canary island install help

mandurang

hi everyone, im new here and just starting a new landscape project at my house and need a bit of advice.

First off great site, i love all the info and cant wait to start reading some of the posts.

Ok, i started diging the hole that i want to put a 36" box P. Canary into. I have the hole aprox 5'x5'x4'. i attached a .jpg of an professional installation recomendation. sand on top with pea gravel below. do i need the perferated pipe bc i don't think i can attach the pipe to a drain.

Is this the way i should plant my new tree?

please if anyone can get me started in the right direction i would greatly appreciate it.

btw- i live in california if it makes a difference

thanks in advance

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Eric Frei

Need to know what the existing soil is.

Usually you back fill with a mixture of the soil the tree came with, sand and the soil at the site.

If the soil is heavy clay then it will likely fill up like a well and drown the tree.

Another thread.
Palm Transplanting| Phoenix canariensis| Canary Island Date Palm in Brisbane dead?

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treeseer

Flare to grade and no sand below.

# Dig a shallow, broad planting hole. Make the hole wide, as much as three times the diameter of the root ball but only as deep as the root ball. It is important to make the hole wide because the roots on the newly establishing tree must push through surrounding soil in order to establish. On most planting sites in new developments, the existing soils have been compacted and are unsuitable for healthy root growth. Breaking up the soil in a large area around the tree provides the newly emerging roots room to expand into loose soil to hasten establishment.
# Identify the trunk flare. The trunk flare is where the roots spread at the base of the tree. This point should be partially visible after the tree has been planted (see diagram). If the trunk flare is not partially visible, you may have to remove some soil from the top of the root ball. Find it so you can determine how deep the hole needs to be for proper planting.
# Remove tree container for containerized trees. Carefully cutting down the sides of the container may make this easier. Inspect the root ball for circling roots and cut or remove them. Expose the trunk flare, if necessary.
# Place the tree at the proper height. Before placing the tree in the hole, check to see that the hole has been dug to the proper depth’Äîand no more. The majority of the roots on the newly planted tree will develop in the top 12 inches of soil. If the tree is planted too deeply, new roots will have difficulty developing because of a lack of oxygen. It is better to plant the tree a little high, 2 to 3 inches above the base of the trunk flare, than to plant it at or below the original growing level. This planting level will allow for some settling (see diagram). To avoid damage when setting the tree in the hole, always lift the tree by the root ball and never by the trunk.
# Straighten the tree in the hole. Before you begin backfilling, have someone view the tree from several directions to confirm that the tree is straight. Once you begin backfilling, it is difficult to reposition the tree.
# Fill the hole gently but firmly. Fill the hole about one-third full and gently but firmly pack the soil around the base of the root ball. Then, if the root ball is wrapped, cut and remove any fabric, plastic, string, and wire from around the trunk and root ball to facilitate growth (see diagram). Be careful not to damage the trunk or roots in the process.



Fill the remainder of the hole, taking care to firmly pack soil to eliminate air pockets that may cause roots to dry out. To avoid this problem, add the soil a few inches at a time and settle with water. Continue this process until the hole is filled and the tree is firmly planted. It is not recommended to apply fertilizer at the time of planting.
# Stake the tree, if necessary. If the tree is grown and dug properly at the nursery, staking for support will not be necessary in most home landscape situations. Studies have shown that trees establish more quickly and develop stronger trunk and root systems if they are not staked at the time of planting. However, protective staking may be required on sites where lawn mower damage, vandalism, or windy conditions are concerns. If staking is necessary for support, there are three methods to choose among: staking, guying, and ball stabilizing. One of the most common methods is staking. With this method, two stakes used in conjunction with a wide, flexible tie material on the lower half of the tree will hold the tree upright, provide flexibility, and minimize injury to the trunk (see diagram). Remove support staking and ties after the first year of growth.
# Mulch the base of the tree. Mulch is simply organic matter applied to the area at the base of the tree. It acts as a blanket to hold moisture, it moderates soil temperature extremes, and it reduces competition from grass and weeds. Some good choices are leaf litter, pine straw, shredded bark, peat moss, or composted wood chips. A 2- to 4-inch layer is ideal. More than 4 inches may cause a problem with oxygen and moisture levels. When placing mulch, be sure that the actual trunk of the tree is not covered. Doing so may cause decay of the living bark at the base of the tree. A mulch-free area, 1 to 2 inches wide at the base of the tree, is sufficient to avoid moist bark conditions and prevent decay.
# Provide follow-up care. Keep the soil moist but not soaked; overwatering causes leaves to turn yellow or fall off. Water trees at least once a week, barring rain, and more frequently during hot weather. When the soil is dry below the surface of the mulch, it is time to water. Continue until mid-fall, tapering off for lower temperatures that require less-frequent watering.

