Growth of palms close to buildings:

[ruskinPalms]

Hello,

I have recently become nervous about how close I have planted some of my palms to the house. At the closest, I have them planted 18 inches from the wall there is about an 8 inch eave to deal with around the roof. Will these palms curve away from the walls as they grow? I have seen some pygmy dates do just that when planted close to some of the older houses in the neighborhood. The palms I have planted close to the walls are V. arecina, W. bifurcata, bottles and spindles, A. cunninhamiana, A. alexandrae, D. lutescens and Adonidia. Any info on the species is appreciated! Thanks.

[Jim in Los Altos]

They won't bend away from anything unless they are seeking more light.  I've seen too many palms cut down when their canopies reached overhangs and eaves. Too bad too because some of them were very old and very healthy. I have king palms whose trunks are just a few inches from my wall and they grew straight up and I had to trim off a few fronds but over time their canopies grow past the roof and cause no problems.

[LJG]

I have found that the palms do tend to move away from solid structures. I have two kings in a court yard doing this now. I also have a few multi-trunk Dypsis that they too are starting to grow away from the sides of the house. I always thought it was natural for them to do this when they 'feel' the solid sturcture.

[rubyz]

(Jim in Los Altos @ Apr. 30 2007,02:46)

QUOTE

 I've seen too many palms cut down when their canopies reached overhangs and eaves.

Right. And there could be another problem: since the fronds on many species tend to spread out as the palm grows, those in closest proximity to a wall will be bent either upwards or downwards, leading to possible esthetic difficulties, if not problems of trunk growth direction.

[MattyB]

Somehow they know ???

[Don Little]

Matt, Where was that pic taken? That's extreme trunk curve.

I agree with len, I have several that are planted no further than 18" from the side of my house with eaves that are aprox 18".  You can see slight lean in them currently even before starting to trunk, although they were planted perfectly vertical.  Mine are all on a north facing wall, so I imagine it's a combination of reaching for light and curving away from the wall.

[junglegalfla]

Ruskin,

I wanted to respond because you're also in florida. I also planted some things close to the house and am now dealing w/ something I did not anticipate. I need to be tented for termites. Something everyone in this state w/ deal with every 5-15 yrs.  Something to consider here! Luckily mine are small enough to move right now. I also have to remove my satellite dish and portion of my fence that butts tightly to my home too. PITA. That stands for pain in the arse!!

JG

[Don Little]

(junglegalfla @ Apr. 30 2007,20:43)

QUOTE

Ruskin,

I wanted to respond because you're also in florida. I also planted some things close to the house and am now dealing w/ something I did not anticipate. I need to be tented for termites. Something everyone in this state w/ deal with every 5-15 yrs.  Something to consider here! Luckily mine are small enough to move right now. I also have to remove my satellite dish and portion of my fence that butts tightly to my home too. PITA. That stands for pain in the arse!!

JG

Termites from the palms or just a hassle dealing with the tenting around the palms?  

I had my house tented 1 1/2 years ago but Since my palms were around 18" away from the house the only thing I had to do was tie the fronds forward and I didn't lose anything.  I know in my case the the termites were brought in from from some infested lumber I used to build a fence around the front porch.  I hope they dont infest palms, hate to have to worry about that too, YIKES!

[ruskinPalms]

Thanks for replies. Bren, I never thought about termites... Get this: my HOA mandates that we keep 18" of pine bark mulch around the houses. They will NOT let us grow grass up to the houses. SO, I am pretty screwed anyway. I do have a pest company coming to poison my house and grounds monthy or whatever anyway. I am not a big fan of poisons in and around the house but my wife does not like the creepy crawlies.

I have seen pygmy dates move away from structures just fine. But, I thought this may be a species or genus specific behavior. That is why I am asking about all these other palms. I have seen full grown foxtails in Tampa and Sarasota and they are not small palms. I think I have planted everything far enought away from the walls to allow for trunk growth but if a palm such as a foxtail grows staight up the girth of the trunk would likely touch the eaves in the very least. I guess I am way ahead of myself anyway as these will likely get nailed by the next great florida freeze long before they flirt with my eaves.

[RRONNIE]

Palms are "smart and sensitive" - When they feel a "wall" even/only with the edges of the leafs (and even if it is about 6 ft. away) they lean away from it...

Livistona Decipiens is a smart and sensitive palm...

Be Good,

Ronnie

[RRONNIE]

Ptychosperma Macarthurii - on the other hand - is a beautiful & sensitive palm - alas, not that smart...  ::

Even 2 ft. away from the wall (at the bottom) and 1 ft. at the top - still continues straight up  

Be Good,

Ronnie