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According to the internet it says the ox beetle is harmless and beneficial to the environment......says no palm grower ever.

Banana moth ?? If so they spread fast....

I understand the "don't cut 'em off until they're dead" logic. In my area, fresh cut green leaves can invite palm weevils & other nasty pathogens. But... I'm also balancing the amount of air circulation required in a densely planted garden, as well as the aesthetics. If the palm is robustly growing, that's a leaf I'd remove if it were in my garden. But I'd also treat afterward with tree wound dressing just to cover the bases. Again, that's just me. I know there are a lot of people who might disagree. So that's my disclaimer..

Tracy, I have a visual image of you taking off one of your flip flops and running around like a mad man attempting to murder anything that walks, crawls or flies within a 20-foot radius. Sounds exhausting. Hope you had a cold one after that.

Here is a good example of what the beetles do. I thought I caught the beetle right away, but clearly I didn't. I had two beetles attack this Sabal palmetto "Lisa" about 2 weeks apart that I was able to destroy. After removing the beetles everything seemed good for about a month and then the palm started going downhill fast, and eventually spear pulled. I removed the palm and this is what I saw. This palm was about 5 feet tall.

no rain since last friday. Its dry here, the familiar hot and dry of the late spring and early summer. We are in drought but all the containment ponds have been just about full for a week. The canal is high and slow moving. A few months ago I could see the drought from the low levels of the containment ponds and canal. At my place its feast or famine on the rain and its much less frequent than I remember. We had 4 heavy rainfall days the last month or so, and ~24 totally dry days. This needs to change soon. but at least we are supposed to be getting some cloud cover in the afternoon today.

100%. He said he maintained and trimmed the coconut for years but knew it had internal damage. At the time he said only cocos that had a chance of recivery were the ones at Volcano Bay because of proximity near water. Meanwhile, they're recovering all over town. Purely a reactionary decision. Makes no sense because it lost the crown as well in 2018 and this was it one year later.

I have 5 Butia exilata for sale if anyone is interested. $40ea $18 shipping UPS 3 day select. Shipping charge the same for multiple plants. Butia exilaata described in 2011 a rare, dwarf subshrub palm species native to the grasslands of northern Rio Grande do Sul in southern Brazil known for its compact size, woolly peduncular bracts, and graceful arching feathery fronds.

If I remember correctly, the son is helping his mother keep the business operating. Likely at a reduced capacity. I ordered 3 palms from them about 2 years ago .

Thank you for the correct id Nathan. I went to the smashing mode immediately on sight so didn't examine it before damaging the evidence. I am both relieved and happy that I was wrong in my identification.

Very surprised to hear that you're having issues growing Filiferas in your area. They are usually easy to grow. Good drainage is the key to success. Dig a hole that's larger than the pot ( rule of thumb, twice as large or close to it) . I use palm cactus soil, pellets and the soil I digged out and mix it together . Once the palm is planted I put a thin layer of cow manure on top. Mulch around the base and call it a day. Works well for me. As far as watering goes. As long as your palm isn't growing in standing water and has good drainage, you can water it just like your Robusta. Water it every day the first week, then every other the second week , then water it infrequently every second to third day for a few months. Sometimes I water mine once or three times a week . All depends on weather. In our hot summers , more is better. I also grow multiple Filiferas , one I grew from a seed years back . No issues so far.

Over time they will kill their entire food source, so what happens then? adaptation to other palms, or die off in the area? If its the latter there may come a day when the palms are all gone(😭) and then the weevil after, then replanting can start. That may be the best outcome unless a predator species is vaible to introduce and keep the numbers down. That whole situation sucks.

The arborist that removed it is defending their paycheck🙄. Im sure they showed up and convinced the owner it needed to go and they would give them a good deal or some such. That early of a removal means they had no clue if it was alive or not and they were praying on ignorance and the freeze to make a lot of money fast. Im an arborist and see it all the time, there are two groups of us, those that take advantage and those that give a sh!t. The latter barely attend events to keep their minimal CEUs to keep their certification, and usually dont have extra qualifications and def arent a BCMA.

