Is it possible to split up a multi-trunk Adonidia?

[PalmX]

I've got a fairly young potted Adoninia (1-2years)  and I'm curious if it's possible to split them up without killing them all? Or would it be best to cut the trunks I don't want to insure the ones I like don't die?

Thanks

[PalmX]

One more question!

Will cutting 1-2 trunks pose problems to and/or kill the others?

I imagine I would have to leave the base of the trunks and roots in the pot, so I'm not sure what that would do once they die off.

Edited March 7, 2020 by PalmX

[PalmatierMeg]

Photos will help. Adonidia are solitary palms but are often sold artificially clumped by growers. So if your pot has 4 stems it has 4 solitary palms in competition with one another.  If you want to get rid of any of them cut it off at soil level. Don't try to remove the root or you may damage the palm you want to keep. Eventually, the dead roots will disintegrate.

[GottmitAlex]

34 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Photos will help. Adonidia are solitary palms but are often sold artificially clumped by growers. So if your pot has 4 stems it has 4 solitary palms in competition with one another.  If you want to get rid of any of them cut it off at soil level. Don't try to remove the root or you may damage the palm you want to keep. Eventually, the dead roots will disintegrate.

Meg, by your statement, one can infer Adonidias are root sensitive as archontophoenix. Am I right?

[mnorell]

I've broken up triples of root-crowded Adonidia that I picked up in less-than stellar condition (at HD, for example); and I've been able to separate them with some effort. It can be a tough job if they're really overpacked, but I make no special attempts to save roots or prevent breakage beyond what is reasonable. I usually keep a hose with a jet-nozzle at hand and shoot any soil out from the tangled root-ball, then I attempt to loosen the outer and bottom roots and tease them out with my fingers, jostling and rocking the stems apart...but eventually pulling and tearing is going to occur. As far as I recall, I've never lost one. They are very strong palms that can take a lot of abuse (of course outside of chill) and grow new roots fairly quickly to replace those that were damaged in the process. I always put them in a mostly shady spot in good soil (usually in a loose, mulchy mound) for a month or so, longer if they will need to go into full sun, and make sure the soil-line is above the root-production zone at the bottom of the trunk/stem. Once I feel they are recovered with a good root-zone, I just pull them up out of the mound and plant them where they need to go.

[PalmX]

6 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Photos will help. Adonidia are solitary palms but are often sold artificially clumped by growers. So if your pot has 4 stems it has 4 solitary palms in competition with one another.  If you want to get rid of any of them cut it off at soil level. Don't try to remove the root or you may damage the palm you want to keep. Eventually, the dead roots will disintegrate.

This is a picture of one of my other Palms, but it's about the same age and trunk thickness:



The thickest trunk is maybe 1.5 inches thick at the most. So cutting the smaller ones at the base is the safest way to go?

Edited March 8, 2020 by PalmX

[palmfriend]

18 minutes ago, PalmX said:

This is a picture of one of my other Palms, but it's about the same age and trunk thickness:



The thickest trunk is maybe 1.5 inches thick at the most. So cutting the smaller ones at the base is the safest way to go?

I would say, at this stage it might get tricky. You may separate them with a lot of water and time but I am not sure if they are going to make it. The trunks

are looking really close to each other... If you cut the smaller ones at the base is probably the best. 

best regards from Okinawa -

Lars