About 2 years ago I planted a young palm and staked it to make sure it would not topple. The soil is good, and after planting I topped off the garden bed with gravel.
Fast forward to this past weekend, i went to remove the staked thinking the palm was securely rooted. Well to my surprise the only roots going into the soil are the ones in the middle of the palm. Around the edges of the base of the palm are no roots going into the soil. It is still very unstable and I had to re insert the stakes.

I will try to post pics tomorrow