Reserected!!!!! My Cocos have come back!!!

[Mark Heath]

After 22f and heavy frost, this winter will go down in the history books as one of the big ones!!

Hey Bubba, check it out!!! You too Rick.L!!! (Tiki Rick).

[Mark Heath]

Another Cocos! They rose again from the dead!! I figured it would be ironic that i took the pics today! Happy Easter!

[pg6922]

at 8-12 fronds a year, she should be back to her full glory in no time. It would have been a real shame to lose that one.

PG

[PalmGuyWC]

Mark,

I hate to sound like a pessimist but don't celebrate to soon. After the big '89/90 freeze some of my Queens died 3 or 4 years later even though they had grown a full crown. How did your Butia X Coconut fair the freeze?

Dick

[freakypalmguy]

Got my fingers crossed for you bud.

Matt

[Mark Heath]

Thank you PG,

Dick,,, shame on you!!!!! Just kidding!!!! I have heard of that happening, but i put propane heaters close to the heart so there would'nt be any heart damage but i knew i would lose the fronds. Let's hope that it did the trick. The cocos in the first pic was the one that produced 20 coconuts in 2007 and 19 in 2009.

Here is a before pic of the cocos in the second pic.

[Musi]

Mark,

I hate to sound like a pessimist but don't celebrate to soon. After the big '89/90 freeze some of my Queens died 3 or 4 years later even though they had grown a full crown. How did your Butia X Coconut fair the freeze?

Dick

Butia X Coconut EXIST??

Wow, that's one interesting hybrid! Tell me more about them

[bubba]

Mark, Great job! I knew you would do it. That may likely be a record. Do I remember you stating that you bottomed at 22F.?

[PalmGuyWC]

Mark,

If I had a beautiful palm like that defoliated, I think it would be an occasion for wringing of the hands and tears. I didn't realize you heated them. They may very well recover. Be nice to see how they look next autumn. I wonder how the other Coconuts growing in the Orlando area faired without protection?

Dick

[MAUSER]

Mark,

I hate to sound like a pessimist but don't celebrate to soon. After the big '89/90 freeze some of my Queens died 3 or 4 years later even though they had grown a full crown. How did your Butia X Coconut fair the freeze?

Dick

Butia X Coconut EXIST??

Wow, that's one interesting hybrid! Tell me more about them

I also want to know if this is reality or myth .... I say this because this year I am ready to try this hybrid.

[Tyrone]

I would be forcing that plant to put out new growth if it was mine. Lots of seaweed fish emulsion, NPK etc once it starts moving spears etc. Anything to get it going again. Even a bit of sea salt, trace elements etc in luxury amounts.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Kostas]

That is a beautyfull sight for me too Mark!!!I am glad to hear your large coconuts survived!

And,WOW,this was a really beautyfull palm and that photo with you under it is very tropical looking!!! I wish you to have equally beautyfull coconuts by this September

[Mark Heath]

That is a beautyfull sight for me too Mark!!!I am glad to hear your large coconuts survived!

And,WOW,this was a really beautyfull palm and that photo with you under it is very tropical looking!!! I wish you to have equally beautyfull coconuts by this September

Thanks Matt, Bubba, Mauser, Dick!!!!

Kostas, That is my wife w/ my dog,,, not me!!! Although he is better looking than me!!!! I'll just leave it that you thought the dog was me!!!

But seriously i doubt that i will get an inflorescence for the next year or so, but that's OK!!! I am just happy that they survived!

Dick, i put propane heat demons directed at the most crucial part and let her rip!!! Like PG said, they'll grow many fronds throughout the year and seeing i have'nt had to do a darn thing in the past 5 years well,,, it was time!

[Mark Heath]

Mark,

I hate to sound like a pessimist but don't celebrate to soon. After the big '89/90 freeze some of my Queens died 3 or 4 years later even though they had grown a full crown. How did your Butia X Coconut fair the freeze?

Dick

Butia X Coconut EXIST??

Wow, that's one interesting hybrid! Tell me more about them

I also want to know if this is reality or myth .... I say this because this year I am ready to try this hybrid.

