Syagrus botryophora

[MattyB]

Syagrus botryophora

15 gal size plant, no pinnate leaves yet, in ground, planted next to a dwarf banana, no direct overhead canopy.

24.1F, no frost, covered w/ a sheet.

5% leaf damage after a few days.

After 5 days now 30% leaf burn is being observed.

[Walt]

Well, I lost a very nice S. botryophora I bought in Oct. of 2005 at the Searle Brothers Nursery sale in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl.

I planted the palm just a few days later. It was about 8 feet tall overall (to give you an indication of the size, I think 10 gallon, maybe 15).

In January of 2006 it got some leaf damage from a low of 30 degrees F and frost. However, it got more severe leaf damage on Feb. 14, 2006 when my low was 27.1 degrees in my open yard. But it could have been slightly colder where the S. botryophora was planted. It was a radiational freeze.

I thought for sure the palm would recover because it still had maybe 20 percent green leaves that were more protected by those above it. But no such luck. I noticed the palm wasn't growing and it died about two months later.

Maybe I just had a bummer, I don't know, but it sure was a nice looking palm (very healthy looking). I think that palm cost around 125-135 bucks, so I wasn't happy about its demise. Now I'm very skeptical about its alleged cold hardiness (zone 9b).

That being said, I will get another one and try it, as I can't pass judgement on this species based on my negative experience with just one of these palms.

[Joe palma]

15g plant, out of a green house for 3.5 yrs, no pinnate leafs yet, +3 tall, another one of my plants that was just starting to do very well, was slated for planting this spring, saw 32F (not sure on duration), medium wind exposure, no canopy what-so-ever, frost at least one night, all fronds almost totally burned, I think she'll make it, some green on one old frond and new (small still) spike. Trunk base is solid.

Looks similar to all the S. sanconas I have!

[MattyB]

My plant mentioned in the first post is recovering slowly.  It's thrown 2 leaves this spring/summer.  Both are slightly stunted I think because they're still not pinnate and they're not getting any progressively bigger.  It's gonna make it though.  Lesson:  a cover with a sheet just may save your plant.

[Joe palma]

Mine, mentioned in the above previous post, had croaked  several weeks ago. Bummed on that one.

Thought it would pull through.

[deezpalms]

I have two in 5 gallon containers that made it thru last winter just fine. They only saw one night at 34 and many nights slightly higher. Now I have two big ones in 24" boxes that came from Florida. I hope these guys make it thru this winter!!

[MattyB]

Dave, I think that the fact that they're 5-8 feet above the ground makes a big difference.  They should do fine.

[deezpalms]

(MattyB @ Sep. 28 2007,15:23)

QUOTE

Dave, I think that the fact that they're 5-8 feet above the ground makes a big difference.  They should do fine.

Yeah, I know the bigger the hardier but they came from Florida and that always scares me a bit as I'm not doing anything to acclimate them. I just threw them in full sun and they're doing really good so far so I have high hopes for them. I'd like to see these guys when they double in size  

[mnorell]

One relatively small specimen, about 24" strap leaves, in a slightly protected position against a SW-facing wall, Heliconia and Caesalpinia canopy above, endured a 15-hour freeze to 23.3F on 3 Jan 2008; The canopy was then defoliated and it endured a couple of other mid-20s 8-hour freezes in mid-Jan with no overhead protection at all. Otherwise about a half-dozen garden-variety light freezes and frosts, a decent amount of burn, lost a leaf or two but two large leaves and a spike remain with probably 30% burn, actually a surprising amount of green! I've marked the spear and it's now growing actively, if slowly. Amazed!

[The Germinator]

I have one in a 50 gallon patio pot about 15 foot high and it is in full exposure. Minimal damage, leaf tip burn through this winter, I believe the min temps this winter were in mid to low 30's for a week.

[TikiRick]

This palm may not be as cold hardy as once thought. I have three in the ground. All of them are now over 20' high, so they must now fend for themselves when a cold front approaches. All three witnesses 37 with high winds this winter. Minimal tip burn.

They do not like wind at all. They appear to be VERY shallow rooted as all three came out of the ground in a past tropical storm.

[palm tree man]

Has anyone had any further experience with syagrus botryophora? What ultimate low can a trunking individual withstand?

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

They seem to be tender below 30f .... I had a small one gallon size freeze at that temp.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

This is a zone 10a palm, which is why I grow mine in the best microclimate in my garden. Mine made it through last December's freeze completely untouched, but if that helps as a point of reference, the large Ensete banana growing right next to it stayed green as well without a hint of damage either. i wouldn't even dare to grow this one out in the open even in the 10a sections of my garden.

Edit: after re-reading the reports in this thread, I would re-iterate that this palm is probably no hardier than a banana, at least bananas have the ability to grow new suckers from the root. The patty palm, on the other hand unfortunately doesn't.

[palm tree man]

Good point Axel. It shall stay in its planter. What about the red necked dypsis? Is it similar to the teddy bear in cold tolerance for you? Sorry I got off topic.

[necturus]

Any more recent experiences with these?

[Brett in Mission Viejo]

Check out this 2016 thread for So Cal experience; They seem to do well in the nicer microclimates. Here in Mission Viejo, it is outgrowing my 16 year old Caryota Gigas! Once pinnate, they takeoff. Not sure if how they do with the lows in Houston. Others with that experience will need to chime in. 

 

 

[RedRabbit]

I found some nearby that were fried from 28f w/ wind. They look like they'll come back, but my takeaway was that they're not quite as hardy as I had hoped.