European Fan Palm Growth Rate

[Merlyn]

My recollection on them is they prefer to be drier and in full sun in FL.  As an accidental experiment, I put a 2G pot green one in my front bed with all the tropicals.  It gets utterly drenched every morning and is in about 50% shade, it's not too happy but is still growing slowly.  I bought two pots at the same time from Green's nursery and planted the other one in a very sandy and sunny spot in the backyard.  It's about twice the size now, after only about 6 months in the ground.  One of the trunking Argentea types is planted near a Pygmy Date in a bed raised about 8 inches, it's backfilled with mostly sandy dirt.  I don't plan on giving it any supplemental water, and I diverted the downspout away from the bed into the walkway I'm building on the back side.  This one looks pretty green in the photo, but it's got that nice silvery-blue in real life.

[Fusca]

I had a green solitary Chamaerops humilis (no suckers) with about 4' of clear trunk growing on the east side of my house in Spring, Texas several years ago.  It put out multiple new spears every week it seems during the summers with no supplemental irrigation.  While it might be considered slow in adding vertical height it certainly was not slow in adding new leaves so speed is relative.  These are so variable it doesn't surprise me to see different growth rates in similar conditions like Todd ( @Laaz ) has with 2 of his.

[PalmCraze]

Odds are good you won't but  fun watching them develop in different stages...and something to leave in the Will for the next generation to love. Lol

[PalmCraze]

9 hours ago, Merlyn2220 said:

My recollection on them is they prefer to be drier and in full sun in FL.  As an accidental experiment, I put a 2G pot green one in my front bed with all the tropicals.  It gets utterly drenched every morning and is in about 50% shade, it's not too happy but is still growing slowly.  I bought two pots at the same time from Green's nursery and planted the other one in a very sandy and sunny spot in the backyard.  It's about twice the size now, after only about 6 months in the ground.  One of the trunking Argentea types is planted near a Pygmy Date in a bed raised about 8 inches, it's backfilled with mostly sandy dirt.  I don't plan on giving it any supplemental water, and I diverted the downspout away from the bed into the walkway I'm building on the back side.  This one looks pretty green in the photo, but it's got that nice silvery-blue in real life.

Drenched every day..from the weather?  Or irrigation?

From my very limited knowledge of interweb university, these palms especially do not like having their fronts get wet. I'm having to modify my irrigation (fun times..not) to ensure that irrigation is at the base.

Beautiful looking bed.

[Merlyn]

8 minutes ago, PalmCraze said:

Drenched every day..from the weather?  Or irrigation?

From my very limited knowledge of interweb university, these palms especially do not like having their fronts get wet. I'm having to modify my irrigation (fun times..not) to ensure that irrigation is at the base.

Beautiful looking bed.

Thanks! 

The one in the 2G pot gets drenched (fronds and pot) every morning from sprinklers-on-a-stalk.  They are about 3 feet high with 180 degree heads that do a thorough coverage over the front yard "tropical bed."  It didn't occur to me until my earlier post that I was doing an accidental experiment on whether they'd survive with 10x the water they really need!  So I suppose the results of my accidental experiment is that they prefer more sun and don't particularly like overhead sprinklers.

My solution for my various beds is dripline.  I used the sprinkler head converters in a couple of spots as I was building the beds in the front yard, and on the back and side yards I used a 3 valve manifold with a pressure regulator off of hose outlets.  I just capped off most of the sprinklers as I converted more than 75% of the yard into beds for palms and cycads. 

 

[buffy]

As a note. The original palm I discussed has about 4 feet of trunk now.  They're indeed slow.

[PalmCraze]

Ive considered drip as well but seems to require more maintenance. My plan is to run two pipes from a pipe behind my row of Laura pedilums. Placed on either side of the Euro Fan..just beneath the surface and attach hedge mist sprayers.  Have to do so this weekend..because it's going to hear up quickly after Dorian is done. Ann I have an automated Rainbird system.

[PalmCraze]

Buffy.  75% of the yard...  What size is your yard!  That must be green paradise in the summer.

Also..that 4' of trunk..I apologize if I overlooked in previous post..but did you grow that Euro from seed if not how much has it grown since you got it?  Thx

[Neil C]

This is about 4 years of growth here in Brisbane

Regards Neil

[buffy]

17 hours ago, PalmCraze said:

Buffy.  75% of the yard...  What size is your yard!  That must be green paradise in the summer.

