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Wind event in Northern & Central CA


Josue Diaz

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We don't have very many wind events like this in Central CA. Today the winds picked up to 27mph which is probably laughable to all the central US/eastern US folks to be honest :floor:

 

I came home to see that my bismarkia was teetering in the wind, with its big leaves acting like big winds sails. My soil is very sandy, and I am afraid that it will break at the base - all this back and forth tugging at the roots could cause some serious damage at least. I propped it up with some rocks and that at least keeps it from rocking. I don't know how you all deal with hurricanes on a regular basis lol

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Edited by Josue Diaz
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I added a few stakes bracing against the direction of the wind. Hopefully this is enough to keep it from getting knocked over.  The staking seems to have stabilized the rocking for now

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3 hours ago, Josue Diaz said:

My soil is very sandy, and I am afraid that it will break at the base

I have sandy soil as well and was warned by the previous owner of my house that things had a tendency to fall over in high winds before they were well rooted.  I was mound planting a lot of things, so brought in some decomposed granite to mix in as a coarse component in my soil but also to weigh it down when planting things that I was worried would go upright.  Drip irrigation helps for deep watering and developing deep root systems too.  Thanks to these little tricks, I haven't experienced the tipping over that the previous owner warned me about.  Everything is looking good Josue, good sailing!

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33.0782 North -117.305 West  at 72 feet elevation

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I'm more worried about the drying affects of the wind, than the toppling problem... But I don't have any of the big wind sails like you do...

Butch

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On 10/11/2021 at 9:13 PM, Tracy said:

I have sandy soil as well and was warned by the previous owner of my house that things had a tendency to fall over in high winds before they were well rooted.  I was mound planting a lot of things, so brought in some decomposed granite to mix in as a coarse component in my soil but also to weigh it down when planting things that I was worried would go upright.  Drip irrigation helps for deep watering and developing deep root systems too.  Thanks to these little tricks, I haven't experienced the tipping over that the previous owner warned me about.  Everything is looking good Josue, good sailing!

Yeah, I do deep waterings also - luckily nothing's blown over, even though a big, 100-year-old gingko tree scares me every time there's wind... It might be time to give it a good thinning.

 

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I didn’t know that it was such a still place in Northern California. There you go. You learn something new every day. 

Where I am is nowhere near tropical hurricane/cyclone territory but every year in winter spring we can expect storms that bring 60mph gusts or higher. Prevailing winds can be 30-40mph too for days on end. I’m not in sand but my Bismarckia are solid. The leaves then tend to get whipped up a bit. Hopefully you can stabilise yours. It should try to grow to the conditions but if it’s not been windy there it wouldn’t have done that yet. 

Millbrook, "Kinjarling" Noongar word meaning "Place of Rain", Rainbow Coast, Western Australia 35S. Warm temperate. Csb Koeppen Climate classification. Cool nights all year round.

 

 

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That's some nice cacti as well as other plants.

Steve

Born in the Bronx

Raised in Brooklyn

Matured In Wai`anae

I can't be held responsible for anything I say or do....LOL

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I would be concerned that the bizzie has an underdeveloped root system.  Watering will determine the root zone as soil that stays dry mostly will not develop roots in that area.  With all those healthy cactii around, I wonder if that bizzie can be grown well with the same watering regimen.  Deep watering is critical for a bizzie in the desert.  Desert heat plus sandy soil might be a challenge for establishment of roots.  Staking is always better than using rocks, the leverage of a stake is far greater ane damag to th tree will be less.  This palm may need extra watering to develop deep roots.  My bismarckia was out in the open for 65-75mile sustained winds for 5 hours in hurricane Irma.  The bottom 1/3 of leaves on the windward side were limp, leaflets just hanging onto the petiole.  The rest of the palm was fine, no damage and certainly no tilt of any kind.  There are hundreds of bismarckia in my area, some along highways some in yard, none were knocked down, just leaf shredding on the windward side.  IMO the size of your root system depends on your watering cycle and how deep it dry cycles.  IF it is always dry or always wet down there, the roots will be nonexistent in that soil with no dry cycle.  remember seeing large 30' bismarckia down in miami with continually wet rocky soil.  I could push the (relatively thin trunks, ~1/2 thickness of mine) trunk with my hand and the tree would move.  I wouldnt be surprised if those bizzies came down in a blow.

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

 

Tom Blank

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