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Licuala pelata var sumowongii, super sun tolerant! Richard

To me all the hose does is keep them alive, but the nitrogen in the rainwater is the best fertigate system one can have. Richard

I got out the tape measure to see how long the inflorescence is. It was 54" long with only a few buds open.

Around the palms, or to cover the yard? You can put gravel around the palms, though it might not stay there, depending on how wide the rings they are planted in are / mound like vs. being more bowl like and the size of stone mulch used. If referring to the yard ..and/ or to cover planting beds?, I know there are a few who will try to give me grief about it but, here at least, Gravel is the best " bare soil cover " option one can put down. That said, laying it 1-2" deep will help, but not by a large amount.. 3" ..or a little deeper.. is better, if you can.. If you have burrowing yard menaces where you're located ..Gophers, Ground or Antelope Squirrels, you'd lay down a deeper layer for sure.. Laid it in both yards i've landscaped here and can say ..with plenty of evidence to support what i've noted.. that it helps keep moisture in the soil ..and helps drive more of it, deeper into the soil, when we get good rains ..and cuts down on erosion. Adding to that, just because you lay down gravel, that doesn't mean you have to leave it bare ..the " sizzling gravel grave yards " you probably see just as often in yards on your side of town as i do down here.. I made a point of throwing in everything from certain Cacti to native grasses, perennial and annual winter / summer flowering things in gravel covered areas ..below the larger things planted when i put each project together.. Why? A: so it doesn't look as bare, and B, because ..if you ever walk the desert, ..or any habitat really.. you'll see how extensive areas of bare ground ..gravely or not.. are pretty rare, rather than the rule.. Unless it an extreme habitat type where something chemical in the native soil hinders much -if any- growth, there is usually something leafy trying to cover that bare ground.. Soil, rocky or not, is supposed to have a living skin, not be bare. Bigger plants, like trees ..and/or palms.. benefit from having other plants around their feet both in those things helping keep the soil cooler ( ..than if the space between them were bare of -any- vegetation ) and because ..in the words of a famous plant geek " Plants aren't islands " and the more diversity you have in a planting, the more each thing benefits from the other.. Legumes fix nitrogen and attract certain soil microbe flora vs grasses or your Yuccas and Palms yet they all work with each other to keep the whole " group " ..if you want to use such a term.. healthy.. Another thing is if you have trees like Mesquite or Palo Verde anywhere nearby, the duff they generate each year that may blow into gravel will filter thru it, decomposing as it reaches where the soil is, and release nutrients into the soil itself. I get several types of mushrooms popping up in gravelly areas when we get enough rain ..is a sign that organic material from the trees here and nearby / what debris from dead annual stuff stays in the soil is breaking down /filtering through the rock, and releasing nutrients. Slower process than occurs w/ organics obviously but, yes, gravel, of any type, also releases pulses of nutrients as well.. Depending on the rock type, that gravel could add stuff like Iron, Magnesium / Manganese, and Potassium < = Granite and other volcanic origin type rock, > ..or Calcium < = Limestone / other Carbon -rich rock types > to your soil, over time. Chunky, hardwood mulches here are pretty useless, imo.. If they don't get blown around, or washed out during a storm, they take forever to break down.. ( It's a lot of work breaking down lignin, here esp. ) While the rumor that wood mulch attracts Scorpions is greatly exaggerated, ....-any- thing that provides a cool moist spot to hang out / find an easy meal will attract bugs ..the ones you want, ..and those you might not want hanging out so close to a home.. honestly Termites ..they are more likely to show up in wood mulch covered areas rather than Scorps. Another reason i myself stay away from them, here ..or anywhere.. Gravel looks much nicer anyway..

Last post was in October when it opened a leaf and it just opened another yesterday. It does seem to be getting faster as the last leaf took a whole year. It’s a super slow palm for me but it’s not dead so I’m stoked. The leaves holding look perfect too so that’s good. Not too impressive tho. -dale

Me too. Our tap water is sourced from city wells so it’s very hard. Lots of calcium and high ph. We’ve had lots of springtime rain up here so everything looks so happy especially after the HOT month of March. By summer’s end, some of my palms have brown tipping as the calcium salts build up in the soil. I do try to flush the soil around the more affected palms with the garden hose periodically and that seems to help a lot.

I would like to see the poster's location on my phone and tablet without going into the profile. Location is visible on a desktop with the post.

Thanks, JLM, that’s good info. I see you are in Pace outside of Pensacola. Several years ago, really like more than a decade ago, a guy on this forum sent me seeds from Canary Island Day Palms h said we’re growing around the courthouse in Pensacola. He said the trees were probably about 100 years old. The seeds all sprouted beautifully, but I could not get long-term survival for CIPD here in Dallas, TX. When I visited Mobile and the Gulf Coast last year to see the SS United States, we drove over to Pensacola, but I did not see any CIPD around the courthouse. Did those trees just live out their years or did they freeze?

My second order this season from Floribunda arrived this afternoon and all are new trials for me. They all are BIG in their respective containers as is usual from this excellent vender. Pritchardia aylmer-robinsonii Chamaedorea arenbergiana Chrysalidocarpus ‘Baby Red Stems’ Pinanga ‘Maroon Crown Shaft’ Anyone with personal experience with any of these, please comment.

I will check out the Xeric Demo Garden when I get time. I have been down to that library a couple of times. Another thought I had was to use small gravel instead of mulch, I had a couple of my coworkers recommend it to me to help prevent the top soil from eroding. Also saw some posts on here from 2021 of some of you guys saying to use it since it drains well and protects the top layer. Almost like pebbles, I did the same thing on my yuccas and they all grew huge but wonder if a palm is much the same.

Would you like to know where to send your check?

Sometimes I’ve found the “Reply” doesn’t indicate that it sent. This is usually because the phone (or computer) had an issue with your connection to the internet. It will send most times, but may not indicate it has. I get requests to delete duplicate sendings often. But bottom line, this is not something I have any control over.

Well phoenix looks like a great place for Chambeyronias to me, nice palm!

Not sure Matt, but I think I remember a setting in your profile for that. Or maybe it’s the Global setting I’m thinking of. But check your profile, and keep in mind that it may be different after this upgrade. So, remind me if you can’t figure it out.

Sorry Meg - can’t answer you. I would need more info. What happens when you try? Any error message? After you click “Save” what exactly happens? You are clicking “Save” - right??? At any rate, there have been the occasional User with a glitch like this - usually with old time Users. Don’t know why - corrupt database error or something. If you have trouble logging in to new site, submit a Support Ticket, or get hold or me somehow and I will help you out. Or - if you read this in time, send me your email and password via PM and I can edit them into your account manually when the new system is up.

Yellow Poinciana starting after looking like a stick tree:

Cassia fistula has had an underwhelming year. It did not lose its leaves:

Chamaedorea elaitor

Lagerstroemia speciosa or Queen's Crepe Myrtle:

Some of my Encephalartos growing in the front are pushing flushes, finally catching up with the rest of you in Southern California.

Moving towards heavy:

Pseudophoenix vinifera at Mounts:

C saintelucei fresh trunk caught an eye.