Palm tree to close (how much, house, landscaping)

[calif palm]

Help,
I want to add onto the house. There is a 30 yr old palm tree within
6 feet of the new addition. Is this to close? will the roots
damage the concrete foundation? Should I have it removed?

[Coldjensens]

You can sell it. Many landscapers will come remove it, plant a new one (if you want) and give you money too. Depending on the type, some older palms are worth a small fortune. Others are just large weeds that will cost a small fortune to get rid of.

I think tha tpalm tree roots go mostly down. But they are soft and flexible and the wind may blow the tree up against your house, especially the santa ana winds.

[bhcompy]

You also have to worry about roof rats when you have plants/trees that are close to your roof line.

[MIKEETC]

Originally Posted by Coldjensens

You can sell it. Many landscapers will come remove it, plant a new one (if you want) and give you money too. Depending on the type, some older palms are worth a small fortune. Others are just large weeds that will cost a small fortune to get rid of.

I think tha tpalm tree roots go mostly down. But they are soft and flexible and the wind may blow the tree up against your house, especially the santa ana winds.

Agreed.

I work for a municipal planning department and I have heard various stories about how much people will pay for a mature palm tree. I once was on an inspection for a new single-family residence and I saw three relatively mature Queen palms. They weren't native to the location and I asked the superintendent on the job site about them. He told me the homeowner paid $20,000 for each one. I thought he was BSing me but he said it with a straight face. Judging by the size of the house and the neighborhood, I couldn't think of a reason to doubt it.

I don't know if you'll get that kind of money, but 1/4 of that amount will help pay for the addition. Condition, type, and appearance will be a factor. Ask your local nursery.

[RAMFEB31]

Sometimes I wonder if landscaping trees come in cycles. Years previous, I've remembered yucca was the rage. Now, many who have yuccas, including myself, are taking them down. Also, years previous, garden variety palms were planted until the owners found they grow like a weed along w/ the high cost of maintenance. In recent years, queens and sagos were the rage. For awhile, there were news items of sagos being stolen right from the front yard. The thieves would yank them out w/a chain tied to a PU.
Still, it looks like sagos and queens may have a longer run since, it seems, these palms seem to have lower maintenance. So, if it is the garden variety palm, it will cost you for removal.

[EscapeCalifornia]

What kind of palm tree do I see everywhere that's often growing anywhere a seed dropped, like a crack in the sidewalk or in unlandscaped land along the freeway? There's usually a bunch of dead fronds just below the green ones and the dead ones often extend all the way to the ground. Even when the trunk is not covered with dead fronds, it looks like its covered with pieces of dead frond stalks. I can't find any pictures online but I Googled king, queen, and sago and that's not it.

[happ]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

What kind of palm tree do I see everywhere that's often growing anywhere a seed dropped, like a crack in the sidewalk or in unlandscaped land along the freeway? There's usually a bunch of dead fronds just below the green ones and the dead ones often extend all the way to the ground. Even when the trunk is not covered with dead fronds, it looks like its covered with pieces of dead frond stalks. I can't find any pictures online but I Googled king, queen, and sago and that's not it.

That is the native California Fan palm\ washingtonia. If you have one fan palm you will quickly get hundreds of palms unless you cut them out. Fan palms literally grow in cracks next to the freeway!

Palms do very well in California & roots don't seem to be a problem but a large Canary Island Palm can be home to both rats & pigeons yet they sell for big bucks if you want to get rid of one. King palms are nice & royal & majesty palms are becoming more popular as well.

[EscapeCalifornia]

Originally Posted by happ

That is the native California Fan palm\ washingtonia. If you have one fan palm you will quickly get hundreds of palms unless you cut them out. Fan palms literally grow in cracks next to the freeway!

Palms do very well in California & roots don't seem to be a problem but a large Canary Island Palm can be home to both rats & pigeons yet they sell for big bucks if you want to get rid of one. King palms are nice & royal & majesty palms are becoming more popular as well.

Thanks. I just looked it up and the ones I asked about are indeed the California fan palms. They look like big weeds to me.

[CuriousaboutBoca]

Originally Posted by EscapeCalifornia

Thanks. I just looked it up and the ones I asked about are indeed the California fan palms. They look like big weeds to me.

What did you end up doing with your palm trees? Were you able to sell them? Or did you have to pay to have them professionally removed?

I have some very tall palms too close to my house. I am a little worried. I'd like to learn from your experience to see what you did. Thank you.

[russlancea]

Palm trees tend to have shallow, fibrous roots, not deep woody roots that can lift up and break concrete and foundations. The real question might be how the digging affects the tree. I would remove it