Palm vandalism

[miamicuse]

I have a bunch of plantings along the outside edge of my property, I came home and found most of the palms damaged.  Someone went and broke 5 fronds off my triangle palm, 3 fronds off both Chinese fan palms, 3 fronds off both Fishtail palms, and three fronds off a robolini.  All outward facing fronds looks like someone just grabbed each fronds and folded it backwards.  At first I thought it was a vehicle that drove over the sidewalk and hit these palms but that can't be because there are one way signs, no boat trailer signs by the curb and these palms are at least 5-7 feet inside these signs.  Puzzling.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Plant an Acrocomia

[happypalms]

Might be time for a vigalante group chat, with a wonder of the streets at night! 

[Palmarum]

2 hours ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Plant an Acrocomia

Spines do deter. 

I'm on a busy sidewalk and have had fronds messed with before the palms got taller. Some were cut off with a machete, others were bent at the petiole. I put up a surveillance sign once when I thought it would happen again with newly planted stuff. I figured it was pedestrians angry at being touched by a palm.

When working in the yard, I have been yelled at by people travelling down the sidewalk... 'Cut these leaves!' ... answered promptly with "No."

Ryan

[Looking Glass]

That sound kind of like stuff an old lady would do, enforcing the right of way.  Who else would take the time or care that much.  HOA types.  

[idontknowhatnametuse]

1 hour ago, Palmarum said:

Spines do deter. 

I'm on a busy sidewalk and have had fronds messed with before the palms got taller. Some were cut off with a machete, others were bent at the petiole. I put up a surveillance sign once when I thought it would happen again with newly planted stuff. I figured it was pedestrians angry at being touched by a palm.

When working in the yard, I have been yelled at by people travelling down the sidewalk... 'Cut these leaves!' ... answered promptly with "No."

Ryan

Straight up biophobia. Very common in countries like the US.

[SeanK]

Did they obstruct the sidewalk at all?

[Kim]

You say it's a busy sidewalk. If it impedes walkers, maybe they have a point. As far as I know, a sidewalk is normally owned by a city, and is intended for public use. I remember my days as a young mother pushing a stroller trying to make it safely around obstacles. I never would have contemplated cutting anyone's bushes, but it seemed inconsiderate of some homeowners not to maintain a reasonably clear walkway. You might consider your liability if anyone were hurt by a spiny robelenii. I removed two that were leaning way over the sidewalk at my house. I see my thoughts are in the minority here.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

As others have said/asked, consider if it blocks the sidewalk and if so how badly. Based on that you can decide whether or not you have a right to be mad. If it doesn’t then i really don’t know why anyone would do that. You live in miami (right?), a lushly landscaped city, so i don’t see why anyone would just decide to mess with random palms at your place specifically. 

[Harry’s Palms]

I see both sides of this . I don’t have a sidewalk on our little hillside cul de sac but my garden overhangs a few inches into the street . I try to be respectful and trim whatever encroaches too far . I communicate with both neighbors who happen to love palms . “  If something is too much , let me know and I will trim” …..they let me know and I take care of it immediately. I would be happy if the world was covered in palms but others don’t share my enthusiasm. 🙄 Harry

[Darold Petty]

Obstruction of the sidewalk is not necessary for mindless vandalism.  During my tenure as chair of the Lakeside Palmetum I witnessed adolescent "persons" twisting off fronds with their bare hands, a Juania broken off at ground level, and initials carved into the waxy, white coating on Ceroxylon trunks.

[Palmarum]

In my case, the sidewalk was never obstructed. At most it was a single leaf hanging down over the sidewalk that someone could walk around, under or brush past. A biker going at high speed might have to duck or evade it.

My Pseudophoenix vinifera was a frequent target with its trunk a couple feet from the edge of the sidewalk. At most it was one leaf at a time arching down over the edge. It is less of a problem now as he has gotten taller. When one of his leaves were hacked off, I re-attached the cut part with string in protest and left it to turn brown. It remained until the entire leaf was shed.

I also have the problem of drivers crossing over my grass to make a crazy u-turn, stopping to check their phones, etc. It has become so frequent there are areas I cannot plant willingly. I've had a hose sprinkler run over not long ago. If I do plant something, I grow it as large as I can in a pot first. I lost my only Latania verschaffeltii to being run over. 

Ryan

[TropicsEnjoyer]

8 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

Obstruction of the sidewalk is not necessary for mindless vandalism.  During my tenure as chair of the Lakeside Palmetum I witnessed adolescent "persons" twisting off fronds with their bare hands, a Juania broken off at ground level, and initials carved into the waxy, white coating on Ceroxylon trunks.

at a botanical garden it is expected that there will be plants everywhere, and people who do damage there should be frowned upon without question… imo

[5am]

6 hours ago, Palmarum said:

I also have the problem of drivers crossing over my grass to make a crazy u-turn, stopping to check their phones, etc. It has become so frequent there are areas I cannot plant willingly.

Time to plant some boulders.

[Palmarum]

18 hours ago, 5am said:

Time to plant some boulders.

I did try those concrete pyramids at one point, but they were not anchored. They would move around, get pushed or vanish. I leave one of the spots for bulk pickup, which is twice a month and well-used.

Anything placed there of any height and people complain they can't see the coming traffic to the nearby intersection. Thus, I leave it bare. The house in the opposite corner had a beautiful and super thick Areca Palm, Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, right near the street and people kept at the owner to remove it. One day it was 'stumped' to a box hedge decorated with a swear-filled sign.

Ryan

[PalmatierMeg]

Cape Coral mandates a 15' easement between plantings and the street - we have no sidewalks around our property but how much longer that might go on I don't know. The Cape does not allow wretched 6' vinyl fences or any other fences to extend past the front corners of houses so no one can turn their whole yard into a fenced fortress. We have no fence at all and that allows visibility out to the streets and alongside our canal. What Yankee transplants refuse to understand is that cheesy vinyl fences cannot stand against even moderate hurricanes much less a cat 4/5 Ian. Those slats turn into javelins that skewer any buildings, yards, vehicles and sentient beings unlucky or witless enough to wander into the path of flying debris. Gotta know your territory.