I just bought a house that has a nice 20' tall palm tree. The next door neighbors have a large tree that had a huge branch (6" diameter) that was directly on top of the palm's growth area. The palm started to grow away from it. At about 6' the palm starts a gradual couple degrees of 'bending'. At about the 15' level it bends out even more. I have removed the neighbors branch, so now the palm has a clear upwards growing area. Should I see if the palm will straighten itself or should I build some type of platform and use a pipe jack to give it a some straightening direction? Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I would suggest the leave it alone method. Curves give it character. there is a saying someone (an experienced tree dude) that says " once a prop, always a prop. "
Given a choice, Florida landscapers will choose a 'curved' palm over a straight one, even at a higher price, because of the "character".
I'm not even sure if you could straighten an already curved trunk if you wanted. I'm with the others on this. Cheers, LPN.
I seems that you have a common case of wanting what you don't have. Happens to me all the time. I too, agree with the others that your palm is more desireable with curves, but it's not my paradise. What makes gardening great is that perfection is what we imagine it to be. Now that you have cleared the big branch, the remaining growth of your beauty will be gradually upright. But I suspect it would be decades before the curve lessens and even then, it will never be straight. Attempting to push such a large size tree will certainly damage the trunk where pressure is applied. You would be risking scarring or worse. You could add another palm or two to create a "grove" which might eventually disguise this palm. Or you could learn to love her and all her character. What type of palm is it? I'd love to see a picture...I only have straight palms and envy the curves!
