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My “ mystery sprout “ revealed itself . An Arenga Engleri from last year’s seeds. I have a habit of pushing seeds in pots or parts of the garden , and then forgetting about them . This pot has had different seeds pushed in it so I can pot them later. Harry I knew when this sprout emerged it was different than I had seen typically in my garden. I get lots of Chamaedorea , the two to the right are Radicalis . Also some Archontophoenix , behind the Arenga. Good to know my old Arenga produces viable seeds! I will gently remove these seedlings in a month or so and pot them up for winter in the greenhouse. So stoked…..

I got it as a potted strap leaf seedling in the winter of 2013, grew it out for a couple of years then it went into the ground spring of 2015. So it survived 11 winters. The early years, I heavily protected it during temps below 20 F. Once it became too large to protect, it was mostly at the mercy of the elements. I tried running a propane fire pit under it during one particularly cold night, not sure that it helped since it was pretty windy. I assume the new home owner did not offer any protection during this past winter. It takes two growing seasons to fully recover the canopy to something that looks pretty good. So one winter with no major defoliation. Temps in the upper/mid teens will damage the foliage, it also isn't a fan of freezing rain in the low 20s either. Once the canopy is full, it will bloom like crazy.

Kentiopsis are very slow growing at that stage so it’s gonna take a while to see any results . Here , in my garden , only about one good frond a year in the juvenile stage . Shade and a lot of faith for that one. Good luck. Harry

The first response you had DoomsDave said you have a fungal attack. I gave the treatment (peroxide, daconil) which works for almost all treatable fungal attacks which are commonly reported here on palmtalk. Looks like AI says Dave was right, I am not surprised as he has been growing palms out west for several decades. Fungal attacks almost always happen on dead or weakened tissue, not live healthy tissue which has strong chemical defense mechanisms that kill or inhibit fungal growth. A simple Google AI tells you how the infection occurs which is generally common knowledge here. Fungal attacks on Washingtonia filifera (California fan palm) are primarily caused by airborne spores, contaminated pruning tools, and environmental stress. Key triggers and common fungal pathogens include: [1, 2, 3] Common Fungal Pathogens Diamond Scale (Phaeochoropsis neowashingtoniae): Forms distinct black, diamond-shaped fruiting bodies on leaves and petioles, weakening older fronds. [1, 2] Pink Rot / Bud Rot (Nalanthamala vermoeseni): Attacks stressed or wounded tissue, producing pinkish-orange spore masses on the trunk or bud. [1, 2] Petiole / Rachis Blight (Cocoicola californica): Causes reddish-brown streaks on leaf petioles, disrupting water movement. [1, 2] Calonectria Leaf Spot: Results in localized spotting and tissue decline on fronds. [1] Core Causes and Transmission Factors Wounds and Over-Pruning: Pruning green fronds too closely or using unsterilized saws creates direct entry points for pathogens like Nalanthamala and Fusarium. Excess Moisture: High humidity, prolonged wet fronds, or poorly draining soils create ideal conditions for spore germination. Environmental Stress: Cold damage, nutrient imbalances, or planting in wet, non-desert conditions weaken the palm's natural defenses. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7] SO yes environmental stress, prolonged wet leaves, poorly draining soils all can lead to spore germination. But the spores are always in the air, is your palm susceptible? Hopefully yuou have al;ready been applying the peroxide and Daconil. I do not know why your palm is susceptible to fungus, only you know the history of your palm, the environmental stress could include bad soil, nutrient deficiency, overwatering of the leaves in cool weather etc.

I don’t know , Richard . I would think the new growth would show some signs of trouble if it were a soil problem . That is strange , for sure. The others that you have had trouble with in that area indicate something is up . I’m sure you’ve tried amending the soil ? I had an area in my yard that was filled with dirt from another lot , back when they were still building homes here. I planted a couple of Howea there and they just didn’t grow. They would get nice fronds every once in a while but they just seemed stalled . I dug the palms out after about 5 years and gave them to a friend ( he ended up killing them🫤) . I didn’t plant there for a while but put a lot of garden soil and tilled that spot . Then , recently , planted an Archontophoenix Cuninghamiana baby there . It took off! I added more wood chips and planted a Syagrus Schizophylla and now IT is growing well. It’s a great spot with afternoon shade so I was happy to have a spot for more palms. I hope you are able to work it out , that looks like a nice spot. Harry

Correction: Ukhrulensis x oreophilus (Not the other way)

Some nice palms! That reminds me I must book a plane ticket for any exotic destination in the South Pacific seas!

Especially the dicksonia! What was that song by the Pixies, Where is my mind!!!

With no way to photosynthesis, they are doomed!

I could never really get my brain around nomenclature, I now know why!

