Dypsis robusta in California

[Tracy]

Dypsis robusta has been a decent grower for me here in California but also shows damage from winter cold or spring's dry Santa Ana wind.  I'm curious what others are experiencing here with this species.  I planted mine in 2015 I believe.  First photo was on 8/21/2017, and second pair of photos as it opens a new leaf 4/22 & 4/23/2021.  The house is west of the palm. and the shower is to the north for orientation.  Last winter I removed the Phoenix roebelenii that provided some shade to it's south when it was smaller as it wasn't needed anymore and was just in the way.  I don't know if I had given it more protection if the older leaves and leaflets would show less damage or if its just because it is such a borderline species to grow here.  If you have tried or are still growing one here, I would be interested in hearing your experience. 

[Tracy]

New leaf is opening which is needed as the existing oldest ones are getting a bit crispy.  Trunk is getting stout but still subterranean.  Will need a few more new leaves to open and old ones to die before I see any ringed trunk.

[realarch]

Enjoy it Tracy, at this size or a tad larger is when it’s most beautiful. Mine is just BIG and the velvety broken tomentum is waaayyy up there.

Tim

[pohonkelapa]

awesome!

 

[Tracy]

I guest it should now be Chrysalidocarpus robustus in California....   Still chugging along despite this last cool and long winter.

[Navarro]

Tracy el valor que está adquiriendo tu jardín se está volviendo incalculable 🤯

[BayAndroid]

11 hours ago, Tracy said:

I guest it should now be Chrysalidocarpus robustus in California....   Still chugging along despite this last cool and long winter.

What was the coldest temperature for this last winter? Looks pretty amazing. A big palm! 

[Tracy]

12 hours ago, BayAndroid said:

What was the coldest temperature for this last winter? Looks pretty amazing. A big palm! 

Absolute cold wasn't the problem.  We approached freezing ( 0 C or 32 F) on a couple of mornings but never hit it.  We did have frost on rooftops, but none on plants or ground at my location.  The interesting proxy for how overcast it was and absence of sunny days came from my solar company.  They monitor their installs remotely.  In June I received a notice to expect a lower refund or higher bill on my annual "true up" with San Diego Gas & Electric than in past years due to the overcast winter and spring.  They have a lot of installs in my area and were getting complaints from customers with spring  true ups that were surprised when their annual bill came and it had a lower solar contribution than in past years.  I think that says a lot about the winter that they got proactive in alerting customers with later summer true up dates.  Summer on the coast down here has also been more overcast than in many recent years.  Have I seen summers like this in the past here, yes, but they are the exception to the rule.  We have had 3 rain events in the last day and a half which is somewhat unusual on the coast, more typical of the mountains and desert that get monsoonal moisture this time of year.  Not a typical year by any measurement.

[BayAndroid]

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

Absolute cold wasn't the problem.  We approached freezing ( 0 C or 32 F) on a couple of mornings but never hit it.  We did have frost on rooftops, but none on plants or ground at my location.  The interesting proxy for how overcast it was and absence of sunny days came from my solar company.  They monitor their installs remotely.  In June I received a notice to expect a lower refund or higher bill on my annual "true up" with San Diego Gas & Electric than in past years due to the overcast winter and spring.  They have a lot of installs in my area and were getting complaints from customers with spring  true ups that were surprised when their annual bill came and it had a lower solar contribution than in past years.  I think that says a lot about the winter that they got proactive in alerting customers with later summer true up dates.  Summer on the coast down here has also been more overcast than in many recent years.  Have I seen summers like this in the past here, yes, but they are the exception to the rule.  We have had 3 rain events in the last day and a half which is somewhat unusual on the coast, more typical of the mountains and desert that get monsoonal moisture this time of year.  Not a typical year by any measurement.

That's very interesting, we haven't had any rain, but it has been a mild - even cool summer up until recently. Right now it's been pretty typical for about 2 weeks. We had a very long cold wet winter, hoping this one will be less so. 

[BS Man about Palms]

I am pretty sure you have the largest, nicest C. robusta in So Cal @Tracy... Sweet!!!

[Tracy]

22 minutes ago, BS Man about Palms said:

I am pretty sure you have the largest, nicest C. robusta in So Cal @Tracy... Sweet!!!

Thanks Bill.... any rain up in Oceanside earlier today or yesterday?  I made the mistake of leaving my towel hanging out by the outdoor shower, next to this palm in fact. I was out surfing and noticed some droplets coming down on the water.  We got two more brief downpours yesterday down here.  I'm sure you could relate to my description of our winter and spring.

[BS Man about Palms]

21 hours ago, Tracy said:

Thanks Bill.... any rain up in Oceanside earlier today or yesterday?  I made the mistake of leaving my towel hanging out by the outdoor shower, next to this palm in fact. I was out surfing and noticed some droplets coming down on the water.  We got two more brief downpours yesterday down here.  I'm sure you could relate to my description of our winter and spring.

Just enough rain for a minute to turn all the sidewalk wet.. but that was about it.

Yeah, thiw past 6 months some of my palms thrived.. others hated it.

[JubaeaMan138]

Man robusta is such a slug for me I’ve got one I’ve been growing for years and it always looks ehh . Doesn’t hold many leaves . Grown from a 1 gallon currently in a 15

Edited August 12, 2023 by JubaeaMan138