Transplanting Sabal

[ZPalms]

@Jesse PNW and I went digging today and dug up some free palms and cycads, along with some smaller ones. We're aware that attempting to transplant them is skating on thin ice, with a slim chance of success. We were discussing if removing the fronds from a sabal is necessary during transplanting. We both believe it might not be necessary, but could we be wrong?

I’ll have to get a better photo of the sabal in the daytime 🤠

[Jesse PNW]

The picture doesn't do that thing justice.  It looks incredible in person.  

I guess anyone who's ever seen a palm in person can probably understand. 

Should he amend the soil with compost or anything while it's regenerating? 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

I have heard that Sabals once with clear trunk can be transplanted with relative ease. If you had to do major root pruning then cutting back of some fronds is the right thing to do. If the root ball was dug fairly intact then you should be good to go !!! 

T J 

[ZPalms]

18 hours ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

I have heard that Sabals once with clear trunk can be transplanted with relative ease. If you had to do major root pruning then cutting back of some fronds is the right thing to do. If the root ball was dug fairly intact then you should be good to go !!! 

T J 

Yeah we definitely didn’t keep much of a rootball as it would of been impossibly heavy, It hurts that I’ll have to cut off fronds, it looks so good 😭

[ZPalms]

Here’s some better photos in the daytime along with the other smaller ones, I really hope out of a strike of luck they all survive 😭

the photo doesn’t do the big one justice!

[Jesse PNW]

That looks really good.  You're probably right about strapping it down.  The little one I put in ground started leaning after the rains today.  

[ZPalms]

1 hour ago, Jesse PNW said:

That looks really good.  You're probably right about strapping it down.  The little one I put in ground started leaning after the rains today.  

I should of gave you a pot, I have some pots that would of made transporting it a lot easier to your new house, If you'd be interested in barrowing one so the sabal won't have to be disturbed again until your new house, the next time I see you?

Edited September 18 by ZPalms

[PalmatierMeg]

Beautiful Sabal. Looks like it has enough clear trunk (4-6’) so the growing point is out of the ground. You should cut off most of its existing fronds. Transplanted Sabals must regrow new root systems and a bounty of fronds puts stress on it while it tries to concentrate on its roots. The non-trunking palms may not survive transplant as their growing points are all underground and may be fatally damaged. Time will tell.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

Palmatiermeg gave you the correct advice. You should keep no more than the emerging leaf and trim the last one that fully emerged to only 1/4 or even less of it's full size. Try to trim leaves according to how many roots you have.  Too many leaves mean that they will be pulling reserves of energy from other parts of the plant to survive. You want those reserves to be there for the roots. I dug some small ones around the size of the ones you dug from a particularly cold hardy Sabal palmetto in Kinston, N.C. , this past spring. I trimmed them all as I said above and potted them up. It took them all summer to show some growth except for one or two that showed slow growth a month or so later and they were just 2-4 leaf seedlings. The more roots the better. Keep in mind, mine had a summer to recover. I did use a root stimulant and fertilized them with very weak liquid fertilizer. You are going into winter. Protect them. And water , water , water in sand. Trunks also need to be watered.

[Jesse PNW]

@PalmatierMeg and @Jeff zone 8 N.C., thank you for your replies. I have a smaller one in a similar situation but the growth point is probably still subterranean. 

I am wondering about the ability of palms to pull nutrient from older fronds. If the plant is resource-constrained, wouldn't the old fronds have utility?

I realize more fronds means more water requirement due to transpiration, but is that not easily offset with a heavy amount of garden hose?

[aztropic]

3 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

@PalmatierMeg @Jeff zone 8 N.C.

I realize more fronds means more water requirement due to transpiration, but is that not easily offset with a heavy amount of garden hose?

Unfortunately,not with cut roots on Sabal species. They almost have to grow new roots for the roots to be functional. Harsh as it sounds,removing most or all of the existing fronds will give it the best chance to reestablish itself before it runs out of moisture.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[PalmatierMeg]

Jesse, I would be more concerned that extra leaves would tax and stress the palm more than losing some green leaves would rob it of some nutrients. It is very much the custom in FL that transplanted Sabals are trimmed of most of their leaves; otherwise excess transpiration could lead to a fatal outcome if roots cannot keep up. The palm needs to focus on regrowing its whole root system and can't afford to spend resources on other growth.

[ZPalms]

It hurts so much I’m gonna have to cut the fronds off, but I’m about to head outside in just a little bit and chop them off and give everyone a deep watering again😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[PalmatierMeg]

Sabals are tough palms.

[ZPalms]

necessary but was hard to do 😭

 

Edited September 19 by ZPalms

[ZPalms]

On 9/18/2023 at 9:15 AM, Jeff zone 8 N.C. said:

Palmatiermeg gave you the correct advice. You should keep no more than the emerging leaf and trim the last one that fully emerged to only 1/4 or even less of it's full size. Try to trim leaves according to how many roots you have.  Too many leaves mean that they will be pulling reserves of energy from other parts of the plant to survive. You want those reserves to be there for the roots. I dug some small ones around the size of the ones you dug from a particularly cold hardy Sabal palmetto in Kinston, N.C. , this past spring. I trimmed them all as I said above and potted them up. It took them all summer to show some growth except for one or two that showed slow growth a month or so later and they were just 2-4 leaf seedlings. The more roots the better. Keep in mind, mine had a summer to recover. I did use a root stimulant and fertilized them with very weak liquid fertilizer. You are going into winter. Protect them. And water , water , water in sand. Trunks also need to be watered.

Can you explain the trunk needs watering part, I find that interesting, I've been watering the trunk but if nobody told me to that I'd probably miss that step

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

The trunk absorbs water just like the roots. Just wet the whole trunk when you water and you are good to go.  Are you going to protect these palms  this winter?

 

[SeanK]

The bud can also dry out. Hopefully it takes hold. Soil warm, air cooling down.

[ZPalms]

4 hours ago, Jeff zone 8 N.C. said:

The trunk absorbs water just like the roots. Just wet the whole trunk when you water and you are good to go.  Are you going to protect these palms  this winter?

 

 

2 hours ago, SeanK said:

The bud can also dry out. Hopefully it takes hold. Soil warm, air cooling down.

That’s so interesting how the trunk can absorb water, I’m definitely protecting the palms this winter, I’m not sure how I want to go about doing it but will try my best, should I be watering the crown or no? I haven’t been but?

[Tom in Tucson]

14 hours ago, Jeff zone 8 N.C. said:

The trunk absorbs water just like the roots. Just wet the whole trunk when you water and you are good to go.  Are you going to protect these palms  this winter?

 

Was this watering method your own discovery, or did you garner this horticultural principle from a reliable source? I know many plants have been proven to absorb water through their leaves, and some that have adventitious roots obviously do, but your assertion (if true) could be very valuable.

Hi 95˚, Lo 64˚

Edited September 21 by Tom in Tucson