5 biggest mistakes when starting out growing palms

[sonoranfans]

I started growing palms 20 years ago after 20 years of gardening in places too cold for palms.  Starting out in growing palms I made mistakes that I would never make now but its part of the learning process.  And your local climate and soil has a lot to do with that since palms have their preferences.  Because everyone has to start somewhere with palms a discussion on common mistakes might be useful for those who are relatilynew to the hobby.  Here are my 5 biggest mistakes:

 

1)  Sharp thorny palms too close to a regularly used path.  I saw one rental that you could get impaled just trying to get to the front door.

2)  Planting desert tolerant palms in a wet low spot, go for a high spot that is drier.

3) planting too close together, it can lead to costly edits, damage as it all grows in.

4) know your soil, its as big a variable as 15-20F difference in temperature.

5) buy after understanding species that you like.  Try, when possible, to ensure you can give it an environment that it will like.  Start with the species write up in palmpedia and then search this site for growing information, freeze damage etc.

 

There are many more mistakes I am sure that some of you can add.  I have forgotten many of my mistakes, but I did learn from them.  Mistakes is how we learn.  Nicola Tesla is given credit for this quote:  "I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways it will not work".   People who don't make mistakes haven't learned anything.  What have you learned?

[Darold Petty]

Adult palms are more frost resistant than juveniles. 

When I started I planted several Howea forsteriana about 5 gallon size.  They were killed by an atypical, more severe frost than my normal winter low temperatures.  From this I concluded that my microclimate could not support Howea and I planted 6 cultivars of Rhopalostylis.  I have now spent a few thousand dollars wisth a tree service to remove 3 of the adult Rhopies.   And I have installed several large Howea palms. 

  This leads to my second observation, 'self-cleaning' palms sounds great until the adult fronds fall and smash any landscaping below.  Rhopalostylis leaves can come off without warning, even when still mostly green.  They are 14 feet long and weigh between 20-30 pounds.

  There is a reason why Roystonea is mostly underplanted with turfgrass or hardscaping.  

 

  

[D. Morrowii]

Newby here but I have learned over the last year or so that you can grow a lot of palm in a small amount of soil. I over potted most of my first seedlings and ended either having to down pot them or stalling them out for months. Im sure there are trade offs though.

[sonoranfans]

1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

Adult palms are more frost resistant than juveniles. 

When I started I planted several Howea forsteriana about 5 gallon size.  They were killed by an atypical, more severe frost than my normal winter low temperatures.  From this I concluded that my microclimate could not support Howea and I planted 6 cultivars of Rhopalostylis.  I have now spent a few thousand dollars wisth a tree service to remove 3 of the adult Rhopies.   And I have installed several large Howea palms. 

  This leads to my second observation, 'self-cleaning' palms sounds great until the adult fronds fall and smash any landscaping below.  Rhopalostylis leaves can come off without warning, even when still mostly green.  They are 14 feet long and weigh between 20-30 pounds.

  There is a reason why Roystonea is mostly underplanted with turfgrass or hardscaping.  

 

  

I can relate Darold, in 2010n28F plus frost, I had 4 small royals die after spear pull, but other royals in the in the neighborhood just had lower leaf burn.  I learned here on palmtalk not to put my royals too close to the house or driveway.   The leaves do come down with a bang when wet, no doubt.  I appreciate the archies and kentiopsis O.(chambeyronia oliviformis now) which drop lighter leaves of just a few lbs.  I do have to trim some of my palms,  it just makes me appreciate the crownshafts more.

[Gonzer]

After 40 years of growing my observations are: 1) trying to zone push too far and ending up (after 5-8 years) with a 2' tall plant. 2) Trying to collect every species know to mankind. Those are my main beefs.

