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Beccariophoenix alfredii

Kai

By Kai
in PALMS IN POTS

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Kai Mentor

Kai

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

Just felt like showing my newest aquisition; a Beccariophoenix alfredii.

tmp_14229-20170608_1355031907982091.thum

I have never seen one this size for sale in the Netherlands and just couldn't resist!

I was participating in a locally organized exotic plant fair and decided to take a stroll along all the stands before the opening of the fair. I immediately noticed the coconutty appearance and went straight for it. Very quickly I secured this palm for 45 euro's which is a bargain in these parts of Europe.

The palm came from a grower in southern Europe somewhere and as I have seen before with palms from those regions, it's in some kind of dense clayish (very heavy) soil. I plan on repotting it but don't want to shock it too much by using a soil that is too different from what it's in now. I have had some bad experiences with that. Maybe somebody here has some good advice?

  • Upvote 7

www.facebook.com/#!/Totallycoconuts

Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

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Hammer Grand Master

Hammer

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, Kai said:

Hi all,

Just felt like showing my newest aquisition; a Beccariophoenix alfredii.

tmp_14229-20170608_1355031907982091.thum

I have never seen one this size for sale in the Netherlands and just couldn't resist!

I was participating in a locally organized exotic plant fair and decided to take a stroll along all the stands before the opening of the fair. I immediately noticed the coconutty appearance and went straight for it. Very quickly I secured this palm for 45 euro's which is a bargain in these parts of Europe.

The palm came from a grower in southern Europe somewhere and as I have seen before with palms from those regions, it's in some kind of dense clayish (very heavy) soil. I plan on repotting it but don't want to shock it too much by using a soil that is too different from what it's in now. I have had some bad experiences with that. Maybe somebody here has some good advice?

Congrats on the great plant!  

Definitely repot it.  The palm will appreciate it. Alfies are very aggressive root growers.  These palms supposedly like good drainage. But I planted mine out into clay and never noticed any issues at all.

Just avoid adding any compost to the pots.  I have made that mistake in the past.

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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Posted
26 minutes ago, Hammer said:

Congrats on the great plant!  

Definitely repot it.  The palm will appreciate it. Alfies are very aggressive root growers.  These palms supposedly like good drainage. But I planted mine out into clay and never noticed any issues at all.

Just avoid adding any compost to the pots.  I have made that mistake in the past.

Yeah, the compost thing I had to find out the hard way too. So now I have to find a good substrate for it.

www.facebook.com/#!/Totallycoconuts

Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

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Monòver Grand Master

Monòver

Posted
Posted

If the palm has a Clays soil, it comes from Canary islands.

It is planted in volcanic soil and don't worry, plant it in a fast drainage soil.

I have been doing this lots of times with palms planted in this volcanic soil and no problem.

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Fusca Grand Master

Fusca

Posted
Posted
On 6/8/2017, 9:25:47, Kai said:

Yeah, the compost thing I had to find out the hard way too. So now I have to find a good substrate for it.

I have added compost to clay soil in pots but I don't recall any problems.  What happened in your experiences Hammer and Kai?

  • Upvote 1

Jon Sunder

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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15 minutes ago, Fusca said:

I have added compost to clay soil in pots but I don't recall any problems.  What happened in your experiences Hammer and Kai?

I have had supposedly healthy palms (a Jubaea and an Allagoptera caudescens) that I repotted in an organic mixture but refused to grow roots outside of the existing (clay) rootballs. These palms started a slow demise afterwards and at the time I had no idea on how to save them.

I think too many of the soils properties were too different from what the palm was used to and it may have caused a shock of some sort. But I'm just guessing here now.

What I think I've learned from this is that I should try to repot a palm in a soil that is as much the same as the soil the palm was already in. As long as the palms are healthy grown of course. (never change a winning team)

www.facebook.com/#!/Totallycoconuts

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The Netherlands

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  • 2 weeks later...
Kai Mentor

Kai

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So I have given it a new pot with a superb draining mixture of leca, pinebark chips and lavarocks. I haven't disturbed the existing rootball, which appeared in good health and I have a good feeling about it. Let's hope the summer lasts long and gives us plenty of sunshine and warmth!

