A blank canvas to landscape in Southern California.

[OverGrown 516]

Plants in the infirmary (aka the greenhouse)  If you remember I acquired some plants in december and before I could provide shelter for them, my area was hit with some frost and cold nights..  A lot of my 1g's and a few 5g's that were planted out did not make it... luckily these harder to find palms have a fighting chance but the road to recovery will be long and slow.

BuJubea that was packed really well...I potted it up and put it out in direct sun despite a few fronds appearing to be stretched upon arrival. I thought this variety was hardier but it appears it needs to be acclimated having been grown in FL.

dypsis sp Bef / Slick Willie  two existing fronds got torched but it opened a spear and another seem to coming up...

dypsis prestoniana number 1 w/ small opening frond..

presto number 2 w/ most recent frond opened although a little yellow...

dypsis ambositrae which originally had really stretched fronds with the latest one opening more compact but with the same yellowing which I attribute to sun exposure..

this is one of two ravenea julietae which had a little damage, the other is flawless.

[Ben in Norcal 2,155]

Those BuJus all came from the same seller and seem to have struggled just about anywhere out of greenhouse...

[OverGrown 516]

On April 22, 2016 6:29:25 AM, Ben in Norcal said:

Those BuJus all came from the same seller and seem to have struggled just about anywhere out of greenhouse...

I hope it picks up some momentum.  All the palms in my greenhouse will eventually be replacements for things in and around the landscape.  I had a lot of planted 1g's & 5g's  that have been thrown out.

[OverGrown 516]

Had a brief moment to plant out this dypsis decipiens the other day...It grew at this angle in the 15g container and was perfect for the grade of the planter where I was planting it...

the roots from the backside...major heeling going on...

the sloped planter where it was going in...notice the grade difference...I offset the palm back about 4-6inches and slightly above grade to account for further tillering...  the planter itself is tighter than I would prefer for a large palm but its what I have to work with...We'll see. 

This planter will get full sun, all day and heat from the concrete.  The soil has been amended really deep for drainage as this planter catches any runoff water from when I rinse things out and hose down the driveway...

[OverGrown 516]

What good is a thread if you can't learn from a mistake... Here is a nice encephalartos longifolius with about 8" caudex that I had for many years in a pot... Well, I planted this out even with amendments for drainage...unfortunately the area it was planted in had clay that stayed consistently moist because of water runoff despite the location being in full all day sun and heat...all it took one once section of roots to be in contact with that area and rot set in...I carved away what I could to and set it aside in the shade to no avail...Only today when I attempted to plant it out I noticed the growing point was already rotted out...

also this wallichia disticha did not take...

[OverGrown 516]

My guard dogs enjoying the yard...

Picked up a second puppy to accompany the first.

And this is me with my son as he learns to walk on grass...

 

[foxtail 329]

9 hours ago, OverGrown said:

My guard dogs enjoying the yard...

Picked up a second puppy to accompany the first.

And this is me with my son as he learns to walk on grass...

 

Are the puppy a female? Do you think in make a breeding?

Nice yard!!!

[OverGrown 516]

5 hours ago, foxtail said:

Are the puppy a female? Do you think in make a breeding?

Nice yard!!!

Thanks!  Yes, both are females and I will breed them down the line as they both have great pedigrees.  

[Dave-Vero 657]

Those conduits and such under the new pavements will eventually pay off.  My driveway has a diagonal stripe of pavers thanks to failure of the buried electric line from street to house this past summer.  It was not in a conduit. 

Fortunately, we can grow quite a few Encephalartos here in seasonally soggy Florida.  I'm regularly amazed that Californians can grow such good plants with irrigation water.  Over here, despite a good municipal water supply, the plants seem to despise anything but rain.  

[foxtail 329]

51 minutes ago, OverGrown said:

Thanks!  Yes, both are females and I will breed them down the line as they both have great pedigrees.  

One of mine is one of a lot Excalibur's grandson 

[OverGrown 516]

56 minutes ago, foxtail said:

One of mine is one of a lot Excalibur's grandson 

Ahhh, very cool.  The pocket blue female is off of Daxline's Brando and the micro fawn tricolor is 6x Miagi and 4x G2.  

[foxtail 329]

On 5/10/2016, 6:49:42, OverGrown said:

Ahhh, very cool.  The pocket blue female is off of Daxline's Brando and the micro fawn tricolor is 6x Miagi and 4x G2.  

Edited May 11, 2016 by foxtail

[foxtail 329]

Ufff, that's blood!!!!

[OverGrown 516]

My Pisang Ceylon (Klotek) finally put out some bananas but eventually succumb to its own weight a couple weeks ago...it was fun while it lasted.

This area used to be where the greenhouse was kept but I have since reworked it with three encephalartos horridus & delosperma cooperi.  Clay amended with steer manure and holes dug very deep and amended.  

 

[OverGrown 516]

Rough overlook a couple weeks ago... you can see the extreme bend in the banana plant.  Next time I might rig a support out of 10' 2x4's  

Yard was designed to have some flexibility...so we were able to accommodate this water slide earlier in the summer!

