How Long Do Palm Trees Need to Be Braced?

Bracing Duration

• Brace newly planted palms for six months, regardless of the season. If the garden soil is light and porous, such as with sand, bracing may be required for eight to 12 months. If the planting site is exposed, and sea breezes or gusts of wind are common, extending the bracing a few months beyond six helps to ensure ample new roots grow to anchor the palm. If a palm is deliberately planted at a lean to mimic the effect of a beach side toppled palm, bracing for 12 months is recommended.

Palm Size

• Palm with less than 6 feet of trunk don't need bracing during the period when they grow new roots and establish. The sizes of shorter trunks are more easily pushed or manipulated if they lean after a tropical storm. Short palm trunks are exposed to lesser wind loads compared to a palm that, for example, towers 20 feet into the air. Brace palm trunks that are 6 to 10 feet tall if they are close to a sidewalk, parking lot or other area that needs extra insurance that winds, cars or people leaning on them won't cause problems.

Seasonal Considerations

• Palm roots grow their fastest when the soil is evenly moist and soil temperatures approach or exceed 75 degrees Fahrenheit. A tall palm planted in winter or early spring may develop minimal roots outward into the soil for stabilization. In this case, keeping the braces on the palm until the end of summer or the threat of tropical storm season passes makes good sense. If the six-month bracing period expires during the height of hurricane season, it's worth keeping the braces on a couple more months until the storm threat for the year subsides.

Importance of Brace Removal

• Bracing clearly prevents a palm from toppling in strong winds, but indefinite bracing weakens the root system. The bracing keeps the palm trunk steady as the roots grow outward into the native soil. A little stress and movement of the trunk is good, as it encourages the roots to strength or broaden out their grasp in the soil profile. Keeping a palm braced indefinitely creates a comparatively weak root system that is not well-developed to anchor the palm if the braces fail, rot away or are removed.