Clearing Palmetto roots. Equipment & technique???

[Pird]

I have a bunch (many dozen) of Florida palmetto roots to dig up. For all you Yankees palmetto roots are up to about nearly a foot diameter, up to 5' long with the top just below or slightly exposed on the surface. They have dozens of tentacles going deeper into the ground. Digging out with a FEL bucket just does not work because you have to do so much digging to get under the root and when you do it is so "rooty" the bucket will not budge it loose. You must go to the other side and dig under that side also to jar it loose. Can anyone suggest equipment or technique that has worked for them? I have a YM2210D FEL 4 Ft bucket for starters. Thanks

 

[slowrev]

I would think hooking a cable to them and pulling them out. They are in dirty sand. I pulled out a couple when I lived in tampa, hooked a cable around the whole thing at the base with a slip noose kind of arrangement and pulled them out with a Subaru. Mine were not as big as yours though.


Ben

 

[Pird]

Digging under the roots to attach chaines or cables is not a good alternative. It's difficult to do and most often the root breaks where you attach the chain so you have to hook onto the 2 to halves individually to get it. I have way too many roots to do them that way. For those who don't know about palmettos, they run parallel to the ground at or near the surface.
I was later looking at a picture of a single sub soiler on a 3 pt hitch. If you could get the foot of the sub soiler under the root (and lift and pull) that might be the ticket. Whatdayathink??

 

[Glenn9643]

Pird,

Do you have forks for the FEL? I've moved my forks together near the center of the mast and used them as a shovel many times to transplant small trees, dig graves in our pet cemetary, etc. If you have this option try inserting the forks underneath the root and rolling them to loosen. If you don't have forks, it may be a good excuse to get some.

 

[slowrev]

Pird,
I did not worry about the roots that did not pull up with the plant. Just kept the area well mowed and had no more problems with them. Maybe a subsoiler for the left in roots ? Or a backhoe with just a couple real long teeth on the bucket ?