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Somewhere around here, you'll find the loonngg thread regarding this discussion with lots of info to digest.. Regarding This, Only organism that acknowledges state / international " Borders " are a certain group of humans.. Rest of the living world, inc. most humans, does not. Oceans, and limits to climate related adaptations are the only barriers that limit what lives / grows where.. Another angle to this story is that, ..in another recent thread, this one here.. Washingtonia species were recently lumped together, so.. What you ..and everyone else.. in CA and other warm -enough parts of the west.. are seeing when you see robusta, or hybrids, or pure filifera sprouting ..everywhere.. is that particular form of the species expanding it's range, helped in large part by humans bringing it into cultivation.. Other parts of the U.S. are close enough that robusta would spread afar on it's own over time.. The true invasive?, the tree saplings in your first shot.. Unless they are CA Walnuts, most likely, they are Chinese Pistache, ..or possibly Tree of Heaven < though the leaflets don't look right for that menace, imo > ..Note the first part of the common name/ epithet portion of the scientific name < chinensis >.. Is a reflection of where they originated, though some newer cultivars are hybrids w/ other sps from other parts of the old world. Plants brought here from there / other parts of Asia, ..or Europe, Africa, and / or AUS. generally don't have the " checks and balances " organisms around that keep them under control in their respective areas when released into cultivation in the US.. Thus, they can spread and negatively alter New World ecosystems. The reverse often occurs when plants introduced from the Americas escapes cultivation in x or y place in the old world. Excluding island regions like Cuba, Hawaii, or Puerto Rico, plenty of checks and balances around that evolved alongside Washingtonia - whatever to keep them in line, no matter where they're grown in the Americas.

This was a nice event - well planned, many vendors. It was nice to meet @Fishinsteeg234 and would have bought some plants but my yard is in such terrible shape. I really need to get it cleaned up before committing to any new stuff.

Wow, I'm amazed and speechless! It's fascinating and beautiful to see your three Alexandras growing so healthy and fast together! In my area, it's also somewhat dry despite being only 500 meters from the beach, but the winds are sometimes dry and quite strong. Perhaps the advantage of having them together is that it creates a small microclimate that helps them. Could you also share a picture of your adult Purpurea and whether it requires any special care? Does it grow as quickly as a Maxima or Alexandra? For a moment, I thought your Alexandras were Maximas because of the minimal leaf curl. I have a friend who also has an Alexandra with quite straight leaves. I'll tell you more about it in another post, because I think you can advise me on how to create a small microclimate for my palm trees. I'll send you photos of my tiny 4m x 4m garden, but... the space I have available for planting is only 4m x 60cm!

Hot dry spots at that. I have given up trying anything else up there so cycas species it will be. Another problem in that part of the garden is the rocks there is only shallow spots left for small planting holes.

Looks good @iDesign here’s an update on mine that was posted back in 2019 on this thread. I planted it in my “new” Garden in 2021. It’s now multi trunks, flowering and massive! Full Hawaiian sun, close to sea level. Maybe 100 ft elevation. Size 10 sandal for scale: here it is from the outside of my fence: And here’s what it looked like in 2019 after digging it up from my old garden. It stayed in this pot for 2 more years til being planted in 2021:

Coffee Grounds for sure.. Worms / other decomposers in your soil will love it. You can also mix up a " Tea " containing a table spoon of Molasses to a gal. of water and apply that.. Both will enhance beneficial microbe activity in the soil as well. Bananas ..and everything else related to them ( Gingers / Heliconia, Strelitzia genus Bird of Paradise / Traveler's Palm < Ravenala > ) use a lot of K, so, ..on top of the easy to access options above, Applications of Sul - Po - Mag, or Langbeinite ( Pure, high - K source mineral ) are probably a good idea too.

They are slow growing that’s for sure, the one I have has just started flowering after 27 years. No seeds yet. I love the bending trunk look giving that tropical island appearance.

🌴🪵

Soft soil that is soaked, high winds. The palm may have had a root disease with dying roots therefore not enough anchorage to hold it up. But most likely high winds in a big storm in wet soil.

Let the soil dry out, sprinkle cinnamon on top of your soil, hydrogen peroxide yes. But your palm is to wet in the soil solarisation is what you need combined with air flow. Place your palm outside in the shade if that’s possible. It sounds like your palm has been over potted, and there is sour soil at the bottom of the container. You could repot your palm into a container that is just the next size up of the root ball. Some fungi are good like mycelium, let the palm dry out.

What would you recommend? Coffee grounds?

