Best size palm tree to plant

[Panagiotis]

Hi guys, i read that larger trees suffer transplant shock more than smaller. According to a study if someone plant at the same time a small tree and a large one, the smaller will recover faster from the transplant shock and after years maybe it exceeds the large tree.

This can happen with field grown trees, because of the roots they lose during transplanting, but what happens with potted grown plam trees, i read somewhere that this apply to potted grown palm trees in some degree. Is that true? Will a 1m tall (potted grown) palm tree exceeds or become equal with a 3m tall palm after years?

Thanks.

[Collectorpalms]

That is a loaded question. My 2 cents worth:

1) For a marginal species in a marginal climate, buy the largest you can get potted outdoor grown. I planted 15 gallon queens in a zone 8b, that sailed through light freezes and have grown to monsters than can take all but the worse winters now, but others that bought smaller sizes froze in even a mild year and never got established, all goners.

2) A greenhouse grown potted plant at a larger size is harder to established than an outdoor grown smaller one. I would take a 1 gallon Texas grown palm over a greenhouse 5 gallon.

3) An oversized potted palm might be rootbound and need more water than most people think and go downhill quicker if its not in a good spot with good water and able to supply water to its leaves. I have bought oversized windmills that just couldn't get enough water daily that were on drip irrigating down fast.

 

Edited April 26, 2016 by Collectorpalms

[Panagiotis]

An other factor  i think is if the palm has grown in a warm climate and someone plant it in a colder climate, the larger the palm the more difficult to accliminate, correct me if i am wrong.

But what happens if for example the climate is suitable (not marginal) and the palms have grown outdoor in pots, will a smaller palm established faster and grow faster than a large?

Edited April 26, 2016 by Panagiotis

[Panagiotis]

25 minutes ago, Panagiotis said:

An other factor  i think is if the palm has grown in a warm climate and someone plant it in a colder climate, the larger the palm the more difficult to accliminate, correct me if i am wrong.

But what happens if for example the climate is suitable (not marginal) and the palms have grown outdoor in pots, will a smaller palm established faster and grow faster than a large?

*acclimate

[Phoenikakias]

On 4/26/2016, 11:25:31, Panagiotis said:

An other factor  i think is if the palm has grown in a warm climate and someone plant it in a colder climate, the larger the palm the more difficult to accliminate, correct me if i am wrong.

But what happens if for example the climate is suitable (not marginal) and the palms have grown outdoor in pots, will a smaller palm established faster and grow faster than a large?

It does not really matter.

[GMann]

 

On ‎4‎/‎25‎/‎2016‎ ‎8‎:‎11‎:‎18‎, Panagiotis said:

Will a 1m tall (potted grown) palm tree exceeds or become equal with a 3m tall palm after years?

I think the answer is generally no, but would depend on the species.

For the slower growing species, it could take 10 years to grow to 3 meters. So there is no way that planting a 1 meter one would get to the size of a 3 meter one in any short period.

What I generally do is buy the biggest pot I can find (usually 25 gallons) and plant those. Because it costs a lot more to have a pro landscaper deliver and install large field grown palms.

[DoomsDave]

On 4/25/2016, 5:11:18, Panagiotis said:

Hi guys, i read that larger trees suffer transplant shock more than smaller. According to a study if someone plant at the same time a small tree and a large one, the smaller will recover faster from the transplant shock and after years maybe it exceeds the large tree.

This can happen with field grown trees, because of the roots they lose during transplanting, but what happens with potted grown plam trees, i read somewhere that this apply to potted grown palm trees in some degree. Is that true? Will a 1m tall (potted grown) palm tree exceeds or become equal with a 3m tall palm after years?

Thanks.

Welcome!

What palm?

How big more or less?

[Keith N Tampa (ex SoJax)]

I'm 56.  Bigger is better.

 

[DoomsDave]

1 hour ago, Keith in SoJax said:

I'm 56.  Bigger is better.

 

If someone else is planting it.

[Dave-Vero]

Some palms transplant much better than others.  Our Florida native Sabal palmetto doesn't transplant well at all, even though large numbers of them are moved around all the time. Royals, easy.  A lot of it seems to have to do with the root system.  If I remember correctly, some palms have roots that can regrow, others don't.  I have Barry Tomlinson's book on palm anatomy so could probably look it up.

One notable long-distance palm transplant was featured here at Palm Talk.  The Wollongong Botanic Garden south of Sydney upgraded its palm collection by buying a whole collection of mature trees from near Brisbane, which of course has a warmer climate where palms grow faster.  In US terms, that's the latitudinal equivalent of trucking palms from Vero Beach, Florida to Wilmington, North Carolina.  Except that Vero doesn't have great palm collections or nurseries and the only palm tree that can really make it in Wilmington is the hardy Sabal palmetto, which is native up there.  I suppose trachys would make it, too.  

 

 

[Manalto]

On 4/25/2016, 8:11:18, Panagiotis said:

2 hours ago, Dave-Vero said:

Our Florida native Sabal palmetto doesn't transplant well at all, even though large numbers of them are moved around all the time.

 

 

Dave (or anyone), could you expand on that comment? Being new to cultivating palms, I don't yet know what to expect for growth and recovery rates.  I had a 14' sabal palm installed in December of 2017 and am a bit discouraged to see that it has yet to develop a full crown of foliage nearly a year later. (Granted, the winter of 2017-18 was a fierce one and probably caused a delay.) Is the slow recovery rate what you mean? Or is one year not considered slow for a palm of this size? Can I expect it to continue to struggle?

Edited September 20, 2018 by Manalto
clarity

[Dave-Vero]

It takes a long time for Sabals to recuperate from transplanting.  Give yours another couple of years.  This University of Florida info is missing comparative information with respect to other palms, but does explain current best practice.  Incidentally, Fairchild and Montgomery in Miami removed all the leaves from valuable Corypha palms that were blown over in recent hurricanes, then put back in place.

 

[GottmitAlex]

Sabals do require a haircut after transplanting. Somewhete, there is a paper on the subject. True story...

[Manalto]

Thanks for that link, Dave. It demystifies some of the confusion I had about sabals.

[Dave-Vero]

I think the deal is that Sabal has to regrow roots from the trunk (where, typical of palms, there's lots of dormant buds), while  other palms have buds on the roots.  Again, I need to pull Tomlinson's book or other literature.

 

[Brad Mondel]

Sabal palmetto roots do not regenerate once they're cut. A whole new root system must be established from the base so all fronds must be removed to reduce transpiration. It's like taking a giant cutting and rooting it. I believe if you keep the entire trunk and root zone moist it helps them survive the transplant better. I treated my hurricane cut palmetto in this manner and it grew almost a full crown in 2 seasons. I read someone that hurricane cut palmettos planted in the heat of summer did better than ones planted in the cool spring. 

 

I'd say plant the biggest you can get.