Anyone out there a palm nut, too? I am the bookstore chairperson for the International Palm Society and editor for the Southern California Palm Society and am crazy about palms (crazy in general). Maybe most of you don't live in zones that palms grow in, but if you have any palm questions or comments, field them here, or check out palms.org and go to palmtalk.
Palms
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There are a number of palms that will do well in your area (how far north of Orlando are you?). If you like 'feather' palms like Queens, you might want to consider Butias, Allagoptera, or Phoenix sp.. Queens can be nice, but are very common. There are other Syagrus species that would do well in your area that are a little more unusual and exotic. Queens also are freeze intolerant (I have noticed a lack of tall Queens even around Orlando... from what I heard most of them were lost in the 89 freeze). There are also a number of fan palms to chose from, too.
Hey BotanyBob; Planted a Bismark about a month ago and the tips are browning until the whole leaf dies. The two new spears seem to be growing fine. What do you think. Thanks
JewelOrchid- the stilt roots you see are normal for many Chamaedorea species (and you have the species correct). The more humidity and more moisture in the soil, the more likely stilt roots will develop. This can mean your soil is getting too compact and not enough air in it.. .may need to transplant it in fresher soil. Chamaedorea are amazing tough and hardy to being transplanted and abused in general. But if the leaves are healthy and all else looks good, you don't really have to do anything.
PostmanSeb- your Bismarckia will probably be fine... though I don't know where you are in relation to Orlando, most Bismarckias in Florida recover quickly from transplant shock, as long as it wasn't a really big one you transplanted (large ones are very touchy and messing with their deeper roots makes them very unhappy). As long as the spikes look good, you're fine.
AJC
Jun 02, 2001
Hello Bob
i like palms, had a few, lost most, to cold here for them, lost a big pheonix canariensis, just broke my spade shaft trying to dig it out, going to put in a trachtcarpus fortunii in its place, see how that fares, nice to know we have a palm nut at hand.
Jewel,
A Chamaedorea elegans rarely needs a larger pot... being rootbound rarely has a negative effect on a palm unless there is almost no soil left in the pot (some exceptions... large, fast growing palms don't like to be rootbound as much). But it does help to change the soil now and then (every 2-4 years). Fortunately Chamaedoreas, as I said before, are very easy to repot. As for the stilt roots, you do not need to plant them below the surface... I would recommend not doing that... they are now adapted to living above ground and could rot if buring below the surface again.
AJC- what area do you live in?
Hi Bob, I have a small Sago palm that I just bought off of Ebay. I've had it for about 4 months, One frond died and now it just seems to be sitting there. Question is should I put it outside for the summer, I live in Northern Wisconsin, Thanks, Bells
Bells, a Sago Palm is not a palm at all... it is a cycad, which is coning plant... even though it does look somewhat palm-like. Anyway, you treat cycads a lot differently than palms.. and they grow differently, too. Cycads often just sit there... sometimes literally for years, without doing anything. As long as you don't water it too much and it's not rotting, it should be OK... they love heat. If you are worried about its health, and it's not too humongous, you can take it out of the pot, examine its roots and whatever else is buried under the soil, and look for signs of rot. If nothing looks squishy or rotten, then plop it back in some new cactus mix, or some other very well draining mix, and water it infrequently, keep it as warm as possible, give it some sun and wait. It will grow another set of fronds eventually.
BotanyBob...I confess, I'm a palm nut too...all mine have to grow indoors, though. A question for you, if I may...I have a young variegated fishtail palm (caryota mitis) that is developing brown spots on the leaves. It did have a case of spider mites, which I've banished....but I don't think that was the exclusive cause of the browning. I think it may have been over-potted (up too far on the trunk - pot size seems to be OK) before I received it, so I've removed some of the soil. Any ideas? I have the non variegated fishtail, and haven't had any troubles in the 6 years I've owned it! Do you feel this variegated one needs more light than the plain, or equal?
PS I have visited palms.org and was successful in finding one of my wants following a post! Very nice and helpful folks on that forum! Thanks in advance for any info you can give me!
BotanyBob,
I started a thread not knowing about you and your expesrtise, because I am trying to find some pips to grow a plam that makes nice big dates
>>http://davesgarden.com/showthread/47665.html <<
what is your expert opinion? any info would help very much. Crete is almost zone 10 - no frost in the winter.
