Cleaning palm trunks.

[karl66]

Is there any product available to remove moss & dirt off a butia catarinensis trunk without being heavy handed & breaking away at it. Some of the trunk especially the first 16 inches is sodden & as you try and pick moss off the wood is coming off with it. karl.

[Tom2006]

It sounds to me as if you would always be fighting a losing battle. Can't you move it to a less wet spot?

[redsquirrel]

sounds to me like if they come off that easy,the old remnants of petioles are ready to come off anyway.just pull it all off

[karl66]

I bought a butia catarinensis & the first 18 inches of trunk has some decaying leaf bases, the other 3ft is solid as concrete. Nigel has just put me right & said this is normal on this palm for the decay of old leaf bases & as long as the woody trunk underneath is solid i'm fine. Glad to say it is solid underneath. I think what made it worse was the previous waters, watered the trunk and not the pot . karl.

[Adrian]

If you plant it in a sunny spot next year that will all dry up, its got moss on it probably because its been tucked away somewhere or grown in the shade.
You have seen my catarinensis picture on that thread and you would have seen the old leaf bases removed, thats another option if you dont like it as it is.

[karl66]

ok, i decided also last night that i am going to plant it out & i can make a box covering or wrap it in a big roll of hession. Ade, is it correct the trunk does not get much bigger than 1.1 metre. Also nigel mentioned on eps that these butias dont mind plenty of wet. karl.

[Adrian]

I dont know what the eventual height will be, Nigels the only one who likely to have an idea.