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A Little Good News


GoatLockerGuns

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This juvenile Brahea armata suffered spear pull a few weeks after the Great Texas Freeze of 2021 (wet freeze with 2 nights at 6F and 9F, respectively); however, it started pushing up a new spear this past week.  I am cautiously optimistic for this little guy.  With the exception of my Sabal palmetto, Sabal mexicana, Sabal minor, Serenoa repens, and Nannorrhops ritchiana (all of which are now wet freeze champions in my opinion), every other palm I have planted outside (covered or not) has suffered spear pull since the freeze event (i.e., Washingtonia sp., Phoenix sp., Trachycarpus fortunei, Sabal causiarum, Brahea sp. "Super Silver," and Trithrinax brasiliensis).  To date, this little Brahea armata is the only one of those palms that has shown any signs of life post-spear pull.

image.thumb.png.b00e24e6a5907b6e7e22f2ba448e7af5.png

image.thumb.png.aed4ee38ac6c81e989dabd1bc0255762.png

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Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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A bit surprised that Sabal mexicana and S. palmetto, and especially Serenoa repens and this Brahea thus far has outperformed Trachycarpus fortunei.

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32 minutes ago, Sabal_Louisiana said:

A bit surprised that Sabal mexicana and S. palmetto, and especially Serenoa repens and this Brahea thus far has outperformed Trachycarpus fortunei.

I know right! My windmill had multiple spear and frond pull. It is still green, but that might just be just the palm not realizing it's dead yet. Center is a gaping black hole with no new growth yet.

Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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I am glad to hear it is pushing a spear. Give the rest of them a bit of time. How big is the fortunei? It may surprise you yet.

The palmetto and minor are tougher than most people give them credit for in my opinion. Most people know minors can take wet feet, but I have seen plenty of palmettos endure wet feet too, even when it isn't summer.

I would consider adding a needle and maybe a Brazoria and Birmingham to the mix. All three would be good choices in case you guys get another awful Arctic blast.

Edited by Scot from SC
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15 hours ago, GoatLockerGuns said:

My windmill had multiple spear and frond pull.

Joseph has pointed out that in his experience windmills smaller than 15-gal size will often spear-pull at temps they would normally laugh at (below 20°).  Yours should recover just fine and once it's bigger shouldn't have issues with cold unless we break cold records again!  I'm assuming yours is still a bit small.  Don't give up on it, just needs some time.  My small Brahea armata spear-pulled as well and is pushing new growth as of this past week as well.  :) 

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Jon Sunder

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On 3/28/2021 at 9:34 PM, Sabal_Louisiana said:

A bit surprised that Sabal mexicana and S. palmetto, and especially Serenoa repens and this Brahea thus far has outperformed Trachycarpus fortunei.

T fortunei out performed S mexicana and S palmetto in San Antonio.  Serenoa repens is not seen around town.  My trachycarpus has some damage to the outer fronds and the new spear was funky.  (Although it could have been a reaction to copper sulfate dust)  The older fronds did get a rusty color.   I don't grow the larger sabals, but I see plenty of straw looking sabals around town.  The damage has gotten worse since two weeks ago.  They'll survive because when I surveyed them at the beginning of March,  their spears were green and intact. 

T fortunei is not a street palm around here.  The sabals are however. 

Edited by PricklyPearSATC
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A trunk cut Armata from yesterday is now deciding life or death. Its spears looked green, for last month but when I pulled them it was firm... well was finally false hope, the green went to brown. Glad I had decided to watch it closely and then intervene, it just sat in wait.

But my Blue Green Sabal Uresana is going downhill and I suspect a couple Washingtonia Filifera are too. I purchased a 16 In electric saw online, will have do my first major trunk cut of large trees.

I have decided anything that i can reach and is stagnant needs to be trunk cut. We have had nice weather and rain once a week.

I have 6 new trunks forming from my everglades palm, go figure, I cant kill that one! Also a Chameadorea Radicalis is back from a burnt mess that I did not protect. One trunk cut Green Med and Brahea Clara continue to make progress/ Buds pocking out on some stems of Loquat. Leaves on my live oaks and Mexico oak almost in too.

 

Edited by Collectorpalms
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Current Texas Gardening Zone 9a, Mean (1999-2024): 22F Low/104F High. Yearly Precipitation 39.17 inches.

Extremes: Low Min 4F 2021, 13.8F 2024. High Max 112F 2011/2023, Precipitation Max 58 inches 2015, Lowest 19 Inches 2011.

Weather Station: https://www.wunderground.com/dashboard/pws/KTXCOLLE465

Ryan (Paleoclimatologist Since 4 billion Years ago, Meteorologist/Earth Scientist/Physicist Since 1995, Savy Horticulturist Since Birth.)

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5 hours ago, Collectorpalms said:

Its spears looked green, for last month but when I pulled them it was firm... well was finally false hope, the green went to brown.

Yeah, I am finding that green on the palms after a wet freeze can be very deceptive.  I thought some of my Washingtonia sp. were sitting pretty with green growing points/petioles, and stiff spears; however, about a weak ago I experienced spear pull on all of them, and the unmistakable odor of rot (like rotting cabbage).  Periphery was nice and green, but the center at the bottom of the petioles was rotting.  I ended up cutting into green trunk until I was about 1/2 inch below the last of the rot.  I am giving their chances of survival now at less than 20%.  I see a whole of Washingtonia sp. around town with crown collapse and no new growth yet.  I would suspect many of them are experiencing similar internal rot as well.

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Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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6 hours ago, PricklyPearSATC said:

Serenoa repens is not seen around town.

I've seen plenty of silver Serenoa repens around and even some green ones.  There are commercial plantings near La Cantera and around the Pearl.  Some planted at the Riverwalk and a bunch of them in the SA Botanical Garden and even in the parking lot area outside the grounds.  Interestingly green ones look as good as the silver which are supposed to be more cold hardy than the green.  Also some at Oblate School of Theology - below is a pic of a green form I took a few weeks ago at Oblate with very minimal damage post-freeze.

94328120_OblateSerenoa.thumb.jpg.6814ee5daf7713eb3b58d7a47b08fbf6.jpg

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Jon Sunder

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21 hours ago, Fusca said:

Joseph has pointed out that in his experience windmills smaller than 15-gal size will often spear-pull at temps they would normally laugh at (below 20°).  Yours should recover just fine and once it's bigger shouldn't have issues with cold unless we break cold records again!  I'm assuming yours is still a bit small.  Don't give up on it, just needs some time.  My small Brahea armata spear-pulled as well and is pushing new growth as of this past week as well.  :) 

While living in New Braunfels, one year I had spear pull on 2 of my windmill palms while my robusta and date palm were just fine. It wasn’t even a particularly cold winter either. I don’t why it spear pulled but peroxide fixed it right up

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2 hours ago, Fusca said:

There are commercial plantings near La Cantera and around the Pearl.

I was at La Cantera a couple of weeks ago.  The Serenoa repens "green form" and Sabal minor there looked pretty good (all things considered).

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Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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55 minutes ago, GoatLockerGuns said:

I was at La Cantera a couple of weeks ago.  The Serenoa repens "green form" and Sabal minor there looked pretty good (all things considered).

I don't get out enough..LOL....Don't shop at La Cantera...

I'm mostly in my car running errands. I don't see serenoa repens in yards and fast food joints etc. 

It's like me and my sabal minor and needle palm.  I think I'm the only one in the neighborhood with them.   I wish more small palms were in the local nursery trades.  

It seems like washingtonia, trachycarpus, med fan, large sabals and spattering of yellow butias are what I see the most. 

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There are some nice Serenoa repens "silver form" in some yards in Olmos Park....

  • Like 1

Unified Theory of Palm Seed Germination

image.png.2a6e16e02a0a8bfb8a478ab737de4bb1.png

(Where: bh = bottom heat, fs = fresh seed, L = love, m = magic, p = patience, and t = time)

DISCLAIMER: Working theory; not yet peer reviewed.

"Fronds come and go; the spear is life!" - Anonymous Palmtalker

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