Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Surgery/deep cut palms years later


smatofu

Recommended Posts

Hi,

 

Just out of curiosity about deep cutting cold damaged palms: I saw many pictures of those cuts weeks after the surgery with small fronds coming out, 

but I never saw photos of those palms years after. 

Do they really survive next winter? Any permanent damage to the trunk?

Do young fronds have time to mature before they are hit with harsh summer sun?

 

 

Thanks in advance,

S.

Edited by smatofu
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That’s a loaded question! But since we are mostly talking about Texans doing it I’ll just give me input.

The leaves will be sun tolerant if they are already a sun tolerant palm. It’s just when you take a plant with already formed fronds into more intense sun where you have sun burn issues. 
 

Trunk cut palms that have not reached their maximum girth there is most likely not going to be any long term difference. A lot Palms that have already reached they max girth you will probably see some construction. But you will also note it on a lot of palms that were not trunk cut from the 1980s anyhow. See picture below.

not every palm that starts to grow back will live, some will go into decline. They may also be weakened regardless next winter depending on Palm. We have a long summer in Texas, so it’s not a major concern with just a single bad event. I have the most experience with Queen palms. I have trunk cut one before that grew back and declined. I also had them grow back on their own but have trunk damage and snap. 
In other words. It can go either way. But I think trunk cutting will give a bigger percentage of surviving than ones left to their own demise. 


it’s a big topic and a lot will be learned.

The Filifera below is about as old as the house. So it’s survived since the 1960s. It also survived again!

21873E61-4CAC-4917-BECF-08CE003C36AE.jpeg

A074EB79-D3EB-40E1-8BCD-39619F5870E1.jpeg

FC3DCDE3-E06C-47CE-9D00-8153DDAFADED.jpeg

Edited by Collectorpalms
  • Like 5

Current Texas Gardening Zone 9a, Mean (1999-2024): 22F Low/104F High. Yearly Precipitation 39.17 inches.

Extremes: Low Min 4F 2021, 13.8F 2024. High Max 112F 2011/2023, Precipitation Max 58 inches 2015, Lowest 19 Inches 2011.

Weather Station: https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXCOLLE465

Ryan (Paleoclimatologist Since 4 billion Years ago, Meteorologist/Earth Scientist/Physicist Since 1995, Savy Horticulturist Since Birth.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

trunk “Constriction” not construction ( autocorrect ugh)

Current Texas Gardening Zone 9a, Mean (1999-2024): 22F Low/104F High. Yearly Precipitation 39.17 inches.

Extremes: Low Min 4F 2021, 13.8F 2024. High Max 112F 2011/2023, Precipitation Max 58 inches 2015, Lowest 19 Inches 2011.

Weather Station: https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXCOLLE465

Ryan (Paleoclimatologist Since 4 billion Years ago, Meteorologist/Earth Scientist/Physicist Since 1995, Savy Horticulturist Since Birth.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, smatofu said:

Hi,

 

Just out of curiosity about deep cutting cold damaged palms: I saw many pictures of those cuts weeks after the surgery with small fronds coming out, 

but I never saw photos of those palms years after. 

Do they really survive next winter? Any permanent damage to the trunk?

Do young fronds have time to mature before they are hit with harsh summer sun?

 

 

Thanks in advance,

S.

Hey @smatofu could you link to the posts where you saw deep cut palms pushing new growth? I just cut one of my spear-pulled filibustas...hoping for the best!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

44 minutes ago, joetx said:

Hey @smatofu could you link to the posts where you saw deep cut palms pushing new growth? I just cut one of my spear-pulled filibustas...hoping for the best!

I cut a long time ago. The palms showed some growth but then died.  I didn't have to cut anything the last few years. This year I don't know yet.

BUT, there are tons of posts on this forum about cutting. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/9/2021 at 4:31 PM, smatofu said:

Do they really survive next winter? Any permanent damage to the trunk?

Here are photos of my blue Copernicia alba.  It was just a juvenile 1-gal size palm when I planted it in Sept. of 2017 and got damaged in the freeze event of Jan. 2018 at 20°F.  I did surgery in late Feb. after risk of hard freezes had passed.  First photo was less than a week after cutting and second photo was a week after that.

 

Copernica alba - Feb 2018.JPG

Copernicia alba - Mar 2018.JPG

 

Here's a photo of it from today - I protected it from this past freeze of 9°F.  Note the base in the second photo - you can't tell it was cut as it looks completely normal.

rsz_c_alba.jpg

rsz_c_alba_base.jpg

Edited by Fusca
  • Like 2
  • Upvote 1

Jon Sunder

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Fusca What method did you use to protect your Alba ? Would you consider C.Alba as or more hardy then a Bizzie ? 

T J 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@joetx here are 4 palms that I cut after Palmageddon in February.  First one I cut was a BxJ F2 juvenile and it's already showing pinnate fronds.  Next was a 7-gal sized mule palm that I cut on March 1.  More recently a Livistona chinensis 2 weeks ago and a Butia that did not completely defoliate but spear pulled.  Pics are from today.  I didn't bother to post pics of dead palms that I cut!