Mauser,

Nobody is sure that it is a reality or myth. My palm is a SUPPOSED Butia X Cocos!!! I would say go for it!! I pollinated my Butia.C w/ Cocos pollen late last year and i recieved 5 seeds that i had sown. None have germinated yet but that is to be expected when the heat is just now coming full force!

You see, i have 3 flowering/mature Cocos here and i usually let my cleaned Butia inflorescence sit unpollinated for the second day of anthesis, so a foreign pollen can invade and pollinate via wind/bees. I have sown thousands of XButyagrus' and that lone one looked COMPLETELY different from the rest, and believe me, i have thousands to compare it to!!

Here is a pic, but the pic just does'nt do it justice,,, just ask GSN, Ed Brown, Jeff from NC.

[Howeadypsis]

22F,thats cold man! I never would have thought such temps would be found in Florida! The sunshine state they say,but with cold winters? Surprised!

[Mark Heath]

Here is another pic, my hand for scale!!

[epicure3]

I bet she pulls through for you. That's great. I think the coconut looks better than the royal in the background of your first picture.

[Mark Heath]

22F,thats cold man! I never would have thought such temps would be found in Florida! The sunshine state they say,but with cold winters? Surprised!

Not allways cold winters, that one was a doozie!!! A fluke, a pain-in-the-butt,,, a 20 year cold snap!!! I usually don't have to worry about my palms, but this winter,,,,, WOW!!!!!!

Somebody needs to call Al Gore and tell him that he is FULL OF IT!!!!! Global warming my *#!^%*!!!!!!!!!!!

[Kostas]

Hi Mark!

Sorry but the photo would load for me last time in full resolution so from the small one i thought it would be you I now fully understand your comments

Again sorry

[Kai]

Here is another pic, my hand for scale!!

Mark,

I'm speachless! If there's anything like a hybrid between Cocos and Butia, this must be it. Truly astonishing!

When my Butia starts flowering, I just have to get some Cocos pollen and try this for myself! I never thought this would be possible!

Cheers!

[MAUSER]

Here is another pic, my hand for scale!!

Fabulous, I love this plant, now a little more near to confirm the myth.

Edited April 12, 2009 by MAUSER

[Howeadypsis]

Not allways cold winters, that one was a doozie!!! A fluke, a pain-in-the-butt,,, a 20 year cold snap!!! I usually don't have to worry about my palms, but this winter,,,,, WOW!!!!!!

Somebody needs to call Al Gore and tell him that he is FULL OF IT!!!!! Global warming my *#!^%*!!!!!!!!!!!

See this is why i hate the use of the phrase Global Warming. Its on unofficial label that came about from the bloody media! Its misleading and wildly inaccurate. Its climate change,NOT global warming!

Edited April 12, 2009 by Howeadypsis

[Mark Heath]

Here is another pic, my hand for scale!!

Fabulous, I love this plant, now a little more near to confirm the myth.

Mauser,

How close do you want the pic???? I can get closer for you if you like but i'll not have my hand in the way! BTW, Ed Brown visited Saturday and he has some pics also,,, maybe he'll chime in!! I'll shoot some closer pics tommorrow eve if you like! I do want Merrill Willcox to check out the new pics as well, his opinion means so much to me!!! Who knows???? Maybe,,, just maybe!!!!!

Also,, I plan on taking Tyrones advice,,, i am going to fertilize my Cocos like never before!!!!

Kostas,

No worries my friend,,, I am a care-free palm-o-phyle!!!!!!!!!

[FRITO]

I had the pleasure to visit Mark's garden last month. It was the worst it will ever look after the cold but I was still amazed at what he is doing there in central florida! Keep it up Mark!

the Butia x cocos is not done justice in photos as Mark said, its somthing you have to see to believe. the very wide not 100% pinnate leaves are like none other, plus the texture of the frond, hard to explain but FEELS like a coconut.

How big was the seed Mark on that butia x cocos ? shoulda been a larger than the normal Butia seed right?

[tikitiki]

Most I have seen look fine. All Six of mine are ok.

