Three Gallon Small Enough?

[Palmlover_78 129]

Hey Guys, Is three gallons small enough to separate Christmas Palms without killing them?

Thanks, Guys

[Rickybobby 1,231]

We need to see the palms. I had 3 Xmas in a 7g pot. I split them and they fit into 3G when I was done 

[Palmarum 2,767]

Depends on how root-bound, intertwined they are.

Christmas Palms are usually tough when it comes to having their roots messed with, as long as not many are broken in the process. Take time to do it carefully and make sure they are not super dry when you do it.

Ryan

[Palmlover_78 129]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:29 AM, Rickybobby said:

We need to see the palms. I had 3 Xmas in a 7g pot. I split them and they fit into 3G when I was done 

I haven't gotten them yet I was thinking about getting them from Jimmy Rollo at Norfolk Exotics. He doesn't stock single three gallon specimens and he only ships three gallon plants up my way.

[Palmlover_78 129]

On 1/14/2022 at 4:39 PM, Palmarum said:

Depends on how root-bound, intertwined they are.

Christmas Palms are usually tough when it comes to having their roots messed with, as long as not many are broken in the process. Take time to do it carefully and make sure they are not super dry when you do it.

Ryan

I was thinking of having the entire root ball in warm water and carefully jiggle and pull them apart

 

[Palmarum 2,767]

19 minutes ago, Palmlover_78 said:

I was thinking of having the entire root ball in warm water and carefully jiggle and pull them apart

That will work. I use a large mixing tray with high sides with a level of water, about a quarter-full.

If the root ball is dry I let it soak for a short while, moving it around to get every part of the root ball damp. If there is a lot of compacted old dirt inside, I use a narrow nozzle on the hose to clean it out as I work, controlling the flow as to not damage anything. Most of the process is obvious and straight forward; start on the outside of the root ball and work from the bottom to the top. If some roots have to be cut, you can either try to balance the damage among all the plants, or select a sacrificial individual to take all the damage by tracing the roots to their source. As plants separate, set them aside or in another container and let their roots lie in water.

If you get two (or three) plants that are just too heavily intertwined, you may want to option them as a double (or triple) just to avoid potential lethal damage. The only big mistake comes if you stop part of the way through and leave the exposed root ball to dry, especially if it's a hot day in full sun (which I have done). Don't start working on a compot, or heavily rooted plant mass unless you know for sure you have time to process it all in one sitting. If it's a massive compot with zillions of seedlings, try to divide it into 'doable sections' and leave the remaining sections intact until you can work on them.

Ryan

[Palmlover_78 129]

On 1/27/2022 at 12:41 AM, Palmlover_78 said:

I was thinking of having the entire root ball in warm water and carefully jiggle and pull them apart

 

This is roughly the size of the plant I would be getting

[Palmlover_78 129]

On 1/14/2022 at 10:29 AM, Rickybobby said:

We need to see the palms. I had 3 Xmas in a 7g pot. I split them and they fit into 3G when I was done 

This would be roughly the size