Northwest Palms

Moving Jubaea

Last weekend I posted several pictures documenting the relocation of two mature Trachys by Joe and his crew on Saltspring Island in 2006. Just prior to moving the Trachys Joe also moved a fairly large Jubaea and although this tree was no match for the recently planted Swiss Jubaea (see the January 28, 2008 post “Tall Jubaea north of the Alps (Switzerland)” the job was not easy and the help of a local contractor and his excavator was appreciated.

Pictures of the Saltspring Jubaea and its history have been posted on this forum several times in the past. In short, the plant came from California in 1999 and the owner is a local dentist who originally planted the tree at his waterfront home on Old Scott Road. In 2004 the owner moved to a new house located away from the water and at an elevation of about 600 ft and took the palm with him. In January 2006 the owner moved back to the waterfront (this time into a townhouse at Grace Point) and again the palm followed. The amazing thing is that both moves were done in the winter, which is not normally recommended at this latitude yet; in both cases the palm quickly adjusted to the new environment and continued to grow.

As with the two Trachys the ground was pre-cut by hand to a depth of about 8”, after which the excavator completed the perimeter trenching. In this case, the excavator also did the undercutting of the palm. The excavation and loading onto the trailer was the easy part of the relocation. Because of a limited access at Grace Point the palm had to be unloaded about 10 ft short of its final destination and then moved by hand. The palm including the root ball was about 1100 lbs, so this was no easy task.

Hand excavation:

The following thread was started by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:08 pm PST

Tying the fronds together and machine excavation:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:10 pm PST.

Machine excavation:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:11 pm PST.

Undercutting the root ball and attaching the palm to the excavator arm:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:13 pm PST.

Lifting:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:14 pm PST.

loading:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:15 pm PST.

Down at Grace Point:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:16 pm PST.

This is as far as the excavator can push the palm past two, large Eucalyptus trees:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:19 pm PST.

Moving the Jubaea by hand:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:20 pm PST.

N/m

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:21 pm PST.

Finished:

The above followup was added by Vlad Pomajzl, Saltspring on February 07, 2008 at 9:22 pm PST.

Isn't it amazing that it recovered so quickly after two moves. Palms are designed well for this.

The above followup was added by Jeff, Victoria, BC, 8b on February 08, 2008 at 8:24 am PST.

Those are awesome pictures Vlad, thanks for sharing. The garden its going in looks really cool also. Thanks

The above followup was added by Roger on February 08, 2008 at 9:38 am PST.

Roger, that is Grace Point in town, there are dozens of palms and mature Eucs. growing there, so the Jub. fit in well. I combed the entire garden just to find the perfect spot for it. It loves this spot! A nice Loquat beside it too. Cheers, Joe

The above followup was added by Joe, SSI on February 08, 2008 at 12:09 am PST.

did it take for that Jubaea to recover after the transplant? did it sulk for a year? did you give it anything to "boost" it up for the growing season?
John in Beaverton

The above followup was added by John in Beaverton on February 09, 2008 at 1:25 am PST.

Nice photo documentary there guys but I thought you told us Saltspring was all rocky as that soil looks fantastic and crumbly.

kev

The above followup was added by Kev Spence on February 09, 2008 at 1:57 am PST.

Started to grow ASAP.. Lots of 5-15-5 Root booster before and after transplant. Also I dig a $5 hole for a $1 dollar plant, my theory, lots of good topsoil and make it sloppy wet like mud at planting time. I didn't cut any fronds from this palm. The move didn't faze it. A year later I moved a nice Chamaerops near to it and the Chammy wasn't so happy about the transplant.

The above followup was added by Joe, SSI on February 09, 2008 at 7:43 am PST.

Interesting..
ive heard of conflicting stories about Jub's having problems after they are alittle older with "sulking" after a transplant..but hey wow thats pretty cool that you kept it growing at full speed...I thnk what you mentioned the "root booster" is important to "alliviate" shock possibly...but it looks pretty nice for sure dude..good job on the move!
John in Beaverton

The above followup was added by John in Beaverton on February 09, 2008 at 9:35 am PST.

When mine was transplanted it took 3yrs for it to start growing again. My problem turn out to be the soil wasn't holding any water and when I started watering regularly then it started growing.

Joe that looks like a great spot for that Jubaea should do very well.

The above followup was added by Roger on February 09, 2008 at 11:27 am PST.

We dug a huge hole for the Jub. and I threw in a lot of sea soil plus great topsoil as well. THe palm seemed to settle in nicely. That area may be 30'ft or so from the ocean and it is very shletered as well. There is a really nice Sabal growing near it for 10 years now. I think root booster does help too.

The above followup was added by Joe, SSI on February 09, 2008 at 4:27 pm PST.