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Do Bismarckias really respond much to fertlizer?


Palmfarmer

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Just remember reading that Bismarckias need very little nutrients to do well.

So the question is: will you notice much of a gain if any fertilizing them in "average soil"?

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In my observations, they respond to 1)heat/sun and 2)fertilizer as a distant second.  Adding fertilizer does not compensate for lack of heat or sun.  If it is not consistently warm, I wouldnt fertilize too much.  Also if this is a recent planting(last year or two) be patient as the root system needs to grow so it can take up more fertilizer.  Extra fertilizer for a small root system is just a waste.  Bizzies prefer 80F+ temps.  I almost always wait for the heat to kick in before adding fertilizer.  

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Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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8 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

In my observations, they respond to 1)heat/sun and 2)fertilizer as a distant second.  Adding fertilizer does not compensate for lack of heat or sun.  If it is not consistently warm, I wouldnt fertilize too much.  Also if this is a recent planting(last year or two) be patient as the root system needs to grow so it can take up more fertilizer.  Extra fertilizer for a small root system is just a waste.  Bizzies prefer 80F+ temps.  I almost always wait for the heat to kick in before adding fertilizer.  

Oh plenty of heat I have gotton last few months. Its finally putting out fronds at a pretty fast rate. Just gave it some fert yesterday to see if I can speed it up even more. It got in the ground last year as a very small plant, still small but its slowly gaining size.

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51 minutes ago, 96720 said:

Never fertilize mine who wants them to grow fast I would rather have something to slow them down 

Beautiful palms!

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9 hours ago, 96720 said:

Never fertilize mine who wants them to grow fast I would rather have something to slow them down 

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I agree that in my area of hot humid florida these are so fast you dont want to speed them up.  I also grew them in arizona, sometimes 4-5 spears opened in 6-7 weeks in summer.  But in the cool mountains or seacoast areas these will not be nearly as fast.  Here in florida they like 80F + otherwise they seem almost dormant.  I have used no fertilizer in the root zone area for the first 5 years, after that they get a couple handfulls a year in spring.  My bizzie, serenoa repens silvers and a nearby sabal uresana get the least fertiizer in my yard.   Bismarckia could and do grow here without supplemental irrigation along the US 75, 275 here.  I have to be about 50-70' away to get a good view of my 10 year in the ground 30' tall bizzie.  My close in view now is up through the canopy.  The good side is it throws good summer shade early to mid day on my car.  Still, the views are better when they are under 20' tall.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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Regular feeding and watering have helped my Bismarkia compensate for it being in full shade most of the day and our cool-mild climate with only occasional short heat spells in summer and often chilly summer night time lows. I planted it as a small seedling several years ago and it’s growing well. 

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Jim in Los Altos, CA  SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level

zone 10a/9b

sunset zone 16

300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground

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My Bismark only 9 months in the ground 15 gall when planted seems to respond well to fertilizer and or other nutrients. It gets plenty of water and sun. Back in December I mixed a table spoon or 2 of borax with a gallon or so of water and it forced 2 stagnant spears to open within a week or two. (edit obviously watered into the ground/roots & never into the crown never know who might read this) I probably added some other stuff too I don't remember but it definitely responded quickly.

Boron deficiency seems to be a somewhat common thing with Bismarks. I've also used magnesium sulfate and small amounts of fertilizer here & there. Being a newbie im not/or was not on set fertilizer schedule yet. I just wanted the thing to grow.  Mine responded well but every bizzy seems unique which is part of what makes them so awesome.  I will note that my reasoning for throwing very small amounts of extra fertilizer down is because I have Florida, sandy, mystery new construction soil.  I do it before an anticipated heavy down pour of rain because it most of it probably leaches out anyway.  But I plan to still "properly fertilize" every 3 months.

Edited by banthony720
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In Florida you have the best and cheapest fertilizer it comes out of the sky what more could you ask for?

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4 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

Is this slow growth? Planted march last year as a tiny stick: 

 

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That is just fine, as fast as mine was when I first planted it.  Don't overfertilize it as these palms are genetically adapted to low nutrient lateritic soils.  Looks like it started life in too much shade and its thickening up nicely in leaves and petioles with your full sun exposure.

