I would like to attach a wire antenna to the upper portion of a Sabal palmetto, as high as possible, perhaps where the red arrow is in the photo below. This is in Florida, so will see strong wind. I'm thinking using a pulley on the tree so I can lower the antenna wire in really bad weather without climbing the tree.

What do you suggest?

Long screw into the tree?
Rope or nylon strap or steel strap around the tree?
Other?

Thank you for your thoughts.

Lightning capital of the world... Sounds like a dangerous proposition...⚡🤷‍♂️

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

Lightning...right! That's a huge concern and another reason why I would take down the wire in storms. But there are also detailed handbooks describing the right things to do to protect equipment from lightning.

You can protect the equipment all day, but if lightning runs through the tree, its game over for the tree. You will then have to find a new place to mount your equipment because the tree would eventually become a falling hazard.

While expensive, I would try to find a non living alternative, like having a pole installed for you to mount your equipment.

Thank you very much for the caution on lightning.

Just to follow up and perhaps close the lightning aspect, lightning is brutal and can destroy trees, houses, and more. There's a Sabal palmetto 40 feet in the air. If lightning wants to strike it, I can't do much about it other than erecting many things around it that are taller, and that's not going to happen. All of us with tall palms in Florida have that risk. Tieing a rope to the tree with a wire 30 feet in the air is probably not going to make the risk higher.

Can anyone here advise me on screwing into or tieing a strap around a Sabal palmetto? Is this practical? Is there a better way, other than erecting a separate metal pole?

Again, thank you for your help. I'm really clueless on palms and welcome your guidance.

That would be a pretty easy job, just use ratchet straps. Easy as in ifbit was on the ground. I do bird netting at work at least 6 meters in the air and it’s pretty well much exactly the same as fencing except it’s 6 meters up in the air, dss as me process only in the air. I would get a metal bar about 3 meters long weld 4 brackets with holes in them to attach the ratchet strap hooks. Perhaps 3 straps and get up there and strap the pole to the palm with the aerial attached to it. The only problem I see is getting up there safely, a cherry picker job done in five minutes, a ladder have the ambulance on standby. Best bet would be call up a tree removal company to climb up for you. Good luck.

Hi BobFL,

I recommend that you attach the wire at the point marked by the yellow arrow in the below picture. This is the highest point on the trunk of the palm where the frond bases (boots) have fallen away. The red arrow is in the middle of still attached frond bases. These bases are destined to fall away from the palm. As such, the red arrow marks an unstable point of attachment.

Although many people on this forum will be horrified by the following suggestion, I think drilling a hole and screwing in a hook at the yellow arrow doubtfully would hurt the palm significantly. Alternatively, I think snugging a strap around the palm also would not hurt the palm either, and a good strap actually would be a stronger than a screwed-in hook. I don't know how much strength you need.

Be aware, as the palm grows, more frond will droop down, and turn brown, and may impact the point at the yellow arrow. This may be OK. Just plan for that in your design.

@BobFL I agree with awkrondai's yellow arrow suggestion. The upper stuff is still loose boots and will eventually fall off, in a year or two. If you are up there you might be able to remove some of the boots near the red arrow, but it might be a real pain to do it. The other advantage of the yellow arrow spot is that the trunk is guaranteed to not expand any further. Near the red arrow it might grow a little bit bigger in diameter as the next few fronds grow out. It also might not. Using a strap at the red spot could be iffy.

I would not recommend drilling holes or putting screws into the trunk. Palms don't "heal" like oaks and pines, so any hole is there forever and is just an easy way for diseases and fungi to enter the trunk. I'd use a rachet strap, or a couple of those giant zipties/Panduit that they use for A/C work. You can get them up to 60" long, which might be big enough to go around that trunk. A giant stainless band clamp could work too, if you can find one big enough.

If needed, you could use a pair of zip-ties to double their length. You probably could zip-tie around the palm loosely, at shoulder height, and then pull up the assembly as you climb a ladder, and then tighten it at the top.