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Will my Bismarckia die when I transplant it?


Sandy Loam

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Are Bismarckia Nobilis one of those palms that tend to die after transplanting?  If so, I will leave my Bismarckia where it is now.  Please advise. Thanks. 

 

I must have planted my Bismarckia about eight or nine years ago.  It is healthy, but it is the same size now as it was on the day I planted it as a seven gallon tree.  It was planted in deep shade, so simply will not grow in its current location.   By contrast, I drove past a HUGE Bismarckia today that was planted in full sun only about six or seven years ago.  I was quite jealous, as you can imagine.   A Bismarckia is a tree that is simply not worth planting unless you are going to plant it in full sun.  Otherwise, you are wasting your time. 

 

Any advice? 

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1 hour ago, Sandy Loam said:

Are Bismarckia Nobilis one of those palms that tend to die after transplanting?  If so, I will leave my Bismarckia where it is now.  Please advise. Thanks.

It will surely die if not transplanted correctly.  They are very root sensitive but if done right I've read that they are relatively easy to transplant.  Some say dig trenches around the palm, weeks later continue digging after new roots have started growing, etc. over months of time.  A recent post by @SouthFLA at the very end of the following thread shows a different method, but for mature fan palms.  Not sure how effective that is for smaller ones and not tried myself.

 

Jon Sunder

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If it hasn’t grown and it’s still 7 gal size it should move fairly easily you have to be very careful with the roots. Get as large of root ball as you can handle and it should be fine.

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Any chance you could remove some of the shade it is in? Unless of course the shade is coming from a house. I doubt that the shade is the only reason for the lack of growth. Shade grown palms usually end up stretched as opposed to no growth.

Regards Neil

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18 hours ago, Neil C said:

Any chance you could remove some of the shade it is in? Unless of course the shade is coming from a house. I doubt that the shade is the only reason for the lack of growth. Shade grown palms usually end up stretched as opposed to no growth.

Good questions Neil has raised, perhaps a photo of the current location is in order.  You could also leave it and start over with a new one in the spot you were considering moving this to.  If you run the potential of losing your current Bizzie when transplanting, you would have to wait a while to see what happens and lose that growth time for a new plant.  They are pretty readily available now as even big boxes here on the west coast carry them.  Sandy Loam must describe your soil so I hope its getting plenty of water, because while they seem to survive periods of lower water intake, they also seem to appreciate a more generous dose of water.

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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Thanks. I definitely cannot remove the shade and now I'm quite reluctant to move the tree at all. I think I will just start over with a new small one planted in sun.  I guess there are just some palm trees that simply need full sun to grow AT ALL.  Bismarckia happens to be one such tree. 

 

My soil is a mix of sand and clay, but I have bands that are so full of clay that I can make gooey sculptures with them.  If anything, my Bismarckia I would receive almost too much water in either location.  It rains all summer here and occasionally rains during winter too. This is definitely not a dry climate here in northern Florida. 

 

Around town here, every LARGE bismarckia that I have ever seen is growing in full sun.  I have never seen a large shade-grown bismarckia here, although they are not very common trees here in Gainesville..... yet, at least. 

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Yes bismarckia are full sun palms.  the wax on their leaves reflects a substantial amount of photosynthetically active radiation so they are inefficient at collecting light for photosynthesis.  Planting them in shade compounds the issue of photosynthetic efficiency.  They like heat and lots of sun PLUS good drainage.  Poor drainage will surely stunt a bismarckia as well.  All palms dont want the same environment and we are wise to consider these things when choosing a site for each palm.  Some palms want that shade, I would suggest reading palmpedia before you choose a palm and determine a site.  In 7 years my "full sun all day" bizzie was 20' tall from a 3 gallon, three years later it is ~ a bit short of 30'.  