[OverGrown 516]

This aloe goliath hybrid tree is starting to get some size.  

This guy is also starting to get some size as well.  Happy Growing folks!

[foxtail 329]

On 5/10/2016, 1:59:08, OverGrown said:

What good is a thread if you can't learn from a mistake... Here is a nice encephalartos longifolius with about 8" caudex that I had for many years in a pot... Well, I planted this out even with amendments for drainage...unfortunately the area it was planted in had clay that stayed consistently moist because of water runoff despite the location being in full all day sun and heat...all it took one once section of roots to be in contact with that area and rot set in...I carved away what I could to and set it aside in the shade to no avail...Only today when I attempted to plant it out I noticed the growing point was already rotted out...

also this wallichia disticha did not take...

Darn mate, that clay is almost concrete.

Edited August 24, 2016 by foxtail

[OverGrown 516]

16 hours ago, foxtail said:

Darn mate, that clay is almost concrete.

It's a challenge to work with, often requiring a good soaking 36-48hrs prior, then at least 12hrs-24hrs to drain otherwise its too soggy to dig.  Without the soaking, it's like striking a shovel into brick/concrete.  In some sections, I was hitting tons of pebble rock.    My theory is that the hard water we have here has "glued" the clay particles together over the years.  

[DoomsDave 8,845]

Clay is a mixed blessing, but, worked well, can be the best soil you can have, after silt.

It will hold water, which, in this dry place is a major advantage. It's also very fertile.

The key is digging entire areas and working in amendments, instead of adding them to individual planting holes. Hard work! Yes, well I know! The entire Joint Family was annoyed with me. (For a short time.)

But worth it. Add raw organics by the yard, then water and let them rot. Bacteria get established, and worms, too. When I dug my Clay Hell, I ended up with what looked like mounded graves from all the "mulch" (dead leaves, twigs, palm leaves, grass clippings, bad food, dead animals etc) buried underneath. After a couple of months of watering, the mounds fell after the stuff rotted. Put about a foot of mulch between smaller layers of soil. That will minimize the need to mix later.

Sounds like you might have encountered gravel dumped by construction crews in the past. I encountered a for-real gravel pit, which I dug out and used for my brick walks.

[foxtail 329]

32 minutes ago, OverGrown said:

It's a challenge to work with, often requiring a good soaking 36-48hrs prior, then at least 12hrs-24hrs to drain otherwise its too soggy to dig.  Without the soaking, it's like striking a shovel into brick/concrete.  In some sections, I was hitting tons of pebble rock.    My theory is that the hard water we have here has "glued" the clay particles together over the years.  

I have clay soil too but yours make mine looks like gelatin.

The "rebuild " Dave suggest is fantastic. 

[DoomsDave 8,845]

3 minutes ago, foxtail said:

I have clay soil too but yours make mine looks like gelatin.

The "rebuild " Dave suggest is fantastic. 

It works!

But it's work.

A lot.

[OverGrown 516]

A couple more updates:  

Bambusa vulgaris is starting to throw larger culms.  It's doing its job and obscuring the view of the the neighbors roof line and the electric pole in the corner..It's providing nice shade in this corner of the yard.   Peacocks and chickens are no longer around as I'm trying to simplify things around the house.  Drip irrigation is completed in the backyard.

I have purchased multiples of some of the more sensitive species of palms and provided protection but many of those have died either from cold nights, scorching hot days, dry air, sun intensity, etc and it can get discouraging...So it brings me a little joy when I see some palms like this Beccariopheonix alfredii chugging along with noticeable growth...

I planted out 4 out of 5 dypsis decipiens from a 15g size and left this 5th on west side of my house where it gets hot afternoon sun and excess heat off the stucco of the house... it also gets irregularly hand watered on average once every week and a half...surprisingly it is growing better than the other 4 I have in the ground.

 

[Alicehunter2000 713]

Don't know how I missed this thread 1st time around.....major project that turned out fantastic! 

[BS Man about Palms 2,352]

On 12/30/2015, 10:42:27, OverGrown said:

dypsis prestoniana big curly

dypsis prestoniana petioles ...cool bi-color look w/ light green petioles and dark green leaflets

frond and leaflets...i really like the arrangement on this plant

 

This actually appears to be the OCWS version... harder to grow.  The big curley version does not have two tone spears..  

[BS Man about Palms 2,352]

On 12/30/2015, 10:22:05, OverGrown said:

 

 

 

On 12/30/2015, 10:22:05, OverGrown said:

 

 

dypsis sp dark mealybug fronds and leaflets

dypsis sp dark mealybug heel and petiole

 

Looks to be an Dypsis ovobontsira ......  By the way, stunning work at hand... as It fills out you will have a fun masterpiece to live in!

[OverGrown 516]

On August 24, 2016 12:21:02 PM, Alicehunter2000 said:

Don't know how I missed this thread 1st time around.....major project that turned out fantastic! 

Thanks! It is still a work in progress but I'm very happy the major stuff is done.  I'm constantly editing and will do some finishing work down the line. 

[OverGrown 516]

23 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

This actually appears to be the OCWS version... harder to grow.  The big curley version does not have two tone spears..  

