Today while we were cutting down our 5th large queen, I had a chance to check out the "Garden of the Golden Canes" I planted about 5 years ago on the berm of the vacant lot on the east side of the house. Most of those palms are clumpers but I noticed two of them with 3-4' of trunk are still solitary. So, my questions:

1. When can you be sure a solitary D. lute. will stay that way? Palms are 7-8' total height and are 6-7 years old (I grew them from local seeds). They are very handsome and healthy, not ratty like most.

2. Do these palms transplant well? I'm thinking of moving one or both into my jungle in lieu of queens. I plan to take time to trench around them and will wait at least a month until early spring to start. Currently, they are planted in sandy soil on a hill. They receive irrigation twice a week. How big a rootball do they need?

Hi Meg,

I dug up mine last November from my old house. Not really the best time to dig a palm in So Cal, but I didn't really have a choice at the time. I was moving, and did not want to leave it behind. IT dug very well, potted it up in a 25 gal. pot, and is now rooted out 13 mo later. I'm still looking for the 'right' spot at the new house. Mine had 7' of clear trunk. Maybe Ken Johnson will have some knowledge with Florida conditions, but I'm sure you have a great chance at a successful dig. Bigger the rootball, the better the chance.

I hope it goes smoothly, as solitaire golden canes are AWESOME!

Thanks, Vari. Do you know if they will likely stay solitary if they haven't clumped yet?

I've heard that D. lutescens transplants very well, so I would say go ahead and try!

How about a photo? They should come up fine. May not need to root prune either. I have pulled plenty up and moved them elsewhere--all do fine and without any root pruning and as little root ball as I can. I would say that with a bit of stress, though, the palm could begin to clump as a survival move...