It is scary but I'm also more educated now. It all started with a borrow right next to the one of my Trachies trunk. Didn't think it was much of a concern at that time. Some time passed by I have noticed some discoloration on the spear. Out of curiosity I gently pulled the spear and to my surprise it pulled out easily. The other Trachy , which was planted about 3 feet away, had a borrow as well. I asked a friend for help , showed him the pictures and he immediately told me it's the ox beetle. Gave me instructions to flood the hole for several minutes . I was able to wash out the ox beetle. I had no mercy with that little creepy crawler. There was one in the front yard near a yucca as well. I've found a dead ox beetle nearby. So my advice to you is to regularly inspect your yard. Look for anything out of the ordinary. If you happen to find a borrow, flood it immediately!!! These beetles are very destructive. It literally drilled a dime size hole on the bottom of the palm's bud. To prevent this from happening you can buy some idimacloprod. It's a pesticide .

There is no way those were all planted in the last century by white man and all achieved that size and spread, especially if they have been removing them. Horticultural science doesnt back up the claim they were all planted at once, or somehow invasive, in a native environment (this area would be no different than their home in CA). I would think they are native just by that, location (relatively) close to undisputed groves, and similar habit to other desert palms like medmia that have large gaps between populations. Native animals using them as their primary support (shelter or food) also lends evidence. I dont doubt the government has their own agenda there too (no young palms in views ive seen indicates they are killing (spraying?) them), hopefully people can work to prevent further degredation of them in the name of conservation. They may not be the most striking crownshaft palm everyone trips over to drool by, but i love them for their tough determination to survive such a harsh climate, much like their human cohabitators before the invasion of europeans. Thanks for sharing this everyone, especially @LonghardRoad!

Very special , indeed . It looks like the palm was ready too. It should pick up a bit once the roots find “new earth”. Harry

Only problem is ….they are never alone! Harry

Might be the first time someone’s relived to see a cockroach!

Haha, no unfortunately, but at least it has soil...unlike South Arm, which has bottomless dune sand! The new place has sandy loam over clay, with a natural hardpan in between, which we've deep ripped for drainage. Holds water very well, and most palms I've put in are doing well, including some Bangalows from NSW. Looking forward to planting these guys out and a forest of maxima's down the track! This thread has reignited my interest in these palms...would be awesome if they show the purple one day, fingers crossed 🤞

By popular demand: Asta 11 months old, world class clown, spoilt little princess!

I want to sell about 30 of these Arenga westerhoutii seedlings. Impressive palm when it matures and I'm just selling my excess. $4 each or 10 for $35. Shipping extra and should fit in a Medium Priority Mail Box.

That is really cool. I didn’t think to try that myself. The purple shows up really well. Good idea about inaturalist.

Hey Jonathan. They are beautiful healthy specimens. I think an Archontophoenix purpurea at that stage would be green still, so I reckon they will colour up in time, maybe when they are just about to start trunking which is when purpurea does it in my experience. I bet you can’t wait to get em into the ground at your new place. Does your new place have that brown gravelly volcanic stuff they have in QLD. I’m envious of that soil. You really see it when they clear the sugar cane and leave that dark brown soil behind. Some locals stopped near the top of the Dalrymple road and we chatted for a bit. At the higher elevation where they are the annual rainfall is about 3500mm per year but Eungella is about half that and Broken River less again. All Archontophoenix love there water but these guys really must do as well. I reckon fortnightly seasol and fish emulsion with a tray of water underneath would supercharge these guys. My Archontophoenix purpurea I leave in a tray of water even through winter in Albany and they seem to love it. Thanks for posting the pics of your ones. They’re way special.

Extra dry conditions will be followed by another round of west wind....no es bueno

They are interesting palms I will say that, it’s not the cool weather that gets them rather the heat that fry’s them. You sound like you have given them a run for their money in trying them out. We all can create that microclimate but the day we go on holidays or sell up and move the odds are stacked against such beautiful palms we have managed to grow. But it’s most definitely not from lack of trying. I doubt my atrovirens will go in the ground, to rare and I know my climate can go into severe drought at times. Oh the woes of palm growing!