Also..that 4' of trunk..I apologize if I overlooked in previous post..but did you grow that Euro from seed if not how much has it grown since you got it?  Thx

I may have missed the yard reference, but I have around two acres of yard. Half wooded half open. I have probably 60-80 palms in the ground. In the range of 10 years of growth for most. Some younger. The original Euro palm had about 8" of trunk.

[PalmCraze]

So..I have a pair of large Bismacia Nobilis .(that just about sums up my latin..fun writing it though): Early this year, I used seeds from the pair's (lucked out with a male and female) first production of seed. So after interweb education I used a heating pad and lamp with orchid miss.light moisture. Nothing after 2 months. So in May, I toss alot of them out..except for a small batch I thought I would just leave in a pile by my trash cans.  Two days ago while securing yard stuff due to Dorian, I notice something different from a blade of grass sticking out from the mass. (See pic).   Nature is amazing. Looks like I'll be finally growing some Bismarks.

 

[PalmCraze]

5 hours ago, buffy said:

I may have missed the yard reference, but I have around two acres of yard. Half wooded half open. I have probably 60-80 palms in the ground. In the range of 10 years of growth for most. Some younger. The original Euro palm had about 8" of trunk.

Wow .must be a tropical paradise. Awesome

[Merlyn]

On 9/3/2019 at 10:27 PM, PalmCraze said:

Ive considered drip as well but seems to require more maintenance. My plan is to run two pipes from a pipe behind my row of Laura pedilums. Placed on either side of the Euro Fan..just beneath the surface and attach hedge mist sprayers.  Have to do so this weekend..because it's going to hear up quickly after Dorian is done. Ann I have an automated Rainbird system.

I read about problems with plugged drippers, but the only issues I've had (so far) are "infant mortality" on a new install.  Most of the time this is because I forgot to flush the new 1/2" line before installing the drippers, so they got sand into the diaphragm.  Maybe I've just been lucky.

I'm guessing the 75% reference was to my yard, if you want to see my ridiculousness check out my "build thread" on what I've been doing over the past ~4 years.  It's just under 0.75 acres and it used to be covered in ferns and water oaks:

 

[PalmCraze]

11 hours ago, Merlyn2220 said:

I read about problems with plugged drippers, but the only issues I've had (so far) are "infant mortality" on a new install.  Most of the time this is because I forgot to flush the new 1/2" line before installing the drippers, so they got sand into the diaphragm.  Maybe I've just been lucky.

I'm guessing the 75% reference was to my yard, if you want to see my ridiculousness check out my "build thread" on what I've been doing over the past ~4 years.  It's just under 0.75 acres and it used to be covered in ferns and water oaks:

Not sure if I'm typing in correct spot. Using my phone.

Merlyn2020..I live in NW Orlando as well. Originally from Ft Bragg NC..otherwise known among other things as the home if the 82nd.  I thought I had my queens close...I told my wife I was after the cross thatch look..looking for tropical shade!  Lol

 

[Arturo Boston]

I’m growing one in the Boston area that spear pulled last winter but went on to regrow a full crown of 7 leaves by summers end.    I would consider that fairly fast.   In contrast my needle palms and sabal minors grow one to two leaves a season.  

[The7thLegend]

One of the things I like about this palm is that it's very versatile in the landscape.  A larger multi-trunked palm makes a great focal point as a stand alone specimen.  A single trunk palm can fit into the tight spots in smaller gardens beds.  You can trim suckers to fit your desired look plus it takes them a while to outgrow their intended use.  

[Palms Brisbane]

On 9/4/2019 at 8:16 PM, Neil C said:

This is about 4 years of growth here in Brisbane

Regards Neil

Great to see the mother plants.

This is one of many of the next generation from these plants. Thanks for the seeds @Neil C

 

[Antti]

On 9/4/2019 at 1:16 PM, Neil C said:

This is about 4 years of growth here in Brisbane

<IMG> Regards Neil

What species are those 3 magnificent palms on backstage? Some Dypsis?

[Neil C]

Two spindles and a bottle.

Regards Neil