Foxtail roots

[PACABADA]

Have a foxtail that is growing great but seems the root width at the base is skinny so it doesn't feel solid. Anything I can do to encourage more roots for stability?

[MJSanDiego]

Welcome to the forum! That is a nice looking palm. I think it was either planted too high or the soil eroded over time.  You must get some soil and mound around the base so the soil covers those roots and is up to the base of the trunk, fully covering the root zone. This will encourage new growth and regeneration along with a stronger root system. I would use 50/50 mixture of native soil and mulch like Gromulch from Home Depot or similar products

[PACABADA]

Thank you!

[FlaPalmLover]

Agreed with others. Nice foxtail! I have one that's about the same size, and I had to do a bit of a mound around it too. It's kind of in a weird part of my yard that's a little uneven. 

[Billeb]

Yup, as @MJSanDiego stated, it needs some soil around the base. I personally wouldn’t use mulch or a mixture thereof but simply a fairly well drained mixture like a cactus mix soil with pumice added. 
 

It’s not good to use mulch up to the base of the tree as it can cause rot. 
 

The tree looks perfect tho so keep doing what you’re doing. Welcome to PT. 
 

-dale 

[PACABADA]

Thanks for the replies. Will implement them all. Appreciate the help.

[Willan]

You might want to try adding some organic matter like compost around the base to help encourage root expansion. 

[MJSanDiego]

Just a followup and clarification to my prior post that might help. I've had great success for decades with gromulch at Home Depot because it has lots of compost in it like tiny pieces of wood bark. It decomposes well and makes your native soil aerate and drain better especially if you have clay soil. By mixing 50/50 with your native soil it's a similar idea to what @Billeb stated with using cactus soil mix. In my experience it's always best to use native soil whenever possible so the top layer blends in nicely and for adequate support. Only up to the base of the trunk. You could mix in some cactus mix too. You will have a continued happy palm. I agree never surround the trunk above the base with mulch. If you do want a layer of mulch on top, keep it 5 inches away from the trunk. Hope this helps

[Merlyn]

@PACABADA here's a great writeup on "Palm Mounding" to encourage root growth.  This was written (I think) by an IPS Director out in CA: http://www.marriedtoplants.com/palms/palm-tree-growing-tips-mounding/

Yours is a bit "air girdled" by being planted an inch or so too high.  Too high can restrict growth and make them a bit wobbly, especially in hurricanes.  But too low can be a risk of lower trunk rot.  So just mound up to your best guess at the "root initiation zone" or RIZ.  It's probably somewhere around the red lines below:

[TampaBayRay]

TopSoil