Date Tree

[Jock]

Guys....want to pick your brains here, A customer of mine has two date trees here in the west of scotland, which is very unusual, because of our cold wet climate, however he is moving property and wants to take them with him, they are 20 yrs old and are surrounded by tarmac, I can lift the tarmac and excavate the roots ok but what chance would you give them on survival, I'll be moving them 20 miles and planting into similar soil(sandy) and obviously will feed them in, I explained there was no guarantee of survival and he accepts that, so just wondered if you ad any tips? If you have they would be greatly appreciated, thanks Jock.

 

[treeclimber165]

Is this a Date Palm? Or tree? Excuse my ignorance but I live a rather sheltered life here in sunny Florida. I'm very familiar with date palms and they transplant easily. I don't think I've ever seen a date tree.

 

[treeman82]

Jock, how big are these trees caliper wise? When will you be digging them? Winter is probably the best time to dig them, because the ground is frozen. If you can move them now, once you get them into the holes, and backfill, put on a layer of chips about 1' in depth to keep the ground warm so that root growth can continue throughout the cold temperatures. Also, I am not sure if you have a sprayer, but you may want to check into injecting some mychorhizzae into the root ball, and into the planting hole. Just some thoughts. How will you be moving them?

 

[Jock]

They are date palms Phoenix dactylifera , they fruit but never ripen, probably due to the colder wetter climate, grounds not frozen. They will be transported by truck to site with open roots, unless otherwise advised, not sure of girth, will check that tomorrow and also take a digital photo......Palms are very common here on the west coast, but not this species, mainly the cabbage palm Cordyline australis, which is also a native of New Zealand which has a similar climate to here, we have some good specimens some 30ft plus....Jock

 

[Jock]

Treeclimber , whats the root system like on these palms? only done ornamental cherries up till now but always been successful, whether it's luck or not? and sorry Treeman we'll be slinging them and lifting with a rubber duck, after excavating, wont be root balled though, we'll be moving them within the next week or so as the new owners will be levelling the area for building plots and have no apparent intrest in trees, so obviously i appreciate all the advice i can get , Cheers Jock.

 

[treeclimber165]

All palms have a fibrous root system and usually regenerate quickly. The only times I've seen palms die from transplanting are due to either leaving them exposed to dry out for a week before planting or from over watering after planting. Yes, they need water after transplant. But they also need good drainage and they do not like 'wet feet'. Allow them to dry off between waterings- 1/2" of water 4-5 times a day for a month will kill them. Deep waterings once every two or three days will work better, then taper off as the roots get established.

 

[Jock]

Thanks Guys, buy you a beer sometime.......Jock

 

[budroe69moni]

hey jock,
before digging up that date palm,
prune up the old frons then tie the
remaining frons up like in a ponytail.
if it's a multi, do this for each one.
leave them tied-up after transplanting
for at least 2 months. this will decrease
the amount of exposed surface area and
will slow down the transpiration rate. w/
a reduced root system, the palm will need
all the help it can get. water once a day
1st week, every other day 2nd week and
every three days the 3rd week. should be
an easy move, they take well to transplanting.
good luck,
budroe