Again, what were they thinking?

[beastmaster]

I did a bid today in a upscale private community. Last year this guy had his gardener do his trees. They hat racked all the trees(camphor)and they have grown back crazy. Thats power for the course around here. The HO accepted my bid and said he had one more question. He walks me over to these queen palms all covered in spike marks and points out one and asked is it safe?
View attachment 180702

Some one put a narrow face cut close to half way throu the palm while trimming it. The winds in that area can be brutal at times and blows towards the front of the house most the time. He doesn't want to remove it. I told him it maybe might be OK, but it won't be long when that thing is 5ft taller it's going to break. He wants to build a brace for it. I recommended removal, any opinions?(besides sueing the gardener) Beastmaster

 

[Neem]

Doesn't seem that "narrow" to me....

 

[imagineero]

Really hard to tell from that photo, can't see much at all. Palms are generally a safer bet than most trees though; they have very little green on them to catch wind and are generally the last tree to come down in a hurricane despite the sometimes small root balls. I'm not worried by heights, but have climbed right up to the top of some 4 or 5 story high cabbage palms, and they are pretty spindly up there. They do sway a bit, but I think they're pretty solid. I've never heard of one falling over in a storm round here (sydney aus). Not saying it doesnt happen, just that it's rare.

Shaun

 

[treemandan]

Really hard to tell from that photo, can't see much at all. Palms are generally a safer bet than most trees though; they have very little green on them to catch wind and are generally the last tree to come down in a hurricane despite the sometimes small root balls. I'm not worried by heights, but have climbed right up to the top of some 4 or 5 story high cabbage palms, and they are pretty spindly up there. They do sway a bit, but I think they're pretty solid. I've never heard of one falling over in a storm round here (sydney aus). Not saying it doesnt happen, just that it's rare.

Shaun

That is very interesting thanks for sharing.

 

[ducaticorse]

I did a bid today in a upscale private community. Last year this guy had his gardener do his trees. They hat racked all the trees(camphor)and they have grown back crazy. Thats power for the course around here. The HO accepted my bid and said he had one more question. He walks me over to these queen palms all covered in spike marks and points out one and asked is it safe?
View attachment 180702

Some one put a narrow face cut close to half way throu the palm while trimming it. The winds in that area can be brutal at times and blows towards the front of the house most the time. He doesn't want to remove it. I told him it maybe might be OK, but it won't be long when that thing is 5ft taller it's going to break. He wants to build a brace for it. I recommended removal, any opinions?(besides sueing the gardener) Beastmaster

Dude, that looks pretty f'ng deep to me. I'd take that bad boy down.. It looks photo-shopped actually.

 

[beastmaster]

I wish I even know how to use photo shop. It's weird the way its bigger above the cut. It seems to be flourishing.
I would be a lot less concerned if it was on the opposite side of the palm.
HO don't want to do anything about it, what can you do. Them suckers are deceivingly heavy. If it broke in hard winds it would probably go right through the front of the house.
But my point is why would some one do that on a trim job? He said the gardener who bid the job released a bunch of illegals armed with chainsaws on his property, The trees in the back yard are F up, they were trimmed last spring to hat racks, and are so over grown now with suckers he fears they'll start breaking(they might)
I bid the job to rehabilitate the trees. I warned him they may not look that nice, and it'll take a few trims over the next several years to try and make them look like trees. That queen palm is a lost if you ask me. Palms are pretty stringy Im not sure it would even come off the trunk if it blew over. Hell I just don't know.

 

[ozzy42]

Can't recall ever seeing a live queen lose its top,but then again,most palms aren't cut half way in two.

I would tell him there is now way to fix it,and that it is a hazard in many ways. Bay windows,slate roof,nice rain gutters.
Top it ,then drop it.

 

[mikewhite85]

crazy gardeners