Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board

Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board
[ Hardy Palm and Subtropical Board ]

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Mulching around Palm Bases?

Posted by Ken-Charlotte <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Ken-Charlotte' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 4/22/2020, 9:05 pm

I lost a large old oak last year, and had the stump ground up into a mountain of wood chips. Knowing they would be no good for vegetable gardening, I exported a fair amount of the chips to the bases of some of my palms, including Pindo and Windmill Palms, thinking that such mulch would benefit them, especially from a water conservation angle.

This week, I came across an Arizona palm website that strongly disfavors mulch around the bases of Pindo Palms. The site says that Butia roots need to dry out, and that mulch can lead to root rot.

Is this advice also pertinent for Windmill Palms?

It seems like Dwarf Palmettos may favor the added moisture associated with mulch.

Thanks!

Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?

Posted by Stan Hayward CA <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Stan+Hayward+CA' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 4/22/2020, 9:19 pm, in reply to "Mulching around Palm Bases?"

In California mulch all the way everything. Even cactus like it even if it does not look natural.
NC gets lots of rain. Lisa would know for sure..She's not posting much but probably facebooks.

Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?

Posted by Jim in Iowa <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Jim+in+Iowa' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 4/22/2020, 11:30 pm, in reply to "Mulching around Palm Bases?"

Mulch can be pretty handy in the cold/heat and during dry weather..
but maybe you could go without during good weather conditions.

I have always mulched all my palms but I leave it in a ring and away
from the trunk so when I water it stays around the palm....during
heat/drought/cold I rake it back next to the trunk.

hope this is useful.

Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?

Posted by Scot from SC <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Scot+from+SC' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 4/28/2020, 8:57 pm, in reply to "Mulching around Palm Bases?"

I usually stop before I get close to the trunk or even close. My Butias never have had mulch. They seem to like to stay on the dry side. Sabals probably don't mind staying on the damp side, especially minors. Trachycarpus probably are somewhere in between. I am not an expert, just an enthusiast.

Scot from South Carolina
Zone 8a
Greenwood, S.C.
Elevation 642 feet above sea level
Straight from The Palmetto State!

Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?

Posted by Ken-Charlotte <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Ken-Charlotte' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 4/29/2020, 4:23 pm, in reply to "Mulching around Palm Bases?"

Thanks for the feedback!

Here’s that Arizona website that recommends no mulch for Butia Capitata; a good overall website:
https://gardenoracle.com/images/butia-capitata.html

Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?

Posted by Jim Wilmington DE 7a <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Jim+Wilmington+DE+7a' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 5/1/2020, 9:21 am, in reply to "Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?"

>>I have always mulched all my palms but I leave it in a ring and away from the trunk so when I water it stays around the palm....during heat/drought/cold I rake it back next to the trunk.<<

This is my own strategy as well. I have the mulch mounded up around and hugging the base and trunk from Thanksgiving to late March/early April, then I move it away for the growing season.

I've yet to re-cover the base and trunk during summer droughts, but maybe I should.

Jim, Wilmington, DE, 7a
Last 30 Years Avg. Winter Low: 7.50F
Last 20 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.35F
Last 10 Years Avg. Winter Low: 8.40F
Favorite Palms: Species: Phoenix Canariensis / Genus: Sabal

Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?

Posted by Jim in Iowa <iframe src='https://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/info/user=Jim+in+Iowa' width='330' height='300' border=0 style='border:none;'> on 5/2/2020, 6:11 am, in reply to "Re: Mulching around Palm Bases?"

We had a horrible drought a few years back and the mulch
really helped keep moisture in and the soil temps from getting
to high...it was so bad that once we got an inch of rain and the next
day you couldn't even tell it rained, just absorbed so fast!
The banana plant put out one leaf and quit as the roots
hit the talc like soil outside the ring where it got watered.

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