Brahea Armata

[xtazia]

Hi friends. I need some advice with planting this 15 gal Brahea Armata. I did a bit of reading & read these palms are VERY root sensitive when planting. 

About 3 months ago I successfully planted a 15 gal Bismarckia & I broke off a bit of roots but the palm didn't suffer any damage. The palm is thriving now & was unaffected when it was planted.

What would the best method be when planting this Brahea Armata in ground ? It's not visible in the photo, but one of the drainage holes has a root poking out so I am so scared to plant this considering the size.

[sonoranfans]

I'd cut the pot off with a box cutter, carefully.  Root wise its different when planting vs transplanting(when you dig it up to replant at another site).  They are very sensitive to transplanting, not so much to planting.  I would cut the pot enough to allow it to slide off.  Generally you should be gentle with all palms but the transplanting part where you cut lots of roots is a problem for these.  Use the box cutter to slit enough of the container to allow you to tap if off.  You can lift this palm by the trunk but keep the trunk vertical so you dont allow gravity to damage roots at an angle tot he vertical.  make sure its high drainage soil you plant into but put a layer of mulch chips on top and water every day while it warm out for a month.   After that back off the watering to every two days and when high temps drop below 70 water every 3-4 days or so.  I grew 6 of these in the arizona desert, they did very well.  Looks more like brahea clara to me,  also a beautiful palm.

[JohnAndSancho]

Edit. Disregard everything I said and listen to @sonoranfans

 

Beautiful palm. I think you should just drop it off in my yard and I'll give you some seeds in exchange for it. 

 

Seriously though, just take your time and be as careful as you can. Maybe lay it on its side on a tarp or moving blanket next to the hole and carefully thread that root back in with a chopstick or your finger. 

[SeanK]

My thoughts follow @sonoranfans', cut the pot.

[Fusca]

@xtazia, yours looks just like the one I bought back in March from Palm Plantation in Riverside.  They are root sensitive and I had an unfortunate situation when I planted mine in spite of being careful.  I believe it had been recently potted up and when I was removing it from the pot one of the newest roots broke.  It's doing fine now and opening new spears but it just sat there for 4 months or so before 4 of the oldest fronds started dying off.  Cutting the pot as Tom suggested is probably the best thing to avoid a possible setback.  Or you could just plant the entire pot in the ground.

[happypalms]

The old saying a $100 dollar planting hole for a $10 dollar palm, or a $10 planting hole for a $100 palm. It’s up to you and in most cases there is not much of a difference. If you live in a harsh environment then amended soil is best. If you live in Hawaii just stand back and throw the palm over your shoulder and it will grow every time you look at! 

[Harry’s Palms]

I have planted a few of these and never had a problem from pot to ground . Digging and moving never worked out . I agree with the idea of cutting down the sides of the container , allowing for the palm to be removed with very little disturbance . They are fairly slow growing here , unlike the Brahea Edulis ( much faster ) . A bright sunny location would be best. As these get large , they are quite a statement , allow room for growth. Harry

‘This is about 25 years from a 10” pot . Full sun on a south facing slope . About 20 miles from the coast. It started picking up a bit of speed a few years ago. It was pretty small when I planted it. Never gave me any trouble. Harry