Mark,

I wonder how the other Coconuts growing in the Orlando area faired without protection?

Dick

[Mark Heath]

I had the pleasure to visit Mark's garden last month. It was the worst it will ever look after the cold but I was still amazed at what he is doing there in central florida! Keep it up Mark!

the Butia x cocos is not done justice in photos as Mark said, its somthing you have to see to believe. the very wide not 100% pinnate leaves are like none other, plus the texture of the frond, hard to explain but FEELS like a coconut.

How big was the seed Mark on that butia x cocos ? shoulda been a larger than the normal Butia seed right?

Sorry Luke,,, I did'nt include you when i said ask so and so!!!! It slipped my mind that you had seen it also!!!

I have no idea how large the seed was, i assumed, (we all know what happens when you do that), that it was probably a freak, but who knows???? I did'nt expect foreign pollen to pollinate my cleaned inflorescence. Many people who are reading this probably think that some Butia or other palm pollinated my waiting/cleaned inflorescence but only people like you who have visited my property realize that many of the country folk around here do not have palms, at least flowering ones!!! I don't live in a subdivision, we have 5 acre tracts and many of the people around here don't like palms!!! Go figure!!!

Thank you for your opinion, it means alot!!! It just goes to show that maybe i am on the right track!!! Maybe!

I will say that the seeds that i intentionally crossed w/ Cocos are just a little bit bigger, but not much! I am waiting for them to germinate and we'll see!

BTW, when are we gonna see your bounty from when you visited Central Fla???? Show us pics!!! I had only seen the back of the U-Haul!!!!

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

I visited Mark's garden this Christmas for the 1st time. I know Mark had to be busy with the holidays but he still took the time to show me his collection and it was great. Thanks Mark! He had so many palms I wish I could grow. The coconuts were beautiful. Mark, I am so glad they made it and don't doubt that they will look good again by summers end with your climate. About that Butia x cocos hybrid. I had seen pictures Mark had posted before and thought that it was something different. It was only when I saw it in person and could touch the leaves that I was completely convinced that it is a Butia x cocos. The heavy texture of the leaves is unlike any other hybrid with Butia that I have ever seen and I have quite a few different hybrids. The texture was very much like a coconut palm and as you can see in the pictures the leaf has the look of a coconut. I can not imagine anything else it could be. It is way too different to just be a variation of another known hybrid. Mark, I just hope some of the deliberate Butia x cocos crosses you did sprout for you. If they do it won't take long to get proof positive.

[gsn]

I have seen this hybrid in person,and can vouch for the fact that it looks and feels like no other cocoid hybrid I have seen.

Not that by any mean I am cocoid hybrid expert, far from it.

But it does have the feel and texture of a coconut. Whatever it is, it is different ,that is for sure.I also hope some of the seeds that you pollinated with the coconut pollen germinate,then we will know for sure the idenity of this mystery palm.

Even if it turns out to not be a butia x coconut hybrid ,it is still way cool!

Mark,

Glad the coconuts are growing,and seems like they should make it,from the pics.

Just curious,how about an update on those BIG foxtails, do they look better or worse than the coconuts,better I hope?

Beleive it or not the only palm I lost this winter was one that I got from you, I was extremely dissapointed,and wished I had waited to plant it out.

Unfortunately it was one of your hybrids, the butia x coronata, it was so beautiful,and rare!

Edited April 13, 2009 by gsn

[Scott]

Congradulations! Hopefully they'll be nice and healthy once more.

[BS Man about Palms]

Pretty spectacular!

[Daryl]

Just goes to show you can't keep a good coconut down!

Daryl

[freakypalmguy]

Here is another pic, my hand for scale!!

Wow Mark, this pic really shows how different this palm is. Really cool. It sure doesn't look like anything I've seen here before. I hope this turns out to be the holy grail of cold hardy palms for those of us that can't grow a pure Cocos. Keep up the great work.

Matt

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Good stuff Mark !

[MAUSER]

Here is another pic, my hand for scale!!

Fabulous, I love this plant, now a little more near to confirm the myth.

