When does Phoenix reclinata begin to sucker?

[Frond of Palms]

Hello all,

When does a P. Reclinata begin to sucker? A couple of years ago I purchase a three gallon P. Reclinata that looked like it had three suckers. When I went to step it up to a seven gallon container I discovered that there were three separate seedlings planted together. I removed them and planted them into separate five gallon containers. Last year I planted one in the ground, gave one away and placed the third in a larger container. I have seen pictures of P. Reclinata for sale that were about my size and smaller which appear to have suckers…so I was wondering if I got a cross…what do you think?

[Phoenikakias]

As a general rule imo a Phoenix with a possible caespitose habit, will start suckering, WHEN IT FEELS STRONG ENOUGH to do so, which of course depends on many factors summarized under growing conditions (water and nutrients availability, sun and warmth). It is possible that by separating the three plants, you have induced a shock to their root systems and plants still are in the process of reestablishing, expanding and strengthening their root systems prior to suckering. Suckers do not have initially own root system, so central plant has to feed them. I think that a reclinata at the size of yours without having experienced a root stressing incident and growing in clay soil with ample water should have had already one offshoot at least.

[Rafael]

Could it be CIDP, instaed?

[Frond of Palms]

As a general rule imo a Phoenix with a possible caespitose habit, will start suckering, WHEN IT FEELS STRONG ENOUGH to do so, which of course depends on many factors summarized under growing conditions (water and nutrients availability, sun and warmth). It is possible that by separating the three plants, you have induced a shock to their root systems and plants still are in the process of reestablishing, expanding and strengthening their root systems prior to suckering. Suckers do not have initially own root system, so central plant has to feed them. I think that a reclinata at the size of yours without having experienced a root stressing incident and growing in clay soil with ample water should have had already one offshoot at least.

Hello Phoenikakias,

I did not surgically seperate them, so they really didn't experience shock...infact they grew very fast after repotting... and as I mentioned they were three individual seedlings in one three gallon container at the time of purchase.

[Frond of Palms]

Could it be CIDP, instaed?

Hello Rafael,

I'm new to palms so can you tell me what CIDP means?

[Phoenikakias]

As a general rule imo a Phoenix with a possible caespitose habit, will start suckering, WHEN IT FEELS STRONG ENOUGH to do so, which of course depends on many factors summarized under growing conditions (water and nutrients availability, sun and warmth). It is possible that by separating the three plants, you have induced a shock to their root systems and plants still are in the process of reestablishing, expanding and strengthening their root systems prior to suckering. Suckers do not have initially own root system, so central plant has to feed them. I think that a reclinata at the size of yours without having experienced a root stressing incident and growing in clay soil with ample water should have had already one offshoot at least.

Hello Phoenikakias,

I did not surgically seperate them, so they really didn't experience shock...infact they grew very fast after repotting... and as I mentioned they were three individual seedlings in one three gallon container at the time of purchase.

If all three were growing in same pot, how could they be separated without their root balls getting affected? I am not quite sure what you mean with surgical separation... If you could explain with details the whole procedure...Yout plant is imo not a CIDP, it has proportionally very long leaves. A root ball consists of thick apparent roots and many tiny hairlike rootlets, which rather do the main job to uptake nutrients and water. By pulling or shaking the root ball and thus provoking soil to loose from it, many of those tiny rootlets get destroyed.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Phoenikakias

[pigafetta]

Could it be CIDP, instaed?

Hello Rafael,

I'm new to palms so can you tell me what CIDP means?

Canary Island Date Palm

[Frond of Palms]

“There’s a sucker born every day” …and today I discovered that this palm finally has one. Because of the location of this plant I only want it to have three trunks. So, can anyone advise me on how to control and remove the suckers in the future? I have seen a photo on Dave Witt’s (of Orlando,FL) website of a P. reclinata that has been pruned to have only a single trunk and it looks great…very coco like.

