Dypsis lutescens- best cutting back method?

[junglegalfla]

I have a few Dypsis lutescens. I want to just keep the big beefy growth and trim away the new growth. Of course, the cut back portions always regrow. My question is this. Can I use a tar type sealant on the cut back portions or will that encourage the palm to spread out?

[Walter John]

Why not leave them be ?

[junglegalfla]

Wal,

I have a small lot city lot (55' by 127') & want to cram as much in as possible. I want to highlight the big growth and under plant w/ colorful broms etc. If I let the one in the picture grow out, all those plants would be buried. I know it can be done, sunken gardens here in town has them stuck in the landscape all over. The fat stalks look stunning. I just want to employ the best method. And yeah, I'm being a bit lazy. Here in St. Pete, I can cut them back and within days, new growth emerges from my cuts.

I just want to add that my gardening fetish is tolerated as long a I maintain a nice landscape. I have to keep the better half happy. If I slack, I catch holy he!!. Partly kidding but it's our understanding. It's fair though, I get extra plant $$ when I need it & bragging rights when everyone oohs and ahhs.  

[Walter John]

gotchya. Golden canes will clump vigorously after a while.

[epicure3]

Good question. I keep my clumpiness (hmmm.....is that a word?) with the lutescens as it help keep some of the sun off the crotons which kind of bleaches the leaves here in SoCal. Maybe you just need to periodically trim it back.

[DoomsDave]

Bren!

You're lucky, dear, with a sig-oth who understands!

Keep him happy.

Dypsis lutes do clump vigorously, and they do send out a lot of shoots, but, as they get bigger (i.e., the oldest stems) they stop doing that, though some do it much sooner than others.

I have a number around my place, and they vary a lot.  One of them is a single with a little dweezil of a branch, that's it.  A couple of them have about six to eight fat stems, they rock totally.  And there's one that will probably eventually develop about thrity stems.  I leave it alone, but, well, in your case, drag out the knife and keep cutting.

Sigh.  

Use the money the sig-oth gives you and get some baronii, which don't (usually) clump nearly as aggressively.

best

dave

[MattyB]

Once I trim the unwanted suckers away, I maintain the desired amount of stems by periodically pulling the spears out.  Most of the time they come back in a while but sometimes they give up and don't.  It's easy and you don't have to prune as often when using this "Epilady" method.

[indie]

Ahh leave them be... All Dypsis need to run free (that's the beauty)!!!

This is what happens... handywork @ the gf's place. Enjoy - we sure do.

[weldertom]

I used to trim the bottom "smaller" growth off my D lutescens regularly until my wife made me stop.

She likes the "skirt " effect the growth underneath creates. I preferred the open long trunky look.

I lost two really nice ones (she says) to fungi growth from leaving too much open, moist severed trunk.

I am inclined to believe her, although we had many a discussion (read:argument) about it.

After removing one VERY large clump (10-14 4"trunks 12 ft tall)due to ganoderma and another smaller(only 8 ft ) as well, I stopped trimming the skirt regularly and all is well(4 years).

I think limiting the number of trunks therefore limiting the amount you will cut out will be helpful.

Good luck !

[Ken Johnson]

From what I have seen MOST "arecas" are planted from multiple seeds. The ones that are not do NOT clump nearly as much as the multis.

If you want to remove the pups make sure you dig around the palm so you can sever them clean at the trunk. Other wise they wiil come back.

BTW Most of the Ganna Derma ( a leathal "fun guy")infections in lutesens come from cane removal . or overcrowding and nutrient deficiencies, due to multiple seeds, thus many palms compeating with each other! This is a practice started by the interior-scape trade (17 seeds to a pot!) and many of their palms end up being sold to the lanscape trade. A single seed lutesens may only get 3-5 trunks and NO SUCKERS after that. Makes a nice landscape specimen.

Indie,

Yours look like multies.

[surgeon83]

James- THAT is what I would like to have some day!  

On a side note, Welcome!  Also, your signature says that your average winter temp is 62F- weather.com says the average LOW for

Miami is 63 (and average high 73) in January, and you're on the island AND on the water, so it seems like the average between high

and low would be at least 68.  Just seems like you're cutting your climate short, whereas most of the rest of us on this board

tend to do quite the opposite  ::

PS- show us some pics of your palms- it will keep me hoping for better days (I want to move to FL next year).

:cool:

[junglegalfla]

Well, so far, because of space issues, I am inclined to try and dig out some of the suckers. These particular ones are not intended to be a privacy fence. I do have a row out front which eventually I hope will hide the neighbors taxi parked on his front lawn. I will leave them to do their thing naturally. I guess this will be an experiment of sorts. They are cheap enough around these parts. You can find them in any box store for $12.99 and within a year or two, they put off the larger canes.

Thanks to all for your experiences!

[SunnyFl]

(Ken Johnson @ Jul. 18 2007,18:59)

QUOTE

From what I have seen MOST "arecas" are planted from multiple seeds. The ones that are not do NOT clump nearly as much as the multis.

