This is part five of this subject (read previous parts here) and is closely connected to my ongoing series on cracks on our properties and in our homes (click here to read them).

RUSSEL'S

GARDENING

HANDBOOK

I promised I would talk about four common trees that are sold commercially but should not be planted on a residential property unless you can plant them well away from your home or any other structure, including driveways, walkways, pools and spas, overhead utility lines (electric, telephone, cable), and buried utility lines (sewer and water supply).

Some music for your reading pleasure


"Sitting in the Palm Tree," ABBA, 1974

All of these trees have lateral or flat root systems, which means that the roots are very close to the surface, many times on the surface and visible. Our #4 culprit tree is the

Palm

I have to qualify this, though. There are many palms which are small, beautiful, and not problematic. The palms we're going to discuss are the Washingtonia and Phoenix species.

1. Washingtonia species -- these are most of the commonly available palms that have fronds that look like fans
   
   
   
   Personally, I think (prepare for an opinion) the Washingtonia palm is ugly, ugly, ugly, especially when it gets older because it is nothing but a telephone pole with some green stuff waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay up there at the top. For example, those palm trees in the picture above? Here's what they look like at the front door of the condos:
   
   
   
   What a wonderful view to look out of one's living room window to see a telephone pole. I'm continually amazed at the people who complain to the utility companies about telephone poles ruining the views from their properties, and when I drive by I see a trillion palm trees. In fact, I can't find the telephone pole for the palm trees. Maybe they're mistaking the palm trees for telephone poles? LOL
   
2. Phoenix species -- the date palms -- these are not where you get a date for Friday Night at the Movies, but rather the date that YOU eat. I emphasize YOU because I think (prepare for another opinion) the date is nasty, absolutely nasty. Give me some jalapeno nachos and a good margarita instead.
   
   

To give you an idea of the excellent root system that these two species have, think back to the tornadoes and hurricanes that ravage the Gulf Coast. Very often you'll see the tops of the palm trees ripped off but the tree still stuck in the ground. Part of that is related to the skinniness of the palm tree, and part is related to the root system.

All palms love water, but Washingtonia and Phoenix species have root systems that are very good at finding it. If I didn't know better, I think they have been taught what a sewer pipe looks like and that there are plenty of wonderful nutrients inside of it. They also seem to know exactly what a swimming pool is made of and that it is nothing but a big bowl of palm tree water.

When I was building and renovating properties in Texas and Southern California, I regularly found sewer pipes that literally had been crushed by palm roots yet the plumbing system showed no signs of stoppage inside the house because these trees are so adept at soaking up water and nutrients.

Unfortunately, I lost my palm tree/swimming pool collection of photos in the Great Computer Hard Drive Crash of August 2005 (aka GCHDC805), but I can tell you from my experience in building and renovating swimming pools that you don't want Washingtonia and Phoenix palm species anywhere near a swimming pool. It's not a question of if they will break through your pool, it's a question of when.

Most of the other palms are okay, but as with all trees, keep them as far away as possible from sewer systems, pools, foundations, roofs, driveways, and walkways.

Especially for Jane Grant, I approve of your queen palms and your pygmy date palms.

Here's a list of the most commonly available palm species:

1. Areca -- commonly grown as a house plant
2. Bactris
3. Bismarckia
4. Borassus
5. Calamus
6. Cocos -- the coconut palm
7. Copernica -- where carnauba wax comes from for all you auto enthusiasts
8. Corypha
9. Elaeis -- the oil palms
10. Euterpe -- cabbage heart palms
11. Hyphaene
12. Jubaea
13. Latania
14. Maurita
15. Metroxylon -- sago palms
16. Phoenix -- date palms
17. Raphia
18. Roystonea -- the royal palms common in Texas and Florida
19. Sabal -- the palmetto palms
20. Salacca
21. Syagrus -- queen palm
22. Trachycarpus
23. Washingtonia -- fan palms

I'll be back soon with a wrap-up on trees.

Be sure to scroll down for titles and quick links to some of my other blog entries.

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Some of Russel's blog entries

1. 12 reasons why I won't comment on your blogs
2. The Chronicles of Little Johnny: i'm Little Johnny, and i'm a plumber's son
3. The Chronicles of Little Johnny: i'm Little Johnny, and i broke my arm
4. Russel's Gardening Handbook: A great and interesting plant for those with brown thumbs
5. The Chronicles of Little Johnny: Little Johnny, go outside and play.
6. Sometimes it's just a question of semantics and definitions
7. The Chronicles of Little Johnny: Little Johnny! You stink!
8. The Chronicles of Little Johnny: Mommy! Mommy! Come Here! Come Here!
9. Winterizing homes in San Diego in September
10. Russel's Gardening Handbook: How to tell if your landscape watering is too much
11. A true real estate nightmare affecting hundreds of people
12. Russel's Gardening Handbook: Look! It's a field of... Grain? Cotton? Corn?
13. I purposefully burned a bridge yesterday
14. What part of that don't you understand? (Reading 101, English 101, & Spanish 101)
15. Out of sight, out of mind, skip the work, charge for it
16. "How much will it cost?" "$399 plus a $100 aggravation surcharge."
17. In a home inspection, if the thing works, the thing works
18. What do you do when deceit is obvious?
19. Sometimes it really is that simple (electric again)
20. Sometimes it really is that simple (attic)