Mauser,

How close do you want the pic???? I can get closer for you if you like but i'll not have my hand in the way! BTW, Ed Brown visited Saturday and he has some pics also,,, maybe he'll chime in!! I'll shoot some closer pics tommorrow eve if you like! I do want Merrill Willcox to check out the new pics as well, his opinion means so much to me!!! Who knows???? Maybe,,, just maybe!!!!!

Also,, I plan on taking Tyrones advice,,, i am going to fertilize my Cocos like never before!!!!

Kostas,

No worries my friend,,, I am a care-free palm-o-phyle!!!!!!!!!

Dear Mark.

Sorry, if I do not express yourself, you know that I do not speak your language very well, What I meant is "YES, that seems a cross Butia with Coconuts," and that he had never seen anything like it. That is why I said it to "confirm" the myth ... That this myth was true at the end.

I hope with all the attention, ALL information would give on this plant.

The growing hybrid seed from which this plant will be more or less like any other ... BUT IN THE FUTURE the SEEDS OF THIS PLANT, WILL BE MUCH LARGER.

Regards

[Mark Heath]

Mauser,

I did not take offence to your request, no worries!! I was serious when i asked how close, because my camera will probably get closer and still be focused!

I do hope to get a proffesional here to identify the palm, i would like to know for sure whether the outcome is good or bad!! I wish Larry Noblick would visit and confirm it's ID.

I'll probably have to wait untill it flowers.

You do a good job w/ writing english! I am not fluent in spanish but i am about halfway there. To speak a foreign

language is tough, but to write it is even tougher!!

[Howeadypsis]

I just went over these posts. Cocos x Butia! How did that come about and how common are such crosses?

[MAUSER]

Mauser,

I did not take offence to your request, no worries!! I was serious when i asked how close, because my camera will probably get closer and still be focused!

I do hope to get a proffesional here to identify the palm, i would like to know for sure whether the outcome is good or bad!! I wish Larry Noblick would visit and confirm it's ID.

I'll probably have to wait untill it flowers.

You do a good job w/ writing english! I am not fluent in spanish but i am about halfway there. To speak a foreign

language is tough, but to write it is even tougher!!

Mark.

I appreciate your comment.

I've seen a lot of hybrids and none like yours, and as I said I hope that identification will be positive.

I am happy by the recovery of Cocos and pollen may be available soon.

Regards

[Eric in Orlando]

Hey Mark, good to see the coconuts recovering. Most I see around town had from 50-100% burn but are putting out growth. Our big 'Green Malayan' had some minor burn but the bottom 2-3 leaves browned afterwards. The 'Panama Tall' and 'Maypan' had only minor burn, too. There is a small 'Maypan' by the stream that had no damage and a 'Green Malayan' that was almost defoliated. We didn't give any of them protection. The lowest we had was 30F but there was heavy frost in the open areas that night.

I have to get out there soon and see your palms, especially Butia Cocos hybrid. Just from the photos it looks like a juvenile coconut.

[Musi]

Butia X Cocos could become a major commercial cash cow expanding the 'Cocos' palm all over the world in places it couldn't grow.

[Mark Heath]

Hey Mark, good to see the coconuts recovering. Most I see around town had from 50-100% burn but are putting out growth. Our big 'Green Malayan' had some minor burn but the bottom 2-3 leaves browned afterwards. The 'Panama Tall' and 'Maypan' had only minor burn, too. There is a small 'Maypan' by the stream that had no damage and a 'Green Malayan' that was almost defoliated. We didn't give any of them protection. The lowest we had was 30F but there was heavy frost in the open areas that night.

I have to get out there soon and see your palms, especially Butia Cocos hybrid. Just from the photos it looks like a juvenile coconut.

I agree Eric,, it is way overdue for your visit!!

I don't have the city heating or the lakeside microclimate that you do, i wish i did!! I thoroughly enjoyed touring your garden when i had seen you at the sale! I will be a vendor there next spring!!!

Matt, as allways, thanks for the kind words,,, and i know that you know that you're welcome here anytime!!! No worries w/ a hotel, we have a guest room for you!!

Mark