Dimitri
Nan, brown spots on the leaves are not a symptom typical of one specific problem unfortunately... there are several things that do that. C mitis variegated actually are more light sensitive than the regular variety (pretty much a rule many species of variegated plants) and don't do well in direct sunlight... however, if not direct sunlight, light shouldn't be a big problem... though total darkness is obviously not good, either. Have to admit I don't have a whole lot experience with that plant.. I have one, but only had it less than a year... no problems, yet, though (I don't do the indoor thing, though).
Brown spots can be cold damage, fungal spots, heat damage, light damage (direct sun)... and probaby a variety of other problems... however spider mites do not usually cause brown spots...just a pale, washed out looking leaf.. that may eventually turn brown altogether... or could become more susceptible to other problems (listed above) that could lead to your brown spots. I find I get brown spots most often if I overwater, or get too much tap water on the leaves when it's cold (probably fungus).
Dimitri.. I am assuming you mean 'pups'. I don't know specifically where you can order them, but there are many growers of date palms here in So Cal, and pups are frequently removed from larger plants in the date palm industry (don't know anyone in that industry personally, though). Would think there would be plenty in your area as that's where they came from first.
Bob, I mean the seeds. And, to your surprise as well as mine, there are no date palms in Crete !!
Jersey guy in anotherthread on this subject says I can use the seeds from dried dates - do you think they will germinate??
Dimitri
talon5
Jun 21, 2001
Hi Bob.....I bought what I thought was a small Areca Palm, a few months ago, but now, it appears what I actually have is a Bella Palm, which I understand is a dwarf? The plant I have is 10" tall, with about 20 "fronds". Last week I saw some much more mature plants, at Home Depot, three times as big, with three times as many stems. Would I do better, getting the larger one, and incorporating the one I've got, into it? Mine looks so puny, next to what I saw at HD!
Talon,
A 'Bella' palm, or otherwise known as Neanthe bella (the old and incorrect genus and species for Chamaedorea elegans) is a solitary palm... if you have multiple stems, you either have a handful of 'parlor palms' or you have something else. And 'Areca' palm is actually NOT of the genus Areca, but of the genus Dypsis. It is also called a Butterfly Palm (can't remember why, though). This is a very commonly sold palm at Home garden stores, and is a true clumber. Parlor palms are not true dwarfs as they can grow to 10' tall (though it may take 20+ years to get that tall). Dypsis lutescens (the 'Areca Palm') can grow up to 30' tall, and does readily in tropical climates. Indoors, however, it is a LOT slower and usually tops out at about 10-15'. I guess it all depends what you want size-wise, and where you're planning on putting it/them.
talon5
Jun 22, 2001
No wonder I've been so totally confused, trying to identify this thing! I thought I finally had it, when I saw the little care tags at Home Depot, this week.
There's a picture of the plant in question, on my Journal page.
This message was edited Friday, Jun 22nd 12:43 PM
So nice to have a Palm Pro on site, isn't it?!
Ok Bbob, regarding my fishtail palm....I don't think it's cold damage...the palm was sent to me in a cold month, and although I know cold damage takes awhile, I think it's been too long for cold damage to show up just recently. I've only watered the palm twice since I received it. As I said, I think the soil was too far up the trunk, (some of the soil did 'spill' during shipping) and the soil beneath is quite soggy, so I'm betting at the moment that it's overwatered. I had place the palm in medium light, equivalent to that of my green fishtail, so I'm certain it's not 'sun damage', either. I think I'll repot into a more freely draining mix this weekend. Thanks for your advice and for sharing your expertise!
Hi Bob,
It's great to find an expert on here who offers his services like this. And I've got loads of palm questions.......
I'll just start with one for now:
Years ago I got a palm (at least that's what everyone calls it) from some people at work.
It's got one stem that's about 4 cm in diameter and it's height is about 60 cm. At the bottom the stem is about twice as thick. It's got four fronds with thin curly leaves (a bit like party streamers), the leaves are about 1,5 cm wide. For all these years it didn't do anything nothing grew, nothing died it's just sustaining itself in my living room.
Have you got any idea what sort of plant this maybe, so I can find out what the proper way to care for it is?
Thanks a lot!
Agnes
Agnes, what it sounds like you have is a 'elephant's foot palm, or 'pony tail palm... Beaucarnia recurvata. Actually a succulent in the lily family and not even the least bit related to palms at all. Unlike most palms, this plant requires very little water.. and loves direct sunlight (though you might burn the leaves a bit if it's never been in the sun).. and LOTS of heat. They are very slow growers indoors. Outdoors they do a lot better (at least out here in So Cal) in terms of speed, but are still considered slow plants. They eventually develop massive bases up to 15 feet across and multiple heads, too.
Thanks!
