Hi buickbaby,
Washingtonia robusta is a Mexican Fan Palm and they can withstand
extremely high winds. The larger they are the more they will sway in
the wind, and they do quite nicely. Palms need no protection from the
wind.
=================================================
Hurricane Resistant Urban Forests, Prof. Buck Abbey, ASLA, pa AIA*
LSU Hurricane Center -Louisiana State University
http://www.greenlaws.lsu.edu/urbanforests.htm
Top 10 Louisiana Survivor Trees
5. Mexican Washington Palm - Washington robusta
Scroll to "Optional Photos" first photo of Washingtonia robusta,
Mexican Fan Palm. Designed by nature to withstand wind.
=================================================
Washingtonia robusta - Mexican fan palm - Palmae Family
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Washingtonia_robusta.html
=================================================
Be Prudent Pruning Palms
http://ag.arizona.edu/gardening/news/articles/3.1.html
"Pruning palms is one of the standard landscape maintenance practices
of spring and summer. Often it is done incorrectly, causing the palm
unseen damage.
The tendency is to prune palms severely. Standard practice is to
remove all but the top tier of leaves. In coastal areas this is called
"hurricane" pruning. It is typically done just prior to the hurricane
season, with the intention of protecting the palms from high winds.
In reality, palms need no protection from high winds. Their flexible
leaves and low wind resistance make them nearly storm-proof. But the
practice of hurricane pruning continues, even in locations far away
from the sea. It the Desert Southwest the practice is referred to as
Arooster-tailing due to the plumed appearance of the remaining leaves.
Rooster-tail pruning is harmful in several ways. Instead of protecting
the palm from high winds, the practice actually weakens the canopy.
The reason for this is that all fronds (leaves) in the head of a palm
act together, with each frond layer supporting and adding strength to
the one above. They all protect the bud and newly emerging spear leaf.
The more leaves removed, the less strength and protection there is.
Like trees, palms manufacture their food through their leaves. But
palms are not as efficient as trees at storing their food for needy
times. So palms are more dependent on their leaves to provide
necessary food for growth. With relatively few leaves, compared to
trees, removing even one green frond can significantly reduce the
palms ability to feed itself.
An unpruned Mexican fan palm carries no more than 30 fronds at one
time. Typically, as many as 20 fronds may be removed in "rooster-tail"
pruning. That means the palms ability to manufacture food has been
reduced by two-thirds. Try to imagine if you had to survive on
two-thirds less calories a day!
Severe pruning also stimulates an unhealthy survival response in
palms. Energy is burned, to quickly produce new leaves to replace
those lost. Instead of storing food, palms that are severely pruned
begin depleting their reserves of energy. If this happens on an annual
basis, the palm's trunk gradually decreases in diameter and becomes
weak. It is more likely this weakened trunk will break or shatter in a
storm.
Palms also move nutrients from the older fronds to the new growth.
When all of these older fronds are removed, so is the source of much
of the nutrients that palms need. As a result, nutrient deficiencies
can develop. These nutrient deficiencies can be difficult to correct."
=================================================
keyword search:
Washingtonia robusta Mexican Fan Palm hurricane wind
Mexican Fan Palm
Mexican Fan Palm wind strength
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
