Digging out a palm tree and transporting it

[ZPalms]

I have this Butia that this person is letting me come and dig up and take away but what's the process in digging out a palm and transporting it? The only thing I know is to keep the rootball as big as humanly possible within my strengths, we have a trailer we can get it on but what do you do with the root ball? What do you cover it with and should I tie the fronds up and cover them as well?

I think I have a tarp but I have zero Idea what's the best way too ensure the safety of the palm, so tips would be apperciate! 🥰

[Hurricanepalms]

I am not an expert, but transplantation success and the techniques required varies widely by species. My neighbor transplanted a large Butia Capitata without root pruning or any other special care and it never skipped a beat. This tree was quite old and was approximately 12 to 14ft in height when transplanted. With those species that are more hardy to transplantation, get a good size rootball, wrap it in moist material if transporting, get it it’s new home asap, time the transplant with the growing season, water frequency at least 2 to 3 times of what it would otherwise need for the first couple of months, stake it if needed, trim off between 30 to 50% of the leaves to reduce moisture loss, plant it in a spot with similar sun exposure and soil depth. Some people also use root stimulating hormone for the first couple of months, but I haven’t tried that.

You should definitely wrap or cover the leaves up if moving it on an open trailer. You can use screen or cloth to either cover the canopy or wrap it depending on how stiff the leaves are and how long the spear is. I try my best never to put pressure on the spear. Place the rootball facing forward.That way, if you have to slam on the brakes and the tree slides, you won’t crunch the spear. Good luck with the transplant!

Edited July 25, 2023 by Hurricanepalms

[Bill H2DB]

4 hours ago, Hurricanepalms said:

I am not an expert, but transplantation success and the techniques required varies widely by species. My neighbor transplanted a large Butia Capitata without root pruning or any other special care and it never skipped a beat. This tree was quite old and was approximately 12 to 14ft in height when transplanted. With those species that are more hardy to transplantation, get a good size rootball, wrap it in moist material if transporting, get it it’s new home asap, time the transplant with the growing season, water frequency at least 2 to 3 times of what it would otherwise need for the first couple of months, stake it if needed, trim off between 30 to 50% of the leaves to reduce moisture loss, plant it in a spot with similar sun exposure and soil depth. Some people also use root stimulating hormone for the first couple of months, but I haven’t tried that.

You should definitely wrap or cover the leaves up if moving it on an open trailer. You can use screen or cloth to either cover the canopy or wrap it depending on how stiff the leaves are and how long the spear is. I try my best never to put pressure on the spear. Place the rootball facing forward.That way, if you have to slam on the brakes and the tree slides, you won’t crunch the spear. Good luck with the transplant!

   Good advice .above

  Prepare the hole that it will be put in before going to get the palm . I have used sheets to wrap the fronds up while transporting . Not too tight . Then I put several rounds of masking tape or suchlike around the sheets at a few intervals along the fronds to hold it in place . Cheap and easy .  Roots can be done the same way , but using something that will retain moisture is preferred .

   Drive sanely .

   I have gone to a Thrift store or 2 if necessary to get some cheap sheets for the job .   Good luck 

[Merlyn]

I have moved several smallish Butia (not yet trunking) and they did fine.  If it is trunking it is going to be HEAVY.  Figure 200lb or so for the rootball and dirt, and something like 100lb per foot of trunk.  That's just a guess, based on moving a couple of Sylvestris.  A ramp and dolly or heavy duty 2 wheeler might help. 

I'd wrap the rootball with a tarp just to keep it together.  Cut off the oldest sets of fronds and tie up the others before you start digging.  If you are going a short distance or slow, then wrapping the fronds might not matter.  But 45mph or so and many miles could tear up the fronds if not wrapped.  I also agree with digging your new hole first before going to get the freebie.  When you go to plant it, a hose with spray nozzle will help.  Once you stand it upright in the hole, toss dirt into hole and wash it in with the hose.  I'd use the dirt you dug out of the hole to fill it back in, not potting soil, etc.  

Pictures would help with suggestions.

