3130:
Effect of Leaf Removal and Tie up On Large, Mature Date Palms Transplanted in Extremely Hot Conditions
Tuesday, August 3, 2010: 10:30 AM
Springs K & L
Donald Hodel,
Cooperative Extension, University of California, Los Angeles, CA
A. James Downer, Univ of Calif Coop Extn, Ojai, CA
Dennis Pittenger, Cooperative Extension, Riverside, CA
Palms are increasingly important components of subtropical and warm temperate landscapes in Florida, the Gulf Coast, and the southwestern U. S. Because of their unique root and trunk morphology, large specimen palms can be transplanted with a relatively small root ball, creating an instant, mature landscape. Common and standard industry practices when transplanting palms is to reduce leaf area by removing some leaves and temporarily to tie up the remaining leaves (Broschat et al 2000, Pittenger et al. 2005, Hodel et al. 2009). Recent work, though, has shown that in most cases these practices are unnecessary (Hodel et al. 2003, 2006). However, some industry workers still contended that leaf removal and tie up were necessary when transplanting palms in extremely hot conditions (> 35 C). To investigate this contention, we evaluated the response of date palms (Phoenix dactylifera L. ‘Halawy’) to leaf removal and tie up when transplanted in the heat of mid summer. Preliminary results show that six months after transplanting in temperatures of 46 C there was a strong trend for leaf removal and tie up to improve survival. Thus, these practices may have merit when transplanting some species of palms in extremely hot conditions.
Literature
Broschat, T. K. and A. W. Meerow. 2000. Ornamental Palm Horticulture. University Press of Florida, Gainesville, FL.
Hodel, D. R., A. J. Downer, and D. R. Pittenger. 2006. Effect of leaf removal and tie up on transplanted large Mexican fan palms (Washingtonia robusta). Palms 50: 76-81.
Hodel, D. R., A. J. Downer, and D. R. Pittenger. 2009. Transplanting palms. HortTech. 19: 686-689.
Hodel, D. R., D. R. Pittenger, A. J. Downer, and W. E. Richie. 2003. Effect of leaf removal and tie up on juvenile, transplanted Canary Island date palms (Phoenix canariensis) and queen palms (Syagrus romanzoffiana). Palms 47: 177-184.
Pittenger, D. R., D. R. Hodel, and A. J. Downer. 2005. Transplanting specimen palms: a review of common practices and research-based information. HortTech. 15(1): 128-132.