20170627_180053.thumb.jpg.6fb5f0d7d6a0e0

The small palm in the front is a relatively new Parajubaea sunkha and as it shows good signs of growth now, I decided to give it the same treatment. I like the looks of it.

...and don't start with the need for weeding, I know I know

 

  • Upvote 4

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Fusca Grand Master

Fusca

Posted
Posted

They both look very nice and healthy!  And nice containers also!  I was looking for one of those Beccariophoenix alfredii myself - I think it would do great here in Corpus Christi with my sandy soil.  I just took a job offer in San Antonio which is zone 9a so it might be marginal there.  I've got to put my palm purchases on hold for now.

Jon

Jon Sunder

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Hammer Grand Master

Hammer

Posted
Posted
On 6/13/2017, 2:42:18, Fusca said:

I have added compost to clay soil in pots but I don't recall any problems.  What happened in your experiences Hammer and Kai?

Root rot and dead palms.  Decline was very fast.

 

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Hammer Grand Master

Hammer

Posted
Posted
54 minutes ago, Fusca said:

They both look very nice and healthy!  And nice containers also!  I was looking for one of those Beccariophoenix alfredii myself - I think it would do great here in Corpus Christi with my sandy soil.  I just took a job offer in San Antonio which is zone 9a so it might be marginal there.  I've got to put my palm purchases on hold for now.

Jon

9a is probably pushing it for Alfies.   

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DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted
6 hours ago, Kai said:

So I have given it a new pot with a superb draining mixture of leca, pinebark chips and lavarocks. I haven't disturbed the existing rootball, which appeared in good health and I have a good feeling about it. Let's hope the summer lasts long and gives us plenty of sunshine and warmth!

20170627_180053.thumb.jpg.6fb5f0d7d6a0e0

The small palm in the front is a relatively new Parajubaea sunkha and as it shows good signs of growth now, I decided to give it the same treatment. I like the looks of it.

...and don't start with the need for weeding, I know I know

 

keep us apprized of your palm's progress. As it grows, the challenge will become not having it get so big so fast it totally outgrows your house. 

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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  • 3 months later...
Kai Mentor

Kai

Posted
  • Author
Posted

So now the outside temps are dropping I took the palm inside. Now it functions as a very nice indoor palm for the coming months. I just hope it won't weaken too much from less bright conditions.

20171004_092031.thumb.jpg.025527549b66c4

It has grown quite a bit for its first season in my garden, hope it will do just as good next season!

 

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www.facebook.com/#!/Totallycoconuts

Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

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Hammer Grand Master

Hammer

Posted
Posted
4 hours ago, Kai said:

So now the outside temps are dropping I took the palm inside. Now it functions as a very nice indoor palm for the coming months. I just hope it won't weaken too much from less bright conditions.

20171004_092031.thumb.jpg.025527549b66c4

It has grown quite a bit for its first season in my garden, hope it will do just as good next season!

 

You would be ok to leave it outside unless there is a danger of frost.  Perhaps that buys you another week or two?

Watch for spider mites over winter.  I have had mine attacked in years past.  

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Kai Mentor

Kai

Posted
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1 hour ago, Hammer said:

You would be ok to leave it outside unless there is a danger of frost.  Perhaps that buys you another week or two?

Watch for spider mites over winter.  I have had mine attacked in years past.  

That does buy me some more time! Maybe even a month or so.

So it has quite a bit of cold tolerance I understand.

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Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

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Palmensammler Proficient

Palmensammler

Posted
Posted

Hello Kai,

nice plant, did you already grow it inside last year? I'm thinking about a Beccariophoenix fenestralis which needs to be inside from October till May.

Does Beccariophoenix need special care while inside?

