What does tillering mean?

[WaianaeCrider]

Lots of references to tillering palms and not to leave the top 1/3 above the ground.  But what is a tillering palm. 

[GottmitAlex]

Is that the same as tilling?

[amh]

I thought tillers were side shoots.

Are they referring to the roots being kept below ground?

[Palmfarmer]

you have a link?

[tropicbreeze]

I mostly see tillering in reference to grasses, the ones that develop multiple growing points, or stems/culms. I'd assume in relation to palms that would mean clumpers.

[amh]

Just now, tropicbreeze said:

I mostly see tillering in reference to grasses, the ones that develop multiple growing points, or stems/culms. I'd assume in relation to palms that would mean clumpers.

That's what I was thinking.

[WaianaeCrider]

OK guess I used the wrong term.  I'm talking about Heals and not to cover them all the way.  What is a heal?

[Silas_Sancona]

5 minutes ago, WaianaeCrider said:

OK guess I used the wrong term.  I'm talking about Heals and not to cover them all the way.  What is a heal?

You might look through this thread: 

 

[WaianaeCrider]

Mahalo, I think I've got a hand on it.  LOL  I think,  LOL

[palmad Merc]

Tillering palm refers to the development of the heel and or saxophone root system at a young age of a palm, a few examples would be Dypsis lastelliana, dypsis robusta, rhopalostylis sapida are all tillering palms. 

[WaianaeCrider]

My questions came as I was going to plant Dypsis robusta from a 1 gallon pot to the ground and it was mentioned about leaving the top 1/3 of the heel above ground.  Now that I've read the above comments, Mahalo, and have looked closely at the palm I "SEE".

Any who It went into the ground today and I got some good views as to what everyone is talking about.  In the photo of the palm in the pot you can see how the growth is all off center and look how it split the pot on the growing side.

The last photo looking up a terraced hill just finished last month and three palms now happly situated there.  From bottom to top are

D. robusta,

Bentinckia condapanna, and Clinostigm  savoryanum

[JubaeaMan138]

Sabals , dypsis and attaleas are some of the tillering palms I have with heels . From what I’ve read heeled (tillering) palms tend to suck themselves down in the ground . I wonder if it acts as a wick . Wicks up excess water from the roots to dry ., I plant them with the heel fully exposed above the soil . 

[JubaeaMan138]

Also there is a certain direction to plant so the heel faces a certain way on hill sides . I’ve heard the heels will pull a plant so far that the tree could move several feet away from were it was first planted . 

[RaleighNC]

There are a lot of examples on the web in which use "tillering" to refer to palm species with a heel, but this is simply incorrect.  Botanically speaking, a tiller is an offshoot.