Hurricane Irma Hits Beccariophoenix Alfredii

[donalt]

Hello from Orlando. Hurricane Irma has turned my once gorgeous yard into a mess. One of the victims is my 5 year old beccariophoenix alfredii palm. Winds blew the palm over and attempts to right it and secure it have been difficult. I can't tell if the tree roots are torn or just pulled, but the palm just won't balance upright, even with me securing it. Is this palm going to live? Are its roots too vulnerable to regrow?  I just don't know what to do.

[DoomsDave]

8 minutes ago, donalt said:

Hello from Orlando. Hurricane Irma has turned my once gorgeous yard into a mess. One of the victims is my 5 year old beccariophoenix alfredii palm. Winds blew the palm over and attempts to right it and secure it have been difficult. I can't tell if the tree roots are torn or just pulled, but the palm just won't balance upright, even with me securing it. Is this palm going to live? Are its roots too vulnerable to regrow?  I just don't know what to do.

This is new stuff.

Do your best, and tell us what happens. It will be a part of the greater body of knowledge.

Hopefully, things will work out well.

[PalmatierMeg]

Photos? You may have to stake it if you can by yourself. Or hire a professional to do it. I have a 7-8' alfredii that was pushed over but I think my tree guy can right it and stake it. He's also going to winch up & stake a mature Kentiopsis oliviformis in my back yard. They are worth the money to save.

[Cindy Adair]

The seedlings of this species seem quite tough, but I have no experience with your situation.

My guess is that if you can stabilize it (even at an angle) but so it does not move, it may survive or eventually there may be a professional to help further.

Meg might be able to help with how to search for such a person, although there is probably a premium on their services at the moment.

So sorry to hear about your yard, but know it will be gorgeous once again. Be sure to take some "afters" so you can document the recovery.

Less than a week since Irma visited Puerto Rico, but already I can see the remaining plants on my farm are leafing out.  I worry about burning shade lovers suddenly exposed to full sun here, so if you have any such issues consider temporary shade cloth until they acclimate or you relocate the shade lovers.

Good luck to you!

 

 

[Brett in Mission Viejo]

For what its worth, my Alfredii blew over in a thunderstorm downdraft/outflow gust when it was about 6 feet tall and survived without skipping a beat. It was wobbly to start with as these Alfrediis sometimes are.  so I righted it, staked it, and eventually mounded more soil around the root zone to encourage more roots around the base to help alleviate the wobbliness. Now it is firmly rooted in and is happily growing faster than ever!

[richnorm]

Would like to see a photo of the damage but in general I think your chances of success with this species are quite good if you can stake it really solidly.  Be careful where you place to stakes to avoid further root damage.  If you mark the spear with a Sharpie then growth will be easy to monitor...  Best of luck mate.

[Hammer]

I agree with Brett. I have had two blow over.  Propped them up and they kept right on going.  Don't give up hope.

[donalt]

thanks, everyone, for your input! it gives me hope that i can save this beauty. i'm going to be in the yard today, with some help , so we will upright and secure the tree, mark the newest spear to track growth, add some topsoil to secure it, and hope for the best!!

[Hammer]

9 hours ago, donalt said:

thanks, everyone, for your input! it gives me hope that i can save this beauty. i'm going to be in the yard today, with some help , so we will upright and secure the tree, mark the newest spear to track growth, add some topsoil to secure it, and hope for the best!!

Add the topsoil but do be careful not to pile soil around the side of the palm.  Just cover the roots and pack it in at the base.  Hopefully that makes sense. 

[Lou-StAugFL]

I was just wondering if they do really well in wind, because both of mine don't even look like they have been through a hurricane and we had very strong winds for almost two full days. 

[DoomsDave]

donalt

Do as Hammer says and tell us what happens

[donalt]

yesterday i staked the palm upright and put topsoil around the bottom to fill in the area where roots and soil was loose. i did not place top soil any higher than that. it seems i've read that these guys have some issues with stability, so this might be a good test to determine how well they hold up. here in florida they need to be able to withstand an occasional hurricane and even more tropical storms, not to mention our routine thunderstorms. i really like the palm and i'm 'rooting' for it !

