Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Pigafetta Growth Over 1 Year in Loxahatchee, Florida


Loxahatchee Adam

Recommended Posts

Pigafetta growth progress.  Temp was down to 33.4 F / 1 C approximately 1 month ago.   Located in Loxahatchee, Florida, USA
Pic 1: February 14, 2020
Pic 2: September 29, 2020
Pic 3: March 8, 2021

B655DF2B-C76B-4E89-90E9-C5F92F91B687.jpeg

A2FD4EAA-1072-4C6B-AD88-7B8F03658C3B.jpeg

B77AF77B-F6CA-4F91-9108-3FE5B492E3CD.jpeg

  • Like 11
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Cool, will be interesting to see how long this last. Never seen one in FL.

Jupiter FL

in the Zone formally known as 10A

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Never seen one either. Looks like it is growing "fur" in last photo. Keep us updated.

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hahah, yeah "fur" indeed!  Just don't pet it!  :D It's starting to look like one of my potted cacti, one called Opuntia Polyacantha "Dark Knight."   

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ahhh, this was David Fairchild's fav palm. It's extreme fast growth & hard timber ( and ability to grow from young age in cleared, poor soil condition-sites) makes it a good candidate for forest reclamation projects. Alas, Pigafetta was always a failed attempt by him over many decades so good luck! Fascinating genus and gorgeous when well-grown. I think the consensus is they require more heat & water than even Florida can provide ( and sure as hell more than TEXAS! LMAO~!)...no really, I'm crying inside:( 

  • Like 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back in the heyday of palm cultivation in Darwin ( '80's and '90's ), The piggies were a sought after exotic  'must have' species, despite being so heavily armoured with those ferocious spines. I succumbed to the urge to purchase, and indeed were very fast growing in our climate. But I used them in a general group planting regime as I was after the 'jungle' look.  Pigafetta in nature are a coloniser species and dont like competion or being crowded out in a cultivated garden setting. Mine sorta declined over some years and died off ( possibly not enough water in the 'dry season'.
Other enthusiasts growing them all reckoned they were more trouble than they were worth.....but the Botanical Gardens had several that were at least 60' tall, and indeed attained that height in a relatively short period of time.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have this one planted in the most sheltered location of the property.  SE inset corner of the house.  It affords it the most wind protection that it can.  I had one growing before that made it through winter fine, but snapped at the base in a summer thunderstorm (winds will get up to 60+ MPH / 100 KPH).  I will likely keep this one support strapped for an indefinite while as a safety check.  They'll move up as it grows.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have one planted in a wet spot and it seems like the more water the faster they grow. Mine is close to 3 yr from seed and is ready to put on trunk

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to have five of these, astounding growers. Within seven or eight years they must have gotten close to fifty feet tall. Well, three were uprooted in a tropical wind storm, that must have been spectacular. Now you see them, now you don’t. I had the other two cut down due to their proximity to the garden and the possible damage these monsters could inflict. The five were planted in the open space behind the property due to the massive and frequent frond drop from rocket ship growth. Plan well for these palms.

Tim

  • Like 2

Tim

Hilo, Hawaii

Link to comment
Share on other sites

May the cold never find it. If the genus was just a bit more cold tolerant, this palm and its cousin species would be so much more common in S. Florida. It would be a regular landscape palm in the situations the spines can be tolerated, until the leaves are elevated into the sky by a super-fast growth rate.

Ryan

  • Like 2

South Florida

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I had a young one grown from seed, very fast growth - but a typhoon shook it up heavily, it 

didn't make it. I guess wind is the greatest threat for this species, so all the best for it! 

Lars

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...