Question
QUESTION: Hi Nick,

We have 2 much loved Cotton Palms (Washingtonia robusta 慦ashington?Palms), 6ft tall, that we re-located 2 weeks ago. We moved them from one area of our backyard to another. The leaves were bright green and fan shaped with cotton-like threads and were both growing rapidly. Since the re-location, the leaves are closing up and drooping to the ground. They look like they are wiltering, and we are worried they are dying? Our soil is not sandy, it's more mud-like when wet. We live in Melbourne, Australia where it's mid Autumn, average temperature 18 degrees. We would really appreciate your thoughts on this situation, and am willing to do anything to save them. Pleae help!

ANSWER:  Hi Belinda, sorry to hear this, I need more info to properly help you out here; crucial is "transplant technique, every detail" how much water you put on the root ball after transplanting,and if it is not draining properly; it could just be transplant shock, but I need to know that they were properly relocated...Nick

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QUESTION: We did have a lot of difficulty digging them out. We dug around each palm with a spade (broke the first spade).It was impossible to get a spade right underneath them, so we had to put pressure (all our body weight) from every angle to loosen them from the ground. The trees got shaken quite a bit. We were also not aware of 'root balls' until now. Are they obvious to see? Is there a possibility we accidentally chopped them off, and does that mean they will die? Before we transplanted them into their new area, we filled the new holes with water, waited 5 minutes for the water to drain, then planted them. The holes were about one and a half foot deep. We gave them another watering after we finished and have not watered them since as the soil seems to appear quite moist still. The other reason why we have not watered them is that they are almost turning yellow in color - as though they have had too much water? We have also tied soft stocking-like rope around the trunks of the trees (attached to stakes in the ground) for support to prevent wind blowing them over at this early stage. Could this even be causing a problem? In the past, I have planted off-cuts of Yuccas, and I know they go into shock for a while and their leaves curl up. Then after a while they come good again. Could our Cotton Palms just be in shock? And did we transplant at the wrong time of year?

I hope this information helps a little more.

Answer
Hi again! the rootball is the entire root structure, save the lateral roots that can span out as far as 6-15 feet; when you dig a palm or tree for that matter, you can only feasibly expect to get the main "root ball" or better put, the majority of the main roots. the more (of this root ball) the better, because the palm is now devoid of many of the lateral roots, and the crown (top) is reliant on this root system to sustain itself. This is normal, and is referred to as "transplant shock", but normally the palm/tree, recovers after adjusting to it; this said, however, if you did not get most of the root ball, then we are in a situation of not enough of the root system to even sustain the crown, therein lies the problem. The new location of the palms is critical also; you don't want them sitting in a wet area with little or no drain off. Root rot is a constant worry with palms, because the roots system is limited and if it becomes soggy, the palm will die. The tie offs are fine, in fact they are essential to locking the root ball in place so it can begin developing new lateral roots; all you can do now Belinda, is wait and hope; watch that new spear coming out of the middle of the crown, that will tell you if it is going to make it or not, if it unravels green and lush (or at least somewhat viable) then the palm will have turned the corner, if not then you could be in trouble; in either case, its going to be awhile before this happens, so just sit back keep it moderately watered, and hope for the best. regards Nick