[PalmatierMeg]

Do keep us updated. Please post photos as those say so much more than words. One of my 3 alfredii (6-8' tall, just trunking) blew completely over. I had hoped we could save it but our tree guy pointed out that the trunk had detached from the growing plate. He was willing to stand it up and stake it but we made the tough decision to have it taken out. These guys may be some of those palms that have problems with high winds, particularly when young and sitting out in the open as stand alone palms. Mine that survived intact were shielded by the house and other palms nearby. We received 6+ hours of wind gusts over 100 mph. The Syagrus genus is also notorious for keeling over during hurricanes. Many of the fallen large palms I saw in newscast footage locally were queens.

One more suggestion: don't just stand your alfredii and add dirt. You should also stake it, preferably triangularly, until it settles in and leave it for at least 6 months. You could still get strong storms through remaining rainy season. And those arctic fronts blowing down from Canada often bring tropical storm gusts. Good luck.

[Dave-Vero]

In 1992, Fairchild in Miami reset lots of fallen palms.  Most of them are standing, just fine, right now.  It was a huge success.  PalmatierMeg has the right advice.  

I'm removing a non-trunking young Kentiopsis oliviformis that flopped over last year and again this year.  I suspect it of having, for some reason, a defective root system and a replacement will be simple.  

[Mark Heath]

If your Alfredii doesn't make it, I have an extra I'll sell you. I planted one. Kept one in a pot and I am contemplating as to plant it or sell. I am hoping yours makes it!

[Beespalms]

This species has a weak root system for some reason.  Probably something to do with its natural habitat and soils.  They are notorious in the nursery industry for blowing over.  The field growers in south Florida have told me about whole rows of alfredii's blowing over during heavy thunderstorms.  If properly staked they seems to recover just fine.

My 15' tall alfredii, which is protected by bamboo on two sides, blew over to a 45* angle.  I stood it back up and doesn't see, to be stressing what so ever 

[donalt]

thanks, meg, for your post...i will post pics. yes, it is staked (4) and i will leave for several months. the reason i am hopeful at this point, is that the palm is still lush green and full....i suspect that if the root damage had been too severe, i would notice some decline. i consider this episode a test of how well BAs really hold up in florida....not sure if their native madagascar is as prone to tropical winds/rains like we have....that may be a big factor to consider. i do love the palm, though. it really looks like a dead ringer for cocos nucifera (sans the nuts).

 

[donalt]

mark, what size is your potted BA? I might be interested in another one to replace a downed glenn mango tree (currently lying flat on the ground thanks to hurricane.)

[Eric in Orlando]

We had several at Leu Gardens lean over after the hurricane. I have 2 in my yard in Altamonte Springs and both leaned too. They remind me of young Bismarckia by being prone to lean. Our sandy soil doesn't offer much support. . After they get rooted in they don't seem to have this problem.

[Kekoanui]

I have 4 Beccariopheonix alfredii growing in St. Augustine. Only 1 blew over in the wake of hurricane Irma.   Just hope to see them survive another 9A winter.  

[sonoranfans]

When these get large they dont have issues with wind.  1/3 of mine was tilted a bit by hurricane IRMA, 65-75mph for 6 hrs.  The two largest ones were not affected by the hurricane.  The third one was the smallest with a much thinner trunk due to being in shade for 5 years, it was the one that tilted and it was in the mostly unmulched sandy soil which may have impacted root growth.  My synopsis from my yard in irma is these took less damage than: bismarckia, livistona decora, all my copernicias, all my crownshafts, and borassus as well.  My only palm that did better was sabal causiarum and part of that was the way the sabal came back, like it was on hormones to recover from losing 4-5 leaves.  But that one BA did lean in the unmulched sandy soil.  At 12' overall it was notably smaller than the other two which had trunks (with leafbases) that were almost twice as thick and were is soil with regular mulching and some clay at 2' depth.  Thick trunks grow more roots I think, and these palms may take full sun and a deep water cycle for 5+ years to get there.  A deep water cycle will grow deeper roots and likely make the tree stronger in wind.  Short water cycles or another reason for shallow roots may make this palm vulnerable to root damage in wind.  We have had high winds since IRMA, no damage at all in any of them.  I dont worry about my alfredii in wind now.