Cyrtostachys Renda Requirements

[Halekuma]

Hi guys, could be possible to grow cyrtostachys renda at 1900m-2000m altitude in Colombia? Daytime temps are 20-23C and lows at night between 10C-12C... ALL YEAR AROUND. This place is native habitat of Dyctyocaryum Lamarckianum and Geonoma orbignyana... Place is surrounded of large amounts of water (big lakes)....

I guess the best answer could be from people living in the tropics at high altitude (Patricia CR for example) but any input is really appreciated...

Im at the moment on holidays in Colombia and have seen plenty of cyrtostachys and fruiting cocos at the mountains but at lower altitudes (those places have an average temp of 23C but ours at 1900m is around 18-19C I guess...)

Thanks for any reply guys...

[Jeff Searle]

Like I tell people all the time when they ask, if a certain palm or plant will grow where they live, I tell them, look around if you don't see it there's a good reason why usually. I'm certainly not positive, but it sounds like you might be a bit too high up. Maybe some others will comment on this too with their own experiences.

[Patricia-CR]

Hello Halekuma,

My answer is probably NOT. But you could always do the experiment, as I'm doing it (I'm at 1450 m). I am growing one close to a small bunch of Dypsis lutescens for protection -especially from the wind. It is growing extremely slow and paler than the ones grown down in the valley (which simply thrive and are super easy to grow there). The Dypsis have double their size, while the CR is almost the same size as when I bought it. But it's there! Looking can't say nice, but fine.

Any other question, feel free to ask. Good luck! Keep us updated, if you decide to give it a try.

[Jeff in St Pete]

I agree with Jeff and Patricia. I think your location might be a little too high. C. renda grows best with daytimes temps between 29 to 34c. It may grow for you at your elevation, but it won't look as nice as those growing much lower. I'm currently trying a few at around 1300m in Costa Rica and they're growing, but they're still too small to tell how they will grow here long term. I've seen a few nice ones further down the mountain, but none around here at this elevation so it's an experiment. Of course you are a lot closer to the equator than I am, but i still think your night time lows and daytime highs are a little too cool for C. renda.

[Jose Maria]

You can always try . Scientific method...

But to me 2000 meter is too high for a Cyrtostachys renda. In Costa Rica I am sure none grow this high, but we are at 8 and 10° North, Colombia is farther south.

Location? They need a lot of water too.

Good luck.

[cobra2326]

How high is San Jose? We saw plenty mature ones in Alajuela when we were there...

[Patricia-CR]

San Jose's or Alajuela's height varies a lot, but those beautiful mature CR are usually found below 1000 m.

[kwtimo]

What about the Cyrtostachys hybrid that is proving to be much more cold tolerant? That could perhaps be a better choice if available. I agree on the high water demand for either species.

[humangenomaproject]

It MAY grow for you but it will be very slow if it does. I saw a few in bags from a grower named Jorge that lives near Wilson Botanic Garden (slightly higher but probably at the same elevation as Patricia) and they were about one foot tall and several years old. I have never seen an adult healthy one around San Vito (and there are quite a few growers up there) so you might get it to survive but it will probably never reach all its glory.

[PalmnutVN]

Personally, I'd be more concerned about the night time temperatures. Cyrtostachys really doesn't like going much under 15c and will suffer as a result.

This palm is slow, even when grown in the most optimum of environments, so the relatively cool days and cold nights certainly won't help it either.

[Halekuma]

Thanks for the replays to everybody... cyrtostachys renda grows fine in medellin (1500-1600m), plenty of fruiting coconuts and verschaffeltia splendida for example... As Jose Maria told I can always try and see how it goes...

Palms in the true tropics perform quite surprisingly sometimes... my place dont go below 10/9C in the year but I guess it must have gone below 6C before... Last week somebody here in colombia told me Bogota went to -10C in 2007 maybe to -7C in protected places like the botanic garden (being optimistic)but still did not kill most palm species in the ground.... Bogota is about +2500 m over sea level... Im already planning a visit to Bogota to get some seeds and see what species grow there...

[Halekuma]

Usually when the night lows hit records here in colombia daytime temps are warmer than usual... My place always see at least 21C all year around as daytime max temp. So not really cold days as Im used to see in Europe...

[Jeff in St Pete]

How high is San Jose? We saw plenty mature ones in Alajuela when we were there...