If you want to remove the pups make sure you dig around the palm so you can sever them clean at the trunk. Other wise they wiil come back.

BTW Most of the Ganna Derma ( a leathal "fun guy")infections in lutesens come from cane removal . or overcrowding and nutrient deficiencies, due to multiple seeds, thus many palms compeating with each other! This is a practice started by the interior-scape trade (17 seeds to a pot!) and many of their palms end up being sold to the lanscape trade. A single seed lutesens may only get 3-5 trunks and NO SUCKERS after that. Makes a nice landscape specimen.

Indie,

Yours look like multies.

When you say cutting the canes can cause ganoderma, do you mean the large developed trunks (as opposed to the little suckers)?  Sorry if it's a dumb question, but there's a huge case of ganoderma right across the road.

If I "sever them clean at the trunk" won't that leave a bigger wound for fungus to invade?

One of the most beautiful lutescens I ever saw was a single-trunked one that had a "branch" about a foot up the trunk.  It was a knockout.

When I got my lute, I washed the soil off the roots and separated the palms - which had been crowded into a too-small pot.  It was a chore disentangling  the mess, but it worked!  I have a bebe 3-trunked lutescens in my front garden and a single trunk bebe that I'm trying to keep alive next to the house.

Indie, the dypsies around your pool are beauties.

[TikiRick]

(SunnyFl @ Jul. 18 2007,20:01)

QUOTE

(Ken Johnson @ Jul. 18 2007,18:59)

QUOTE

From what I have seen MOST "arecas" are planted from multiple seeds. The ones that are not do NOT clump nearly as much as the multis.

If you want to remove the pups make sure you dig around the palm so you can sever them clean at the trunk. Other wise they wiil come back.

BTW Most of the Ganna Derma ( a leathal "fun guy")infections in lutesens come from cane removal . or overcrowding and nutrient deficiencies, due to multiple seeds, thus many palms compeating with each other! This is a practice started by the interior-scape trade (17 seeds to a pot!) and many of their palms end up being sold to the lanscape trade. A single seed lutesens may only get 3-5 trunks and NO SUCKERS after that. Makes a nice landscape specimen.

Indie,

Yours look like multies.

When you say cutting the canes can cause ganoderma, do you mean the large developed trunks (as opposed to the little suckers)?  Sorry if it's a dumb question, but there's a huge case of ganoderma right across the road.

If I "sever them clean at the trunk" won't that leave a bigger wound for fungus to invade?

One of the most beautiful lutescens I ever saw was a single-trunked one that had a "branch" about a foot up the trunk.  It was a knockout.

When I got my lute, I washed the soil off the roots and separated the palms - which had been crowded into a too-small pot.  It was a chore disentangling  the mess, but it worked!  I have a bebe 3-trunked lutescens in my front garden and a single trunk bebe that I'm trying to keep alive next to the house.

Indie, the dypsies around your pool are beauties.

Ugh. After buying my home and massive thicket of Dypsis lutescens, I immediately went to work thinning and chopping out numerous canes so that it could be manageable. The palm cluster must be about 20 years old, some most of the canes were tall. However, it took up much vertical space and trapped all of the sunlight.

I now have a serious case of "ganoderma." It is not something to be proud of! I am worried that it will spread to the rest of my collection.

The remaining living canes on the above Dypsis are dying one by one from ganoderma. There is no known cure besides chopping it all out and burning the hole. Even so, no palm is recommened to be planted there.

However, I have heard that it only attacks dead or dying palms....is this true? I have some healthy palms planted in very close proximity to the Dypsis.

[indie]

Right-ON Surgeon! Playing it safe I guess. We had a few chill'R days this year.

Junglegalfla you can find Arecas pretty cheap in Florida. They're not considered sought after, except for maybe Home Depot shoppers. Most growers are motivated to sell.

If you’re patient and have the time, I would plant another Dypsis. If I could plant my gf’s space again, that’s what I would do.

[Ken Johnson]

Seems cutting 'em back is bad news! Even just a "trim" job can be a problem.

BTW Even transplanting lutes is a pain. They have very strong roots and next to Robes they are my least favorite to transplant.

[junglegalfla]

Perhaps Ken but given the $$ & availability, I am still willing to keep them cut back. I don't mind vertical growth, I am challenged for any type of shade & welcome it. It's the spread I can't afford to give up. I have 2 clumps. I am going to dig suckers on one & on the other, I am going to cut back and use sealant. It'll be the 5 yr test. If one has to come out, so be it. South Florida is a different growing zone, perhaps I won't have the same problems. I would not risk this on any other palm.

The palm in the pic has been hacked on for 2 yrs, both suckers and fronds and It's yet to slow down. A gamble perhaps.....*rolls the dice*

[Ken Johnson]

Bren,

BTW the palm in the pic looks very nice. Go for it!

[Logolight]

Hey, if anyone has too much Dypsis lutescens growing then send some my way.  I'll be happy to take some off your hands.