Since Queens do Ok here what other goodies can i grow?

[Palmfarmer]

I live in a very dry climate high up in the desert of Mexico. Our days Are rarely cold just the nights in wintertime. I see Queens being grown here on a large scale and IT make me wonder if i can plant out my red latan  in the ground and some other less cold Hardy palms? Thanks 

Edited October 19, 2019 by Palmfarmer

[PalmatierMeg]

How "cold" is cold? What are your winter daytime highs? All the Latans are tropical palms, i.e., zone 10/11. Queens are more temperate - zone 9. Latans are damaged/killed by temps below freezing and are likely "cool sensitive", meaning that long term exposure to consistent temps below 60F will also kill them.

[redant]

https://www.timeanddate.com/weather/mexico/durango/climate

[RedRabbit]

I just read about the climate on Wikipedia. Apparently "frosts are common in winter" and I see the all-time low was 10.4f .  Going solely off that, it doesn't sound too promising. I probably wouldn't invest much in palms less hardy than queens. 

[Palmfarmer]

51 minutes ago, RedRabbit said:

I just read about the climate on Wikipedia. Apparently "frosts are common in winter" and I see the all-time low was 10.4f .  Going solely off that, it doesn't sound too promising. I probably wouldn't invest much in palms less hardy than queens. 

the cold is only at night, it allways bounces back to 20+ after a cold night. sure there is some frost at times but its minimal and only at nighttime. check out accuweather for history of our climate, last years coldest night was -5 but it was + most of the nights with a few nights with -3 -1 and some more with 0. I have seen what i believe is a huge coconut palm here and it looked very healthy. This has led me to question the climate here, Maybe the cold nights dont make that much difference since the days are so warm? or that palm was not a coconut palm perhaps what is the most similar looking one? I will go to the spot tomorrow and take a photo of it.

Edited October 20, 2019 by Palmfarmer

[Palmfarmer]

6 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

How "cold" is cold? What are your winter daytime highs? All the Latans are tropical palms, i.e., zone 10/11. Queens are more temperate - zone 9. Latans are damaged/killed by temps below freezing and are likely "cool sensitive", meaning that long term exposure to consistent temps below 60F will also kill them.

Its certainly above 60F/15c even in the coldest months. Wintertime highs are around 25c+ sometimes 30c but rarely under 20 in daytime.Nighttime is the problem! Coldest night i saw last year was -5, but again its super dry here. https://www.accuweather.com/en/mx/durango/232583/january-weather/232583?year=2019&view=list there is last years wheater in january. 

 

I was thinking with some minor protection like christmas lights as protection and planting it in the best microclimate possible near my house that gives off heat. 

Edited October 20, 2019 by Palmfarmer

[PalmatierMeg]

-5C is lethal. For anything below the low 30sF I would protect it esp. if it is small. Fortunately/unfortunately Latans are relatively slow growing - I found the red is slowest of all. Fortunately because they stay easier to protect longer, unfortunately because they will take a very long time to outgrow cold damage.

Are you aware red latans outgrow most of their redness as they get larger? They turn a medium matte green.

[Palmfarmer]

6 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

-5C is lethal. For anything below the low 30sF I would protect it esp. if it is small. Fortunately/unfortunately Latans are relatively slow growing - I found the red is slowest of all. Fortunately because they stay easier to protect longer, unfortunately because they will take a very long time to outgrow cold damage.

Are you aware red latans outgrow most of their redness as they get larger? They turn a medium matte green.

its funny how i got it for 25 usd considering its so slow growing. ok I will keep it in the pot outside untill december sometime put it inside and then take it out again in february when our winter is done.  Yes i heard so and eventually they turn more silver/blue like a bismarckia. 

Guess i will have to try and find a Bismarck instead it will do fine here with minimal protection when small? 

