Palm trees cracking concrete

[Clayton]

Hello everyone!

I have just purchased a house, there is three large palm trees at the rear of property close to the verandah. The palms have cracked the concrete and I’m concerned the foundation of the actual house is at risk! 
also there is a smaller but wider one at the front too! 

Photos are below. 

if anyone has any idea or opinion I’d absolutely love to hear it.

thankyou so much  

[pietropuccio]

Hi, most likely it is a failure due to other causes, the roots of palm trees do not have lateral growth, that is, they do not increase their diameter over time as happens in trees (Cassia, Eucalyptus, Pinus, olive trees, etc.), and therefore do not have a disruptive action. I have many palm trees very close to the house and to concrete structures and they have never caused damage.

[happypalms]

If it was my house with those cocos palms syagrus romanzoffiana, I would remove them simply for one the seeds will be everywhere in the future, blocking the gutters. They harbour rats and cockroaches and all sorts of vermin. Iam completely biased as well towards cocos they are not my favourite palm for quite a few reason. There are better choices of palms for your situation. The Washingtona should be fine there, I would be doing my research and putting in some smaller varieties of palms with such a good viewpoint. I don’t know the temperature you get in winter so what palms you choose will be governed by how cold it gets. Plus how much sun you get there. There are plenty of choices much better than cocos, some will agree some won’t agree with what I have written. Do yourself a favour and remove them. 

[Harry’s Palms]

The palms are not the culprit. They are not harmful to concrete or foundations . The debris @happypalms mentioned is real . Unlike Richard , I like Syagrus R. and have several but they are trimmed regularly . I love the shade they provide for my smaller palms and me. I have some large ones myself right near concrete culverts and a paver pathway with no problem at all ….for almost 30 years! Archontophoenix may be a better choice but I really like the full , plumose leaf structure of these so I work around the mess they create with regular trimmings , at least once a year . Most concrete damage is caused by ground movement or moisture under the slab. It can also be lifted by trees , palms are not trees (technically) . Some evergreens or Ficus can break the concrete and cause problems for foundations or swimming pools , but not palms. Harry

There are 5 Syagru R. Or Queen palms along this paver pathway that I put down years ago , the unevenness is due to my less than perfect masonry skill. There is a concrete culvert that runs along the other side of the fence to the right with no damage.

This Howea F. Is right up against a stucco column and a concrete porch for the front door of my house . It has been there for at least 20 years , started as a seedling . Harry

[Jonathan]

15 hours ago, Clayton said:

Hello everyone!

I have just purchased a house, there is three large palm trees at the rear of property close to the verandah. The palms have cracked the concrete and I’m concerned the foundation of the actual house is at risk! 
also there is a smaller but wider one at the front too! 

Photos are below. 

if anyone has any idea or opinion I’d absolutely love to hear it.

thankyou so much  

Hi Clayton, nothing to worry about. The cracks are almost certainly a construction fault, most likely due to a lack of expansion joints or inadequate reo in the concrete. It's probably been like that since shortly after the concrete was poured and will most likely not get any worse. If you see any cracking of the brickwork then you may have soil settlement issues and should talk to an engineer, but as mentioned above, palm roots are not a problem.

[SeanK]

Palms are herbaceous as are their roots. There is some water issue or shifting of dirt below the cement 

[Darold Petty]

Concrete slab on grade is notorious for cracking, regardless of reinforcing steel or substrate. 

[PalmatierMeg]

On 2/11/2025 at 11:48 PM, Clayton said:

Hello everyone!

I have just purchased a house, there is three large palm trees at the rear of property close to the verandah. The palms have cracked the concrete and I’m concerned the foundation of the actual house is at risk! 
also there is a smaller but wider one at the front too! 

Photos are below. 

if anyone has any idea or opinion I’d absolutely love to hear it.

thankyou so much  

Palm roots are not responsible for the cracks in your lanai floor. I’m no expert in concrete foundation cracks but I know monocot palm roots can’t do what your photos show me. 

[OB Burt]

A friend told me his local concrete contractor gave him 2 guarantees: 1 no will steal it, 2: it will crack