[ruskinPalms]

I have made many mistakes and continue to do so but here are my biggest ones in no particular order:

1.) planting too close together

2.) not realizing how big some of these palms get (Bismarckia)

3.) not realizing how much some fruit and make a mess (D. lutescens)

4.) pushing the zone a little too far (Cocos…)

5.) planting palms too close to the house 

6.) planting palms in ridiculously compacted soil in some parts of my yard

7.) not fertilizing appropriately or consistently

8.) planting water lovers in dry parts of my yard and vice versa 

I’m sure there are a lot more mistakes I have made and will make in the future 

[ruskinPalms]

By the way I just read the title and I guess I can’t count 

[iDesign]

I wrote this literally just for myself, but seems appropriate to cut/paste here (in case it's useful for someone)...

ADVICE TO A PALM NOVICE (FROM A FORMER PALM NOVICE)

Your dream yard is not sold at Home Depot
It’s ok to shop at big box stores, but if you want your yard to look different from everyone else’s, you will need to shop at different places than everyone else is shopping. That said, there are some plants you can consider buying at HD (or Lowes, Costco, etc).  As common as they are, I love red “Hawaiian Ti’s” for example and got most of mine at HD (though a few came from more exotic sources). I also bought two large “back row” Kentia palms from HD to provide some instant shade for my more exotic “front row” palms. Just don’t plan on buying any of your “front row” palms from a Big Box store.

Learn the plant names
When I started, I literally couldn’t tell a King from a Queen, and now I’m rattling off botanical names like a champ. Learn the names of the palms in your neighborhood first, until you can name most of the palms in your neighbor’s yards. Then vow to buy none of those... at least until you’ve explored the more exotic stuff. Even if some of the plants sold at HD are pretty, you want your yard to look different. I really like Bird of Paradise plants for example, but there are so many in my neighborhood that I removed them from my own yard (I can still enjoy the neighborhood ones). Why learn plant names? It helps eliminate confusion, and can help you see trends. Most of my favorite palms tend to be in the "Dypsis" genus for example, while I know to avoid everything in the "Areca" genus in my zone (other than the plant with common name of "Areca palm" which is actually in the Dypsis not Areca family... see why it's confusing to use common names?).

Consider mixing a few mature plants in with the “younglings” (or not)
Most of your exotic palms will be small at first, which is totally fine, as it's best way to ensure healthy plants. But if you psychologically have a strong preference to include a few larger plants in your mix that's ok too... as long as you just buy a few, and they're not too rootbound. I personally invested in a more mature “flamethrower” and bought a few other palms at larger sizes to tide me over while my smaller plants grow up a bit (as well as the more mature “back row” Kentia palms). Buying a few larger plants can also give your baby plants shade. Just keep in mind that you may end up removing ("editing") these larger plants at some point. Two “fishtail” palms I bought years ago will likely be removed long before my baby palms mature... and I'm ok with that (they gave me happiness while they lasted - and shade for the babies). Alternatively, if you don't feel you NEED to have larger palms, just start small with everything! Those little plants you're buying now will grow fast, and most likely end up taller than if you had started with a large one. Either way, you should think of your landscaping project as a muti-year (possibly multi-decade) project... not something you're going to complete in a single season.

Buy your favorite palms ONLY as younger specimens
This was the hardest lesson for me to learn, as I started out with a strong preference for larger (i.e., "instant gratification") specimens. I've more recently learned that larger versions aren't just hard to find because they grow slowly (though that's part of it). The palm experts actually prefer smaller sizes, since those are going to result in the most healthy plant possible.  So resist the urge to buy your favorite plants at a large size... think 1g - 15g for your very favorite palms (the ones you're hoping will be yard super-stars). And industry secret... you'll most likely discover that half the fun of having exotic palms is watching them grow up. This is something I've recently discovered in my palm journey... learn to love the process (not just the final product).

Base your layout on the plant’s mature size.
“Palmpedia” is a great reference, but unless you live in Hawaii try to ignore the amazing Hawaii-grown ones (plants grow much taller in Hawaii). Space the palms an appropriate distance for where you live. If needed you can add some "filler plants" as in-betweens to fill empty space.  Resist the temptation to fill the spaces between palms with more palms... with one exception: Once your first group of palms gets a little taller, you can add some shorter and/or more slower growing specimens below, to get a nice layering effect. 