 

rsz_2cut_bxj.jpg

rsz_cut_mule.jpg

rsz_cut_livistona.jpg

rsz_cut_butia.jpg

  • Like 1

Jon Sunder

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

@Fusca What method did you use to protect your Alba ? Would you consider C.Alba as or more hardy then a Bizzie ? 

I wrapped it with lights and wrapped a blanket around that.  Fronds that extended outside the wrap got fried but otherwise it came out relatively unscathed.  I would think C. alba is more hardy than Bismarckia in general, but mine are at different sizes so hard to compare based on my experience.  I protected my 5-gal Bismarckia by covering it completely in mulch and then with an inverted garbage can.  It survived but took a lot of leaf damage.  No supplemental heat for it.  How did your Bizzy make out?

Jon Sunder

Link to comment
Share on other sites

51 minutes ago, Fusca said:

It survived but took a lot of leaf damage.  No supplemental heat for it.  How did your Bizzy make out?

As of right now the 2 in the front have atleast 6" of growth so far , only left with the newest spear. The 2 in the backyard haven't spear pulled and maybe an 1/8" of movement so I'm hopefull. All four got lights,  moving blanket then a planket to make it waterproof. Mule is pushing growth only got a moving blanket , blanket method.  Im glad I got 2 C.Alba =) 

T J 

16181015614954686915072309642229.jpg

  • Like 1

T J 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 4/10/2021 at 6:37 PM, Fusca said:

@joetx here are 4 palms that I cut after Palmageddon in February.  First one I cut was a BxJ F2 juvenile and it's already showing pinnate fronds.  Next was a 7-gal sized mule palm that I cut on March 1.  More recently a Livistona chinensis 2 weeks ago and a Butia that did not completely defoliate but spear pulled.  Pics are from today.  I didn't bother to post pics of dead palms that I cut!

 

rsz_2cut_bxj.jpg

rsz_cut_mule.jpg

rsz_cut_livistona.jpg

rsz_cut_butia.jpg

Thanks for sharing @OC2Texaspalmlvr ! That's great they are coming back! I just cut one of my filibustas, but I think it's too late. Squishy in the center. I think I may have waited too long :( 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

I spotted this but yesterday while driving near downtown Austin, it appeared to have been trunk cut following the freeze last year and looks healthy so far 

Screen Shot 2022-04-17 at 3.31.51 PM.png

Screen Shot 2022-04-17 at 3.32.07 PM.png

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unless your saying that someone climbed up and trunk cut the palm in the first picture

I think that is highly misleading as it looks like severe cold damage from a frozen trunk/growth point

and NOT the effects of trunk cutting?????

I think the answer to the question is that it depends on the type of palm...I have seen small ones (Trachys) push out a leaf

or 2 and then quit but most that came back grew a full set of leaves and were more than ready for winter and

by the end of the second season after cutting you could hardly tell where it had been cut and the palm made a FULL recovery.

I am sure down south where there is mo protection on the big league palms that it depends on what happens the following winter as well.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I wanted to edit this post but couldn't....I did see that you weren't implying the palm above was cut. :greenthumb:

 

As far as not being able to go back and edit goes, there this instead.:rolleyes: 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I trunk cut a mature single trunk Mediterranean at about 6 Ft tall. After a year later it looks ridiculous. You can clearly tell. It’s grown back at about 60 it’s original width. Don’t try that one. However, a fat trunked Sabal Uresana cut at 3Ft you cannot tell. Others that were not mature width you cannot tell.

Edited by Collectorpalms

Current Texas Gardening Zone 9a, Mean (1999-2024): 22F Low/104F High. Yearly Precipitation 39.17 inches.

Extremes: Low Min 4F 2021, 13.8F 2024. High Max 112F 2011/2023, Precipitation Max 58 inches 2015, Lowest 19 Inches 2011.

Weather Station: https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXCOLLE465

Ryan (Paleoclimatologist Since 4 billion Years ago, Meteorologist/Earth Scientist/Physicist Since 1995, Savy Horticulturist Since Birth.)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got the pics out of order but here's my TX sabal recovering from sub 0F in February 2021.  I could not get protection high enough into the crown but did have tarp, frost cloth and C9s the full height of the trunk.  In hindsidght I would have trimmed lower fronds to the protect the crown.    So did the trunk cut, it dropped about half its boots and also leaked out the side of the trunk purple when treated with fungicide.

The last pic  is prior to the February 21 event, with the 2nd to last being how it is now.   The fronds did endure frost damage this winter from 16F so they are not their normal green.  Still has two immature fronds from the original push after the trunk cut that are ready to be get removed.  For perspective its an 8 foot fence behind it.  Hoping with another 7 months of growth it can return to a full green canopy.  I'd estimate it added a foot or more in height this past year as well.

trunk cut recover 1.jpeg

trunk cut recovery 2.jpg

sabal recovery 3.jpeg

trunk cut recovery apr 22.jpg

sabal pre feb 21.jpeg

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...