What can you do w/a downed palm tree?

[onions!]

I've been wondering about this for a long time.

When a tree falls where I live(Michigan) it's usually a oak,elm,pine,poplar,spruce,or whatever.I mean that it's not a palm tree.

Anyways,when a oak falls it usually becomes firewood,kindling,or mulch.

What can you use a downed palm for?I've never even touched one bit I get the impression that they hold a lot of water & that by the time that they dry out all that's left is a withered,useless husk.Or that they rot & fall apart quickly.

Are palms just landfill when downed?

[charby]

Maybe use them for an Orchid potting medium? I pot mine in ground up coconuts and moss.

Charby

[grampster]

41 mag,

    Shhhhhhhh.  They smoke 'em.

[Guest]

Mesquite is for BBQ,
Palm is for Liberals...
*smirk*

Teoma Search says...

http://www.palmgrower.org/uses.shtml

http://www.bernardine.com/gemstones/palm-wood.htm

http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_ashlye.html

Making "Lye Water"

Soap making uses a caustic solution known as "Lye Water".

When available, Caustic Soda is used. Here we will make Lye Water out of certain wood ashes and "soft water".
1) White Ashes

Dried palm branches, dried out banana peels, cocoa pods, kapok tree wood, oak wood, (or for really white soap, apple tree wood) make the best lye ashes. Ordinary wood used in cooking fires will do.

[Jim March]

Hollow it out into a canoe?

[thorn]

a HA ! this is my expert area=
it really depends wher you are, but i would imagine at this point most places with lots of palms do what we do here=

GRIND EM UP!

at the dumps they have HUGE mulch maker machines, i think it is 12 inches or more they can grind up=
they started installing these machines in the 90s, and at first they could NOT handle palms or other FIBerOUs vegetation- the long fibers would gum and tangle everything.

but pretty fast they got it figured out, and palms are ground up as green waste, ,made into compost and mulch with everything else.

previously- palm was often considered non-green, and landfilled- HOWEVER i highly suspect large dumping of palm were used as christmas trees back east often are used- installed as erosion prevention.
i've seen swaths of christmas trees used to shore hillsides and small streams,. they probably do something similar with palms at times

[280plus]

Hollow it out and make a cannon...

[Gewehr98]

Start carving.  You need a Tiki Totem:

[crt360]

I like the totem pole idea.

You could also cut it into sections and hollow them into planter pots and beer buckets.  Carve cool designs on the side.  Sell them at a flea market/craft show or give them as gifts.

You might try watching some Gilligan's Island reruns.  I think they did stuff with them.

[jefnvk]

Do with it what you do to all unwanted trash.

Burn it

If it isn't burning too good, douse it in gas then burn it

[Antibubba]

41mag, I think you need to read a book or just go outside or something.  You've been online too long.  

[onions!]

I like the Tiki & canoe ideas!

I'll save the Mythbusters cannon for a hardwood thank you very much.LOL!(BOOM------->splat!)

Antibubba?You ain't kiddin.

[MaterDei]

I have some very pretty palms around my pool.  I just got finished running some guy wires  to some stakes in the hopes that Rita won't knock them over.  If my attempts to keep them upright fails, I'll let you know what kind of canoe they make.