Not sure if this is winter or a soil disease, giving this dypsis procera a hard time. All the others I have planted and in containers are all doing well. I have had problems with palms dying in this part of the garden before. I was given a trailer load of soil. To help a friend out by taking it. And had nothing but trouble with it. The suckers on the palm are ok it’s just the one stem dying. But it certainly does look like cold damage.

I was removing them from habitat, so I guess that makes a difference in percentages that live. And just putting them in a water bottle to carry home wouldnt help them either. I have hundreds of archontophoenix Alexander’s coming up as weeds in the garden and I reckon if I just pulled them out the rich loam beds they would most likely live. But as for habitat I won’t try anymore, just pick up seeds. Richard

Getting a few exotics in the ground, they are doing well for winter. So why not plant them. And a thanks to @Jonathan for the brugmansia. Licuala ferruginiaIguanura wallachiana calyptronoma occidentalisAnthurium vietchii draceana goldieana brugmansia sanguinea Pavetta australiensis

Cocothrinax eckmanii, a slow growing palm, 25 years old!

A nice little Pinanga sarawakensis doing well in winter.

It’s suffered a bit already, I suggest leave it alone in a well protected area, that is on the dry side. It looks like it’s suffered overwatering. Let it recover then repot it. Or if you’re willing to risk it wash the soil away with a soft hosing. Then repot in a much smaller container and by the looks of it a 70mm tube. A good drainage mix for the medium and don’t overwater it, and only attempt this in the warm months. Dont fertilise it, just let it rest.

Thanks Darold, that's what I’ve done with my G undata seeds, not that any have germinated yet (!!!) Was planning on doing the same with these but had no small pots at hand. Will remedy that this weekend.

I do too! Nice palm Harry, Thanks!

www.achat-vente-palmiers.com/en/ French shop with a good selection. There's also a Spanish site palmseedlings.com that has a good selection of seedlings and seeds

supposedly coconuts will flower anywhere from 3 years after sprouting to 8. personally, i would guess maybe year 5 since even though we're warm we arent quite tropical and it does still grow during winter which i would say lends to a middle of the range number. who knows though plants are more complex than just "they do this by this time" maybe it can decide since the climate its in is sort of pushing the limits, it might decide to flower on year 4 as a reaction to avoid possibly dying before reproducing. physical abuse also yields that response not just climate though. so maybe if you hit it with a bat it might put out a flower spike next year 🤣 also from what i understand with talls which is what you have right? is that they flower bisexually but the flowers open at different times like avocadoes. so self-pollination is rare, so you'd have to hand pollinate likely. as opposed to dwarfs which self-pollinate reliably due to human selection. thankfully you shouldn't need another tree i believe. although maybe if you did somebody on here could donate a spear or pollen.

any updates for july? have the little trees recovered yet? 🙂

Need some help with this one, been chasing an oliviformis for a while now and the specialised palm nursery local to me sold out a year back with no intention of raising any more seedlings. However they recently found this little suffering single stem specimen mixed in with a heap of other palms so gave it to me for free with little hope. Question I have is, what can I do to increase its chances of survival? I’m guessing I don’t want to be pulling it out of the pot and disturbing its roots? Tia.

SOLD

After some wrestling with AI, I had the idea to upload the following image. Gemini said something about the stems and I realized I had discoloration there. This is the image of my palm I sent it (it loaded at the bottom for some reason) And it came back with a definitive diagnosis that I've since peer reviewed and I think its actually right. Incredible. Output:: "What you are looking at is not a root drench issue, and it is not a standard manganese deficiency. This is a textbook, high-resolution view of a severe Petiole / Rachis Blight (a fungal vascular disease caused by pathogens like Cocoicola, Serenomyces, or Diplodia). Looking closely at the image reveals the exact mechanics of what is happening to your tree: Image Analysis: What the Photo ShowsThe Longitudinal Brown Bands: Look at the distinct, dark reddish-brown lines running parallel right along the inner grooves of the yellowing stem. Those stripes are active fungal decay invading the petiole's internal vascular tissue (xylem). The Scorched "Blistered" Margins: The dark, ragged, paper-like crusts on the sharp edges of the petiole (where the spines/teeth meet) show where the fungus has literally killed the outer tissue and choked off water to the rest of the frond. The Active "Bleach Zone": Notice how the tissue is a sickly bright yellow around the brown vascular lines and pales out toward the center. Because the fungus has clogged the stem's internal water pipes, the green tissue above it is actively starving of water and chlorifying (turning yellow)."

Jonathan, I would strongly advise that you sow the seeds in individual small pots. I was the fortunate recipient of Richnorm's generosity and obtained 12 sprouts in a community germination pot. When I separated the small seedlings to install them into small pots 10 of the 12 died immediately.