Bismarckia nobilis leaning: to stake or not?

[Sapiens]

Hello!

I have only recently been made aware of palms. My eyes are now wide open to their beauty. 

 

I looked for an new member presentation board but couldn’t find it. I hope this short presentation will make do.

I live in Martinique where i have begun planting some of them,  most notably a Bismarckia Nobilis. It is planted on a slope in a windy spot (not ideal, I know. if I had read @PalmatierMeg’s post about preferring Latania loddigesii to the Bismarckia nobilis in hurricane-prone land, I would have planted a latania instead).

Anyway, the Bismarckia is starting to lean eastward in this picture. 

 

I staked it the following way, yesterday. Should I keep staked or not? If staking is recommended, is it ok to stake it this way?

 

Thank you very much.

[Merlyn]

@Sapiens welcome to Palmtalk!  The loop you have looks fine, I have done that on a bunch of new plantings.  A simple loop is good, from the stake(s), out and around the trunk and back.  Just don't wrap it around the trunk several times and back to the stake(s).  The bottom of the trunk expands a little bit with every new frond, so wrapped ropes eventually constrict the trunk and squish the trunk.

I have had Bismarck do okay in Cat1 winds, but have read of serious damage in Cat3 or similar winds.  I think Meg had 100% fatalities in the Cat5 that hit her.  But it'll take many years to get big enough to worry about hurricane damage.

[happypalms]

Just loosely stake it. Place the stake at an angle not directly straight into the ground, this way you avoid damaging the roots. By loosely staking the palm you get a little movement which helps the roots strengthen. Good luck. 

[Fusca]

Agree with the others - Richard made a good point about not damaging roots.  I did the same with my seedling last year which was leaning due to windy conditions here.  It's anchored in well now. 

[sonoranfans]

I think part of the problem may be watering at least in the future.  A berm on the downhill side to catch water is a good idea.  If it runs off too fast there will likely be no deep watering.  These palms want to grow deep and expansive roots.  My 35' bismarckia withstood 110mph with no tilting last year in hurricane Milton and has already grown ~8 +/- leaves back.   It has also been through (2) other 75-80 mph hurricanes since 2018 with lots of leaf damage but no tilting.  Megs place saw 140-150mph, cat 5 and yeah most palms wont survive that.   My whole yard would probably be destroyed with 150mph, but 110mph is the highest we have seen in 80+ years.   If you don't water a deep and broad root zone, the palm will not have strong roots and will be more likely to get knocked over.   I would probably just put in a berm and temporary windbreak unless it wobbles.  Use stakes and shade cloth to break the wind for a year or two while the roots establish.  IF you water well and deep that should ensure you a good start to those roots.  Here is my bismarckia about 10 months since the hurricane.  You can see the new leaves are white and the ones that got thrashed are weeping and grey.  

[Sapiens]

On 8/11/2025 at 6:46 PM, sonoranfans said:

I think part of the problem may be watering at least in the future.  A berm on the downhill side to catch water is a good idea.  If it runs off too fast there will likely be no deep watering.  These palms want to grow deep and expansive roots.  My 35' bismarckia withstood 110mph with no tilting last year in hurricane Milton and has already grown ~8 +/- leaves back.   It has also been through (2) other 75-80 mph hurricanes since 2018 with lots of leaf damage but no tilting.  Megs place saw 140-150mph, cat 5 and yeah most palms wont survive that.   My whole yard would probably be destroyed with 150mph, but 110mph is the highest we have seen in 80+ years.   If you don't water a deep and broad root zone, the palm will not have strong roots and will be more likely to get knocked over.   I would probably just put in a berm and temporary windbreak unless it wobbles.  Use stakes and shade cloth to break the wind for a year or two while the roots establish.  IF you water well and deep that should ensure you a good start to those roots.  Here is my bismarckia about 10 months since the hurricane.  You can see the new leaves are white and the ones that got thrashed are weeping and grey.  

Will the roots be problematic for the septic tank and the piping?

[sonoranfans]

8 hours ago, Sapiens said:

Will the roots be problematic for the septic tank and the piping?

The roots are non destructive, mine is within 8' of plumbing.  I see dicots and palms all around my neighborhood which has houses up to 22 years old or so.  I dont see damage but if your septic tank is directly under the palm, I would not plant it as it wont be able to drain well and grow the deep roots.  I would not plant this palms in a low drainage area as it is susceptible to root rot in cool weather if it doesnt dry out periodically.  Also if you cant grow the deep roots, its going to be a lot more susceptible to being knocked down or tilted by wind.  We have about a dozen bizzies in my neighborhood none tilted in Milton but mine is the only one that has the whole crown above the houses where the wind velocity is highest, no windbreak.   Large palms(>20' tall) that tilted in Milton include one local phoenix dactylifera(30-35' tall), washingtonia filibusta(robusta/filifera hybrid 35' tall) and a dozen queen palms 20-30' tall, but nothing else

[Merlyn]

18 hours ago, Sapiens said:

Will the roots be problematic for the septic tank and the piping?

Palm roots don't invade and split pipes like oak or pine roots.  BUT they will grow into any leaky spots and will happily invade a septic drain field.  It might not be an issue with the new style drain fields, but the old pipe-and-gravel fields could get clogged up with roots.  Generally keep any big trees or palms well away from the drain field.  If the mature palm diameter is 20ish feet (Bismarck) then I would keep it at least 30 feet away.

[Sapiens]

thank you all for your answers
 

It is planted a bit too close but I’ll wing it because I don’t feel like risking moving the palm.

 

 

[Sapiens]

On 8/11/2025 at 6:46 PM, sonoranfans said:

unless it wobbles

Hello

 

Can you please explain ? 
 

thanks

[sonoranfans]

6 hours ago, Sapiens said:

Hello

 

Can you please explain ? 
 

thanks

If the plant feels loose, stake it gently.  Forcing a rooted plant out of its preferred position strains or breaks roots.  IF its windy a lot it probably is loose, then I would do both stake and provide netting for windbreak.  Small plants are easy to windbreak , not possible on big ones.  IMO, It is always better to remove the wind than to just stake the plant when its small.  The wind blows on the leaves which are at a much higher leverage point than the stake attachment on the ground.  For example if you hold a stake with your hand tightly at one end on the ground and I grab the top of that  3' stake and move it,  your hand will struggle to stop the movement, since the leverage is much lower than the 3' of leverage I have with my hand.  If staking leverage is much smaller than the wind leverage, staking will not be especially effective.  Removing the wind is a better choice for small palms that have leaves which catch wind(like a biz).  Its also true for larger palms that have small trunks to stake.  

[Sapiens]

Thank you for the clarification.

[Kim]

Welcome to Palmtalk!

In the past I have used 1 or 2 large rocks to stabilize palms, simply placing the rock beside the leaning palm. This eliminates any interference with roots and will not affect the stem.  

[Sapiens]

2 minutes ago, Kim said:

Welcome to Palmtalk!

In the past I have used 1 or 2 large rocks to stabilize palms, simply placing the rock beside the leaning palm. This eliminates any interference with roots and will not affect the stem.  

Thank you!