It's a beautiful specimen, my friend. In Miami, they sell them as luxury palm trees, alongside Medjool and Zahidi date palms.

Great stuff ....If you want any Bananas produced to take " chemical -y ", ...and destroy your soil, ..the foundation from which all healthy plants are built.

..Other, smaller " Spies that fly... " Halictus ligatus Agapostemon sp. Anthophora californica and friends.. Strymon melinus Vanessa sp.. Speaking of Flutter Butts, doubling down on efforts to get more of them into the yard.. esp since this could be one of those summers that lures some of the rarer, more " tropical " sps out of Mexico, inc Daggerwings, more of the less common, big Sulphur sps, and some others that are well known for large- aggregation puddling.. What is " Puddling ? " ..Simply put, while some assume nectar is the only energy source Butterflies need, that is only half the story.. Most Butterflies, males esp, also need to sip on water that is rich in certain minerals like Sodium and Calcium / elements like Nitrogen to maintain health and reproductive fitness. Minerals / elements that nectar typically doesn't contain. Roam around ..pretty much anywhere, esp. after a warm downpour, it is not uncommon to come across a muddy bald spot in a grassy area in a park, or damp, shaded streamside depression with clouds of butterflies gathering on the mud itself. This is them not just stopping in at such a spot for a sip of water.. Puddling behavior isn't restricted to muddy puddles either.. Any source of the desired minerals, esp. sodium, will do, inc. carrion, poop, rotting fruit, sweat and tears, and even blood ..in the case of a few butterfly sps native to the tropics.. In a garden, while planting both nectar and host - source plants is a big plus, adding a " puddling station " or two helps get lure of them into the yard.. Such a addition can be a simple plastic or terra cotta saucer filled with mud, sand, and/or gravel, and some larger rocks, then adding some salt, ..and / or a dash or two of something like Fish Emulsion and keeping it moist.. This particular station has both mud and wash grit, just to see which substrate local species gravitate to. In others i plan to add, i'll use 1/4" gravel, both bagged and collected sand, and straight Turface. Stations will also be moved around at times to see what " sun vs. shade position is most attractive. Goal is to be able to get shots, similar to these, from the yard this year.. Various Sulphur sps, from the internet.. American Snout, Hackberry Emperor, Empress Lelia puddling along Alamo wash near Picketpost Mtn. Summer 2021. Zelus renardii, hunting for sap suckers..

Congratulations on that first ring of trunk! Quite the accomplishment in So Cal for that palm! Looks great

Given the soil is already well draining as it is and with the current drought in place, I would definitely follow the most recent watering instructions from the nursery. It might not hurt to give a light dose of fertilizer too. Make sure to get palm specific slow release fertilizer. Sunniland for palms works well for me, it can be found in just about any box store garden center. Would do a little less than the instructions on the bag calls for, just enough to give it a little boost.

Pollen received, thanks again Bruce! If I'm successful in creating some hybrids from this amount I'll certainly be interested in all your be willing to gather and send. As for the seeds, Nikau I don't think will do well here, but I'd certainly be down to receive some Jubaea and Parajubaea seeds. Let me know the shipping costs.

Those pygmies look nice. I am guessing those a re post 2021 plantings as well?

Thank you! So I think it was grown in the ground at a tree farm. They had it in the ground at the nursery as well. I don't know how long it was at the nursery, but I don't imagine it was very long. They seem to do a lot of business and the lot isn't super large.

Without fail... Plant Sunflowers = Gold Finch " spies " will arrive shortly once they start flowering.. Spinus psaltria in this case.. Anna's Hummingbird, female..

Thanks for posting Bret, great pics. I didn't realize you shot so many photos, although I was busy making Tiki Cocktails. Had a wonderful time hosting all of you . Great food, drink and friends! Cheers

Welcome to PalmTalk! Overall, your palm looks very good! Was your palm grown in a box, or was it transplanted from the ground? This detail may help PalmTalkers wiser than me recommend when to start fertilizing, which I think probably is not now. From your description of your soil and current drought, and your pictures, I doubt that watering considerably more would hurt, and I think that it might help control the limited tip browning that is evident now. Hopefully some Panama City area PalmTalkers will comment. We must have several.

I have often wondered why the robusta isn’t considered native to California. I know its native to Baja California, which would have been California if it still belonged to Mexico. I went on a short walk through my paseos to find what appears to be Washingtonia robustas (maybe hybrids with filiferas) everywhere. It appears they have naturalized and are becoming invasive. Every few yards there’s new sprouts. Thoughts?