Know where to shop
For the little tropical companion plants, there’s likely a neighborhood nursery you can use. But for exotic palms, you will need to research and/or ask on the forum where you should be shopping. You might even need to do mail order depending on where you live... which isn’t as crazy as it seems at first (I’ve personally gotten some great plants from Florida... and a huge amount from Hawaii). Note though that not everything sold on Ebay/Etsy is what the seller is claiming... buy from reputable sources.

Be an educated buyer
The first time I went into the Jungle Music (an exotic palm nursery near me), I was completely lost. Just saw row after row of tiny green plants that looked almost identical. Unlike most other plants, exotic palms look very similar when young... don’t expect to just “see” what you want immediately. Employees at nurseries can be helpful, but they’re not going to hold your hand if you have absolutely no clue. On my more recent trips to JM I knew exactly what I wanted, and was able to ask intelligent questions. To educate yourself, read tons of threads in the Palmtalk forum (and use “search”). The Jungle Music and “Palmpedia” websites have also been invaluable to me.  At first it will feel like “drinking from a fire hose” trying to get up to speed. But it will eventually start to click, and you’ll have a lot more confidence in your plan. If overwhelmed, just pick a “plant of the day” to learn about.

Look at AMAZING landscaping examples (not just your neighbors)
There are a few of my neighbors that have attractive yards. One in particular makes me smile because they were able to make it look pretty dang good with just Home Depot plants (by following good design principles). But if you want an amazing yard, you’ll want to look at amazing examples of landscaping. My personal favorite is the highly manicured gardens of Dennis Hundscheidt (worth an internet search). Other people like a more “jungle” look, and if so you should do internet searches for amazing “jungle” style landscaping. Best yet is to visit these incredible gardens in person... I loved the few I've been able to see in person.

Mock up in Photoshop? (optional)
I debated including this tip, since very few people know how to use the program. But if you can use Photoshop (or the free “Gimp” alternative), it might be fun to mock up your landscaping plan so you can review it. I know I personally have made TONS of changes after seeing how things look when put altogether (in Photoshop), and what looked amazing in my mind doesn’t always look amazing in reality. And it’s easier to move things in Photoshop/Gimp than to dig & move a palm. I also have had great luck copying sections from other people’s yards (from internet searches) and pasting them into my own yard, just to see how a similar looking plant grouping would look in my space. Being able to visualize the overall design can really help in the decision-making process. It also helps you be patient... since you already "see" the final product in your mind, in addition to the cute baby palms you're seeing with your eyes.

Variety in color & texture
This is probably the #1 rule I used in my own yard designs... which is that if you have a medium green plant, you should ideally put a plant of a different color next to it (gives your eyes a break, and helps you see each plant more distinctly). Note that a different shade of green can also count as a different "color". You also ideally wouldn't make every palm a “pinate” palm... Include some fan palms (small is fine), a ficus or two (in a pot if needed), a white/blue palm, or other tropical plants to add some variety. And include lots of color!!! When in doubt, add more bromeliads™ (bromeliads are my first love).

Hide the Ugly
One of the favorite parts of my yard came about after a discussion about how much we disliked looking at our neighbor’s window. The problem was that the existing planter was too small to include enough palms to hide it well. So we extended the planter, and put several tall-growing palms in front of the window. Another plant choice was influenced a desire to hide some ugly pipes. Try using plants to hide the ugly spots in your yard (and/or hide the neighbors).

Question your Grassy Areas
Unlike many on this forum I really do love my grass, and wanted to preserve my favorite areas (or more accurately, my kids’ favorite areas). The problem is that the default planters the builder put in are really skinny, and quite hot. They’re also too skinny to achieve the nice “layering” effect I love (with taller plants in the back, medium in the middle, and low in the front). So what I’m doing now is extending my planters in areas where I would value tropical plants more than the grass (and/or areas where I need to hide something ugly). Do your kids frolic in the backyard only? Then ask yourself whether you really need as much grass in the front yard as you have right now. Perhaps a larger planter (with meandering path going through it) would give you more joy long-term. Just keep the grassy areas you value the most, and consider replacing the rest of your grass with more interesting landscaping.

