Phoenix reclinata

[gsn]

I have a Phoenix reclinata  that is about 7 or 8 feet tall. Well actually is is some type of cross between reclinata and some other Phoenix,not sure which one  unfortunately.

The leaves on the fronds are very plumose,and not flat planned,and the entire frond has  a recurve to it,unlike a true reclinata. This thing is growing like a WEED,as when planted  about 2 years ago was only about 3 1/2 or 4 feet tall!

Anyway to my question about suckers. This thing is a suckering FOOL. Coming out from the ground,off the main trunks, out of thin air.

I wanted to try and keep this plant somehwat under control and only let about 7 main trunks grow. I keep cutting the suckers off/out but they just keep growing back.So obviously I am not getting to the growing point of them. Is there anything that can be put on them at the point of the cut, that will kill the sucker without killing the stem or trunk they came off of? Also here in Florida we have to worry about Ganoderma,and continually cutting these suckers  back makes me nervous, as to the open wounds left behind from removing all the suckers. Is there anything  fungicide wise that might help prevent this disease from taking hold,in the open wounds?

Thanks for any advice regarding this!

[MattyB]

I don't know of any topical thing you can safely apply.  But if you're concerned about the open wound thing then just cut the suckers new leaves off down at the bottom of the petiole.  Eventually, as the other desireable trunks get bigger, then maybe you can do a major surgery and attempt to cut out the growing point.  I don't know what I'm talking about, just throwin' out ideas.

[PalmGuyWC]

Scott,

I have a clustering hybrid Phoenix that fits the general description of yours. Mine had become a huge sprawling mess and was taking up to much room, and I even considered removing it.  Several attempts had been made to control it, but it was such a thick tangle of trunks, spines that it seemed an impossible task.

Finally, about three years ago, my garden helper, who is a very determined individual, attacked the tree with a long bladed SawsAll. (Electric reciprocating saw). He worked on the tree for 3 days, removing large trunks and smaller suckers as he worked his way to the center of the cluster.  He removed about half the large trunks, leaving only the nicest ones, and all the small suckers. He cut right into the large exposed root mass above the ground to remove the large trunks, below their growing point.  The finished product was a remarkable transformation. He left about 8 trunks and now they can be seen and that's part of the beauty of the tree. It's an easy task now to clip off the small suckers with hand clippers about once or twice a year. I'd like to remove a small sucker with roots, but they grow right out of the woody, root mass, and it's impossible to get roots.

If you go to Travel Log and pull up Dick Douglas garden, there is a picture of the tree. I'm so glad I didn't have the tree removed as now it's one of my nicest speciman palms and the only clustering Phoenix that I have. I know of no way to prevent the small suckers from coming back.  Just keep whacking them off, I guess.

Dick

[Kris]

Dear Scott  

even i had this problem with 2 date palms.at first stage i

admired as how beautiful it will look if all those suckers

grow along side of the mother plant.but reading this

forum threads which tells more suckers mean less

healthy or less massive main trunk.

since iam fan of fat stemed or trunked plants.i had to do the

surgery_but in palm one all i had to do is just run the spear

right on its head.for 2 years it kept popping up.it was given the same treatment.now its silent.but the mother plant is

growing fast...really fast for a regular date palm.

But palm 2 though i gave the same treatment to its off shoots but now a strange thing has happened_the

suckers are comming in the main trunk body itself.

now i cannot hit its head with spear ? so i keep cutting the

new leaves these sucker are putting forth,so that it will

become tired of putting new leaf & new suckers.since its hot out here in south india.and i hardly water my phoenix

regularly.the cuts & wounds heel quite fast.and i dust it

with contact based fungicide once i cut those leaves.

those 2 varities of date palms are very different & so are

there suckers sprouts in a very different fashion.

i have posted those stills too in thread phoenix suckers

what to do ?

Love,

Kris(India).

[MattyB]

What if you could make a gummy paste out of something and mix it all together with Ammonium Sulfate (pure nitrogen).  Then apply the mass right on top of where the sucker comes out....ya know like a sticky bomb.  Maybe it would burn the sucker right off and the remaining nitrogen would just work it's way down into the ground.

[gsn]

Thanks for the replies everyone. Some food for thought!

Dick,

I took a look at yours, they look really good. I beleive mine is crossed with something else, as the trunks I don't think will be as big in diameter,and there is definately more curve to the fronds on mine. Hard to tell from the photo how plumose yours are ,but they don't seem to be as much as mine. There is a  very definate V where the leaf attaches to the petiole.

I wish i knew what  cross it was?

Matty,

If I recall you have one that  that was field grown?

I know yours is a TRUE reclinata,but is yours suckering alot?

As far as the paste with Ammonium Sulfate,  sounds like it might work? I am just worried about how the suckers are actually attached to the main trunks,and if they are connected (root wise) it might BURN the ones I am trying to keep! I'm pretty sure it would be a problem with the ones that are actully coming off the trunks rather than from the ground,next to the trunks.

I guess the solution is to just keep cutting the damn things back,maybe they will die eventually!

Anyway thanks for the ideas,if you come up with anything that works on yours let me know okay?

[MattyB]

Scott, yeah you do remember correctly.  I've got 3 that were field dug.  They're still recovering so it's not like they are vigorously growing, but one of them was trying to sucker in a few places.  I just kept pulling the shoot out just like you'd pull the new spear out of a palm that was rotting.  They've since stopped suckering from those spots.  I do this with my D. lutescens too.  Just pull the spike out.  Eventually they give up, but it might take a few years of pulling.  It seems to work though.  I guess there's no easy answer.  I should invent a magic "stop suckers" potion, I'd be rich......not.

[Kris]

(MattyB @ Mar. 09 2007,14:53)

QUOTE

What if you could make a gummy paste out of something and mix it all together with Ammonium Sulfate (pure nitrogen).  Then apply the mass right on top of where the sucker comes out....ya know like a sticky bomb.  Maybe it would burn the sucker right off and the remaining nitrogen would just work it's way down into the ground.

Dear Matty  

i have pets at home,they come in search of anything new in

the garden.iam shure they will taste it.in that case what to do ?

love,

Kris.