Sabal Mexicana Spacing

[WacoPalm]

I have a couple of Texas Sabals arriving today that I need to get in the ground. I want them to create a natural privacy barrier. What would the appropriate spacing be to keep them close but not overlapping the crowns? 15' trunk to trunk? 20'?

[Dimovi]

The crown size grows as the palm tree grows until it begins to trunk, after that as the trunk gets taller the crown becomes more compact. There is no exact number, but generally the more shade you have the larger the crown will be. I would say put them 20' apart and maybe plant a few sabal minors in between.

[Dwarf Fan]

Here are some mature examples that are planted in front of a Nursery in Corpus Christi to give you an idea of spacing distance:

[5am]

So if the standard parking space is 9ft wide those at the nursery are roughly 18ft apart? From the angle of the photos I can't tell if the crowns touch. What did you go with, @WacoPalm? Do you have a picture of them installed?

[Harry’s Palms]

In the first years of growth they will provide some privacy but as they get taller the trunks will be too far apart if you give them enough room for the crowns . You could infill with smaller slow growing palms . Harry

[WSimpson]

I put my Sabal palmetto a little too close to my Birmingham . At the time when I planted the HC Palmetto   it seemed like I had lots of space between them , but plant growth can be deceptive . The good thing is that the Palmetto will grow above the Birmingham in time and it should look  nicely landscaped  over the years . 

Will

The older Birmingham on the left :

Edited March 26, 2024 by WSimpson

[WacoPalm]

I wound up putting them in about 18' apart. spacing looks good. However, one of the trees had been damaged on arrival. The seller refunded me for that particular tree and we planted it hoping for the best. It is now looking withered and unwell in comparison to the other tree. Im uncertain is this is due to the damage that occurred in transport or normal transplant shock.

[Dimovi]

Palms get their leaves heavily trimmed when transplanted to reduce water loss due to transpiration because they often have a reduced ability to absorb water since the roots have been trimmed. The leaves drying out might be a sign that there are too many leaves relative to roots. Maybe you can trim half of the biggest leaf. Make sure not to fertilize as that can cause osmotic stress and dry out unestablished plants. Also water the root ball frequently until the roots grow into the native soil.

[Dwarf Fan]

18 hours ago, WacoPalm said:

I wound up putting them in about 18' apart. spacing looks good. However, one of the trees had been damaged on arrival. The seller refunded me for that particular tree and we planted it hoping for the best. It is now looking withered and unwell in comparison to the other tree. Im uncertain is this is due to the damage that occurred in transport or normal transplant shock.

Ask the seller to send you a new one that one doesn’t look like it is going to make it. Sucks that you have to remove and replant but I would bet that there is no way that thing pulls through (trunk looks dead not just fronds) it might have looked in better shape when you planted it but now it really looks like it is a goner!

[WacoPalm]

On 4/7/2024 at 9:19 AM, Dwarf Fan said:

Ask the seller to send you a new one that one doesn’t look like it is going to make it. Sucks that you have to remove and replant but I would bet that there is no way that thing pulls through (trunk looks dead not just fronds) it might have looked in better shape when you planted it but now it really looks like it is a goner!

Unfortunately, I purchased them off of someone on FB marketplace. They were def not professionals, I think just someone that had 2 extra left over from a project. I did raise my concerns with the seller and they were really nice about it. They issued me a full refund for that tree. So, I may give it a season to see if it pulls through. If not, I will replace it next spring.

[Dwarf Fan]

Sounds like a good plan, understandable since it wasn’t a nursery purchase, at least you got a refund and you and you can wait and see if it recovers. Cool deal.