* Disclaimer: These are just my personal guidelines - what works for me (as a slightly OCD graphic designer). In reality there are no "rules"... do whatever works for you personally. This list just represents what I've learned so far on my personal palm journey, and is subject to change/correction as I learn more from those further down this amazing palm-lined pathway. Hopefully there's something useful in there for a true newbie.

Edited October 9, 2021 by idesign123

[Merlyn]

In no particular order either:

1.  If you are thinking of clear-cutting 40+ water oaks...do it in 1 batch.  That would have been vastly cheaper AND caused less collateral plant damage.
2.  When zone-pushing, try the "tough palms" first.  By this I mean ones that are a super easy grow in the next zone up.  Since I'm in a 9b/9a borderline area, I can get away with almost all 9b and many 10a palms in the right spot.  But trying to grow a palm that's "notoriously difficult to grow in 10a" is just a bad idea and a waste of time and effort.
3.  Don't get overly obsessed with finding "exactly the right spot" for a palm or cycad.  Unless it is huge (like a 30g pot or a trunking palm) the vast majority of palms and cycads can be readily dug up and moved without killing them.  There are notable exceptions, like Sabals and Bismarcks. 
4.  Figure out the typical maximum diameter and height before you plant.  The only one I really screwed up was planting a 3g Beccariophoenix Alfredii about 5' from my well tanks.  About 6 months later I looked at some pictures of mature ones with 30' diameter crowns and had to go transplant it.
5.  If you are concerned about cold fronts and "zone pushing," get a multi-zone temperature datalogger.  3 years after I started planting I noticed that cold-sensitive plants were fine in the front yard but the same species was torched in the back yard.  After I got a datalogger (Ambient Weather 5 zone) I discovered that the backyard is 2-3 degrees colder at night.  Apparently the cold air sinks down into the fenceline, which was the opposite of what I expected.  I had been planting cold-sensitive plants in the backyard, and hardy ones in the front!  Durrrrr.... 

[GottmitAlex]

Thank you all for the suggestions. 

I won't pontificate on my findings. Time will tell.

 

 

[banthony720]

Being a newbie I planted my first palm last year. A pigmy date planted probably planted too low which has now been replaced with an F2 Foxy Lady I've come a long way in one year lol.

So planting too low and zone pushing thats 2 mistakes already.  Zone pushing a few other things too, just gotta wait and see. Speaking zone pushing, some say it's best to plant them small & just hope for a few mild winters.  As @sonoranfans has posted before the rooting hormones are stronger when the palm young thus helping them establish long term. But tougher when more mature, it's a risk, patience & cost dilemma imo.

I've acquired quite a few species in my first year and have only killed a couple. Under watering would be my 3rd mistake. (A carpoxilon needs constant water so I'm not the only & a satakentia, no chance in my mid florida area anyway)

I will list a 4'th that hasn't been mentioned yet and that is removing the grass/sod when planting. Aka improper mulching you do not want to be pulling grass or weeds out of mulch (been there). This ties in with spacing & knowing how big it will eventually get, understanding the root zones etc.

My Bismark was one of my first ones, when I re-did my mulch ring it looked ridiculously large.  A year later the fronds extend beyond it. I did it because I know how they grow and also so I wouldn't make the mistake of planting anything to close to it. However I also have 3 archontophoenix cunninghamiana planted in a bed the same size area because they can grow close together.

I don't know what the 5'th one is yet. Keep them in a pot too long..

[Chester B]

Believing what the label in the palm or any plant really says!  Do your homework, many labels are optimistic about cold tolerance. 

[96720]

I figure my job is to kill plants how do you know what will grow and what won’t Phil at jungle music said when he first started they said royals wouldn’t grow in California how wrong they were, when I read about a palm that sounds interesting I look at Jeff’s price list to see if he has any I always buy three at least grow them in the greenhouse until they get to size to plant outside lots of times they won’t even make it in the greenhouse but if you don’t try you will never know. I have learned that Dypsis are pretty much a no grow in Phoenix but if you don’t try you never know.