Jon, San Jose is around 3800 ft. Alajuela is known as one of the warmer areas of the Central Valley whereas places like Escazu and Heredia can be cooler. Just last night it felt colder to me than normal so I checked some weather sites. The international airport is in Alajuela and the temp there last night (at the time I checked) was in the high 60's. Yet here on the mountain in Escazu it was in the high 50's. With the wind coming down the mountain it felt even colder. I went to bed last night dressed in sweatpants, a hoodie, and socks. That's a first for me in Costa Rica.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I would love to find out what grows for you up there. I have great success mostly with highland palms because my growing season features lows in the 10-12C range.

I have heard of a Cyrtostachys growing in a sheltered courtyard in SF but I've never seen it.

[cobra2326]

How high is San Jose? We saw plenty mature ones in Alajuela when we were there...

Jon, San Jose is around 3800 ft. Alajuela is known as one of the warmer areas of the Central Valley whereas places like Escazu and Heredia can be cooler. Just last night it felt colder to me than normal so I checked some weather sites. The international airport is in Alajuela and the temp there last night (at the time I checked) was in the high 60's. Yet here on the mountain in Escazu it was in the high 50's. With the wind coming down the mountain it felt even colder. I went to bed last night dressed in sweatpants, a hoodie, and socks. That's a first for me in Costa Rica.

Wow, high 50s! I suppose elevation really can be a factor, but it's much more comfortable. When we were in La Fortuna, Cyrtostachys was everywhere, but temps are much hotter too

[Halekuma]

I would love to find out what grows for you up there. I have great success mostly with highland palms because my growing season features lows in the 10-12C range.

I have heard of a Cyrtostachys growing in a sheltered courtyard in SF but I've never seen it.

2000 m over sea level in Colombia has nothing to do with places like mine in north coastal spain, NZ or SF... plenty of heliconias growing here in the wild and even coconuts against home walls in some warm places (1750m). Areca vestiaria grows fine here too.. The great difference here is SUNLIGHT ALL YEAR AROUND, somedays there is mist or clouds but the light is there... In spain I have too much sun in summer and almost lack of it in some winter days... Also temps reach at least low 20s everyday of the year not long cold days like Im used to.

In regard to cyrtostachys I feel imposible to grow it in SF, they grow here in medellin at 1500m along verschaffeltia, pelagodoxa H., but I have not seen a cyrtostachys at higher altitudes where I have seen plenty of pritchardia Pacifica, Bottle palms, coconuts... At lower altitude cyrtostachys is quite common along breadfruit and others... If coconuts is too hard to grow in California then cyrtostachys is impossible. Areca Vestiaria is a more cool tolerant palm and better alternative...

[sarasota alex]

Thanks for the replays to everybody... cyrtostachys renda grows fine in medellin (1500-1600m), plenty of fruiting coconuts and verschaffeltia splendida for example... As Jose Maria told I can always try and see how it goes...

Palms in the true tropics perform quite surprisingly sometimes... my place dont go below 10/9C in the year but I guess it must have gone below 6C before... Last week somebody here in colombia told me Bogota went to -10C in 2007 maybe to -7C in protected places like the botanic garden (being optimistic)but still did not kill most palm species in the ground.... Bogota is about +2500 m over sea level... Im already planning a visit to Bogota to get some seeds and see what species grow there...

Wow I didn't realize Bogota got that cold! Found an album with Bogota snow pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/56358755@N00/1879991569/in/photostream/

[Halekuma]

Cyrtostachys Renda growing at about 1150 m...

Cyrtostachys Renda growing between 1500-1600m at Botanic Garden in Medellin...

Ceroxylon growing at Medellin too...

Verschaffeltia growing there too...

[Patricia-CR]

So you've got your answer! Nice pics.

Edited January 17, 2014 by Patricia-CR

[BPK Palm Addict]

Great pics. Cant wait til my Verschaffeltia gets that size.

[JakeK]

Like I tell people all the time when they ask, if a certain palm or plant will grow where they live, I tell them, look around if you don't see it there's a good reason why usually. I'm certainly not positive, but it sounds like you might be a bit too high up. Maybe some others will comment on this too with their own experiences.

Sorry for resurrecting and old post, but it's relevant to some research I've been doing for our garden in Ecuador.

I think Jeff's comment is true for places where people can and do grow palms, but not accurate for a lot of places where you can grow palms but don't. Mindo, the town in Ecuador where the ranch is an example of the later. Mindo averages temps between 82-70 during the day, 65-55 at night year round and 120 inches of rain yet almost no grows palms there. Heliconias, gingers, orchids, roses and hydrangeas are the most commonly grown plants.

I think cyrtostachys renda would grow very well in Mindo. Might be one of the few places you can grow that palm and ceroxylon in the same garden.