Question
I have a palm someone gave me 7 years ago. I kept it short, but lately the
trunk has become very large.  At least 3 or 4 ft in diameter. It is in the san
francisco bay area in a sunny area but the back yard is very small and the
palm is about 5 feet from the house. It would have been much taller, but at
this point it is 14 feet tall. Do you think it will cause problems being so close
to the house? Should I try to remove it before it really starts to grow. It seems
to have really grown a lot recently.

Answer
Hi Karen, without actually seeing the situation it is hard to see if any disruption has already occurred, but given the facts you have portrayed I am inclined to think you are already past the point of any damage; so if everything seems fine now, I would leave it be , the roots are about as expansive as they will get at this point. Nick