Palm tree and wind issue

jeremy2015 · 31 Jan 2015

Hi,
I am pretty novice / Newbie at gardening.

Got a palm tree last year and have planted in the middle of the outside area as per picture below.

However, this winter as the soil got quite wet and the weather pretty windy, palm tree keep falling down....
Initially put some wire around it to keep it straight, but i guess because of the wet leaves and their weight, wire does not keep up.

Any thought on how to address that issue? so to keep the palm tree and straight without getting it damaged further.

In addition, is that the right place? or is it best to keep in a pot?
that area is not that deep, I just realised so can not really put a piece of wood deep in the earth and tie the palm tree to it.

Happy to provide additional picture or additional information.
Thanks a lot in advance,

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jeremy2015
31 Jan 2015
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jeremy2015
31 Jan 2015
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31 Jan 2015
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footprints · 31 Jan 2015

Looks like a Torbay Palm I had, it grew to about 15ft. I think you may need a better soil base for it if the bed is very shallow, might be better moving it elsewhere and replacing it with something else.

Deleted2797112 · 31 Jan 2015

The normal method would be to sink a stake into the soil and tie the plant into the stake. If you don't have enough depth of soil to do that, the plant will probably be better off in a large pot.

footprints · 31 Jan 2015

I suppose one compromise might be to bury a very large pot as deep as possible in the bed and plant in that, with a stake.

jeremy2015 · 1 Feb 2015

footprints said:
I suppose one compromise might be to bury a very large pot as deep as possible in the bed and plant in that, with a stake.

Thanks for that thought, Yeap I do not think the soil is that deep - I do not think it does go any deeper than below the crazy paving really.

When you mean large pot, how large are we talking about in term of depth?

Thanks,

jeremy2015 · 1 Feb 2015

ceres said:
The normal method would be to sink a stake into the soil and tie the plant into the stake. If you don't have enough depth of soil to do that, the plant will probably be better off in a large pot.

Thanks for that thoughts Ceres,

Would putting in a pot slow its growth? because if that goes up to 15ft... man... would that be stable?

Cheers,

r896neo · 1 Feb 2015

A cordyline like that will be more susceptible to frost in a pot and may die unless you take measures to protect it during very cold weather.

If your in the south or right on the coast it probably won't matter but worth considering elsewhere.

It would be better in the ground in good sun and well drained soil.

They can grow to a good height but a pot will restrict it. bare in mind it may blow over in a pot too so a large heavy one is better but then of course you can't move it if needed....

In the short term, say the next few years a 60L pot would do and after that As big a pot as you can manage would be my advice.

footprints · 1 Feb 2015

As said bigger the better. Size does matter!

jeremy2015 · 8 Feb 2015

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts greatly appreciated.
When you mentioned well drained soil, how should I get on when I get the large container...
Should I fill it with Pebbles for instance in the bottom and then put soil? So the water can drain away easily?

Any additional thoughts?

Cheers,

Deleted2797112 · 8 Feb 2015

The pot should have drainage holes in the base. Put a layer of crocks (broken flowerpots) or stones/gravel (not small/fine) then put the compost on top. Unless it's very large and heavy, the pot may blow over - you may have to experiment with different locations. In really cold conditions, move it to a sheltered location. You can protect the pot with bubble wrap and use horticultural fleece to cover the plant.

I use a handtruck for moving large pots around and wheeled caddies for smaller ones.

r896neo · 9 Feb 2015

Personally for large plants in large pots i use a mix of soil, coarse sand and rotted manure. in about 50/30/20 mix

This is much heavier than compost but much better for plants that will be in the pot long term. They require much less feeding and associated potting on etc in my experience.

jeremy2015 · 19 Apr 2015

many thanks for the advise.
Greatly appreciated.

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Palm tree and wind issue

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