, and overwhelmingly, people said it wouldn't survive. That is what I based my reply on. Good luck with your Sabal, sounds like it has a good chance of regrowing roots and making a comeback.

I don’t think you gave bad advice. Sabal palms are reportedly tough to transplant below a certain size. What that size is, is difficult to say. If the palm is large enough, it should survive. It needs to have enough stored energy to produce the growth required. The smaller ones tend to not survive transplantation unless they have been grown in pots. The large ones have a better chance but are obviously not easy to move.

[teddytn]

@floridaPalmMan can’t have just one...I mean for the palmettos sake. Needs to have a friend right?!?! Lol

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

10 hours ago, NorCalWill said:

I'm really glad that others chimed in about this, because obviously I didn't give good advice. I once posted about transplanting a Sabal minor, and overwhelmingly, people said it wouldn't survive. That is what I based my reply on. Good luck with your Sabal, sounds like it has a good chance of regrowing roots and making a comeback.

Sabal minor is a totally different scenario where the growing point is still under ground and almost guaranteed to be hurt during the move. Sabal Palmetto with less then 4ft of trunk is in the same boat as a minor. Once above 4ft Palmettos can be dug reliably and moved to a new location. That is what a regen Palmetto is. Hope this helps , so you don't feel like you were given bad info. 

T J 

[floridaPalmMan]

20 hours ago, teddytn said:

@floridaPalmMan can’t have just one...I mean for the palmettos sake. Needs to have a friend right?!?! Lol

Ha yep... I have no intention of stopping 

But I've got to get a winch mounted on the trailer or truck for the next one. I almost gave myself a hernia trying to move that one around.

I'm thinking one of those engine block lifting cranes & a winch mounted on the trailer to pull the crane around.

Anyone else have a good method for moving large palms??