Palms in lush green grass

[MJSanDiego]

I noticed something that I had been meaning to post for months now. Around here, many of the most gorgeous, dark green and healthy mature tall Romanzoffiana Syragus are the ones growing in lush grass, with the thick lush grass growing right up to the trunks! This seems to be counter intuitive with the nutrient craving and trunk rot susceptible with sprinkler systems in keeping the grass lush. Many have even suggested on this forum, including myself, that it is critical to remove like a 3ft radius of grass around the trunks. Any thoughts on this?

[SeanK]

58 minutes ago, MJSanDiego said:

I noticed something that I had been meaning to post for months now. Around here, many of the most gorgeous, dark green and healthy mature tall Romanzoffiana Syragus are the ones growing in lush grass, with the thick lush grass growing right up to the trunks! This seems to be counter intuitive with the nutrient craving and trunk rot susceptible with sprinkler systems in keeping the grass lush. Many have even suggested on this forum, including myself, that it is critical to remove like a 3ft radius of grass around the trunks. Any thoughts on this?

Likely because of the water. L.A. has an annual rainfall average of 12 inches. S.D. must be less. If the grass is green, there's supplemental watering.

[Harry’s Palms]

I don’t know if it makes a huge difference in Southern California with Queen palms. They seem to thrive here in a variety of planting preferences. Occasionally I see the same thing with no clearance around the trunk , just lawn. I wonder about the watering required to penetrate the lawn in order to feed the palm. Harry

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

Many have even suggested on this forum, including myself, that it is critical to remove like a 3ft radius of grass around the trunks. Any thoughts on this?

I think it makes a difference with young palms but not so much with mature palms.

[MJSanDiego]

Good points, the constant water is definitely key, although I wonder how deep the water actually penetrates.  I guess the grass does not take up all the nutrients.  Any thoughts on trunk rot?   It doesn't seem to be an issue with sprinklers hitting the trunks over the years, with little aeration at the trunk with the thick grass

[kylecawazafla]

I theorize most queens in southern california are severely underwatered. I have been in LA almost monthly now for years, and noticed that before the very wet winters of 22/23 and 23/24, the number of fronds in the crowns of queens were significantly less than they are now, after two winters in a row had 10+ extra inches of rain per year above average. I can only imagine that the lawns provide more water for the palms. I plant palms in El Centro, CA, and intentionally plant them in lawns as I'm sure the grass prevents soil from overheating from direct sunlight thus decreasing evaporation as well as benefitting them by frequently being irrigated by sprinklers.