[Fusca]

I agree with the other's advice above.  Smallish Butia move quite easily in my experience.  This one was dug out and transplanted 5 times in 6 years and didn't skip a beat!  It finally got too big to fit in my Nissan Versa so it's stayed in this spot since 2017.

 

[ZPalms]

Thank for the replies guys! I’ve gone through and read everything and it’s really gonna help get the palm, should I make sure they water the palm in before I show up and dig it up?

also here’s the pictures, hard to tell from the photos but the trunk looks thin

Edited August 1, 2023 by ZPalms

[ZPalms]

[Johnny Palmseed]

Well that’s a good/bad scenario. The good news is that the palm is already contained by the planter so it will have a limited rootball. The bad news is also that the palm is already contained by the planter. That is going to be very awkward to remove since you don’t have access to all sides. It can be done but I would be concerned about the amount of dirt that will likely drop from the roots. I would recommend going as deep as you can from the side with access and then laying a tarp down and then pulling the palm over on that side so you have a chance of wrapping the roots. Then you can lift the whole thing up by the tarp.

[Bill H2DB]

1 hour ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

Well that’s a good/bad scenario. The good news is that the palm is already contained by the planter so it will have a limited rootball. The bad news is also that the palm is already contained by the planter. That is going to be very awkward to remove since you don’t have access to all sides. It can be done but I would be concerned about the amount of dirt that will likely drop from the roots. I would recommend going as deep as you can from the side with access and then laying a tarp down and then pulling the palm over on that side so you have a chance of wrapping the roots. Then you can lift the whole thing up by the tarp.

   What he said !!

[ZPalms]

Ive prepping all the tips everyone gave me, should I water the palm before digging it up or after to get it wet?

Edited August 3, 2023 by ZPalms

[Las Palmas Norte]

51 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

Ive prepping all the tips everyone gave me, should I water the palm before digging it up or after to get it wet?

After. Only because I'll add weight to an already awkward digging situation. That palm couldn't have been planted in a worse place. Good luck.

[ZPalms]

10 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

After. Only because I'll add weight to an already awkward digging situation. That palm couldn't have been planted in a worse place. Good luck.

Thank you, I’m on my way now! I’m gonna need the luck!

[Johnny Palmseed]

I agree that it’s probably too late to water it. That would have been good leading up to the dig but now it will just make your job harder. Just water well after the transplant.

[ZPalms]

Everything is good, the tree was much larger in person and also very difficult to get it out of that tight squeeze but it’s over, I’ll take a picture when I get it home and in the ground 🤠

[ZPalms]

Alrighty it’s in the ground and over with, I’ll keep it watered and it has a little lean to it from being loose and leaning into the brick wall but it knows what’s to do once it’s recovered 🤠

thanks for your help guys! Only thing I’m wondering is should I stake it up?

[Merlyn]

Given the small size of the rootball it might have a problem with falling over in high wind.  A piece of rebar hammered into the ground works, with a rope around the middle of the largest diameter area.  Don't put a rope around the fronds or petioles/rachis.  And just a single loop, don't wrap around the trunk several times as it might restrict the growing point.

[ZPalms]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

Given the small size of the rootball it might have a problem with falling over in high wind.  A piece of rebar hammered into the ground works, with a rope around the middle of the largest diameter area.  Don't put a rope around the fronds or petioles/rachis.  And just a single loop, don't wrap around the trunk several times as it might restrict the growing point.

Perfect you said this because I did exactly that before heading inside, I might need to go out and make sure its secure but Im tired! I did try getting the most amount of rootball as possible but it was difficult

[Bill H2DB]

  Patience is a virtue .

 

[ZPalms]

Here’s a better day time photo 🤠

[mydateplams]

I would tie the fronds up. 

 

 

[ZPalms]

17 minutes ago, mydateplams said:

I would tie the fronds up. 

 

 

Wouldnt this restrict the spear?

[Palmfarmer]

26 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

Wouldnt this restrict the spear?

Seems like he is trying to reduce transplant shock? I thought it was a myth that keeping them tied up did anything. 

I would feed it some Bonemeal, Mulch and water like a madman. I think it will be fine. 