 

23 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

 

Looks to be an Dypsis ovobontsira ......  By the way, stunning work at hand... as It fills out you will have a fun masterpiece to live in!

Thanks for the ID.  The presto OCWS has been planted out and seems to be at a stand still and I'm down to a half green frond on the other presto.  I'm hoping it survives.  

[Josh-O 2,731]

great looking yard! I love the big grass patch in the middle.

cute kid too.

keep up the good work over there and enjoy your garden paradise

[BS Man about Palms 2,352]

12 hours ago, OverGrown said:

 

Thanks for the ID.  The presto OCWS has been planted out and seems to be at a stand still and I'm down to a half green frond on the other presto.  I'm hoping it survives.  

If you have not caught in the past, you want to "mound plant" and in your case, shade your heeled Dypsis until established.. They will tend to want less water until established. They are painfully slow in root development and most people effectively "drown" them awaiting growth..

BTW, your shade cloth is @78% so be careful removing it... or cut holes in it a bit at a time. I found "Pool screen" material is @35% and does a great job at just enough shade to help and not seriously burn when removed...

Onward and upward!!

 

[Monòver 1,068]

2 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

If you have not caught in the past, you want to "mound plant" and in your case, shade your heeled Dypsis until established.. They will tend to want less water until established. They are painfully slow in root development and most people effectively "drown" them awaiting growth..

BTW, your shade cloth is @78% so be careful removing it... or cut holes in it a bit at a time. I found "Pool screen" material is @35% and does a great job at just enough shade to help and not seriously burn when removed...

Onward and upward!!

 

I am agree, 78% shade cloth will be dangerous after remove it, the palm will be burned.

I am working with 40% and it is perfect for aclimate to sun.

[foxtail 329]

11 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

 They will tend to want less water until established. They are painfully slow in root development and most people effectively "drown" them awaiting growth..

 

And.... Thanks for your point.

[OverGrown 516]

On August 25, 2016 10:07:11 PM, Josh-O said:

great looking yard! I love the big grass patch in the middle.

cute kid too.

keep up the good work over there and enjoy your garden paradise

Thanks Josh.  Right back at you! What you are doing is history in the making.

[OverGrown 516]

On August 26, 2016 9:33:56 AM, BS Man about Palms said:

If you have not caught in the past, you want to "mound plant" and in your case, shade your heeled Dypsis until established.. They will tend to want less water until established. They are painfully slow in root development and most people effectively "drown" them awaiting growth..

BTW, your shade cloth is @78% so be careful removing it... or cut holes in it a bit at a time. I found "Pool screen" material is @35% and does a great job at just enough shade to help and not seriously burn when removed...

Onward and upward!!

 

Good point. All my heeled palms are mound planted but i suspect it might be the frequency in watering....

Also, thanks for the tip on the shade cloth, I will try to source some 35% material. 

Best.

[OverGrown 516]

A couple weeks ago I took a big loss on a gamble unrelated to plants so I turned my attention to gardening once again for its therapeutic effects...

Latest pick ups for the yard;

Foxy lady 5g

Another supposed foxy lady but two out of the three fronds are a little more plumose...

15g Dypsis carlsmithii

 

[OverGrown 516]

Picked up these 3 Kentiopsis pyriformis from Dave Bleistein

And this dypsis pullilifera he gifted me for being his nursery container supplier!

Then Dave and I hit up Bluebell Nursery in Anaheim so I could try planting out dypsis leptocheilos in the dead of winter again but this time with 25g plants...If this doesn't survive, I'm done with palms. 3 of the 4 25g leptocheilos

[OverGrown 516]

The 4th and oldest 25g dypsis leptocheilos which had a tag on it dating back to 2003.. the others had tags from 2007 and 2008.  Pictured next to it is the most handsome 1 and a half year old on the market right now.

Also snatched up this 25g dypsis ambositrae that was grown in deep shade so it will go against the north side of the house for a while or until i get impatient and plant it out.  My son showing you which side of the house is north.

I had all four 25g lepto's planted within 2 hrs of getting them home.  My apprentice holds the measuring tape because we dig obsessive compulsive perfect holes around here.

[Danilopez89 651]

Very nice! 

[OverGrown 516]

Thanks Danny, How is your place coming along?

[Danilopez89 651]

29 minutes ago, OverGrown said:

Thanks Danny, How is your place coming along?

Pretty nice, I think. My royals are coming along nicely now. 

Just the other day the pizza guy gave my a nice compliment about my yard. He said it looks like jungle. And that he liked it!  So, I guess you can say things are getting pretty serious over here. 

[OverGrown 516]

Here are the leptocheilos planted out. I'm also giving the rubber mulch rings a try in both 36" and 24" sizes where applicable.

25g Dypsis leptocheilos next to a ravenea glauca.

Just behind the bismarckia nobilis is the newly planted 25g dypsis leptocheilos and the lepto to the right with the 36" mulch ring was a 15g I planted last winter.  It survived the year whereas the 1g's didn't, so I was prompted to try again with larger specimens this time around.