Over the past few months, I’ve “dug up and rescued” 2 feral queen palms growing in some undeveloped lots amongst shade/sun mix. 

One was growing next to a large sabal Palm under shade. It was about maybe 8-10 feet tall, thin and no trunk. That one got snapped in half during Irma, and frost got it and had to cut it close down to the stump. But it’s popped up new growth slowly since I cut it back in February.

The most recent planting was something like 20 feet tall, again no actual trunk...just a few fronds etiolated under the tree it was growing under. To see this thing growing so well on its own was quite amazing. However, a new home is about to be put up where it was, so it’s chances of survival were low.

In wanting to keep things “within the garden”, I planted both about 5 or 6 feet from the house. The smaller Palm has actually began to curve away from the house. The newly planted larger palm however, I’ve had to cut a frond off and the tips off of another to keep it away from the house as it started to undergo transplant shock and the older leaves began to droop. At this point, it only occasionally brushes the roof during storms.

I had already moved the larger one further out (by a mere couple feet as each time I moved it, required digging thru more grass and turf and buying more garden border) a couple days after I planted it. But driving around, I see queen palms being planted closer than that all the time. Seems as long as they stay trimmed, it shouldn’t be too much an issue...or?

 

Edited May 10, 20188 yr by IndoorPalms

photos are helpful

welcome to palm talk

Edited May 10, 20188 yr by Moose

This was the location on first day of planting. I was able to move it to the point in the border. Wasn’t much, but it was a bitch to move even after only two days in ground.

Figured pics are better lol. I don’t care about showing myself...I think it’s helpful to show the relative size of this thing. It wasn’t heavy, most of the weight was balancing and the soil on the roots. 

I hate to move it again since it was already stressed. Right now it seems happy, only occasionally brushing up. looks to be establishing itself...about to open a new frond hopefully by next month long as the Florida rainy season starts...which looks like hopefully by next week. 

I planted it there because it was in part sun in the wild (the area where it’s at gets part shade in summer, mostly shade in winter), and as I mentioned, within the confines of the border garden wall which gets mulch, water and nutrients. Queen palms seem to grow more vigorous in part shade.

i know it’s a relatively cheap Palm, and i would have preferred an Adoninia,  Pygmy or even King Palm...but I couldn’t resist. Plus it was very easy to dig up in its sandy location, which is about to be paved into a new home anyway.

 

Edited May 12, 20188 yr by IndoorPalms

Btw, this is before and after of the other queen palm. 

It got damaged in Irma (and again during the freeze of December 2017)  and that little bud has now grow to about 7 inches of new frond. It’ll be awhile. But that’s what it looked like before...

Edited May 12, 20188 yr by IndoorPalms

Looks fine to me, people plant them that close all the time. My only concern would be the fact that they're not very wind resistant so it is possible one will eventually blow over.

Edited May 12, 20188 yr by RedRabbit

It's fine where it is. Sometimes it's convenient having them near a rooftop when they get big and need old fronds cut off. Just get up on the roof with you pole cutter. Did you take a picture of the 20 footer? That would be just reaching the bottom of the third story of a building. 

Good luck. 

Thanks for replies, well that’s a relief. I’m just imagining it one day having palm leaves sitting on the roof, and having to trim it too much. At the same time, moving it again seems a bit OCD. 

The 20 foot one is the one in the first post, the day I transplanted it. The second post was the smaller palm (was maybe 9-12 feet in the wild) before Irma. The poor thing got snapped, and it would have survived better but I left out of town , and people who don’t know didn’t cover it when it dropped to 29 degrees in Orlando. So I had to cut it down to green growth. It’s grown back to a mere few inches, but atleast it’s alive after 2 weather misfortunes. 

 

I have seen queens fall fall over in storms. But those usually seem to be ones not taken care of. In my area, I’ve only seen 1 queen palm that fell... “after” the storm. 

 

 

Edited May 17, 20188 yr by IndoorPalms