Newly added Sabal Uresana..

[SailorBold 531]

So excited! I finally picked up a Sabal Uresana from North Texas Cold Hardy palms. This has been on my wish list for some time.. and I had an area saved for a large sabal that has been sitting bare for a number of years now. The spot where i planted it was a toss up between a Mexicana and Uresana..as Mexicana seems to do well here...

  It will be interesting to see how well it will tolerate our dry winters. It seems all of the reports on cold damage and hardiness come from humid areas around the country... the one thing that interests me is it is native to an area that is fairly close to NM..so perhaps at least some of its growing conditions will be similar.

Its planted on southern exposure.. late afternoon shade.  Hopefully I gave it enough room.. wahoo! I'd love to hear about anyone's experiences with this palm..

[Fusca 1,926]

Bet it does better with your dry cold than wet.  You'll have to add to the freeze damage reports of how low they can go!  Here's mine in San Antonio.  Got a very pronounced heel and it handles 100+ degrees just fine.  So far it hasn't seen below 27 the past two winters.

Edited July 1, 2020 by Fusca

[SailorBold 531]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Bet it does better with your dry cold than wet.  You'll have to add to the freeze damage reports of how low they can go!  Here's mine in San Antonio.  Got a very pronounced heel and it handles 100+ degrees just fine.  So far it hasn't seen below 27 the past two winters.

That heel is gnarly!!.. what is its purpose?  do you know??  I noticed it when I was planting but didn't think to ask at the time.. does it matter which direction it faces??  It had one really long root.. you can see it in the pic but i ended up leaving that one exposed to the air.  hmm...  never seen anything like that before.   How fast has yours grown?

I am hopeful it can handle the cold here.. I was looking into its native range trying to find some data.. but Im assuming this is the 'Highlands' form?

[Tom in Tucson 231]

I can state with confidence that it should handle full sun to 110˚. Mine are from 4 sources, and can stand lows in the low 20s without damage.

 Hi 100˚, Lo 68˚

[Fusca 1,926]

10 hours ago, SailorBold said:

That heel is gnarly!!.. what is its purpose?  do you know??  I noticed it when I was planting but didn't think to ask at the time.. does it matter which direction it faces??  It had one really long root.. you can see it in the pic but i ended up leaving that one exposed to the air.  hmm...  never seen anything like that before.   How fast has yours grown?

I am hopeful it can handle the cold here.. I was looking into its native range trying to find some data.. but Im assuming this is the 'Highlands' form?

As far as I can see it's a secondary root initiation zone for the palm.  Apparently it helps the palm "dig in" and should be planted with the top 1/3 above the soil line.  It's recommended that heeled palms be mound planted.  At some point the palm will naturally do away with the heel and it should not be intentionally removed.  I found the following thread from 2012, but it didn't tell me much more than I already knew:

Hopefully someone more informed can give a better description.  I have a similar sized Sabal guatemalensis and you cannot see the heel at all.  I could see that it had just started to develop at the time I planted it in the ground almost 3 years ago.  My uresana has been in the ground just over a year and has added perhaps 2 or 3 leaves during that time but seems to be picking up speed.  It's in full sun.  I assume that it is the 'Highlands' form but not sure.  I can't really tell from your photo but it looks like it might be planted at an OK level.  If it's planted too deep it could be problematic.  Hopefully it's just 1/3 of the heel exposed.

[SailorBold 531]

On 6/30/2020 at 10:49 PM, Tom in Tucson said:

I can state with confidence that it should handle full sun to 110˚. Mine are from 4 sources, and can stand lows in the low 20s without damage.

 Hi 100˚, Lo 68˚

Which 4 sources if you don't mind me asking? Do you mean they are the different forms or seed sources?

[Tom in Tucson 231]

Plant Delights - 2 seedlings out of 4 remaining

Desert Survivors - 2 gal. size

Jungle Music - 1 gal. size

RPS - 100 seeds = 20 seedlings remaining

Hi 107˚, Lo 73˚

Edited July 6, 2020 by Tom in Tucson

[James760 457]

@SailorBold, Great choice!  

I planted my first Sabal Uresana back in 2012 I believe.  It was a 5 gallon size. I'm pretty sure it seen 18-19f a couple of times unprotected. I moved in 2015 to my current house & it was left to fend for itself along with several other palms. There extremely drought tolerate once established. Cold wet winters don't seem to faze it. I had mine planted on a mound to help drain that cold rain which probably helped a bit.  

I think you have a great shot at a long term survivor  I look forward to your updates!

P.S. I was able to successfully dig up the Sabal Uresana & bring it home with me in 2018. Its currently growing well in a 15gallon pot 

[Meangreen94z 888]

The ones outside Hempstead, Texas at what is now called “John Fairey Gardens” have seen a wet 15*F several times with no damage. 

[Meangreen94z 888]

On 7/5/2020 at 11:51 PM, Tom in Tucson said:

Plant Delights - 2 seedlings out of 4 remaining

Desert Survivors - 2 gal. size

Jungle Music - 1 gal. size

RPS - 100 seeds = 20 seedlings remaining

Hi 107˚, Lo 73˚

The Seedlings from Plants Delight Nursery came from Yuccado Nursery seed, which are the above pictured palms and below. The former nursery grounds and his private residence were turned into Peckerwood Gardens, and now renamed John Fairey Gardens(for those not aware).There’s several spread across the property. Yours should end up similar or possibly even whiter given your climate.

[Tom in Tucson 231]

On 7/7/2020 at 11:22 PM, Meangreen94z said:

The Seedlings from Plants Delight Nursery came from Yuccado Nursery seed, which are the above pictured palms and below. The former nursery grounds and his private residence were turned into Peckerwood Gardens, and now renamed John Fairey Gardens(for those not aware).There’s several spread across the property. Yours should end up similar or possibly even whiter given your climate.

Are there any efforts underway to harvest the seed and possibly propagate this superior form?

Hi 107˚, Lo 76˚

[Meangreen94z 888]

Yes, Craig Jackson is the Nursery Manager. They plan on eventually turning it into a functional Nursery again, instead of just a small sideshow after the tour. I asked if seed became available If he would sell, he said no all seed from them will be used to produce new plants, some of which will be for sale through the nursery.

[Swolte 452]

JFGardens is a great place and you can get many impossible-to-find plants there at a reasonable price nowadays (their new website doesn't yet reflect the full capacity of the nursery). Before the pandemic hit, I visited on a monthly basis. Craig is very knowledgeable and one of the stable forces of good of the gang. My Brahea Moorei, Sabal Mexicana, and Sabal Brazoria, and Sabal Etonia are from there and they are doing good (they have great mature specimens of each on display in the garden). 

Meangreen94z, they are finally getting a bridge to the north part of the garden (after a flood destroyed the old one), making it more accessible to visitors. This (large) part of the garden has some great yucca's and palms too.

Edited July 10, 2020 by Swolte

[SailorBold 531]

5 month update..   added my winter protection method this afternoon and figured I'd share a few pics.  After planting... the palm completely defoliated.. and I just let it be. It grew 2 full leaves since.  So far so good!

[SailorBold 531]

More

[SailorBold 531]

Before I trimmed up..

[James760 457]

Looking good  it'll pick up some pace next year. Mine is 1 year ahead of yours so I hope next year (3rd growing season) it will be in the leap stage! 

[Fusca 1,926]

On 11/22/2020 at 6:32 PM, SailorBold said:

More

Is that the "wall of water"?  I've not seen that before.  Do you know what is the material it is made from?  It looks like plastic.  Interesting...

[SailorBold 531]

On 11/24/2020 at 4:17 PM, Fusca said:

Is that the "wall of water"?  I've not seen that before.  Do you know what is the material it is made from?  It looks like plastic.  Interesting...

Yes.. or very similar to the 'wall-o-water'...  I think this is called the EZ-wall...  they are the same thing except it has plastic over the tops of each chamber. I like these better because it won't lose as much water from evaporation. To fill you just put the hose into one chamber and then it fills all the rest too.. from my experience it is thicker than the green kind as well which makes it more durable.

To protect the plant fully.. or when we get a bad storm or freeze... you just pull the cord to close the top.. or what I like to do.. is put a piece of tile on top. 

They work well for me.. and will keep the inside a toasty 33f with temps down to 15f or so.. it works!

[Fusca 1,926]

Nice!  I might try something like that for a zone-pushed palm next year.

[ahosey01 532]

Hit 27 and then 29 overnight here in Wickenburg a couple weeks ago.  Sub-10% humidity though and those lows probably last for minutes at most before the sun breaks - then back to the 70s or low 80s in the day.  No damage on either.

[Collectorpalms 872]

On 7/9/2020 at 11:52 PM, Meangreen94z said:

Yes, Craig Jackson is the Nursery Manager. They plan on eventually turning it into a functional Nursery again, instead of just a small sideshow after the tour. I asked if seed became available If he would sell, he said no all seed from them will be used to produce new plants, some of which will be for sale through the nursery.

I planted one of these I got from the nursery over 10 years ago. It is now closing in on fruiting size. It’s located near Austin at my families house. It really took off the last two years. It is quite blue. I just saw it over thanksgiving but didn’t take any pictures. There are also two butia eriospatha I had planted that are doing well but quite a bit smaller. Right next to a butia mutt. they have greener leaves and purplish stems. 

I saw the Peckerwood Sabals after 2011 low, they were leaf tipped burned relatively bad. I am not sure of their low but there were 13 degrees in several area nearby areas on weather underground stations. 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Collectorpalms

[SailorBold 531]

On 12/6/2020 at 2:22 PM, ahosey01 said:

Hit 27 and then 29 overnight here in Wickenburg a couple weeks ago.  Sub-10% humidity though and those lows probably last for minutes at most before the sun breaks - then back to the 70s or low 80s in the day.  No damage on either.

Doing good..  I'm looking forward to updates from these for sure..

[SailorBold 531]

On 12/7/2020 at 11:30 AM, Collectorpalms said:

I planted one of these I got from the nursery over 10 years ago. It is now closing in on fruiting size. It’s located near Austin at my families house. It really took off the last two years. It is quite blue. I just saw it over thanksgiving but didn’t take any pictures. There are also two butia eriospatha I had planted that are doing well but quite a bit smaller. Right next to a butia mutt. they have greener leaves and purplish stems. 

I saw the Peckerwood Sabals after 2011 low, they were leaf tipped burned relatively bad. I am not sure of their low but there were 13 degrees in several area nearby areas on weather underground stations. 

Its definitely going to be a marginal palm for me.. That's generally the avg. winter minimum I can expect to see here every winter.  The TorC filiferas I have hold some level of green by the end of our winters..    I was hoping for a little more leaf hardiness- is it true Mexicana dont show damage until 10f?? 

The problem here is that most palms can survive the climate no problem- its the constant recovery that makes them not ideal.

[buffy 326]

I see S. mexicana with leaf damage around 11F/12F. 

[iamjv 98]

I have 3 blue S. Uresana's here in San Antonio...  all three from different sources and at different stages in life (size).   All have seen lows down to 14F without any damage at all, to include the juvenile which is still in a 15gal pot.

My largest/oldest is approximately 15-17 yrs old and from a seed I collected at the Univ. of Arizona, it has about 5' of trunk and a large canopy...   I got about 90% germination rate from the seeds collected from that tree but many came up as albino and didn't survive due to lack of photosynthesis.   Of the 20 or so seedlings that survived, they were given out to PSST members and hopefully are doing well in various locations around south Texas.

Second largest and also in the ground and is a variety that was collected from Sonora Mexico where there is a population of extremely blue uresanas.   I bought three of these palms (1 gal size) from a private collector (in Arizona) some 12 years ago... unfortunately that collector has passed on and that wonderful source no longer exists.  Of the three plants I bought, I planted one at my sister's house in the high grassland desert of Arizona, I left one planted at my previous residence and brought the third to my new residence.   This palm is the bluest of my collection, now has 1.5' of trunk size and is turning true to the Sonoran population.   The plant I left in AZ  hasn't grown as well because it's had too much shade by surrounding trees and much colder temperatures during the winter.   This palm came back from a dry 5F reading a few years back - which is very encouraging !!!   

The youngest of the three uresanas is still in a pot and may be planted out this coming summer...   I believe this palm was bought from Peckerwood nursery several years ago.

In addition, I have two green form uresanas that I also bought in Arizona and they have been in the ground for about 7 yrs.   I'm waiting for them to mature more, to see if in fact they are uresanas or a hybrid of sorts.

Jv

[Meangreen94z 888]

11 minutes ago, iamjv said:

I have 3 blue S. Uresana's here in San Antonio...  all three from different sources and at different stages in life (size).   All have seen lows down to 14F without any damage at all, to include the juvenile which is still in a 15gal pot.

My largest/oldest is approximately 15-17 yrs old and from a seed I collected at the Univ. of Arizona, it has about 5' of trunk and a large canopy...   I got about 90% germination rate from the seeds collected from that tree but many came up as albino and didn't survive due to lack of photosynthesis.   Of the 20 or so seedlings that survived, they were given out to PSST members and hopefully are doing well in various locations around south Texas.

Second largest and also in the ground and is a variety that was collected from Sonora Mexico where there is a population of extremely blue uresanas.   I bought three of these palms (1 gal size) from a private collector (in Arizona) some 12 years ago... unfortunately that collector has passed on and that wonderful source no longer exists.  Of the three plants I bought, I planted one at my sister's house in the high grassland desert of Arizona, I left one planted at my previous residence and brought the third to my new residence.   This palm is the bluest of my collection, now has 1.5' of trunk size and is turning true to the Sonoran population.   The plant I left in AZ  hasn't grown as well because it's had too much shade by surrounding trees and much colder temperatures during the winter.   This palm came back from a dry 5F reading a few years back - which is very encouraging !!!   

The youngest of the three uresanas is still in a pot and may be planted out this coming summer...   I believe this palm was bought from Peckerwood nursery several years ago.

In addition, I have two green form uresanas that I also bought in Arizona and they have been in the ground for about 7 yrs.   I'm waiting for them to mature more, to see if in fact they are uresanas or a hybrid of sorts.

Jv

Nice, any pictures?

[iamjv 98]

This is a photo of the Sonoran blue from earlier this year....    I'll have to attempt to get a good photo of the largest s.u. which is amongst other palms & a little more difficult to full view.

Cheers,

 

[Fusca 1,926]

20 minutes ago, iamjv said:

This is a photo of the Sonoran blue from earlier this year....    I'll have to attempt to get a good photo of the largest s.u. which is amongst other palms & a little more difficult to full view.

Cheers,

 

Nice!  That is almost Bismarckia blue!  Great to see you posting here again.

[iamjv 98]

Thank you....  yes it's been awhile !!!    Oh yes super blue....  I can't wait to have this palm seed !

[Josue Diaz 2,701]

1 hour ago, iamjv said:

This is a photo of the Sonoran blue from earlier this year....    I'll have to attempt to get a good photo of the largest s.u. which is amongst other palms & a little more difficult to full view.

Cheers,

 

killer form too! 

mines just a baby, and a seedling off this one

[necturus 397]

That's a beauty. What's the little pinnate palm beside it?

[iamjv 98]

15 hours ago, necturus said:

That's a beauty. What's the little pinnate palm beside it?

That is a Jubaea Chilensis....

[SailorBold 531]

On 12/14/2020 at 1:27 PM, buffy said:

I see S. mexicana with leaf damage around 11F/12F. 

That would be the palm for my area.. .. ill need to see how the uresana does with the dry cold....

..11/12 still pretty close to what I see yearly.. which has been anywhere from 12-16 most years.  Its right there..

[SailorBold 531]

On 12/24/2020 at 6:58 AM, iamjv said:

I have 3 blue S. Uresana's here in San Antonio...  all three from different sources and at different stages in life (size).   All have seen lows down to 14F without any damage at all, to include the juvenile which is still in a 15gal pot.

My largest/oldest is approximately 15-17 yrs old and from a seed I collected at the Univ. of Arizona, it has about 5' of trunk and a large canopy...   I got about 90% germination rate from the seeds collected from that tree but many came up as albino and didn't survive due to lack of photosynthesis.   Of the 20 or so seedlings that survived, they were given out to PSST members and hopefully are doing well in various locations around south Texas.

Second largest and also in the ground and is a variety that was collected from Sonora Mexico where there is a population of extremely blue uresanas.   I bought three of these palms (1 gal size) from a private collector (in Arizona) some 12 years ago... unfortunately that collector has passed on and that wonderful source no longer exists.  Of the three plants I bought, I planted one at my sister's house in the high grassland desert of Arizona, I left one planted at my previous residence and brought the third to my new residence.   This palm is the bluest of my collection, now has 1.5' of trunk size and is turning true to the Sonoran population.   The plant I left in AZ  hasn't grown as well because it's had too much shade by surrounding trees and much colder temperatures during the winter.   This palm came back from a dry 5F reading a few years back - which is very encouraging !!!   

The youngest of the three uresanas is still in a pot and may be planted out this coming summer...   I believe this palm was bought from Peckerwood nursery several years ago.

In addition, I have two green form uresanas that I also bought in Arizona and they have been in the ground for about 7 yrs.   I'm waiting for them to mature more, to see if in fact they are uresanas or a hybrid of sorts.

Jv

14f with no damage is encouraging as is the 5f..  now when we get those 20 or 30 year freezes.. that may be another story.  Grrr...

[SailorBold 531]

Removed my protection this morning..  and the uresana has survived its first winter.. may have grown just a bit.  The foliage outside of the ezwall fried at 9-10f. 

[Palmfarmer 291]

On 3/29/2021 at 11:31 AM, SailorBold said:

Removed my protection this morning..  and the uresana has survived its first winter.. may have grown just a bit.  The foliage outside of the ezwall fried at 9-10f. 

Really cool! I am wondering what other palms does fine in your climate? got Butias, Trachies, Jubeas or Braheas? perhaps Livestona Chinensis would work for you, I hear many people use them as a die back perenial in the colder climates and it comes back every time.