Formerly in Gilbert AZ, zone 9a/9b. Now in Palmetto, Florida Zone 9b/10a??

 

Tom Blank

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This is a little less than 3 months of growth. I did add a handful of fertilizer but there’s no way to know if it actually helped I guess. I hope it keeps growing this fast though!

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On 6/14/2021 at 8:22 PM, 96720 said:

Never fertilize mine who wants them to grow fast I would rather have something to slow them down 

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I'm with you!  I don't water or fertilize mine. It is still almost growing too fast.  I dug a hole about one meter wide, and a meter deep, and put a cage around it.  The trunk is starting to fill up the cage more than I thought it would.  These are big palms!

 

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2 hours ago, D. Morrowii said:

This is a little less than 3 months of growth. I did add a handful of fertilizer but there’s no way to know if it actually helped I guess. I hope it keeps growing this fast though!

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Both my neighbors have absolutely huge Bismarks, and these same dark purpley little volunteers pop up like weeds all over.  I don’t even know what transports the seeds everywhere? Squirrels?  They pop up in my front bushes all the time.  There were 15 under one of the trees, that the neighbor’s weed wacker crew took out last week. 

They seem to love Florida, and often get no care except lawn irrigation.  

If I were growing one, I’d probably murder it, by doing too much, while my neighbor, who doesn’t fertilize, barely waters, and doesn’t know the name of it, has grown one to 40-50 feet tall in poor, sandy soil.  She told me when she got it, she thought it was going to be a big bush, now she hates it because it’s way too big for her yard.  

The ones in my neighborhood thrive on neglect.  

Edited by Looking Glass
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That’s interesting because you need a female and a male tree so they must have just lucked out and have one of each 

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2 hours ago, 96720 said:

That’s interesting because you need a female and a male tree so they must have just lucked out and have one of each 

There are actually 3.  One on either side of me and one across the street.   This one near the driveway drops big, round, brown golf balls all over.   That roof edge is probably 9 feet?, so now I'd guess it's 50 feet tall, though I'm a poor judge at times.  (it looks so tiny in the pics, compared to in person)  The foxtails drop big red acorn shaped fruits all over also.  

#1 Golfball dropper....

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It had all the purpley sprouts under it, but somehow they also get into my bushes and on the other side of the house.  Something definitely carries them around.  They seem to germinate quite readily in the soil.   

I guess I never even knew you needed males and females.     Somehow it must get pollinated from 100 or 150 feet away depending on the direction.  Nature finds a way it seems.    

 

#2 after an aggressive haircut...

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#3 across the street is just a baby compared to the other two.  

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9 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

Both my neighbors have absolutely huge Bismarks, and these same dark purpley little volunteers pop up like weeds all over.  I don’t even know what transports the seeds everywhere? Squirrels?  They pop up in my front bushes all the time.  There were 15 under one of the trees, that the neighbor’s weed wacker crew took out last week. 

They seem to love Florida, and often get no care except lawn irrigation.  

If I were growing one, I’d probably murder it, by doing too much, while my neighbor, who doesn’t fertilize, barely waters, and doesn’t know the name of it, has grown one to 40-50 feet tall in poor, sandy soil.  She told me when she got it, she thought it was going to be a big bush, now she hates it because it’s way too big for her yard.  

The ones in my neighborhood thrive on neglect.  

Well @Looking Glass I hope I dont murder mine with attention :-) I’ll bet youre right its probably some type of critter that is transporting the seed - birds, raccoons or squirrels. When Im hunting for seeds I like to use the presence of volunteers to help verify that a tree might be putting out viable seed and usually pass on the ones without them. 

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I was out there mulching and looked up and #1 is full of balls….66932947-368E-4206-B558-2DAD48CFCDD9.thumb.jpeg.118ece573988558f1d7837b6f2b6b2c6.jpeg08C91683-3099-439C-997A-F0A6C5660D59.thumb.jpeg.e08a2019a538302dfe8c84e06e7961d7.jpeg

 

Even a good weed whacking could stop these two sprouts fully…. They rise from the ashes…

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It’s funny….  when you want something to grow, you can barely keep it alive, and when you want something dead, it cannot be stopped.  

 

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