Chamaedorea Radicalis after zone 8a winter

[Brad Mondel]

Coming back strong after zone 8a winter. You can even see that it has inflorescences if you look close. I'm shocked at how hardy these are.

This is located back at home in Myrtle Beach S.C

There's a fried Santa Catarina queen in the bottom left that didn't make it. I'm not home to maintain the palms so they are not up to par.

Edited May 5, 2015 by ArchAngeL01

[Alicehunter2000]

So your "home" is not Los Angeles now? ..... maybe the City of Angels is not for you? .... Other parts of California or Florida me gut feel more like home. Good to see Chameodorea survive those temps.

[smithgn]

Where is this in relation to Myrtle Beach? I thought M.B. was an 8B? There's got to be some moderating influence from the ocean. I have two relatively small C. Radicalis' that up until this past winter, just started showing their character leaves. We hit our winter low 11 degees and they were completely unprotected. One Radicalis fried completely but is starting to come back. The other one, maybe 4 feet away, got around a 20% burn on the flat surfaces of one leaf. They're amazing and I plan on buying more. Yours looks great, too. How cold did it get in Myrtle this past winter?

[Brad Mondel]

Myrtle beach is a zone 8b but this winter they saw a low of 17F back in January which makes this past winter a zone 8a. This is planted at my grandmothers house, I planted a lot of palms there before I moved. This is probably the most tropical looking Palm anyone could grow in zone 8!

I am thinking about moving back to the south. California just isn't my cup of tea.

Edited May 6, 2015 by ArchAngeL01

[NorthFlpalmguy]

Good to hear this as I have a few trunking ones protected in my yard but planted more that are smaller unprotected. I was thinking anything less than 20 would fry them.

[Tropicdoc]

I have about 10 under my live oak in my jungle area this and trachycarpus and livistona are the backbone palms for the jungle effect. Zone 9a

[Brad Mondel]

17f did defoliate them but they came back strong without any protection (other than the house).

[buffy]

17F, if it was the average ultimate low for the winter season, would represent a Zone 8B location. The cutoff for 8B is 15F. I have plenty of trunking and non-trunking versions of radicalis. They're pretty tough.

[Brad Mondel]

Okay so, borderline 8a-8b.

[smithgn]

I really do think this is the most tropical looking plant you can have in zone 8. They're known as pretty slow growers but I water the piss out of mine and they grow at a decent clip and turn a deep green color which is awesome.

Very surprising to see 17 degrees being a temperature where the radicalis sees damage? Although, my two were right up against my house and underneath a part of my house where the roof juts out a few feet, so this probably helped.

"California just isn't my cup of tea"

...Funny choice of words I love traveling, and I'll be in L.A. this August, but home is home. Even if you can't grow zone 9 and above palms...

Edited May 8, 2015 by smithgn

[Palm crazy]

Last time it got down to 8a here it was a real pain to see all my radicalis defoliated but by mid spring they all started growing back. The cold spell hit very hard at 12F for three night in a roll and about a week worth of freezing temps at night. I didn’t protect any of my palm that winter and I thought for sure they were goners but they all made a nice recovery. I’ve been growing radicalis for over ten years and I introduced the little palm to the SE palm board many years ago. Glad it finally getting the proper recognition it deserves. I put it in my top three palms to have in zone 8.

I just started growing the trunking ones a few years ago and they are less hardy but look really cool.

Edited May 8, 2015 by Palm crazy

[Tropicdoc]

I wish I could find a reliable source for the trunking form my palms came from jungle music and Phil couldn't tell me if they were trunking or not I'm not sure if any of them are

[_Keith]

If you want seeds from mine, I'll save them for you next time it goes off. Not sure if that will happen again this year, or not. Never paid much attention.

[Tropicdoc]

If you want seeds from mine, I'll save them for you next time it goes off. Not sure if that will happen again this year, or not. Never paid much attention.

Of course I want seeds! I didn't know you had trunking forms. I had remembered a little clump of radicalis you had but I didn't remember trunks. Of course I went visit after the winter from hell. I just wish I had something worthwhile to give you in return.

[Brad Mondel]

The funny thing is I purchased this Palm in the houseplant section at a nursery. It had been sitting there for a long time with a busted pot. They must be old because they have creeping trunks.

Here's the original post:

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/40743-creeping-pinnate-palm-who-am-i/?fromsearch=1

[Josh-O]

[Palm crazy]

Here’s an update of my Radicalis. The plant itself is about 15 years old but has only been in the ground for 10 years The coldest it has endure is 12F once and a lot of 15F. Has never been damaged since I cover it up in cold weather and its planted on the North side of a tall trachy. Three years ago I planted a fatsia on the other side to help block any cold winds and another unusual trachy planted behind it too. Little radicalis growing in front of it is “trunking” variety. It a lot bigger looking in person.

Edited August 1, 2015 by Palm crazy

[smithgn]

Very nice radicalis. I assume that's the clumping variety? It looks perfectly intact, no burn or anything. I'll need to post a picture of both of my radicalis'. One of mine, or so I thought, was burned dead to the ground. I did an operation on it in May and cut down to some green tissue. It's now putting out it's 2nd deep green leaf. Very resilient these palms are. Vastly underrated for us zone 8ers.

[Palm crazy]

Nick, yes this big one is clumping form. It very protected from cold winds and above with canopy. Sone of the ones that are more in the open did have some damage at 21F but have totally recovered. This has been one of the warmest years for the PNW on record, so they all look good.

Look for my garden update come Late September and you’ll see all my palms then.

Thanks for looking. Mine have only put out two leaves so far too.

[Ben in Norcal]

I thought all C. radicalis were solitary? Mine sure are, both trunking and non-trunking forms.

[John Case]

I have dozens of Ch. radicalis.......I have never seen a 'clumping' form. Never heard of it either. Common practice is to plant multiples of them together in order to create a situation where both sexes are close together.

If the person who sold them to you told you they were clumping, I am certain they were describing the clump of trees in the pot.

Waiting for someone to prove me incorrect....

Thanks,

JC

[SHEP]

All of the ones I got from Dick Douglas are clumping, not singles. I watch all the sides come out.

My best source for trunking have been from Kevin Weaver, and I called him, initially, and complained that they were "clumpers". I didn't pick them up, someone brought them to me. I was completely wrong they were just happy and flowering. I love shopping at Kevin's.

[Palm crazy]

Sorry but mine happen to be ‘single’ trunking, just growing in a clump to make it look fuller. To my knowledge there is no true clumping radicalis.

Edited August 3, 2015 by Palm crazy

[Brad Mondel]

Yes, they're solitary and usually planted in clumps. If you see side shoots then I would assume that it is not a Radicalis.

[Brad Mondel]

Here is an updated picture:

08/11/15

[smithgn]

Very cool. So tropical looking. What kind of sun does it see?

[Brad Mondel]

This one gets morning sun and afternoon shade. It's planted in mostly sand and seems to enjoy it! It's planted on the east side of the home.

[smithgn]

Cool! Yeah, an ideal situation for this radicalis' and most Chamaedoreas in general.

[Brad Mondel]

That picture accidentally had a filture: