Planted royal palm, will this depression be okay?

[Coasta]

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum. I had a royal palm planted a few weeks ago and wanted to make sure that it was okay to plant it in a depression so the water can catch. The soil is 100 percent fast draining soil. I also want to make sure the way it was planted won't grow any Ariel roots. Thank you for your time!

[redant]

Looks fine, smother it with water, you can not drown these.

 

[Coasta]

20 minutes ago, redant said:

Looks fine, smother it with water, you can not drown these.

 

Thank you for the helpful information :). 

[DoomsDave]

I agree with @redant the more agua the better!

Royals will grow in the desert, I've seen them.

Be warned, they're thirsty devils. But, they also make good palm heart salad if need be.

[Coasta]

53 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

I agree with @redant the more agua the better!

Royals will grow in the desert, I've seen them.

Be warned, they're thirsty devils. But, they also make good palm heart salad if need be.

Amazing!!! I have three irrigation lines on her. (Her name is Princess Diana) lol. I also go out there with a hose. I imagine they will become slightly drought tolerant once established? 

 

Oh my!! No palm heart here! Not on my watch!

[Palmfarmer]

a big Portion of the city of Durango the goverment plant Palms and Trees exactly that way for making watering faster and giving the palm the advantage of obtaining as much rainwater as possible. Those are mostly the cookiecutter palms though, like Queens, Filifera, Robusta, different types of phoenix. 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Palmfarmer

[Coasta]

4 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

a big Portion of the city of Durango the goverment plant Palms and Trees exactly that way for making watering faster and giving the palm the advantage of obtaining as much rainwater as possible. Those are mostly the cookiecutter palms though, like Queens, Filifera, Robusta, different types of phoenix. 

That is wonderful to hear! I did notice us is way easier to water and keep the water there. I am wondering what will happen when the royal base will get bigger then the hole, will that cause anything weird to happen with ariel roots or split base of trunk. 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

On 4/1/2020 at 10:28 AM, Coasta said:

Hello everyone! I am new to the forum. I had a royal palm planted a few weeks ago and wanted to make sure that it was okay to plant it in a depression so the water can catch. The soil is 100 percent fast draining soil. I also want to make sure the way it was planted won't grow any Ariel roots. Thank you for your time!

Nice seeing more royals being planted in AZ, Ive seen a total of 3 in my 3 months down here, 2 in Phoenix and 1 in mesa at the Treeland Nursery.  the treeland is very healthy compared to the other 2.  I know of more but havent seen them yet.

[James B]

That’s what you want to do with royals in a dry climate. They are not drought tolerant palms. They probably need more water than pretty much any common palm you can find in a nursery. I’m sure there might be a handful of more obscure tropical palms that have even more rapacious demand for water but they are palms that can only be grown in true tropical areas. I am 50 miles inland in Southern California. I have 2 which I have intentionally planted with a decline towards the palm as well. In spring I water them with a hose every day to every 2 days depending on the weather. I have drip set up to one that in my front yard. My larger does not have drip set up so it’s all hose. In summer I water every day to make sure it is growing as fast as possible as these guys stop growing in winter unlike King Palms which will slowly keep growing even during cold weather.

Edited April 2, 2020 by James B

[AZPalms]

Your royal with appreciate the basin for extra water during irrigation as well as rainfall capture. I have mine planted about 2-3” below ground level and here in Phoenix I flood the heck out of it during late spring- mid fall. Fertilize heavily along with plenty of water and mulch and these practically double in size every year. 

The royal pictured was brought back in a box on an airplane from FL only a few years ago. 

[James B]

26 minutes ago, AZPalms said:

Your royal with appreciate the basin for extra water during irrigation as well as rainfall capture. I have mine planted about 2-3” below ground level and here in Phoenix I flood the heck out of it during late spring- mid fall. Fertilize heavily along with plenty of water and mulch and these practically double in size every year. 

The royal pictured was brought back in a box on an airplane from FL only a few years ago. 

Wow the Royal in the pic is super lush for AZ. Very nice!

Edited April 2, 2020 by James B

[Coasta]

2 hours ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

Nice seeing more royals being planted in AZ, Ive seen a total of 3 in my 3 months down here, 2 in Phoenix and 1 in mesa at the Treeland Nursery.  the treeland is very healthy compared to the other 2.  I know of more but havent seen them yet.

Thank you Mr. Samurai! I have been to treeland nursery and have seen the beauty! I spoke with one of the workers there and they said it has been there for about 25 years. That was actually part of the reason that inspired me to try and grow one of these beauties here. That and Aztropic inspired me!

[Coasta]

2 hours ago, AZPalms said:

Your royal with appreciate the basin for extra water during irrigation as well as rainfall capture. I have mine planted about 2-3” below ground level and here in Phoenix I flood the heck out of it during late spring- mid fall. Fertilize heavily along with plenty of water and mulch and these practically double in size every year. 

The royal pictured was brought back in a box on an airplane from FL only a few years ago. 

I am so glad go hear everyone agreeing with what I ended up doing and glad I don't have to dig it out. :). Your royal looks beautiful! We are sort of like a secret society of royals that I am sure turn heads. :). It's impressive you brought yours on a plane. Mine came on a semi truck from Florida. Here is a full photo :). She's a little rough right now but will bounce out of it! Her name is princess Diana since she is royalty lol. 

[Jeff985]

7 minutes ago, Coasta said:

I am so glad go hear everyone agreeing with what I ended up doing and glad I don't have to dig it out. :). Your royal looks beautiful! We are sort of like a secret society of royals that I am sure turn heads. :). It's impressive you brought yours on a plane. Mine came on a semi truck from Florida. Here is a full photo :). She's a little rough right now but will bounce out of it! Her name is princess Diana since she is royalty lol. 

 

That’s funny. My wife made fun of me for calling mine Regie. As in regia. 

[AZPalms]

2 hours ago, James B said:

Wow the Royal in the pic is super lush for AZ. Very nice!

Thank you! I have a second one out of view as well. I absolutely flood and feed these in the summer. The clay soil they’re planted in hold quite a bit of water which I’m sure they enjoy. The mulch is probably close to 6” deep and it I think is the real secret to keeping them green and help prevent drying. 

Yours is looking good as well! That area with the Santa Ana winds I’m sure makes it hard with the dry heat! 

[AZPalms]

24 minutes ago, Coasta said:

I am so glad go hear everyone agreeing with what I ended up doing and glad I don't have to dig it out. :). Your royal looks beautiful! We are sort of like a secret society of royals that I am sure turn heads. :). It's impressive you brought yours on a plane. Mine came on a semi truck from Florida. Here is a full photo :). She's a little rough right now but will bounce out of it! Her name is princess Diana since she is royalty lol. 

Water heavily and feed and watch it swell and take off. I’d mulch as well! Bet she doubles by this time next year. 

[Coasta]

3 hours ago, James B said:

That’s what you want to do with royals in a dry climate. They are not drought tolerant palms. They probably need more water than pretty much any common palm you can find in a nursery. I’m sure there might be a handful of more obscure tropical palms that have even more rapacious demand for water but they are palms that can only be grown in true tropical areas. I am 50 miles inland in Southern California. I have 2 which I have intentionally planted with a decline towards the palm as well. In spring I water them with a hose every day to every 2 days depending on the weather. I have drip set up to one that in my front yard. My larger does not have drip set up so it’s all hose. In summer I water every day to make sure it is growing as fast as possible as these guys stop growing in winter unlike King Palms which will slowly keep growing even during cold weather.

That is good to know. I really need to think about mulching it for the summer. Yours is really nice!!!! I love how it has started to trunk already. I can't wait for that to happen with mine

[Coasta]

14 minutes ago, AZPalms said:

Water heavily and feed and watch it swell and take off. I’d mulch as well! Bet she doubles by this time next year. 

thanks Azpalms!! Is there a specific type of mulch you would recommend, or does topper from home depot work? Also this won't cause for any roots to grow on the actual ariel base right? 

[DoomsDave]

Be advised that a fat happy Roystonea can get big in every way!

This was planted from a wimpy little two gallon plant back in October of 2004. It was about 18" tall and about as thick as my thumb. The dude in the orange T-shirt is about 5-9.

 

[James B]

2 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

Be advised that a fat happy Roystonea can get big in every way!

 

Haha! The beast itself! Amazing to see it in person. I can’t wait until perhaps around 7-10 years from now when mine is that size.

[James B]

42 minutes ago, Coasta said:

That is good to know. I really need to think about mulching it for the summer. Yours is really nice!!!! I love how it has started to trunk already. I can't wait for that to happen with mine

Here is the same palm when I planted it May 28th last year so consider it had only been in the ground a little over 10 months it went from having a base that was 7” across to a base that is now 11” across and put on about 20” of height in terms of where the top of the crown is. I expect by october it could put on 2-2.5 feet of height and be 15-16” across the base. I give it lots of water. The growth rate has been quite in impressive considering my climate.

[James B]

1 hour ago, AZPalms said:

Thank you! I have a second one out of view as well. I absolutely flood and feed these in the summer. The clay soil they’re planted in hold quite a bit of water which I’m sure they enjoy. The mulch is probably close to 6” deep and it I think is the real secret to keeping them green and help prevent drying. 

Yours is looking good as well! That area with the Santa Ana winds I’m sure makes it hard with the dry heat! 

It’s leaves we’re pummeled by the Santa Anna’s over the winter. I’m looking forward to summer when it will put out bigger, more robust leaves which will probably handle them a bit better. These are super rare here in the inland empire but there is someone about a mile south of me that has a 20-25 footer which looks amazing and someone else in Upland who has 2 that are both  20 feet plus and are just as impressive. As they put on size their leaves get massive which I’m sure helps protect them from the elements.

[redant]

10 hours ago, Coasta said:

Amazing!!! I have three irrigation lines on her. (Her name is Princess Diana) lol. I also go out there with a hose. I imagine they will become slightly drought tolerant once established? 

 

Oh my!! No palm heart here! Not on my watch!

yes they will

[Coasta]

56 minutes ago, James B said:

It’s leaves we’re pummeled by the Santa Anna’s over the winter. I’m looking forward to summer when it will put out bigger, more robust leaves which will probably handle them a bit better. These are super rare here in the inland empire but there is someone about a mile south of me that has a 20-25 footer which looks amazing and someone else in Upland who has 2 that are both  20 feet plus and are just as impressive. As they put on size their leaves get massive which I’m sure helps protect them from the elements.

Ahh gotta love those Santa Ana winds! How rare are royals in Southern california?

[Coasta]

1 hour ago, DoomsDave said:

Be advised that a fat happy Roystonea can get big in every way!

This was planted from a wimpy little two gallon plant back in October of 2004. It was about 18" tall and about as thick as my thumb. The dude in the orange T-shirt is about 5-9.

 

That royal is massive!!! Thats what I love about these palms. They are eye catchers! I can't wait for mine to be that big and when people drive by they notice :)

[Coasta]

1 hour ago, James B said:

Here is the same palm when I planted it May 28th last year so consider it had only been in the ground a little over 10 months it went from having a base that was 7” across to a base that is now 11” across and put on about 20” of height in terms of where the top of the crown is. I expect by october it could put on 2-2.5 feet of height and be 15-16” across the base. I give it lots of water. The growth rate has been quite in impressive considering my climate.

that's amazing!! How fast often does a new frond open? I have had mine in the ground for about 3 weeks and I put a sharpie to see. The frond grew out of the trunk about 2 and a half inches

[James B]

47 minutes ago, Coasta said:

Ahh gotta love those Santa Ana winds! How rare are royals in Southern california?

Well where I am so far inland. Very rare. For members living in Orange County or San Diego County they can attest that they are much more common in those areas. 

Edited April 3, 2020 by James B

[James B]

41 minutes ago, Coasta said:

that's amazing!! How fast often does a new frond open? I have had mine in the ground for about 3 weeks and I put a sharpie to see. The frond grew out of the trunk about 2 and a half inches

These palms need hot weather over 80 degrees if not over 90 to grow their fastest. I have found as long as they get watered every day when it gets 90-100 degrees the new spear can grow almost 2” a day 

[Coasta]

7 minutes ago, James B said:

These palms need hot weather over 80 degrees if not over 90 to grow their fastest. I have found as long as they get watered every day when it gets 90-100 degrees the new spear can grow almost 2” a day 

I literally can't wait!! Here in the Phoenix area, we don't have an issue with heat, so it should thrive during summer. 

[DoomsDave]

9 hours ago, Coasta said:

I literally can't wait!! Here in the Phoenix area, we don't have an issue with heat, so it should thrive during summer. 

Mas agua!

"Ladies and Gentlemen: we have liftoff!"

 

[Coasta]

On 4/2/2020 at 5:06 PM, Jeff985 said:

That’s funny. My wife made fun of me for calling mine Regie. As in regia. 

Lol!!! I love it!

[AZPalms]

On 4/2/2020 at 8:21 PM, Coasta said:

I literally can't wait!! Here in the Phoenix area, we don't have an issue with heat, so it should thrive during summer. 

I can’t stress enough to water heavily. For at least the first year I would flood that basin in addition to your drip lines every day when it’s 90-100+. Maybe twice a day in the 118-120 range. I’d also fill that area with mulch for the surrounding 3-4 feet at minimum to a depth of a few inches. I use cypress. Don’t get the colored stuff, at least I wouldn’t. The fast draining soil it’s in is great for winter peace of mind but during the summer it will dry very quickly and that royal will suck it up. I also fertilize about every 3-4 weeks once it’s in growth mode. 

I’m far from an expert but my two royals have very little brown tipping and stay green with good growth doing this. 

[Coasta]

4 hours ago, AZPalms said:

I can’t stress enough to water heavily. For at least the first year I would flood that basin in addition to your drip lines every day when it’s 90-100+. Maybe twice a day in the 118-120 range. I’d also fill that area with mulch for the surrounding 3-4 feet at minimum to a depth of a few inches. I use cypress. Don’t get the colored stuff, at least I wouldn’t. The fast draining soil it’s in is great for winter peace of mind but during the summer it will dry very quickly and that royal will suck it up. I also fertilize about every 3-4 weeks once it’s in growth mode. 

I’m far from an expert but my two royals have very little brown tipping and stay green with good growth doing this. 

 

4 hours ago, AZPalms said:

I can’t stress enough to water heavily. For at least the first year I would flood that basin in addition to your drip lines every day when it’s 90-100+. Maybe twice a day in the 118-120 range. I’d also fill that area with mulch for the surrounding 3-4 feet at minimum to a depth of a few inches. I use cypress. Don’t get the colored stuff, at least I wouldn’t. The fast draining soil it’s in is great for winter peace of mind but during the summer it will dry very quickly and that royal will suck it up. I also fertilize about every 3-4 weeks once it’s in growth mode. 

I’m far from an expert but my two royals have very little brown tipping and stay green with good growth doing this. 

Thank you so much AzPalms! This is very helpful in having my royal survive. I just went to both lowes and home depot and they didn't have cypress mulch. Would any other type of mulch work, like Scott's rubber mulch? 

[AZPalms]

3 hours ago, Coasta said:

 

Thank you so much AzPalms! This is very helpful in having my royal survive. I just went to both lowes and home depot and they didn't have cypress mulch. Would any other type of mulch work, like Scott's rubber mulch? 

Don’t use rubber. The mulch I buy is by western organically at Lowe’s. It’s in a clear green bag.