Tips on deterring palm thieves

[Palmfarmer]

My garden is full and so is the planting spots in front of my house. We have a communal bed nearby though. I would like to plant some palms there, but I have experienced people stealing them every time. Anyone have any suggestions on how to deter these thieves.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

For planting in the street with that situation I would buy bigger size palms which unfortunately would be more expensive but harder to move than a small seedling, your other solution would be planting juvenile spiny palms like Acrocomia aculeata and Phoenix sp. those guys normally act at night, stealing an Acrocomia for example, with that darkness is impossible, they will get injured by the spines. Let's hope they get badly injured and never come to steal at your place again.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

You could also try hiding them from the sight of these thieves, maybe you could plant your palms behind a bush or surrounded by tall grass until they grow big enough to be difficult to steal.

[Palmfarmer]

3 minutes ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

For planting in the street with that situation I would buy bigger size palms which unfortunately would be more expensive but harder to move than a small seedling, your other solution would be planting juvenile spiny palms like Acrocomia aculeata and Phoenix sp. those guys normally act at night, stealing an Acrocomia for example, with that darkness is impossible, they will get injured by the spines. Let's hope they get badly injured and never come to steal at your place again.

its not only seedling they stole, some 2 feet or more Phoenix palms as well. The trick is to get them to root so well the thieves will not bother I think. 

In-between that periods maybe put barbwire around the palms and dig down wire around the palms as well? A little bad if a kid or animals gets hurt though. 

[Palmfarmer]

5 minutes ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

You could also try hiding them from the sight of these thieves, maybe you could plant your palms behind a bush or surrounded by tall grass until they grow big enough to be difficult to steal.

Yes I actually did that, but they still took my Bermudana Sable seedlings. These are some pro palm thiefs lol. 

Perhaps a fake camera and or a sign saying the area is under surveillance could work. I once put a cross in front of a palm in it stop there for 6 months until I figure it was safe to remove the cross and it got stolen a few days after.

[happypalms]

A very large dog 🐕 sensor lights, a chain wrapped around them with a padlock held in place with large spikes driven into the ground, a well secured sturdy wire cage held in place once again with large stakes driven into the ground. Other than that sleeping next to them. And a real nice needle sharp bactris gassipaes won’t need much security. Good luck 

[miamicuse]

Forgive my ignorance, what is a communal planting bed?  Is it in public lands or owned by your community like HOA or co-op?  Do people steal them because they think the plants there are for anyone in the community?

Who are the thieves?  Someone who knows plants and stealing the to plant in their own property or to resell them for profit?  Or kids who just want to destroy and disrupt for the sake of it?

May be a trailer cam battery operated motion activated well hidden aimed at the bed to catch the theft in action. 

[Tracy]

13 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

work. I once put a cross in front of a palm in it stop there for 6 months until I figure it was safe to remove the cross and it got stolen a few days after.

It sounds like you have found the solution in you community already.  You just need to visit a wood carver like the one that owns this shop in St Ulrich I visited last week. 

[idontknowhatnametuse]

2 hours ago, miamicuse said:

Forgive my ignorance, what is a communal planting bed?  Is it in public lands or owned by your community like HOA or co-op?  Do people steal them because they think the plants there are for anyone in the community?

Who are the thieves?  Someone who knows plants and stealing the to plant in their own property or to resell them for profit?  Or kids who just want to destroy and disrupt for the sake of it?

May be a trailer cam battery operated motion activated well hidden aimed at the bed to catch the theft in action. 

Here in Mexico plant thieves are pretty common, they are usually people who will resell them or people who will put them in their house. Either way, stealing is stealing and the reason why they do it can't be justified. A planting bed is an empty space in the street that is designed for neighbors to put plants in it.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Here in Mexico plant thieves are pretty common, they are usually people who will resell them or people who will put them in their house. Either way, stealing is stealing and the reason why they do it can't be justified. A planting bed is an empty space in the street that is designed for neighbors to put plants in it.

Plant theft out of yards / community garden spaces is an issue here as well, that issue being more of a problem in some areas compared to others as i'd imagine is the case down there as well..

While annoying, if the space where the plants are planted is communal ..like say the street island in the center of my street, i can put up a sign asking that the plants i plant be left to grow,  but ultimately,  i understand full well that inevitably,  since it is a communal space rather than behind a fence on my own property,  some stuff i might plant may not be there when i check on it again.. 

Just the way it is..

Perhaps start a bunch of plants and place a certain # of them out in a section of the community space at X time(s) of the year  with a sign saying " free for anyone to adopt "  ...Maybe that will help turn attention away from the planted plants.

Would be an excellent opportunity for community engagement as well  

[miamicuse]

22 hours ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Here in Mexico plant thieves are pretty common, they are usually people who will resell them or people who will put them in their house. Either way, stealing is stealing and the reason why they do it can't be justified. A planting bed is an empty space in the street that is designed for neighbors to put plants in it.

I am not trying to justify it just understand it.

If it's communal (public) than is it possible a neighbor sees it and says well I don't like what's being planted I can just yank them out and plant something else since there isn't a "curator".  Also are those beds irrigated by someone or just left on their own once planted?

[Palmfarmer]

5 hours ago, miamicuse said:

I am not trying to justify it just understand it.

If it's communal (public) than is it possible a neighbor sees it and says well I don't like what's being planted I can just yank them out and plant something else since there isn't a "curator".  Also are those beds irrigated by someone or just left on their own once planted?

I am not exactly sure on the rules and terminology. There is long stretch of soil behind a few neighbors fences going along the sidewalk. So I assume its private perhaps. One of the neighbors I know well told me I could plant there and he did so as well and someone from the other houses did as well. Trees started disappearing. My neighbor then Got the Police to patrol the area a couple of nights and it deterred the thieves for a while. I have since had very bad luck planting palms there even though the fruit trees and such for the most part has been able to stand. 

I make a cross again and try that I think. 

[Tracy]

1 hour ago, Palmfarmer said:

I make a cross again and try that I thin

Go big!