I want to remove larger suckers from Mediterranean Fan Palms. Will I damage “parent plant”?

[DryLandPalms]

My “Med Palms” are now 15 - 20 years old.  Because of our arid desert climate, some are only 4 to 7 feet high. Others that have had access to better irrigation are up to 12-15 feet in height.  The shorter palms have sent out many suckers close together, making trimming up the trunks a nightmare. Can I cut out 3 to 5 foot trunks without harming the parent plant? Wish to open up the canopy, by sawzall or chain saw, removing most of the tall, crowded,  suckers. Leaving only 4 to 5 trunks.  On the tallest palms, I have always cut into the top of tiny suckers to kill them, but some of these plants were not pruned much. Seven palms are a congested mess….. Help? 

[Leelanau Palms]

Could you please share pictures?

[DryLandPalms]

Will shoot some pics….

[DryLandPalms]

 

These are an absolute mess!  Need severe pruning!

[jwitt]

I would use a sawzall with brand new blade for each plant, and remove the trunks you want. You would risk pathogens, due the newly opened wound to the plant.  But hey, this is NM and the beginning of our hot, dry season.  Perfect to heal in our clean, clear, nearly bug free,  sunshine.  Do now, before monsoon 

I am up in Rio Rancho and sometimes contemplate doing the same to mine. It is about 7 feet. I personally like the multi trunk and canopy, which I feel helps protect the plant in my climate. So I stick with congested look, which seems to lessen a bit as it gains size. 

Definitely not one that is fun to prune.

Welcome to palmtalk!

Too my eyes your palms are beautiful.  If mine, I would remove the brown leaf/ bases.  Mass is good for our arctic events(2011).

P.s. would love some seed this fall!

If mine, I would cut these leaf stalks back to near the trunk with long sharp shears and good leather gloves.  But each person has their own preference. 

 

[DryLandPalms]

Thanks for the comments. I, too, think that this would be a good time to prune because of low humidity.  I lost two young $$ Canary Island Dates in Coastal Ga (before we moved to NM) due to a rampant air-borne fungus that was damaging nearby pine plantations (tried Banrot, but it was apparently too late to save them from death).  

The subtropical clime in that area was conducive to all kinds of crud.  Yes, our dry state should slow some pathogens.   I love the multi-trunk look, but only enough to show off the form of each trunks.  Don’t look like Power Poles.  All of the congested plants are in horridly-compacted parts of the property,  this may also limit their growth rate?  The “Meds” are pretty hardy. Ours went through MINUS 6.5 (!) in 2011 with only a few burned fronds.  My six Brahea armatas remarkably sailed right through that weird cold snap with zero damage. 

You are welcome to all the seed you want! (But usually chop off all the spent blooms). Here’s an old pic of a (then smaller) Mexican Blue Palm (Brahea armata).  Quite a bit taller now. 

[Fusca]

It might be a bit of a challenge but if you can get some of the larger pups cut off with some roots attached you could start new plants.  Nice Brahea too!  👍

[jwitt]

Beautiful! 

I would love any seed. 

Those temperatures our palms have seen and survived are unseen anywhere else outside our region. .  Anywhere.

There is a reason!

Well, several. 

I'll stay quiet. But know I and many others would love to see your other palms.  

Pure palm porn!

Again, welcome!

My med and Trachy survived -10f in 2011. Defoliated tho. 

May I ask how much water your "compacted" meds get as opposed to your larger irrigated specimens?

 

 

 

 

[DryLandPalms]

Thanks Fusca for comments on possible propagation, but the ground is quite packed with rocky clay around these. I might need to buy plastic explosives and a NEW Sawzall. Thanks for the compliment on the Brahea.  A Bismarkia,…they’re not, but the Brahea are really pretty palms, although quite slow, from my experience in the desert (Never, buy a seedling in a gallon can!).    

 I usually cut the leaf ends (petioles) back all the way to the trunk with a 22” pair of Leonard loppers (GREAT loppers, Y’all). I always wear gauntlets around most palms. They definitely fight back.

Here’s a shot of the world’s smallest, yet hardiest, palm for NM: Nannorrhops ritchiana (Mazari P.). A Florida friend sent me two of these (small seedlings though) 17 years ago.  Tough, they are.  Giants, they’re NOT. (Fertilizers may have helped out though) Less than three feet high.

 

[Darold Petty]

Cut away as much as you wish, but there will be large areas of wounded surface tissue.  The best prophylactic against fungi or other pathogens is to apply a heavy, dusting layer of powdered sulfur over the cut areas.  

  I learned this from a cycad expert with a doctorate in microbiology whom I assisted to split off large pups of Cycas revoluta. Powdered sulfur is available at better, more complete garden centers.  It is inexpensive, and completely harmless.  Good luck !   

[DryLandPalms]

Thanks, Darold. There will be large wounds if the trunks are cut. I have nothing to lose, and probably everything to gain, by dusting with powdered sulfur.  I will pick some up (one plant nursery here likely sells the stuff).  I grew Cycas revoluta from seed in coastal GA. Got seed from very very old plants in the Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah.

[jwitt]

@DryLandPalms

"Ours went through MINUS 6.5 (!) in 2011 with only a few burned fronds.  My six Brahea armatas remarkably sailed right through that weird cold snap with zero damage. "

I found when small and young(brahea armata-1gal) were leaf hardy to about 12f , and died anything below that. They must have some incredible attained hardiness with age!

[Fukuoka Scott]

It's a lot of work (especially at first) but totally doable. They've been keeping this nice older specimen in Fukuoka trimmed up for many years.

[DryLandPalms]

Scott, that is one spectacular palm! Larger than any “Meds” I have ever seen. Saw some pretty tall ones in Tucson, AZ years ago.  Didn’t see many tall Mediterranean Fan Palms in coastal GA, as there were many palms to choose from there.  

Jwitt, if you are still hanging around: You asked what level of water the “compacted meds” receive. Most of the palms are on a drip system that runs three times a day, and three times per week. 2 gallons each cycle.  The happier palms are near other plants, and/or pots that are additionally hand watered, so they get much more to drink.  We haven’t had a drop of rain for several months, and at an elevation of 4,000 feet these plants are not reaching ground water or aquifers. I frankly don’t know how they manage to grow at all!

Here are some better pics of the happier Med Palms that are the same age (20 years from smallish pots) that receive more to drink:

 

[jwitt]

Those are beautiful! 

I have not really "known" how much water mine requires.  So I guess they can do well with little extra. That is cool! 

May I ask where you are located? I have my guesses! 

Any advice or pointers and species you recommend would be highly appreciated!

I am sure you would spur plenty interest with your experience with palms in our region.  

Not many have accomplished what you have.  That alone says a lot!

[DryLandPalms]

Thanks, for your very generous compliments.  I am no expert on growing palms in New Mexico!  But I do love palms, and became infatuated with these interesting plants after being gifted a Trachycarpus fortunei (Windmill palm) when we lived near Seattle several decades ago.  Had many palms (mostly Sabal palmetto, Phoenix canariensis & Butia capitata) in coastal GA,  but not much experience here…in Las Cruces. 

I have had my own failures in Lost Causes (Las Cruces) with Pindos (Butia) that I brought from GA and “Windmills”.  There were a few Trachycarpus around Cruces when we moved here but they always looked unhappy. Too hot & no humidity. The prettiest Windmill Palms that I saw were in Vancouver, British Columbia, much different climate.   

I would like to water my palms more here, but am now on City water, which is pricey.  With good drainage, the Meds would be much prettier with more generous watering.