Eckhard

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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2 hours ago, Palmensammler said:

Hello Kai,

nice plant, did you already grow it inside last year? I'm thinking about a Beccariophoenix fenestralis which needs to be inside from October till May.

Does Beccariophoenix need special care while inside?

Eckhard

Hey Eckhard,

I bought this palm this june sobI'm not sure how it will react to indoor conditions.

I do have some smaller Beccariophoenix palms and seedlings. Madagascariensis, alfredi and fenestralis all still growing very well inside the house. Next summer some of the larger ones will go outside during the warmer months.

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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After Hammer's good advice I decided to put it outside again for now. Nightly temperatures only drop as low as 11°C (52°F) at the moment and daytime is around 16°C (61°F), so I think we're safe. Only lots of rain and heavy autumnwinds got me concerned a bit. But we'll see how it goes, the pot is heavy enough so I'm sure it won't tumble over.

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DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted
On 10/4/2017, 8:51:06, Kai said:

That does buy me some more time! Maybe even a month or so.

So it has quite a bit of cold tolerance I understand.

I have some specimens that were about 2 M tall in 2013 when they were hit by a night of 25 F (-4 C) and they were okay.

However, note they were in the ground, so I'd be careful about your gorgeous specimen. Potted plants freeze a lot more easily.

I'll run the risk of saying we're all dying of curiosity to see how your plant does as a houseplant.

 

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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Thanks Dave! I hope I can keep it looking as good as it does now. I plan on keeping it outside as long as possible but won't let it get freezing temps. So probably next month or maybe even later I will take it inside. Somewhere around march or april I will start taking it outside again.

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  • 4 weeks later...
DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted
On 10/9/2017, 9:18:39, Kai said:

Thanks Dave! I hope I can keep it looking as good as it does now. I plan on keeping it outside as long as possible but won't let it get freezing temps. So probably next month or maybe even later I will take it inside. Somewhere around march or april I will start taking it outside again.

If it grows well enough, you'll need a gargantuan house. Do they have LOTTO in Holland?

  • Upvote 2

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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4 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

If it grows well enough, you'll need a gargantuan house. Do they have LOTTO in Holland?

Believe me Dave, when it comes to gambling, we can go all out in Holland. I never was lucky enough to win me a new house though. And now the sad sad story of everyday work continues I'm affraid (yeah I'm mid thirties). If I ever get to be that lucky and somehow manage to acquire a fortune, I won't buy a house here in Holland again. I might become your neighbour :bemused: ...and run for president.

Back on topic: It DOES grow fast! This week I took it inside for the colder weather and I noticed allmost a complete new leaf came out. And of course it's bigger than the last one... Hope I can keep it at least a couple of more years before I have to donate it to some ZOO or hortus botanicus...

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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The Beccariophoenix has been inside for allmost 2 months now and is still doing pretty good. Growth simply continues even though we're just past the shortest day of the year (december 21st). Now the days are slowly getting longer again and I think the palm can safely go outside in 2 or 3 months time. Maybe sooner as we're having the mildest winter I've ever experienced. While normally around this time the ground should be frozen solid, I'm seeing little Chamaedorea seedling pop up...

So here it is pushing up a new leaf...

20171231_125613.thumb.jpg.b37a8fdacd409c

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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Crap! Today I put the Beccariophoenix outside and noticed a pretty severe scale infestation. I have never had to deal with scale before so any tips are welcome.

For now I cut off 3 older leaves that appeared to have the most scale critters on them. And the other leaves I treated with a 10% soap/spiritus solution. I have used this solution on spider mite infested banana plants before with good result. Being outside might hold back the mites from reproducing as well and there will be rain the upcoming days, hope this helps...

www.facebook.com/#!/Totallycoconuts

Amsterdam,

The Netherlands

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Pal Meir Grand Master

Pal Meir

Posted
Posted
10 hours ago, Kai said:

Crap! Today I put the Beccariophoenix outside and noticed a pretty severe scale infestation. I have never had to deal with scale before so any tips are welcome.

