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Old windmill palm, spear pull, deep cut

9 years ago

Hello,

I have a 6-foot windmill palm and it hasn't been growing well. A few weeks ago, 2 spring green leaves started to wither and I pulled the spear. I cut out the rotten part of palm down to the spear base/nest. I waited 2 weeks, there was a rotten smell and no growth. Today, I cut a few inches below the spear base/nest, the trunk is moist, healthy, solid wood there.

Is there a chance for recovery? Can a new spear, miraculously, come out of that wooden trunk?

Thank you in advance,
Sam

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Comments (15)

bradleyo_gw
9 years ago
Yes, there are several posts on here about trunk cutting. Jim Hardy in Iowa has done this many times, and if you search his posts you will find it. My understanding is that if you get to good tissue, it should start growing soon.
bradleyo_gw
9 years ago
Jim, just posted about trunk cutting on this board, probably the best for knowledge, but also has a lot of drama. E-mail the moderators for a username and password.

http://members3.boardhost.com/HardyPalm/msg/1403568349.html
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I think you need to dig it up,if the roots are still alive and the top is dead cut it back untill you find some green,then bring it inside and keep it inside untill it makes a full recovery which may be a year from next spring.I can't imagine a palm having any chance to make it through the winters up here unless they are in near perfect shape.I f it is alive you know the routine,superthrive,fingicide,you might try some potassium on it after about 6 weeks to strenghthen its defences agaainst rot,etc.from what you discribed in your old posts I would be surprised if this palm is still alive,I hope thats wrong,good luck Islb-can you post a pic?
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You must have been using some large/hot lights if they were the cause of the die back. Were your lights on consistently throughout the season, or were they used sporadically. Is it possible that your environment was warm enough to encourage active growth which then got burnt when the lights and heat were turned off? A plant might tolerate a particular cold temperature in a dormant winter stage, but expose the plant to the same temp in the growing season, and it can outright kill it. I would NOT be watering it or feeding it at all this time of year by the way (normal rain and snow should be enough). Even if the palms do not die outright from whatever the cause was, they did take a big hit obviously and this will make their winter survival this year all more questionable. Growth for the coming growing season may also be stunted compared to normal (vigor will increase in subsequent years). But many palms can and DO SURVIVE from pulled buds.(I've had successful recovery from bud pull on Phoenix roebellini, and Washintonis in the past--one from cold, one from excessive summer rainfall.) Frankly, if they were mine, I'd be tempted to dig them out (don't know if your ground is frozen or not), containerize them, protect them from hard frost, give them an early start on the growing season, and see if they recuperate--betting that they would eventually. Good luck!
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smatofu
Original Author
9 years ago
Brad,

Thank you for your help. There are posts about trunk cutting but of young palms, above the terminal bud. So far, I haven't seen anything about old palms and cuts below the terminal bud.
Thank you again, Sir.
Sam
jimhardy
9 years ago
You need to still be able to see "characters" after the cut...
if the bud is healthy(palm too)you should see it
push up in a day or so...unless the trunk is severely damaged
below/or you have cut below the meristem it should bounce back quickly.

Here is an example of 5 days worth of growth on a B.Eriospatha after T-cutting.
smatofu
Original Author
9 years ago
Jim,

Thank you VERY MUCH for answering the post. It looks like there is no hope for the palm: meristem was rotting, I couldn't stop it, and I cut it too low.

Respectfully,
Sam
smatofu
Original Author
9 years ago
2nd picture: rotted meristem
jimhardy
9 years ago
Sorry to see that-wish we could have saved it!
Jennifer Lotakis
8 years ago
We have a pindo palm in NC that was hit for a second winter while we were out of town, ice storm :/ about a month ago we pulled the inside out, poured hydrogen peroxide down the center and waited...nothing. Just yesterday I pulled again at the center and more came the bottom looking mushy and white like bread pudding. We have only had it three years but it's at least ten years old. Should we continue to wait or trunk cut it? It's beautiful, or was. The trunk is probably three feet tall and almost two feet wide. We are devastated...thoughts, opinions?
jimhardy
8 years ago
It may be to late,start cutting until you (hopefully)find live tissue.
Jennifer Lotakis
8 years ago

What does live tissue look like? This is what we have and it stinks :(
Jennifer Lotakis
8 years ago
Jennifer Lotakis
8 years ago
Jennifer Lotakis
8 years ago
Inside is soft and squishy, do we keep cutting looking for frawns-live tissue or until it's hard wood like in the center-live tissue?
brandon51785
8 years ago
yes
jimhardy
8 years ago
I think the hole there is actually the crater/socket of the meristem.

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