Removing all the dirt from the rootball?

[Palmfarmer]

Got a phoenix Datilifera and its grown in clay. I planned to use a fast draining mix so I am wondering if its ok to hose off the soil on the rootball before putting it in a new pot. 

[Adam_NY]

I always do this with new palms and have never had issues. I’ve never grown a dactylifera but I’ve bare rooted roebellinis and trimmed their roots a number of times to no ill effect. 

[SeanK]

Disagree. Minimize root disruption.

[BS Man about Palms]

I also disagree.. The Palms you see virtually everywhere are super hardy and you almost have to work hard to kill them.  Virtually ALL palms hate root disturbance, some more than others!

I always remember a friend that was running a palm nursery and he had some guys potting up... (I can't remember, somewhat plentiful, but partially hard to come by except at a specialty nursery) and the guys were putting 1 gals to 3 or 5 gal pots. He noted at one point that they were banging the plants, even gently, to make all the soil fall off and plant bare root.  He was still kinda learning palms and also wasn't able to go say something. He said EVERY ONE of the 40+ palms was dead within the month.

[Palmfarmer]

12 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

I also disagree.. The Palms you see virtually everywhere are super hardy and you almost have to work hard to kill them.  Virtually ALL palms hate root disturbance, some more than others!

I always remember a friend that was running a palm nursery and he had some guys potting up... (I can't remember, somewhat plentiful, but partially hard to come by except at a specialty nursery) and the guys were putting 1 gals to 3 or 5 gal pots. He noted at one point that they were banging the plants, even gently, to make all the soil fall off and plant bare root.  He was still kinda learning palms and also wasn't able to go say something. He said EVERY ONE of the 40+ palms was dead within the month.

Was thinking of just lightly hose the dirt of. I did it with my C. Metallica palm and was fine. I guess it wildly depend on the species 

[PalmatierMeg]

I’ve learned the hard way to be really cautious with repotting. Some years back I repotted a whole slew of container palms, including Licualas, some of them quite large. I hosed off old soil and repotted them in fresh potting mix. Almost all the Licualas died as did a few others, such as Rhapis Super Dwarf. I was crushed. I will never do that again with any potted palm. Kid glove treatment with breath held.

[happypalms]

 I see those gardening shows and there tearing the roots at the bottom of a root ball and I cringe  there are two schools out there for root disturbance some say disturb and others say don’t kinda like a two dollar palm getting a hundred dollar amended hole or a hundred dollar palm getting a two dollar hole to be planted in every gardener has his own technique but see how long a Joey palm lives after root disturbance compared to a golden cane if you have to disturb certain palms do so like a surgeon would operate on his patient very carefully knowing which palms can handle root disturbance is a help break a Bismarck palm roots or even worse a lytocarum especially when young and there off to see the palm gods in Hawaii I have given lytocarum to fellow gardeners and they dig them out later on and ask me why they died my answer is I will not give you another palm again just because they wanted to change there garden around yes you can change your garden but remember you have feature plants that stay put and you work around them experience is the key which we all learn in time some of us quicker than others