[SeanK]

Flood it a couple times a day. The dirt needs to settle in between the roots. It's late for transplanting, so keep it warm this winter.

[Palmfarmer]

39 minutes ago, SeanK said:

Flood it a couple times a day. The dirt needs to settle in between the roots. It's late for transplanting, so keep it warm this winter.

Yes especially when it came out without any soil from the planting hole. 

[ZPalms]

54 minutes ago, Palmfarmer said:

Yes especially when it came out without any soil from the planting hole. 

It was planted in really rich loose dirt with worms and it was really wedged in the flowerbed, I couldnt have kept soil in the root ball if I tried, but it was also under tree canopy 🤠

 

1 hour ago, Palmfarmer said:

Seems like he is trying to reduce transplant shock? I thought it was a myth that keeping them tied up did anything. 

I would feed it some Bonemeal, Mulch and water like a madman. I think it will be fine. 

I'll definitely be doing that if I can get some

 

1 hour ago, SeanK said:

Flood it a couple times a day. The dirt needs to settle in between the roots. It's late for transplanting, so keep it warm this winter.

I gotta figure out the best way to keep it warm this winter, Maybe I should build a box around it or something or just wrap it up with christmas lights, I'd much prefer to box it from the weather and wind

Edited August 5, 2023 by ZPalms

[Palmfarmer]

21 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

It was planted in really rich loose dirt with worms and it was really wedged in the flowerbed, I couldnt have kept soil in the root ball if I tried, but it was also under tree canopy 🤠

 

I'll definitely be doing that if I can get some

 

I gotta figure out the best way to keep it warm this winter, Maybe I should build a box around it or something or just wrap it up with christmas lights, I'd much prefer to box it from the weather and wind

What location are you in? Are you protecting it because it is the first year in the ground or because it is too hard in your area? 

[ZPalms]

15 minutes ago, Palmfarmer said:

What location are you in? Are you protecting it because it is the first year in the ground or because it is too hard in your area? 

protecting it because its the first year, butias do very good here

[Merlyn]

I would not tie up the fronds.  This is done to reduce transpiration losses, and is a tradeoff between more sun (more water loss but more photosynthesis too) and too much transpiration and having it die off from losing too much water.  But there's a significant risk of fungal infection too.  It might work well in a desert, but for a Butia in a humid summer tying up the fronds is probably unnecessary and might be risky.  I'd guess you'll lose at least a couple of the existing fronds before it roots in.

[SeanK]

16 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

What location are you in? Are you protecting it because it is the first year in the ground or because it is too hard in your area? 

He's in z8, and it's late for planting palms now.

[JLM]

On 8/4/2023 at 10:54 PM, ZPalms said:

It was planted in really rich loose dirt with worms and it was really wedged in the flowerbed, I couldnt have kept soil in the root ball if I tried, but it was also under tree canopy 🤠

 

I'll definitely be doing that if I can get some

 

I gotta figure out the best way to keep it warm this winter, Maybe I should build a box around it or something or just wrap it up with christmas lights, I'd much prefer to box it from the weather and wind

Use mini christmas lights, wrapped around the trunk and growing point. You can either do it direct or do a flat sheet in between. Once lights are on do another flat sheet to help hold in the heat, then plastic on the outside. If the palm is short enough and you can wrap the entire thing in lights and sheets, that would be even better as doing plastic directly can and will cause worse damage especially if frost is present.

This method has kept my Foxtail alive thru 19F, although i doubled this method during that event (sheet, lights, sheet, lights, sheet, plastic). It really depends on how cold itll be and, obviously, you wont know that until the week of so whenever Christmas decorations hit Walmart, buy these (Color doesnt matter, whatever your preference is):

[ZPalms]

51 minutes ago, JLM said:

Use mini christmas lights, wrapped around the trunk and growing point. You can either do it direct or do a flat sheet in between. Once lights are on do another flat sheet to help hold in the heat, then plastic on the outside. If the palm is short enough and you can wrap the entire thing in lights and sheets, that would be even better as doing plastic directly can and will cause worse damage especially if frost is present.