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Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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overall height 20+' in 7 years.  Its now @ 10 yrs about 30' with 12-13' of clear trunk.  Never made a real effort to feed it fertilizer since they are so mocronutrient independent.  It gets runoff I suppose.  I would not recommend buying this palm at a large size unless you want to view the oldest least colorful leaves from below.  These are about as fast as sabal causiarum in putting on height.  It escapes me why anyone would buy one that is trunking here in florida.   They look best at 10-20' tall overall. 

 

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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On 2/2/2021 at 10:34 PM, Fusca said:

It will surely die if not transplanted correctly.  They are very root sensitive but if done right I've read that they are relatively easy to transplant.  Some say dig trenches around the palm, weeks later continue digging after new roots have started growing, etc. over months of time.  A recent post by @SouthFLA at the very end of the following thread shows a different method, but for mature fan palms.  Not sure how effective that is for smaller ones and not tried myself.

 

It's a different procedure for smaller palms without a trunk. Lots of root pruning in advance is needed and they still shock really hard. It can be done but I would have a professional help out if you dont have the experience.

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15 hours ago, SouthFLA said:

It's a different procedure for smaller palms without a trunk. Lots of root pruning in advance is needed and they still shock really hard. It can be done but I would have a professional help out if you dont have the experience.

Agree, but make sure that professional really knows how to transplant a Bizzy. The average tree guy in a pickup does not. If he plans to do it in an hour or two by gouging the palm out of the ground and tossing it into a new hole, run. You have to spend pre-transplant time trenching around the palm to form a rootball.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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On 2/4/2021 at 7:06 AM, sonoranfans said:

Yes bismarckia are full sun palms.  the wax on their leaves reflects a substantial amount of photosynthetically active radiation so they are inefficient at collecting light for photosynthesis.  Planting them in shade compounds the issue of photosynthetic efficiency.  They like heat and lots of sun PLUS good drainage.  Poor drainage will surely stunt a bismarckia as well.  All palms dont want the same environment and we are wise to consider these things when choosing a site for each palm.  Some palms want that shade, I would suggest reading palmpedia before you choose a palm and determine a site.  In 7 years my "full sun all day" bizzie was 20' tall from a 3 gallon, three years later it is ~ a bit short of 30'.  

My only Bismarck has been in full but bright shade all its life except for a bit of morning sun, and has done well and is getting huge now. They grow faster in full sun but will do reasonably well in the shade in fertile well draining soil, plenty of water, and regular fertilizer. 

620A9902-605F-4F28-8B3F-6A4AB6EA6CF5.thumb.jpeg.774d2eb8b0051f91c0b7b32d7a42f9e2.jpeg

E977D702-A610-426C-8591-4BB569E863B4.thumb.jpeg.563750ceabd855e3d20be600698e9846.jpeg

 

764CB1C6-441D-48BE-9324-62D91455CF95.jpeg

Edited by Jim in Los Altos
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Jim in Los Altos, CA  SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level

zone 10a/9b

sunset zone 16

300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground

Las Palmas Design

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5 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

@Jim in Los Altos - that thing is an absolute unit! Can you ballpark the age of it?

15 years old. We have a cooler climate here than ideal for these so it takes a bit of patience. A hotter climate would greatly speed it up. 

Jim in Los Altos, CA  SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level

zone 10a/9b

sunset zone 16

300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground

Las Palmas Design

Facebook Page

Las Palmas Design & Associates

Elegant Homes and Gardens

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Plants adapt to their climate to some extent.  Often the grey/blue waxy plants will produce less wax in shade.  I had 4 bismarckia in arizona, they take sun very well in the heat.  One I had in 3-4 hrs of sun a day and it was the least waxy(less white).  I had that same issue with (6) brahea armata, 2 in part sun led to the most green/blue, others were silver/blue.  As Jim shows you can grow a bizzy well in bright shade.  I have a neighbor with one shaded by an oak and 3 large royals.  It is a good looking palm but its elongated and carries an open crown with 4-5 fewer leaves than it would have in full sun.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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