What is wrong with my palm? Should I be pruning?

[cbidthis]

To start, I know nothing about palm trees or gardening in general other than what I have picked up in the past 6 months of trying to get the jungle in the backyard of a rental property into something resembling a yard. I have 2 of these palm trees on the side of the house, and they just seems to be making a mess 😕 They originally had vines growing in them that I tried to pull out and get rid of, but they also have what I think is a rubber tree growing out of them. I keep trying to get them out, but they just come back. In the process of all this, the husks/boots (I think that what’s they’re called) kept coming off and I pulled off the loose ones, but they just keep coming off and making a mess of the yard. Any advice on pruning the husks/boots (as in what to use to do it, or whether it should be done)? And what to do about the rubber tree that seems to be imbedded inside it?

[KFain]

Hey there,

The "rubber tree" is a strangler fig growing on your Sabal palm.  Given time it will kill the palm and become a huge tree.  Best advice would be to remove as much of the old husks as possible. Cutting out as much of the fig as you can.  Starting from the bottom working up, sometimes a hand saw or even chainsaw is needed for the newer fronds higher up. 

Edited August 4, 2023 by KFain

[cbidthis]

Thank you so much for your answer! I had read somewhere that it’s normal for plants to grow in the husks and add to the “beauty” of the tree… that didn’t sit right with me, so thank you for confirming!

[iko.]

11 hours ago, KFain said:

The "rubber tree" is a strangler fig growing on your Sabal palm.  Given time it will kill the palm and become a huge tree.  

It's true that these Ficus become huge trees relatively quick but not always will kill the palm. Some will grow together, at least, longer than the life expectancy of a person. 

There're a few Ficus and palm combos in Sydney, Australia. For example this (see Google Street view) palm that looks like a Livistonia Australis and a Ficus macrophylla planted in the late 50's. Both tree and palm have been growing bigger and taller since I saw them first.

 

8 hours ago, cbidthis said:

I had read somewhere that it’s normal for plants to grow in the husks and add to the “beauty” of the tree… that didn’t sit right with me, so thank you for confirming!

Less invasive to grow in the husks of the palm trunk and common to see in wet areas would be orchids, bromeliads or ferns. Otherwise, some of those husks should come easily pulling or with a box cutter. That's how the Washingtonia husks are removed. Hope that helps.

Edited August 4, 2023 by iko.

[PalmatierMeg]

Good advice: kill the strangler fig

Large Ficus have very aggressive roots that may damage the foundation of the house (palm roots are herbaceous and do not present that threat). Over time I have tried several species of Ficus in our our yard but never anywhere close to any structure. Hurricanes Irma and Ian took all of them out. I will never again plant another Ficus of any species.

[SeanK]

7 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Good advice: kill the strangler fig

Large Ficus have very aggressive roots that may damage the foundation of the house (palm roots are herbaceous and do not present that threat). Over time I have tried several species of Ficus in our our yard but never anywhere close to any structure. Hurricanes Irma and Ian took all of them out. I will never again plant another Ficus of any species.

Agreed.

If you really want one, plant one at the back of a 10-acre parcel abutting a swamp.

[kinzyjr]

On 8/3/2023 at 9:21 PM, KFain said:

The "rubber tree" is a strangler fig growing on your Sabal palm.

On 8/3/2023 at 3:04 PM, cbidthis said:

And what to do about the rubber tree that seems to be imbedded inside it?

Interesting.  They've been naturalizing in Lakeland for a while now.  The area between the hospital and Lake Parker has a lot of them.  Yeah, best to remove if you want a formal look to your rental.  I have two Strangler Figs at the back of my property but wouldn't want them up by the house.

[cbidthis]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

Interesting.  They've been naturalizing in Lakeland for a while now.  The area between the hospital and Lake Parker has a lot of them.  Yeah, best to remove if you want a formal look to your rental.  I have two Strangler Figs at the back of my property but wouldn't want them up by the house.

Did I mention that this house is also in Lakeland? The house next door has a huge rubber tree (which I guess is actually called a strangler fig) in their back yard. I have a feeling that’s where it must have come from 😕 …along with most the weeds and vines I’ve been trying to fight back over the fence. Don’t get me started on the city easement behind the house that the city refuses to care for.  The over growth basically took out the fence which I’m in the process of replacing. Who knew you could grow a jungle in Lakeland 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

[kinzyjr]

3 minutes ago, cbidthis said:

Did I mention that this house is also in Lakeland? The house next door has a huge rubber tree (which I guess is actually called a strangler fig) in their back yard. I have a feeling that’s where it must have come from 😕 …along with most the weeds and vines I’ve been trying to fight back over the fence. Don’t get me started on the city easement behind the house that the city refuses to care for.  The over growth basically took out the fence which I’m in the process of replacing. Who knew you could grow a jungle in Lakeland 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

My assumption was that the location listed on your post was accurate.  If the house next door has a Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea), all of the neighbors are going to have them soon.  I'm surprised that the city lets the easement slip.  In most of their parks and small gardens, they put a lot of work in on aesthetics.  Actually, the tree crew usually over-trims everything.

My personal jungle here in Lakeland is a bit more organized: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/52296-palms-and-others-of-interest/

It was part of a tour by the Central Florida Palm and Cycad Society in Fall 2022: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/73966-central-florida-palm-cycad-society-fall-meeting-sat-10222022/

[cbidthis]

21 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

My assumption was that the location listed on your post was accurate.  If the house next door has a Strangler Fig (Ficus aurea), all of the neighbors are going to have them soon.  I'm surprised that the city lets the easement slip.  In most of their parks and small gardens, they put a lot of work in on aesthetics.  Actually, the tree crew usually over-trims everything.

My personal jungle here in Lakeland is a bit more organized: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/52296-palms-and-others-of-interest/

It was part of a tour by the Central Florida Palm and Cycad Society in Fall 2022: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/73966-central-florida-palm-cycad-society-fall-meeting-sat-10222022/

I didn’t realize it posted the location. You clearly have the green thumb,  I never seemed to develop. I bought this house about 20 years ago and then got a job in Tampa about 5 years later. I’ve been renting in Tampa and renting this house out ever since. I forgot the effort it takes just to maintain a yard, let alone keep the trees and garden intact. The last renters did a number on both the inside and outside, and it’s taken 7 months of renovations and yard work just to get it close to presentable again. I have a friend in Lakeland, that like you,  loves her plants. I keep pulling things out just to make the yard easier to maintain for renters, and she has a fit. Apparently the things I consider “weeds” are actually fancy plants. She comes over with pots and takes them home before I yank them all out. For some it’s a passion… for me I’d be happy to concrete over all of it just so I don’t have to deal with it. It takes a special kind of love of plants to garden or even maintain a yard in this Florida heat 😕 As for the easement, I’ve reached out to the city multiple times. The vines and snake plants are out of control. I even tried reaching out to Lakeland Electric because the trees and vines in the easement are growing into the power lines. They don’t seem to care… and I don’t have the patience to fight with city government. I just keep cutting back what grows onto my property and throwing it back into the easement, which is probably exacerbating the problem, but gives me the tiniest bit of satisfaction

Edited August 5, 2023 by cbidthis