Palm trees and the resistance to wind damage?

[cordyman]

With so many trees down this winter due to gale force winds, how do palm trees fare in comparison. With the single main trunk and more compact heads VS a traditional multi-branched tree they have an advantage here but how about the trunk composition itself

[Mowgley]

Don't know, but I know that my trachycarpus f in the front has taken a battering this winter. The fronds have been tied up for the last 2 weeks

[jungle jas]

My neighbor had one close to 30 foot blow over in his garden last spring, but he does live close to the coast and is therefore very windy. It got ripped out from the roots! The leaves look rubbish after 2 years on a windy site. Hope that helps.

[billdango]

I live on a very windy corner and my palm trees take a hell of a battering every year but they still look reasonable and I have never had one blow over.

My tallest [over 30 foot] Trachycarpus flexes quite well in the strongest gusts and although some leaves get ripped badly the tree never shows signs of collapse.

But I suppose it would be best in really windy places would be to tie up the leaves for as long as you can untill the palm gets to tall.

Otherwise just grow Waggies or Butias which can stand wind quite well.

billdango

[jungle jas]

That makes a lot of sense Bill.

[kata]

My Trachicarpus is central in the back lawn and looking good,

It has some shelter but gales still get through.

If the winds are going to be as strong as they predict then my main Acer will tell just how strong my tree is. I have metal gates in front of it and the elements force their way up the longish drive, there have been times in past winds I have feared for its survival...no kidding.

This weekend will tell. keep a grip kid...

[Nathan]

The trunks of palms differ greatly to normal trees, the trunks grow in a different way, they are very fibrous & have a high silica content which allows them to bend much more, some species much more than others of course, especially ones which have a natural range in windy & exposed sites such as Coconut palms. It was very windy here last weekend & it was incredible watching the tall Washingtonia's on the seafront bend & sway!

[Clive60]

Weymouths' Phoenix, planted for the Olympics, tied up but not looking too good, I doubt if they have made much root growth and could have a permanent lean to them.
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/480x3 ... 8/zc61.jpg

The Butias by the Pavillion are doing well I think they were planted 6/7 years ago and have no protection from the elements.
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/480x3 ... 4/5lmc.jpg

The Phoenix planted by Daniel P, again about 6 years ago, is doing well as it is away from the seafront.
https://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/480x3 ... 35/qgf.JPG

[miketropic]

I remember watching a show awhile back about when the US was fighting for independence from England. They said in South Carolina people made forts out of Sabal Palmetto's due to there trunk composition. When the cannon balls would hit them they would bounce off and not show any damage.. The war was won and South Carolina make the Palmetto it's state tree bc of it. I'm not sure whats in palm trunks that make them so strong but its works..seeing them in videos of hurricanes only bending never breaking is amazing to me.

[Conifers]

But I suppose it would be best in really windy places would be to tie up the leaves for as long as you can untill the palm gets to tall.

Absolutely not!! The leaves are much less liable to damage if they are free to move with the wind. Tie them up and you make a solid lump that catches the wind and breaks. As Miketropic says - look at videos of palms in hurricanes, they do far better than anything else.

[miketropic]

But I suppose it would be best in really windy places would be to tie up the leaves for as long as you can untill the palm gets to tall.

Absolutely not!! The leaves are much less liable to damage if they are free to move with the wind. Tie them up and you make a solid lump that catches the wind and breaks. As Miketropic says - look at videos of palms in hurricanes, they do far better than anything else.

They actually refer to it as "hurricane cut" over here when they trim almost all the fronds off before a big storm and after a big one that has broken some leaves..let them fly around they seem to handle it much better.