Question
I have a clump Mediterranean Fan Palm planted by the entry of my home and it is taking over the walkway. I'd like to trim the pups and save them for other areas. How can I do this without hurting the existing plant and also save the pups

Answer
Hi Peggy, first of all , don't worry about hurting the parent palm, it will do fine with the pups excised, providing you don't cut too deep into the parent root system; the pups can be a different story however, it can be a bear sometimes to excise them with enough of a root system for them to survive with. Try to dig down and excavate an area around the pups to give you a clearer picture of how much of a root package you will be able to cut away with them. Take your time and use water while you are doing it to lessen the drying of the roots and give you a clearer picture of the roots themselves. Have a place ready for them, should you be able to separate a viable candidate, so you can plant it immediately. Once you have successfully done this, be sure to irrigate the new palm every day for a couple of weeks. Nick