Originally Posted by StrictlyPalms

Unfortunately most of the construction in the Central Florida area (residential and commercial) gets fan palms. They're cheap and grow like the weeds they are so the contractors put at least one in every front yard.

The trees up at the house are too close to the foundation and I've told the H/O this. They don't want to remove yet, so I am keeping an eye on the foundation/wall area. Our soil is sugarsand and very easily moved. I've dug down and the tree hasn't done any visible damage to the part of the house I can see. They are aware of the problem and will be deciding this summer how to proceed. Our neighborhood has all the septic systems in the front yards, so positioning of the trees is very important to keep the roots out of the drain fields and I guess someone a few years back thought these trees would work that close to the house.

Speaking of drain fields. Does anyone have a good link or any experience with the minimum distance to plant away from them? Palm roots don't seem to go very far laterally so I feel safe keeping them 10 feet from the edge of the field. But I realize other species can put roots out to the edge of their canopy. Is it possible for them to go farther if they know there is a good source of water at the drain field?