Root bound coconut...what to do?

[jfrye01@live.com]

Hey all! This coconut palm was sent to me two years ago as a small sprouted seed...it has grown like crazy and is now quite large. Today, I noticed roots growing into the watering tray at the bottom of the pot...will a coconut die if the roots are pruned to re-pot the palm? The holes are far too small to push roots back through...

Thanks all,

-Jacob in Kansas 

[mnorell]

Jacob, those roots are small enough you can just pull the plant up out of that pot and put in a larger planter. Coconuts take root pruning exceptionally well IN THE TROPICS. Cut roots can branch very quickly and just keep on growing. Down here in the Keys we all throw coconuts around, ripping them out of the ground and moving them about with torn roots, with almost universally good results. But you are in Kansas with winter looking you square in the face. If you trim those roots with the waning seasonal temps at hand, fungus will probably take over and finish it off for you. I assume you have a greenhouse for fall/winter/spring, your best bet is to just put it in a larger pot and greenhouse it as soon as your night temps sink below 55 or so.

[jfrye01@live.com]

45 minutes ago, mnorell said:

Jacob, those roots are small enough you can just pull the plant up out of that pot and put in a larger planter. Coconuts take root pruning exceptionally well IN THE TROPICS. Cut roots can branch very quickly and just keep on growing. Down here in the Keys we all throw coconuts around, ripping them out of the ground and moving them about with torn roots, with almost universally good results. But you are in Kansas with winter looking you square in the face. If you trim those roots with the waning seasonal temps at hand, fungus will probably take over and finish it off for you. I assume you have a greenhouse for fall/winter/spring, your best bet is to just put it in a larger pot and greenhouse it as soon as your night temps sink below 55 or so.

Thanks for the reply, I was able to repot it with minimal root loss...it had a very extensive root system going on under there! My greenhouse has an oil radiator heater in it, and stays well above 50F even on the coldest nights...luckily...if power goes out, I move it into the house, where I have a spare room with a west facing window and a space heater;) Thanks again for the reply! Here are some pics, girlfriend for size reference lol

roots that were removed 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

Hey Jacob,

Where was it sent to you from?  I wonder if it is a hybrid, based on the color of the petioles and the size it is in just two years, considering it has been overwintered in a greenhouse.

John

Edited September 1, 2016 by Mr. Coconut Palm

[Dave-Vero]

Palms, being monocots, have roots rather more like grasses than like trees.  The good side is that "circling roots" aren't the terrible problem they are with, say, oak trees.  

[jfrye01@live.com]

9 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Hey Jacob,

Where was it sent to you from?  I wonder if it is a hybrid, based on the color of the petioles and the size it is in just two years, considering it has been overwintered in a greenhouse.

John

Hey John,

It was sent from south Florida if I remember correctly. Sender told me it was a Golden Malayan Dwarf, but it very well could be a hybrid. It spent its first winter in the house, then the second in the greenhouse.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2016‎ ‎7‎:‎47‎:‎56‎, jfrye01@live.com said:

Hey John,

It was sent from south Florida if I remember correctly. Sender told me it was a Golden Malayan Dwarf, but it very well could be a hybrid. It spent its first winter in the house, then the second in the greenhouse.

Hey Jacob,

I thought you might have gotten it from Florida, and it does look like a Golden Malayan Dwarf, but considering how much it has grown being indoors so much during the winter, makes me think it may be a hybrid.  Anyway, it is looking good for one grown so far from the tropics.

John

[jfrye01@live.com]

21 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Hey Jacob,

I thought you might have gotten it from Florida, and it does look like a Golden Malayan Dwarf, but considering how much it has grown being indoors so much during the winter, makes me think it may be a hybrid.  Anyway, it is looking good for one grown so far from the tropics.

John

I have fertilized it a couple of times using Carl Pool's palm fertilizer, but i'm afraid of salts building up in the soil so I stopped...which fert would you recommend for a coco? 

