Splitting Chamaedorea microspadix?

[Ben in Norcal]

I got this big ole microspadix today, and I am wondering if I can turn it into multiple plants by using a sawzall to divide the roots? I’m alright to lose a few canes in the process - good idea or bad? Picture posting horizontal again - no idea why!

 

[Steve Mac]

There you go, Ben, I say go for it, I have not done it but I am really sure that if you cut it in half with a chain saw that you would get two healthy clumps. 

Any other opinions? Help Ben out here.

[Kailua_Krish]

For me they divide easy, Ive just put a shovel through the middle of them to make two plants. That was just my experience though in Florida.

[Pal Meir]

I would just try to pull them apart, cutting only a couple of roots. I did that several times with my Ch. seifrizii palms.

[PalmatierMeg]

If you have patience and some manual dexterity you can separate them. The grower probably tossed a mess of seeds in a pot then left them to compete with each other. That's not a good way to grow clustering palms. Unpot, rinse all the soil off the rootball, then gently start untangling. Eventually you will end up with lots of individual palms you can repot separately or in looser clusters. I've separated artificially clustered Chamaedorea elegans and Cham. metallica with few or no losses.

[Ben in Norcal]

Cheers all!  Meg, you are far more patient than I!  Sawzall or bust over here! 

Remind me to let you know how this works out down the line!