Absolutely. This is a great time of year for planting. The root system isn't really sensitive like perhaps Brahea or Sabal.

I cut off the base of the White Ghost, and it was dried out and woody, totally dead material. Here is a photo of the plant after cutting up the base a few times. I encounter now a hollow section that does not look like rot, but I guess this is the start of rot, potentially? Should I keep cutting until I encounter a completely white and flat surface that emits sap all over?

Thanks for your effort! About the only thing you can do is expose the root flares on the tree to a proper depth. This may involve adding a 'well' around a larger tree, if needed to lower the ground enough to do that. A smaller, more recently planted tree can be dug and raised by placing soil underneath to reseat and raise the root flare. This all should be done during the trees dormant season when the tree is not actively growing. HERE's a video showing trees with a problem root flare issue (safe site). Some trees may be too far gone to respond to raising the root flare, only time will tell over the next few seasons.

Well it has stayed small and had never flowered until fall of last year. By then it was all green. I guess when a plant doesn’t flower, I think something is wrong. And it seemed the leaves were really close to the ground. Here’s a photo of it today. Media pulled back: debra