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Gorgeous looking big plant!! That's turning into more like a tree with a woody trunk and I think you'll probably kill it if you cut it off.
It's top-heavy and competing and searching for more light and air circulation but it needs physical support. So what you need to do is prop / stake it up so the trunk is standing lifted straight up as vertical as possible to the ground, so even despite the curve in it, the leafy top of the trunk will not be leaning over.
That straightening will raise the leafy head upright so it gets more light and it will shift all the leaves a lot higher and back up out of range of the patio / pool. You'll have to keep it staked upright like that though. The leaves will adjust themselves to the change of location.
Also you should strip off all those dead brown branches that are hanging down from the palm tree behind it. Their removal will help to prevent fungal or pest infections and would provide more day light and healthy air circulation for ALL the plants growing there.
if I stake it, then it will be very tall, blocking the pygmy date palm, and will stick out to the deck 5ft instead of 8ft.
If I cut it down to 3ft left, then it may or may not grow. If it doesn't grow then at least the hangover goes away, if it grows then i will have small low leaves.
The large cut off part with air roots: can that be re-planted?
I'm thinking on my pole chainsaw that i bought for pruning the palm trees.
We have some of those at a 4 plex rental in So. Cal...they are tough and drought tolerant when that size...not sure if you can cut it in half and have it survive? I just trim the side fronds off occasionally on ours since they encroach on a side walkway...maybe best to contact a nursery in your area and ask them as well? Good luck.
if I stake it, then it will be very tall, blocking the pygmy date palm, and will stick out to the deck 5ft instead of 8ft.
If I cut it down to 3ft left, then it may or may not grow. If it doesn't grow then at least the hangover goes away, if it grows then i will have small low leaves.
The large cut off part with air roots: can that be re-planted?
I'm thinking on my pole chainsaw that i bought for pruning the palm trees.
You can try re-planting it, it's just that with a top that big there's no guarantees it will "take" to being treated as a cutting. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, right? If I was caught in the same situation and intended to cut off the top part with the leaves on it I would plant the cut off part making sure it has a long enough stalk (maybe 2 feet long) with plenty of long air roots on it that can all be planted deep into the soil. Before installing the stalk and air roots in the ground I would remove all but 5 of the biggest, healthiest leaves from the top so the remaining 5 leaves continue to do the job of solar collecting. They can collect and supply food/solar energy to the stalk and roots while they are readjusting and adapting to being planted into the soil.
Keep the soil evenly damp at all times and watch carefully for 3 or 4 months until the cutting is either obviously dead or else obviously starting to grow new leaves at the top again. You may also see the appearance of new sucker shoots and leaves coming up at ground level originating from the vicinities of the air roots that were buried in the soil. Then you will know the air roots have developed feeder roots underground and they are also producing new baby plant shoots.
If you want to plant the top, wait to cut it until the weather warms up (I know you're in Florida, but this winter has been cold everywhere.)
In the meantime, encourage the air roots by loosely wrapping them in damp medium (ideally, spagnum moss, but even damp paper towels would work), then in plastic wrap. When you can see the roots filling the wrap, cut and plant the top.
No, it really is a genuine, mature Selloum Tree philodendron. Look at these images at this link and you'll see it's a Selloum Tree philo - not any kind of monstera plant or elephant ear plant. But it's not quite the same as other types of philodendrons that are not tree form species of philodendrons.
It just looks like an elephant ear or a monstera because the plant is 20 years old or more and has matured into a tree with magnificent looking giant leaves.
Buenos - here is information for you about this species, a.k.a. - Philodendron bipinnatifidum (King Philodendron, Tree Philodendron, Split Leaf, Philodendron, Selloum) [old name: Philodendron selloum]
That looks like a dig out and either re-plant elsewhere, or compost. The only other thing you can do is dig it out, spin it 19
80 degrees and re plant it. It's attracted to the heat coming off the sidewalk. Seen it before...
No, it really is a genuine, mature Selloum Tree philodendron. Look at these images at this link and you'll see it's a Selloum Tree philo - not any kind of monstera plant or elephant ear plant. But it's not quite the same as other types of philodendrons that are not tree form species of philodendrons.
It just looks like an elephant ear or a monstera because the plant is 20 years old or more and has matured into a tree with magnificent looking giant leaves.
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Ok, I see what you're talking about now. I had to go look up the elephant ears to refresh my memory.
Can really tell the diff...
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