Edited October 20, 2019 by Palmfarmer

[wrigjef]

On 10/19/2019 at 9:12 PM, Palmfarmer said:

the cold is only at night, it allways bounces back to 20+ after a cold night. sure there is some frost at times but its minimal and only at nighttime. check out accuweather for history of our climate, last years coldest night was -5 but it was + most of the nights with a few nights with -3 -1 and some more with 0. I have seen what i believe is a huge coconut palm here and it looked very healthy. This has led me to question the climate here, Maybe the cold nights dont make that much difference since the days are so warm? or that palm was not a coconut palm perhaps what is the most similar looking one? I will go to the spot tomorrow and take a photo of it.

TJ,

  Send us a pic of that “coconut palm”.  I am curious to see what it really is...

I am betting it’s a Parajubaea Torallyi 

I cannot imagine a Cocos Nucifera growing at your altitude of 1800 meters (6167 feet)

I don’t think cocos grow anywhere near that elevation anywhere in the world.  

[Palmfarmer]

2 hours ago, wrigjef said:

TJ,

  Send us a pic of that “coconut palm”.  I am curious to see what it really is...

I am betting it’s a Parajubaea Torallyi 

 I cannot imagine a Cocos Nucifera growing at your altitude of 1800 meters (6167 feet)

I don’t think cocos grow anywhere near that elevation anywhere in the world.  

yes, after some reflection i found it it could not be a coconut palm Unfortunatly i am in Guatemala so i cant take a pic right now, but i will be back soon. However i have found confirmed Big Royals doing pretty well in Durango, i have a post about it. (maybe you allready red it) 

Anyways the last statement is not right, here around Lago Atitlan (1500 meters above sea) they have planted out Cocos and they do well and we are not even at the equator yet, but close. So my guess is that on 1800 meters at the equator you could grow coconut palms with ease.  

[GottmitAlex]

1 hour ago, Palmfarmer said:

yes, after some reflection i found it it could not be a coconut palm Unfortunatly i am in Guatemala so i cant take a pic right now, but i will be back soon. However i have found confirmed Big Royals doing pretty well in Durango, i have a post about it. (maybe you allready red it) 

Anyways the last statement is not right, here around Lago Atitlan (1500 meters above sea) they have planted out Cocos and they do well and we are not even at the equator yet, but close. So my guess is that on 1800 meters at the equator you could grow coconut palms with ease.  

Yes. at that latitude. Yes. I have read that even at 1600 meters (max) above sea level in the tropics (20 degrees north/south of the equator), coconuts will survive. However, most will not produce viable fruit.

The thing is, in Durango, @ 1800 meters above sea level, it's going to be close to impossible to grow coconuts...

 

 

 

Edited January 22, 2020 by GottmitAlex

[wrigjef]

5 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

yes, after some reflection i found it it could not be a coconut palm Unfortunatly i am in Guatemala so i cant take a pic right now, but i will be back soon. However i have found confirmed Big Royals doing pretty well in Durango, i have a post about it. (maybe you allready red it) 

Anyways the last statement is not right, here around Lago Atitlan (1500 meters above sea) they have planted out Cocos and they do well and we are not even at the equator yet, but close. So my guess is that on 1800 meters at the equator you could grow coconut palms with ease.  

Thanks for the info. I would love to see what Coconut palms looks like at 1500 meters or so.
Send a pic of that palm when you return from Guatemala.  Safe travels 
Cheers!

Jeff 

[Palmfarmer]

On 1/22/2020 at 7:32 PM, wrigjef said:

Thanks for the info. I would love to see what Coconut palms looks like at 1500 meters or so.
Send a pic of that palm when you return from Guatemala.  Safe travels 
Cheers!

Jeff 

There you go, I am pretty certain that is a Coconut, but i am no expert on them. Palms are not really planted out here on a really large scale. I see mostly the palms in the first pic around here, What Species is that by the way? Other than that there are Also mostly Wasintonia Robustas, Canary Island dates and Pygmy dates? Could someone please tell me if the last two pictures is of regular Pygmy dates or if it is some other Phoenix Hybrid, Thanks

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, Palmfarmer said:

There you go, I am pretty certain that is a Coconut, but i am no expert on them. Palms are not really planted out here on a really large scale. I see mostly the palms in the first pic around here, What Species is that by the way? Other than that there are Also mostly Wasintonia Robustas, Canary Island dates and Pygmy dates? Could someone please tell me if the last two pictures is of regular Pygmy dates or if it is some other Phoenix Hybrid, Thanks

Pics 2 and 3 definitely Coconut, excellent find!   Hard to tell but might have fruit on it also.  Looks like some of the bigger ones i'd found around Mexico at similar elevation.