I checked both of your suggestions on the web and it's definitly beaucarnia recurvata. Since the sun finally has come out this week I'm thinking about putting it outside for the summer. It's alright as it is, but it would be nice to see it grow just a tiny bit.
Thanks for your help,
Agnes
Can someone tell me what the seeds look like, from a palm? I live in Los Angeles, and I am within the first year at my house, so this development is new to me. I have noticed these reddish-brownish seeds all over - they have the same idea as a pomegranate, they actually used to startle me as they sort of look like a beetle. (There are no palms on my block, but being L.A. they are of course around.)
I am asking because now I think I have baby palm trees growing all around. Just one long leaf to start, 3 or so deep grooves, feels plasticy. Are they palms?
Sounds like you have Washingtonia robusta seedlings popping up everywhere... you don't need palms too close to have these 'weeds' showing up all the time ... a favorite food for birds, and passing through their GI tracts stimulates them to germinate even faster. And they fall down where ever the birds are perching. If you don't want a palm there, pull them up now, 'cause in a year they will be hard to dig up.
BBob....I love visiting the palms.org site and viewing the message board posts, even found a palm I was searching for on that board! But I'd rather just ask you this, here, if that's OK. I'd purchased some Thrinax / Fla. Thatch palm seeds last year, and although I know it takes many palm seeds a long time to germinate, I just think it's been TOO long for these? Am I too impatient, or do you suppose the seeds weren't fresh, or???? Any info on these seeds and their germination quirks appreciated!! Thanks!
Oh, and I think my little variegated Caryota was planted too deeply in the soil...seems to be recovering now.
Some palm seeds take 'forever' to germinate... Howea seeds (Kentia Palm) can germinate in 2 months... to 4 years later. Acrocomia, a really spiny palm, typically germinates in 3-5 years (gotta be really patient to wait around that long). But I think Thrinax are usually good, quick germinators. I can't say the seed wasn't any good, because there are so many other variables... there are many finicky germinators out there. Most palm seeds need heat (usually bottom heat best), constant moisture, and sometimes need to be treated for fungus. Thrinax seeds are usually cheap and in abundance (T radiata... there are rarer species that might be harder to come by), so replacement seeds should be easy to get.
I wondered what are those little weeds which are growing in my pots... And they are Trachycarpus fortunei palm seedlings... Very nice :-) I should sow my Saw palmetto - Serenoa repens seeds soon, do u have any experiences?
Hello, I am new to Dave's Garden and have been a little too timid to send any emails. But here goes....while visiting my son in Atlantic Beach, FL I got some Queen palm seeds from him. Both my son and I are wondering what to do with them (as far as getting them started).
I have enjoyed reading everyone's comments.
Queen Palm seeds tend to be pretty easy to germinate.. warmth (bottome heat) and wet soil usually does the job (if the seeds are OK). Many experts recommend soaking the seeds overnight in a dilute bleach solution first. Queens are pretty hardy, but not sure of your lows there in the winter... might need to protect the seedlings for a few years. Good luck.
HI Bob,
Thanks for all the help you are handing out so freely. I thought I would ask you about a Kentia palm I've had for a number of years now. The base of the trunk is about 5 inches up from the soil line. I know better than to just repot and move the soil line up, but the plant isn't all that stable in the pot. What do you recommend I do with it? I thought of going to a larger pot and moving the soil line up very gradually. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Robin
I was afraid that the Queen palm wouldn't survive in MD so I had planned on trying to grow it in a pot until it grew for a while and then taking it back to Florida so that my son and grandson could plant it. Any ideas on how to plant the seeds, soil mixture I should use, etc. ???
Thanks,
Diane
I planted two palms in my yard last spring, and they survived the winter , have grown about a foot and looking healhty still. Our winters get pretty cold.
Karma, that sure looks like a Washingtonia robusta seedling to me, but I can't blow it up large enough to get a close-up of the leaves... may end up being a Trachycarpus, but I doubt it.
Dorstenia... sorry I've been away for a while.. are you saying the palm has 5" of exposed roots? If so, there is no problem adding soil to pot to cover them up. However, Howeas tend to take repotting really well, so you can also do that.
Hi folks, I have very fresh seeds from Pygme Date Palm
(many still on the trees) and am wondering if it is OK to plant them now, or do they need a dormancy period. I am in SW Florida, zone9b
Thanks for any advice, Sue
Palm seeds do not normally need dormancy periods, though some take months, if not years to germinate... but they can spend this time planted. Usually the fresher the seed (as long as it's ripe) the better.