Hurricanes are not good for your Date Palms but they are tough and can survive a major storm with a little preparation and a little good luck.

As all of us in Florida know, the possibility of a hurricane coming by and doing damage is a very real concern. We all remember Frances and Jeanne wreaking havoc across the state and all of us remember the severe damage done by Andrew back in 1992. Because we are facing the threat of major hurricanes impacting us here in Florida, I have put together a list of suggestions that I recommend you act on where your expensive Date Palms are concerned. These actions may not save your palm(s) from destruction should they take a direct hit by a major hurricane but I feel that in the event of a near miss or a lower level storm, these efforts may make the difference between life and loss for your palm(s).

STORM DAMAGE

Damage to your date palms as a result of a hurricane will usually take two forms. The first will be direct physical damage inflicted by high winds. The second will be disease establishment associated to severe tissue damage and inundated conditions. There are other possible causes of damage such as ocean flooding but I am only addressing those I consider to be most likely.

BEFORE THE STORM

When considering actions that you might take in order to mitigate the level of damage inflicted by a hurricane (in advance of its arrival), here are a couple of suggestions;

1. Remove all of the seed stalks cutting the stems to within 6 inches of the trunk. The date (seed) stalks are very heavy at this time of year and are especially susceptible to wind damage. Damage to the stalk itself is not the problem. The back & forth whipping motion of the stalk caused by high winds will result in an eventual severing but prior to that, the stalks will do substantial damage to the terminus & surrounding fronds. Be sure that whomever cuts the seed stalks off sprays the saw blade with straight chlorine bleach in between the trimming of each palm. Not between each stem but when moving from one palm to the next. Doing so will avoid an inadvertent transference of any pre-existing disease that may be present.
2. Remove the two lowest sets of fronds on palms that have been established on site for more then two years . Removing the two most mature sets of fronds will reduce the overall wind resistance and it is these most brittle fronds that are most likely to detach themselves after thoroughly whipping the rest of the canopy.
3. Perform a 10-gallon soil drench utilizing Subdue or Chip-co Aillette . Heavy rains that commonly accompany hurricanes often result in saturated conditions that can lead to the development of large colonies of Pythium. Pythium at low levels is common in our soils and it is normal that where the soil remains wet for an extended period of time, those colonies will proliferate to a size where they become injurious. This scenario can lead to a host of other problems so avoid it where you can.
4. As a rule, staking is not recommended. The first thought many people have is to stake the palms. The reality is that you are better off allowing them to lean with the wind then to try to artificially prop them up. Even if the staking holds, the damage done to the canopies will probably be worse then it would have been had they been able to lean in the direction of the wind. The exception would be where you are concerned about the proximity of a building or structure that you feel might be damaged should the palm lean into it.

AFTER THE STORM

1. Remove all of the damaged tissue as soon as possible . Leaving the torn fronds and/or frond stems on the palm is an invitation to rot and an ideal habitat in which airborne disease may establish. Your Date Palms are full of sugars and these sugars will be excreted, to a varying extent, where rips in the rachis (stem) of the frond(s) are near the terminus. Excreted sugars attract Ambrosia Beetles that can colonize and result in structural damage to the trunk. In addition to that possibility is the fact that wounds near the terminus represent potential establishment and entry points for airborne pathogens. A clean cut below the tear and then a thorough misting of the cut area with straight bleach will mitigate the risk of insect or disease establishment.
2. Turn off the irrigation (cap the heads or turn off the bubblers that put the most water at the base of the palm) and leave it off for no less the 7 days allowing the soil layer (down to approx. 18 inches) to thoroughly dry out. If rainfall after the hurricane keeps the soil layer wet, leave the irrigation off until you have had at least one period of no less then 72 hours where the soil was reasonably dry down to a depth of 18 inches. This may result in a little wilting of your under plantings but it will also eliminate any large colonies of Pythium that may be present. Don’t worry, the grass or under plantings will recover once you start watering again.
3. If the palms (trunks) did not move during the storm but the canopies sustained tissue damage, after trimming as in (1) above, fertilize immediately with 5-7 pounds per palm. Canopiesthat have sustained serious damage will begin to regenerate new fronds almost immediately. As such, they may consume/utilize higher then normal levels of chlorides & minerals then might otherwise be needed to sustain existing tissue and life processes. This rule only applies where the trunks have not moved. If they have, root damage may have occurred and in that event, you do not want to do anything that may damage them further.
4. Palms that are only partially re-rooted may come down during the storm . In that event, some damage to the root system may occur and it will be necessary to completely remove and re-install the palms. It is not a good practice to simply straighten a rooted/rooting palm that leans in a storm unless the palm is so new (on site) as to not yet have begun root regeneration.

Other then praying, there really isn’t much else that you can do for your Date Palms in the event of a hurricane. You will find that once established, Date Palms are very difficult to kill and that in the event you need to cut off the majority (or even all) of the fronds, they will usually grow back so long as the root system is intact and protected from disease.

REALITY

In the event a hurricane is likely, do not depend on Groundworks to do this work for you even if we installed the palms and they are still under our warranty . We can give verbal advice & suggestion but in the event a hurricane is likely, we will be canceling outside operations to prepare our inventory & facility for the storm. After the storm, we will be occupied for at least a week putting the place back together again and will not focus on outside operations until that has been done.

As much as you probably don’t want to hear it, I must caution you to remember that damage or loss as a result of winds in excess of 100 MPH is not covered under the terms of our warranties. Because our Date palms have proven themselves to be just about the toughest landscape material out there, we recently liberalized our warranty limitations to protect you from loss should your Date palms die as a direct result of exposure to winds of up to 100 MPH. Please do not interpret this to mean that no pre storm protective measures need be taken by you. Following the instructions contained here is just good sense and the cost is minimal. Make it an annual habit and then when that real nasty storm does come our way, your Date palms should sail through and then come back to their normal state of "Stunning" quick and easy!

I recommend that you do what you can to alleviate the risk of loss by adhering to the suggestions contained herein even though I must also tell you that there is no guarantee that your performing these suggestions will ensure survival. The bottom line is that should a hurricane come, we are all in the same boat and there is nothing desirable in there with us. I am available to answer questions as needed and wish all of you good luck in all that you do and especially in the event we see another nasty storm.

George P. Nottingham
President
Groundworks of Palm Beach County Inc.