[PalmTreeDude]

Oh dear! I have had palm roots come out of the bottom of the pots and right into the ground a few times. 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

3 hours ago, jfrye01@live.com said:

I have fertilized it a couple of times using Carl Pool's palm fertilizer, but i'm afraid of salts building up in the soil so I stopped...which fert would you recommend for a coco? 

Jacob,

You are right about being worried about salt building up in the soil with any synthetic chemical fertilizer.  Even for a salt tolerant palm like the coconut palm, salt will build up over time to the point that you will really have to water more just to dilute the salt.  Also, the chemical fertilizers sterilize the soil over time by killing the beneficial microbes and bacteria in the soil.  When you go all organic, you build up the health of the soil itself by increasing the beneficial microbes and bacteria.  When you have healthy soil, you have healthy plants and by going all organic, you reduce your watering needs by 30 to 40% over time.

I went all organic about 4.5. years ago, and my palms and all my plants are doing far better than they ever were with all the chemicals.  The fertilizer I use is called MicroLife made by San Jacinto Environmental in Houston.  I use their 8-4-6 Ultimate, and it has over 70 minerals and micronutrients, which covers the full spectrum of any micronutrients any plant should need.  It is all organic and is the highest quality fertilizer I have found in the 30 + years I have been growing plants.  For now, it is only available in southeast Texas and southwest Louisiana.  I go to Houston to get some a couple of times per year, use what I need, and sell some  to people here in Corpus Christi and in the Rio Grande Valley.  I can send you a 7lb. jug of it.  Send me a message if you are interested.

John

[smithgn]

Damn! That coconut has really grown! Looking good. Repotting and when needed, repotting into larger containers does wonders. I repotted a struggling brahea edulis and it has taken off in just a few short months. The roots at the bottom completely encircled the bottom of the previous pot so it was time for a change.

[VA Jeff]

Use big ol' rubber garbage cans for pots.  I have a tall mule palm growing in one that is many years old.  The center of the palm is even with the top of the swing set in that picture.  The top of the bar is about 8.5 feet tall.   The trash can takes up the first 30 inches of height.  This picture is 1 - 2 years old, so it is bigger now, but still thriving.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

1 hour ago, VA Jeff said:

Use big ol' rubber garbage cans for pots.  I have a tall mule palm growing in one that is many years old.  The center of the palm is even with the top of the swing set in that picture.  The top of the bar is about 8.5 feet tall.   The trash can takes up the first 30 inches of height.  This picture is 1 - 2 years old, so it is bigger now, but still thriving.

Nice looking, Jeff.  That's a good idea for a large pot, if you don't plant your palms in the ground, which I guess you can't do with your winters there.

[jfrye01@live.com]

On 9/5/2016, 2:08:48, smithgn said:

Damn! That coconut has really grown! Looking good. Repotting and when needed, repotting into larger containers does wonders. I repotted a struggling brahea edulis and it has taken off in just a few short months. The roots at the bottom completely encircled the bottom of the previous pot so it was time for a change.

Did you prune those roots or splay them out? I've heard to do both with a root bound palm...lol 

[jfrye01@live.com]

On 9/5/2016, 10:22:18, VA Jeff said:

Use big ol' rubber garbage cans for pots.  I have a tall mule palm growing in one that is many years old.  The center of the palm is even with the top of the swing set in that picture.  The top of the bar is about 8.5 feet tall.   The trash can takes up the first 30 inches of height.  This picture is 1 - 2 years old, so it is bigger now, but still thriving.

Now there's an idea! I'm gonna need a bigger greenhouse soon..looks like you will too!  

[smithgn]

On ‎9‎/‎6‎/‎2016‎ ‎11‎:‎51‎:‎47‎, jfrye01@live.com said:

Did you prune those roots or splay them out? I've heard to do both with a root bound palm...lol 

I'm too scared to prune the roots lol Especially with Braheas, they're extremely sensitive (or so I've read) as far as root disturbance goes. So I left them and just put them in a slightly larger pot with new soil.