Transplanting Cuban Royal Palms?

hi i have 2 cuban royal palms i got as small seedlings. I had a lot more but most died in pots so i planted these 2 in my garden thinking they'd grow better and i'd move them later. They took off and grew great and but i never got around to moving them. Now i need to move them before they grow big and split my garden edging.
Can i just shovel them out, cutting through some roots? Palms have spreading out roots dont they? becuase there close to the garden edge i couldnt dig out to far. Do they have a long tap root or anything, do i have to go real deep?
thanks for any advise.


This message was edited Dec 20, 2012 2:49 AM

Do it in the dormancy period or rainy season. Palm is a variety of grass. Keep a decent part of the root ball intact when lifting, cutting through a few roots, no problem.
Regards,
Masud.

thanks for your reply. Is the dormant season winter?, i didnt think it would like a new home in winter, wouldnt that shock it?
I was thinking after rain, just so the ground would be softer to dig. hehe!

Please as soon as they break out of dormancy in spring when the sap starts to rise so that by next winter they get maximum time to establish. Sorry.
Regards,
Masud.

I have not personally moved a Royal, but they are supposedly one of the better palms to move. Palms have no tap roots. But I do not know how deep they go (I have dug up some palms that have very deep roots- many many feet!). Still, the less roots you cut the better. Some palms are extremely touchy to moving and usually will die unless you really do not disturb the root ball at all (easier to do when small like yours)

thanks for the information.

Date Palms and some others that I have seen do not have a extensive root system, depending on the size of the plant and once you have found where one root terminates then you can start cutting the root ball out from that point. Mostly all the roots are equal which seems to be corroborated by palms pulled out by gales during rain when the soil is soft but I will defer to palmbob if he does not agree.
Regards,
Masud.

Bree,i love the way you have your little garden their in your pic.I love fan palms.

This message was edited Feb 2, 2014 12:03 PM

my bromeliad garden?, it looks alot nicer now with heaps more coloured ones in there.

Bree,it sounds beautiful.

palms are routinely "field grown" and then removed to be sold etc...

shouldn't be a problem

My husband and I have moved 4 very large royal Cuban palms. They have doubled in size since we moved them. Hope you were successful with your move!