This method has kept my Foxtail alive thru 19F, although i doubled this method during that event (sheet, lights, sheet, lights, sheet, plastic). It really depends on how cold itll be and, obviously, you wont know that until the week of so whenever Christmas decorations hit Walmart, buy these (Color doesnt matter, whatever your preference is):

Do you have any pictures how it’s done, I’m so bad without visual representation! I think I understand but it’s hard for me to visualize

[MattInRaleigh]

6 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Do you have any pictures how it’s done, I’m so bad without visual representation! I think I understand but it’s hard for me to visualize

@Allen has great YouTube videos on the subject. Here is a playlist for winter protection.

 

[ZPalms]

On 8/7/2023 at 8:04 AM, MattInRaleigh said:

@Allen has great YouTube videos on the subject. Here is a playlist for winter protection.

 

I thought I replied to this already but I guess I got distracted, This is awesome and very realistic for me to do, I think I watched this video once before but before I had any palms tall enough to do this. I'll have to gather the supplies and put it together and I'll update that here with pictures 🤠

Edited August 11, 2023 by ZPalms

[Arecaceus]

I would tie the fronds together if you have sunny, hot (possibly even dry) weather at the moment. With this little rootball I wouldn't risk too much transpiration. I would also water it every day if there isn't sufficient rainfall. It's irremissible to get the soil setteled between the roots while also giving the roots constant water to keep the palm alive. I would also mulch it with wood chips to keep the moisture in the ground and trap the warmth for autumn and winter.

[ZPalms]

25 minutes ago, Hortulanus said:

I would tie the fronds together if you have sunny, hot (possibly even dry) weather at the moment. With this little rootball I wouldn't risk too much transpiration. I would also water it every day if there isn't sufficient rainfall. It's irremissible to get the soil setteled between the roots while also giving the roots constant water to keep the palm alive. I would also mulch it with wood chips to keep the moisture in the ground and trap the warmth for autumn and winter.

Would humidity be a issue? I have been watering, I hope my soil I tried to amend is good enough for it

[Merlyn]

I moved this similarly-sized Butia around the 2nd week of April.  It was part of a triple, but one of the three was continually struggling with crown infections.  So I split up the two healthy ones.  This one is now along my East pathway.  It lost the oldest set of fronds over the next couple of weeks.  It was doing pretty well with just a pair of 1gph drippers 40 minutes per day = 1.3 gallons per day.  I had my roof replaced in June, and the roofers were using my hose to wash their hands at the end of the day.  They did what most people would do, and closed the big valve when they were done.  Unfortunately there was a Y splitter with little flip levers on the other side of the valve, one fed my East side irrigation, the other fed the hose.  So my East side was shut off for about a month in the middle of the unusually dry summer.  Even with no water and daily 95-100F highs it settled in okay.  I just noticed last weekend it's opening up two new spears:

The smaller but healthy one was on a different irrigation route, so it had drippers the whole time.  It lost the oldest set of fronds too, but is growing new spears now:

[Arecaceus]

16 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Would humidity be a issue? I have been watering, I hope my soil I tried to amend is good enough for it

I don't think so. High humidity should keep the palm from transpiring too much.

[ZPalms]

Wanted to give an update on this transplant: months later, the tree is still alive and has anchored itself. I still have strings on it, just in case of storms or whatever. I can tell the tree is actively growing because the center spear seems to be slowly creeping up, which made me redo my whole protection since the leaves were growing but constricted in the wrong direction. I am excited to see what it does this coming spring and summer. Protecting it just this winter has given me the opportunity to force it to grow upright because I really want it to grow straight up. I also think this will give it way more support because it leaning over and holding its own heavy crown up probably isn't such a great idea.

I also included a video I took a couple months ago when I got it in the ground.

 

 

 

Edited January 4, 2024 by ZPalms

[Harry’s Palms]

That’s good news! Fingers crossed for a mild winter. I guess you could cover it if needed. Once established I think they are very hardy. It looks like you know what to do. 

[ZPalms]

I need to get new photo of the tree but when I was out yesterday fertilizing all the palms, I was scratching the surface soil to work the fertilizer in and saw worms have made home in the soil under this butia, pretty neat to see since before it was lifeless sand