Hardy Tropicals UK

Hello, learned members of this forum. I have a question about a three year old Tetrapanax papyferer Rex. It is very happy in its bed, but I recently had some work done around it, raising the level of the brick wall around it by about a foot. I am going to fill that gap with compost and create lovely moisture retentive, fertile conditions. However, rather than dig up the T.Rex, and probably have lots of pups springing up all over the bed for years to come, just to raise the trunk by a foot, could I mulch up to near the top of the single woody stem? I would never consider doing this for other woody plants, but suspect that I could with T.Rex. I worry that I might rot and kill it, or that it might respond with very distorted growth. What do you think?

I don't think it would even notice, but you could start adding soil once its back in growth a bit at a time

Tetrapanax have roots close to the surface and together with rotting the main trunk, you will slowly suffocate the plant. Dig it up or leave it a hallow around it.

Love it! Ask two different gardeners the same question...I am tending towards digging it up soon. Given that it is coming into new growth soon. If it pups, it's free plants for someone else.

You are probably playing appropriately safe it you dig it up with as much root as possible, Tim. You should discover plenty of new pups and these can be kept as insurance if you lose the main trunk. March is probably the best time to do it. Whichever approach you take.....pics and posts, please

You may be THE learned member of the HTUK Tetrapanax transplanting organisation!

A lot of trees don't like soil level movement but is a T Rex a tree. A friend of mine had an 8 acre lake which he dredged out, the dredged soil he spread on his field,, there were a number of trees in the one corner of the field which he also spread soil over about a foot deep. It was by a road and was seen by one of the government agency's who paid him a visit and made him remove the soil from round the trees as they told him it would kill the trees! I have raised the soil level in my garden by 9 inches around a palm about 2 years ago with no ill effect, however palms are a member of the grass family not trees. Hope that helps, but I'm sure it wont.

Update: the move was very successful and it is now growing away well. I dug it up in March and raised the level.There are a few pups which I will pot on for a year or so. The rest of the bed has gone a bit mad, but in a pleasing way.

Round of applause for Tim.

Pics show a good result. Looks like you have some nice Canna musaefolia growing nearby. I'm sure at some point you're going to find some TP runners caught up in them if you lift and store them for winter.

Round of applause for Tim.

Pics show a good result. Looks like you have some nice Canna musaefolia growing nearby. I'm sure at some point you're going to find some TP runners caught up in them if you lift and store them for winter.

Round of applause for Tim.

Pics show a good result. Looks like you have some nice Canna musaefolia growing nearby. I'm sure at some point you're going to find some TP runners caught up in them if you lift and store them for winter.

Whoops! My posts are coming up more frequently than Tetrapanax pups!