mandurang

to answer the 1st post, my soil is mostly clay. So i guess i will add sand and some soil that the tree comes with? is this correct?

why do we see commercial jobs use only sand with metal lids? is this only for specimen trees? just wondering.


thanks treeseer

when you say flare to grade and no sand below. does that mean that the soil starts a bit lower and then flares up to the trunk? also, "no sand below"
so i can use pea gravel below but can i use only sand on rootball up to the trunk.

Sorry for all the questions i just want to make sure that i get it right and the tree grows tall and happy for many years to come.

treeseer

Your questions are already answered in previous posts; please reread.

I'm not a palm expert but soil must have air in it to grow roots. Bust up the clay. Post pictures of the site for more useful feedback.

Eric Frei

Yeah, clay eh.

So that means the hole will form a well in heavy rain.

My vote then is a deeper hole etc as shown by the diagram you put up.

At the same time palm roots (even tree roots) grow mostly sideways. So you need plenty of lateral room (as suggested in Treeseer's post), the walls of the hole cannot be shear, or glazed. Rough them up, break it up, mix in a little sand and some of the other soil the palm comes with... do not go over 20% sand content for that mix. sand and clay wet then compacted can form near cement!

I suggest a 40% site clay 40% soil from palm's location and 20% sand mix.

With Treeseer's post I disagree with this part for the clay type of soil you have.

You do not want to compact the clay and squeeze out air pockets. Wet clay can set like cement and the roots have a tough time penetrating it, sometimes the roots will just go round and round in circles like a big pot.... also part of the reason why you need to rough up the sides of that hole.

At the same time you dont want big air pockets that dry out, so the mix has to be relatively fine, added little at a time, slightly damped and carefully raked bit at a time(not settled with water). No packing it down with machinery etc or even stomping on it.

The sand beneath is still all good for drainage.

Done a bit of a diagram alteration to show.

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treeseer

Eric I'm with you on all that except, if the installer cannot bring in more native soil or if that soil is no good then how about organic matter?

And, How do you compact the sand to prevent settling? Sometimes I favor having a big rock under the plant, with porous material all round.

Would be good to see pictures of the site instead of guessing and what iffing.

Eric Frei

Organic matter, what did you have in mind?

Compact sand with a whack packer or vibrating plate. You are only compacting the bottom. They got some gravel lined up to, that'll also help.

Canary palms butts are big, the hole will be big enough to work in.

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mandurang

wow, thanks everyone for all the input (not to say we can't continue the conversation). I was planing on saving money and attempting to install the 36" box tree myself. thats why im asking soo many questions. i guess i just need to figure out whats best and go with it

so far the only information i've found, other than this forum, is regarding transplanting specimen trees and i don't think the research applys to my situation.

i can attach the info if anyone is interested in reading.

treeseer

Sure, do it, thanks!

mandurang

here's the info i found on transplanting canarys

Attached Files

	palm_transplant[1].pdf (1.03 MB, 77 views)
	palmrootgrowth_transplanting[1].pdf (78.2 KB, 63 views)
	PHO CANA info.pdf (72.7 KB, 41 views)

Eric Frei

LOL,

2 of these were in this post.

The other is just an information sheet on the palm (PHO CANA).

Palm Transplanting| Phoenix canariensis| Canary Island Date Palm in Brisbane dead?

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mandurang

oh sorry, i guess i got confused with all the info im trying to find