For now I cut off 3 older leaves that appeared to have the most scale critters on them. And the other leaves I treated with a 10% soap/spiritus solution. I have used this solution on spider mite infested banana plants before with good result. Being outside might hold back the mites from reproducing as well and there will be rain the upcoming days, hope this helps...

Did you try it with coffee?

My photos at flickr: flickr.com/photos/palmeir/albums

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Palmensammler Proficient

Palmensammler

Posted
Posted

Hello Pal,

sorry maybe I missed this topic but what is the secret of the coffee in case of scales?

Have a small Hyophorbe verschaffeltii which is suffering too.

Thanks

Eckhard

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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12 hours ago, Palmensammler said:

Hello Pal,

sorry maybe I missed this topic but what is the secret of the coffee in case of scales?

Have a small Hyophorbe verschaffeltii which is suffering too.

Thanks

Eckhard

It's the caffeïne that acts as a natural insecticide. Other things plants make to get rid of insects are for example capsicum in peppers or THC in cannabis.

Today I found this little predator, put him on the Beccariophoenix and made him responsible for eliminating the scale infestation...

20180311_102636.thumb.jpg.6c376263101a11

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  • 4 months later...
Mostapha Community Regular

Mostapha

Posted
Posted

Hi, how did you make out with the scale elimination. I have 3 growing from seed inside in upstate N.Y. Seem to do pretty good here as far as any insect problems, no scale no mites and no mealy. 

They seem to be just growing out of the bipinate stage. They are about 1.5 years from seed, pretty quick at this time if the year.

Hope yours is doing well. Any updated pics of the palm in the pot would be nice to see.

Thanks, Mark

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Kai Mentor

Kai

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Posted
26 minutes ago, Mostapha said:

Hi, how did you make out with the scale elimination. I have 3 growing from seed inside in upstate N.Y. Seem to do pretty good here as far as any insect problems, no scale no mites and no mealy. 

They seem to be just growing out of the bipinate stage. They are about 1.5 years from seed, pretty quick at this time if the year.

Hope yours is doing well. Any updated pics of the palm in the pot would be nice to see.

Thanks, Mark

Hi Mark,

The scale doesn't seem to be a problem right now. The palm is outside in full sun conditions and we've been having tropical weather for some time now. I expect the scale to return when I have to bring the palm inside again for the wintermonths. I still don't have a good solution for that.

Took a picture with flash because it's nighttime now.

20180725_010120.thumb.jpg.7cde7f32afc361

It got sunburned the first days after winter storage but it has adapted again and stronger leaves emerging now.

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Mostapha Community Regular

Mostapha

Posted
Posted (edited)

That's going to be really nice as it grows, I wonder how it will fare long term indoors. I'm am hoping we'll. After all palm growers grow them in 25 gallon, and into wooden boxes. I know where I am in upstate, even florist or nurserymen don't know what they are, but again this isn't an area where they would be landscaped either.

During the winter here I use full spectrum LED lights to suppliment the sun as well as humidifiers. So far ,so good. I had read a post by DoomsDave, where he had told someone that good watering was a key and I found that information to helpful. Than again I find most of what DoomsDave as well as palmtalkers write to be extremely educational as well as enjoyable to read. 

Thanks for the updated photo, I would like to see mine grow as nice.

Thanks Mark

Edited by Mostapha
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  • 2 years later...
Aleitalyyy Proficient

Aleitalyyy

Posted
Posted
On 11/3/2018 at 10:38, Kai said:

È la caffeina che agisce come un insetticida naturale. Altre cose che le piante fanno per sbarazzarsi degli insetti sono ad esempio il peperone nei peperoni o il THC nella cannabis.

Oggi ho trovato questo piccolo predatore, l'ho messo sulla Beccariophoenix e l'ho incaricato di eliminare l'infestazione di scala ...

20180311_102636.thumb.jpg.6c376263101a11 


 
Why not use a poison acaricide? I eliminated the red spider on the coconut with one pass...
 
 
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