Can this be saved? Butia Capitata

[Neel]

Never expected this palm to split open my planter. I have left it as is but my neighbors keep reminding me it's slowly splitting open (thank you neighbors!).

Not sure if there's a solution at this point to save the palm (making the planter larger might be difficult due to space limitations and it may also eventually get split anyway)? I'm thinking having the palm removed and getting it replanted might be an expensive solution as well. Hate to lose this guy. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

If it were mine, I’d repair or rebuild the planter. Perhaps a bit larger in diameter and rebar reinforced concrete. That would be less expensive than relocating the palm in addition to rebuilding the planter. 

[Merlyn]

@Neel Butia are pretty hardy, and not too root sensitive.  So if you needed to "root prune" it back some to rebuild the same sized planter, I think it ought to survive.  A lot of times planters like that are made with no rebar or mesh reinforcement.  If the rest of the planter is solid, I suppose you could have someone cut back the dirt and patch the existing planter.  I don't know how tough a "glue patch" would be, but some of the polyurethanes are good enough for driveway patching.

[awkonradi]

Does anyone think it might be possible to bust up and remove the planter, and then dig around and below the palm, removing earth, to "transplant" the palm to a lower elevation, without ever lifting it or moving it sideways, leaving the palm growing directly in the lawn?  Could you possibly operate a powered auger at an angle to remove earth below the palm, so the palm settles lower?  The palm would suffer some from this treatment, but would it survive and subsequently thrive?  I think that palm would look great growing in the lawn without a planter.

[Neel]

yea, i would love to "save it" and best option is remove the planter and put it in the ground, level with the grass. Just don't know if it's economically feasible.. . no idea who to hire or how much it would cost for something like that. 

[Merlyn]

@awkonradi I think trying to make the palm "sink" into a lower ground probably wouldn't work.  A lot of the roots likely go straight down, so you'd end up cutting them anyway to get it to drop lower.  

@Neel if you don't want the planter, personally I think the palm would do ok just being "root pruned" and then dig a hole and plant it deeper.  Keep in mind that palms prefer a mulch ring around them instead of grass.  Grass tends to suck up all the moisture and fertilizer, leaving none for the palm roots.  Decaying mulch also provides nutrients and micronutrients like Boron, which are needed for palm health.  You can definitely grow the palm directly in the soil, you'd just need to add some palm-specific nutrients a couple of times per year.  That's not a big deal and "dirt cheap" compared to the cost of repairing or replacing all the concrete.

As far as actually transplanting it deeper, if doing it by hand (without a bobcat) what I would do is:

• Remove the planter concrete ring
• Cut off the lowest rank of palm fronds.  This makes it easier to move and balances loss of roots with loss of leaf surface area, so it doesn't dry out too quickly in the spring sun/heat.
• "Root prune" a ring centered around the palm that's roughly 4' diameter.  I use a reciprocating saw with a 12" blade for stuff like this.
• Cut underneath the whole palm horizontally at the current grass depth.  One of those big 2-man 5' long hand saws could do it.  You can also dig under it partway with a shovel and the long reciprocating saw, then tilt and cut under from the other side, rinse and repeat for the next 4 hours or so...
• Drag it off to the side by hammering a 4x8 sheet of plywood under it and then dragging.
• Dig a new hole the correct height/depth
• Cut a "ramp" on one side of the new hole
• Slide the palm back into the hole and hope that you measured it correctly.

I've dug up and moved palms that size using similar tactics.  It isn't fun or easy, but the only one I've lost was a similarly sized Butia.  It died because the roofers turned off the water hose at the knob, not realizing I had a splitter and the other half went to my irrigation system.  So I transplanted it in mid May and we had a month long 100+ degree drought...and it didn't make it.  But I've moved 4 other Butia, a Canariensis, and 3 Sylvestris that size with no problems other than sore muscles and a determination to not do it again that way.  And then I forget about that until the next time I decide I planted something in the wrong spot... 

The vastly easier way is to pay someone to do it who owns a bobcat and/or runs a palm landscaping company.  They do transplants from nursery stock, bag or burlap them, stick them on trucks and put them in the ground all over.  They could probably transplant it down in about an hour.  I don't know of any palm nurseries, maybe some PT'ers can recommend a good crew in the Pasadena/Covina/etc area?

[zero]

@Neel, if you have clay soil underneath the planter I would do what @Jim in Los Altos suggested because Butia prefer well draining soil and mound planting works well for them in clay.  Either way Butia transplant easily this time of year so it can handle some root disturbance whatever you decide to do.

[Chester B]

If its allowed ( I don't know if you are in an HOA).  You could remove the planter walls and bring in soil and rocks and make an extended raised bed garden.

[Patrick]

4 hours ago, Chester B said:

If its allowed ( I don't know if you are in an HOA).  You could remove the planter walls and bring in soil and rocks and make an extended raised bed garden.

The way the neighbors keep bringing it up it sure seems like a place with an HOA lol(?)

The palm can definitely be saved and it looks beautiful, though a little potassium/ magnesium would be helpful. The yellow tips in the old leaves indicate such. Nothing major, just an observation. 

 

The area overall looks very nice and clean and formal. I'm wondering if a larger planter using moss rock would be accepted there? Otherwise, a larger reinforced planter would work. It's a little rebar, brick, concrete and stucco no big deal! The little bit of digging the workers would have to do for the new wall would not be a problem for the roots.

To have someone show up and dig it would be equally costly as the equipment is expensive, though Butias do move pretty well. 

 

If you remove it, hell, pay me $500 plus dump costs and I'll see you with my chainsaw!👹

 

KEEP THE PALM!

 

Edit: Also, regarding the Bougainvillea; to quote Bob Villa from This Old House, it's got to GO!

[Merlyn]

@Patrick I like the idea of a "rubble built" type rock wall around it to replace the planter too.  Or a riNg made of flat stackedd rock like the hoise across the street.

[Neel]

thanks for everyone's insights. Yes we do have an HOA but they are pretty chill about things as long as the work looks "clean"

Let's see what I can do on my own. Will talk to a few hardscape people if they can do a new planter. otherwise, if someone in LA area wants it, it's yours LOL

[Rivera]

I have no HOA to answer to, and I'm tired... and cheap... and don't much care about tidiness, so I would just patch it up and maybe hide the damage with a couple plants placed in front of the cracks at the turf level.

Alternatively, I agree with much of what's been suggested here. If the palm broke it wide open, then it isn't reinforced and can be busted up with a sledge.

Since it doesn't look too elevated, a neatly dry-stacked stone circle with a larger perimeter would still create an attractive appearance that should pass muster with your hoa. 

Whatever trauma is inflicted to the palm's outermost roots during the removal of the original hardscaping would likely be inconsequential to the health of the plant.

This solution is simple and inexpensive, unlikely to adversely affect your palm, requires no relocation, and hopefully saves you from this issue again in the future.

I wish you a positive outcome whatever you choose to do!