How to manage overgrown root system

[Rob B]

Greetings, 

I hope I can come onto this forum to ask anyone/everyone about how to manage the root system of my palm tree. Some quick background - I bought my house in the SF Bay Area in June 2018 which was a fixer upper in every sense of the words. The palm tree in the back had not been cared for, in my guess, 10-15 years - probably longer. The root system has busted through the stone wall/pot thing and has grown out along the concrete patio outwards by about 3 to 4 feet in all directions. I want to get the roots cut back and re-do the wall/large pot so I can plan how I do the rest of the backyard. As you can see from the photos it's a mess. 

The advice I am hoping to get is to find out how much I can cut back without hurting the tree too much. I have already begun cutting away some of the root but I stopped and decide to get more info first. I also would love to find out what kind of palm tree it is. Someone said it's a Date Palm but I am not convinced. 

I genuinely would appreciate any help here. I will answer any questions that you may have to help me further. I have more photos but I can only upload 8 mb's.

Thanks in advance

Rob B. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

One of mine did the same thing with roots growing over the curb and onto the street. I chain sawed back to the curb on that one side of the palm and there's been no negative effect at all. These palms have a fairly deep root system so taking away some surface roots is no big deal. Canary Island date palms are heavy magnesium users and yours is showing the classic symptoms of a deficiency (yellowing of the central part of the older fronds. A couple of one pound bags of Epsom salts will help right away and then a good palm specific fertilizer like Palm Gain in the spring. I hope you're planning on building a new planter. It should be two to three feet wider and taller by 18" or so than currently. 

Edited December 19, 2018 by Jim in Los Altos

[Palm Tree Jim]

6 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

One of mine did the same thing with roots growing over the curb and onto the street. I chain sawed back to the curb on that one side of the palm and there's been no negative effect at all. These palms have a fairly deep root system so taking away some surface roots is no big deal. Canary Island date palms are heavy magnesium users and yours is showing the classic symptoms of a deficiency (yellowing of the central part of the older fronds. A couple of one pound bags of Epsom salts will help right away and then a good palm specific fertilizer like Palm Gain in the spring. I hope you're planning on building a new planter. It should be two to three feet wider and taller by 18" or so than currently. 

Solid advice.

[Darold Petty]

Yes, Jim's advice is very good.  Rob, just to clarify your question about ID; the palm is 'Canary Island Date Palm', or Phoenix canariensis.  This is the same palm on upper Market street, at the Embarcadero, and the Bay bridge toll plaza.  Widely planted worldwide as a large ornamental in warm temperate climates. 

  You can remove all the older fronds that are brown, but try to maintain a hemispherical  profile of the green fronds.  Palms are poor at the uptake of micronutrients.  If you remove green fronds prematurely the plant is robbed of these nutrients, as it has been shown that palms can recycle nutrients from the older, senescent fronds to the newer growth.     

 

[Rob B]

Jim in Los Altos, 

I don't know how to reply to your reply but thanks for the info. I do plan on rebuilding planter - can you clarify what you said in the last sentence -  "It should be two to three feet wider and taller by 18" or so than currently"? Are you saying by what you can see in the photo that I should rebuild planter wider/longer by 2 feet than it is now? 

As for the Epsom salts - where should I water it? And how should I prepare the salts - dissolve first I assume? As you can see its a big root of a mess - I'd like to know the target area to feed it. I'm a rookie here but I am aware there are specific areas trees like to be cared for. 

Thanks again Rob B

[Rob B]

Darold, 

I plan on only cutting anything that is brown down. I have a small chain saw that I feel safe enough on a ladder on - do you have any recommendations of other ways to trim tree. I need to save $$$ so I will be doing this myself. 

 

Rob B

[Darold Petty]

Rob, a reciprocating saw is safer to use than a chainsaw, especially overhead or on a ladder.

  Millwaukee make an industrial grade one with a longer stroke for faster cutting (Super sawzall)  The blades are up to 9 inches long,... should be plenty for the thick petiole bases of your Canary palm.  This tool is expensive.  For just the palm trimming  a homeowner grade saw from the big box store would be adequate.  The blade size is separate from the brand of saw, just get the longest blade, with a coarse tooth.

  Please Always wear eye protection and be very careful about the needle sharp, rigid spines at the base of the fronds.  These cause very painful wounds, more painful somehow than just the puncture itself.

[kurt decker]

Those little rechargable electric chainsaws on a long stick that they sell at Home Depot for about a hundred fifty bucks are great tools for dealing with date palms. You can work at a nice angle so the thorny fronds above your head don't fall on you. For most people, the battery lasts longer than your arms will.

[Jim in Los Altos]

18 hours ago, Rob B said:

Jim in Los Altos, 

I don't know how to reply to your reply but thanks for the info. I do plan on rebuilding planter - can you clarify what you said in the last sentence -  "It should be two to three feet wider and taller by 18" or so than currently"? Are you saying by what you can see in the photo that I should rebuild planter wider/longer by 2 feet than it is now? 

As for the Epsom salts - where should I water it? And how should I prepare the salts - dissolve first I assume? As you can see its a big root of a mess - I'd like to know the target area to feed it. I'm a rookie here but I am aware there are specific areas trees like to be cared for. 

Thanks again Rob B

Yes, I was referring to the current planter’s size when suggesting enlarging it both horizontally and vertically. As far as the Epsom salts are concerned, just sprinkle the granules evenly a few inches away from the trunk of the palm and out a couple of feet. Two bags from the drugstore should be enough for the winter. Winter rains will dissolve it or you can use your garden hose to wash it into the ground. 

When pruning mine, I use a quality hand saw pruner like the one pictured. It cuts really fast and cleanly.