[Palmfarmer]

What part of Mexico did you find them? 

[Silas_Sancona]

12 minutes ago, Palmfarmer said:

What part of Mexico did you find them? 

Northwest side of  Lake Chapala in Jalisco state.. Particularly around parts of Jocotepec,  Aijijic ( most notably around Chapala Country Club ) Chapala, and a single but really nice looking specimen somewhere north of Irapuato.. the Villas of Irapuato itself contains numerous Royals, and Royal Poincinana i'd found.

There's a thread on the forum here discussing the highest possible elevation where a Coconut could fruit. Pics of specific specimens i'd found are located there..  Almost time to take another street view tour around nearby areas. I'd bet there are more waiting to be found. Determined to find one growing above 7,000ft / 2134m.

[Palmfarmer]

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Northwest side of  Lake Chapala in Jalisco state.. Particularly around parts of Jocotepec,  Aijijic ( most notably around Chapala Country Club ) Chapala, and a single but really nice looking specimen somewhere north of Irapuato.. the Villas of Irapuato itself contains numerous Royals, and Royal Poincinana i'd found.

There's a thread on the forum here discussing the highest possible elevation where a Coconut could fruit. Pics of specific specimens i'd found are located there..  Almost time to take another street view tour around nearby areas. I'd bet there are more waiting to be found. Determined to find one growing above 7,000ft / 2134m.

Cool, I Heard that area is very similar to Lago Atitlan climate wise. I dont see any reason for why a coconut at 7000 ft would be impossible as long as you are pretty close to the equator.

By the way do you happen to know the species that i have photographed in my first photo?  

[Silas_Sancona]

4 minutes ago, Palmfarmer said:

 

By the way do you happen to know the species that i have photographed in my first photo?  

Clumping / suckering Dypsis for sure, just not 100% sure on the species.. maybe D. lutescens, your standard "Areca" / Golden Cane Palm but fronds, at least to me, in the pic. look a bit bluer, leaflets set a bit closer together, imo.. Both things i see may just be things influenced by the local environment they're growing in though..

 

[Palmfarmer]

22 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Clumping / suckering Dypsis for sure, just not 100% sure on the species.. maybe D. lutescens, your standard "Areca" / Golden Cane Palm but fronds, at least to me, in the pic. look a bit bluer, leaflets set a bit closer together, imo.. Both things i see may just be things influenced by the local environment they're growing in though..

 

ok thank you, there is a lot of solitary ones here as well. this is the number 1 palm in this city, maybe it has started growing naturally here.

[Palmfarmer]

Found another one just strolling down by the docks, this one even has fruit! pretty good for being 1562 meters above sea

 

[GottmitAlex]

7 minutes ago, Palmfarmer said:

Found another one just strolling down by the docks, this one even has fruit! pretty good for being 1562 meters above sea

 

Where is this, exactly?

[Palmfarmer]

Panajachel, Guatemala

 

https://earth.google.com/web/@14.7369212,-91.1602249,1563.21886282a,0d,90y,33.83724808h,90.00233853t,0r/data=IjAKLEFGMVFpcE9wd1J6Z0JYZHVfaUxCbVIyRUpzSmJ1WUg0VGUwQm9SSk5adm9qEAU

[GottmitAlex]

Lol ok. For a moment I thought it was in Durango.

[NorCalKing]

I have to say (off topic) that is a really interesting climate. 69° during the day, followed by 34° at night (January). Makes our 57° day 39° night seem tame. Very cool. It'd be interesting to see what could be grown there.