[Jim in Los Altos]

“There’s a sucker born every day” …and today I discovered that this palm finally has one. Because of the location of this plant I only want it to have three trunks. So, can anyone advise me on how to control and remove the suckers in the future? I have seen a photo on Dave Witt’s (of Orlando,FL) website of a P. reclinata that has been pruned to have only a single trunk and it looks great…very coco like.

sucker 001.jpgsucker 003.jpg

sucker 002.jpg

John, I have three P. reclinata clumps (ages 8 to 25) and a 10 year old clump of P. reclinata x roebelenii and they all have their own distinct characteristics but one thing in common is the constant need to remove unwanted suckers. I keep mine at three trunks each. Every couple of months I have to go in and saw off a multitude of new suckers on two of them. The reclinata x roebelenii is the most profuse in suckering and would likely have forty or more stems if I let it. It's a really pretty palm thouugh so it gets a pass for its high maintenance.

[Frond of Palms]

“There’s a sucker born every day” …and today I discovered that this palm finally has one. Because of the location of this plant I only want it to have three trunks. So, can anyone advise me on how to control and remove the suckers in the future? I have seen a photo on Dave Witt’s (of Orlando,FL) website of a P. reclinata that has been pruned to have only a single trunk and it looks great…very coco like.

sucker 001.jpgsucker 003.jpg

sucker 002.jpg

John, I have three P. reclinata clumps (ages 8 to 25) and a 10 year old clump of P. reclinata x roebelenii and they all have their own distinct characteristics but one thing in common is the constant need to remove unwanted suckers. I keep mine at three trunks each. Every couple of months I have to go in and saw off a multitude of new suckers on two of them. The reclinata x roebelenii is the most profuse in suckering and would likely have forty or more stems if I let it. It's a really pretty palm thouugh so it gets a pass for its high maintenance.

Hi Jim,

Perhaps the next time you prune them take a video of the proceedure and post it...would be very helpful to see how its done. I have an idea of how to do it...but, with my expierence I'm afraid that I might damage the host plant.

[Pal Meir]

Hello all,

When does a P. Reclinata begin to sucker?

My potted P. reclinata began suckering at 20 years (after germination from seed). And at 23 the palm had already 3 suckers:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmeir/9857217303

But this is only one experience with a potted plant in much colder Germany. When I gave it away in 2008 (at 25) to a botanical garden it had still only 3 suckers.

[Sandy Loam]

Here are some old PalmTalk threads where this issue was discussed:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3304

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4360E/y4360e09.htm#bm09.3

Various suggestions were made on these threads, but the most striking was a suggestion about painting new Phoenix Reclinata suckers with kerosene as they emerge. Apparently, the suckers will never grow back if you do this. It's like having electrolysis so that you never have to shave your legs again.

[_Keith]

I pretty much thought they began to sucker while still seeds.

[Frond of Palms]

Hello all,

When does a P. Reclinata begin to sucker?

My potted P. reclinata began suckering at 20 years (after germination from seed). And at 23 the palm had already 3 suckers:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/palmeir/9857217303

But this is only one experience with a potted plant in much colder Germany. When I gave it away in 2008 (at 25) to a botanical garden it had still only 3 suckers.

Hello Pal Meir,

I seen your photo of the palm provided in the above link...how big did the trunk get after 25 years?

It must have grown very slow by the looks of it.

---John

[Frond of Palms]

Here are some old PalmTalk threads where this issue was discussed:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=3304

http://www.fao.org/docrep/006/Y4360E/y4360e09.htm#bm09.3

Various suggestions were made on these threads, but the most striking was a suggestion about painting new Phoenix Reclinata suckers with kerosene as they emerge. Apparently, the suckers will never grow back if you do this. It's like having electrolysis so that you never have to shave your legs again.

Hi Sandy Loam,

Kerosene? Thats interesting...I'll have to read up on that...nothing like giving your palm a chemical peel. I used to do wood carving, and was thinking... rather then sawing them off...for a cleaner cut, I could take one of my wide mouth wood carving gouges and just shear it off if its possible.

---John

[Phoenikakias]

If you mix parafin oil with bordeaux lime and dimethoat you kill with a single stone three birds! 1) You seal wound (parafine oil, just like the suggested vaseline in the old topics), 2)disinfect wound both from fungi, bacteria (lime and copper=bordeaux lime) and insects (dimethoat) 3) The mix of dimethoat with parafin oil is highly toxic to plant's tissue coming in contact with the mix! It shoud be a kind of chemical cauterization.