Separating Caryota mitis cluster

[BeyondTheGarden]

Went on a plant buying binge today.   Found this ~2 or 3 gal for $70.  I'd like to pull a few out and use as glorified annuals in ground. 

What do you think the odds of survival are?  I don't know how root sensitive they are.  Can't find anything from a quick Google search. 

I figure I'll soak the rootball and just try to coax a few out. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

I guess we'll find out either way.  They were very rootbound, I pulled a few off one side and busted every root along the way. Need to find my shears so I can prune a few bottom fronds. 

[zero]

I hope you can keep some alive!  I'd be interested to know how you did it if you succeed since I've not tried to separate a clustering palm before.  Just curious, were there any individual seedlings or was it a single cluster?  I've seen Chamaedorea cataractarum and Chrysalidocarpus lutescens sold as a cluster with a couple of seedlings to make the plant look larger.

[BeyondTheGarden]

I read that mitis is suckering (I think perhaps the only suckering Caryota?), but these all appear solitary.  This was a communal pot, a bunch of ungerminated seeds fell out when I was working it over.  I have a couple inside corners where I can plant them and the ideal would be to protect it with some foamboard and hopefully in a couple years it could get big enough to sucker, then you could box the sucker in very easily for the winter and hopefully get some longevity out of it. 

However, nothing ever goes according to plan.  I should change my username to Murphy.

[Harry’s Palms]

I have a few Mitis in the ground but I have never separated them . Unlike Rhapis palms , it seems they don’t grow outward very much.They stay within the original footprint , mostly just replacing flowering stalks with new ones. I don’t know how root sensitive they are either , but I guess you will find out. Good luck and keep us informed , Harry

[5am]

@BeyondTheGarden Any update on this? I'll be trimming down a fairly broad clump in the yard and I want to know if it's worth the effort to save any.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

i’d like to hear an update too. i tried to separate a sucker that had good leaves and a few roots but it rotted and died within 2 weeks. 

[5am]

Well, I've never been one to wait all that long. I put the reciprocating saw, a good shovel, and my back to use. Is there a botanical term for a plant that grows on top of itself? At one point there were 3 old stumps where each successor grew upon the last. 

Many tiny pups were destroyed just to get close enough to dig, but finally I was able to separate the pair that extend over the driveway. Hard to tell from this angle but it's about 8ft in height and does have some roots so maybe it'll survive separated from the clump.