[Darold Petty]

20 minutes ago, 96720 said:

 I have learned that Dypsis are pretty much a no grow in Phoenix but if you don’t try you never know.

We will never learn anything new by sticking to the conventional wisdom.  I am so old I remember when no one knew of the frost hardiness of  Dypsis decipiens.    

[iDesign]

52 minutes ago, 96720 said:

lots of times they won’t even make it in the greenhouse but if you don’t try you will never know....

RIP to the poor "Cyrtostachys renda" and "Marojejya darianii" that were Phoenix tested 

I'm just teasing... I very much appreciate "zone pushers" since they let the rest of us growers know that a palm can grow in an area you would assume is off limits.  All of my Floribunda choices were relatively "safe"... but there was that one "Verschaffeltia splendida" splurge (that I'm sure I'll need to bring inside during the coldest part of winter) So tempting to zone push on at least one palm at those low prices 

Shelter the casualties... and Propagate the Survivors!

Edited October 9, 2021 by idesign123

[Swolte]

1. Care for the young

I am a lazy gardener. If a plant stays green and isn't floppy, I'll leave it alone. However, with young palms, it can take ages before they take off. Not to mention that they can be quite sensitive and die from disease and weather extremes. 

2. Get multiple rare palms while and if you can

If you're a collector type, be aware that certain sources for rare palms aren't going to be around forever.  For example, you may think you have access to silver highland Urusana's but that may change from one day to the other and you may only have one left...  *gulp* Appreciate the growers!

3. Know your enemies! Check for that damn Ox beetle and flush them out

Wish I knew that earlier. Would have saved me several plants!

I have more but its bedtime here... I guess number 4 is 'get enough sleep' so you can keep enjoying palms longer and in better health! 
:p

[teddytn]

Two for me stand out more than any other. 

Learning that a cold hardiness rating is for a mature palm of that species where a juvenile or seedling may die at a much different temp. Lost quite a few to this oversight.

Planting greenhouse grown palms straight in the yard the day they came in the mail without any acclimation time. Already stressed from being shipped to planted in full summer sun is a bad idea. Growing palms and plants in general have definitely taught me patience 

 

[Butch]

Planting a Foxtail under power lines....

Butch

[BigFrond]

Planted lots of palms in 2007 and believed that they would make it easily in 10B.  I was barely zone pushing. Haha... they were all fried and melted.

[96720]

Planting royals as triplets not good they need some space between the trunks . You can’t trust the zone thing in Phoenix because our sun is intense just because they may take cold doesn’t mean they will take sun.

[Johnny Palmseed]

Planting in a row. Lose 1 and it throws everything off. Even the difference in growth from 1 plant to the next becomes very apparent and is not pleasant to the eye. 

[GottmitAlex]

20 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

We will never learn anything new by sticking to the conventional wisdom.  I am so old I remember when no one knew of the frost hardiness of  Dypsis decipiens.    

This

[msporty]

I have many more lessons to learn, but here are my few additions:

 

1. Give up quicker on plants you don’t love. I felt so guilty about trashing a freebie Trachy from a friend that I actually planted it in my yard 5 years ago! It’s getting the ax this winter but if I hadn’t planted it, I could have grown something I love in its place and had a 5 more year head start getting it to maturity. 
 

2. Buying multiples of the same species is a great idea if the plant is marginal or if it’s culture/hardiness are not known. My addendum: once you have a successful planting, find a new home for all those backups that you don’t want to plant in the landscape.

 

3. Its fun to grow things from seed and seedlings take up little space and resources. Unfortunately, dinky seedlings grow up and it takes a lot of soil mix and time to step up 25 one gallon pots to 25 five gallon pots. All the time and water spent and I not even sure why I grew these seedlings in the first place! Unless you have a nursery side hustle, or a friend named DoomsDave, think twice about germinating all those free seeds. 

[D Palm]

My lessons learned…Root stimulator corrects a lot of mistakes.  Do not trust the tags at big box stores on plant species, cold hardiness, sun requirements, etc. 

Visit your local nursery! They have a lot of knowledge. Also, visit your local Agriculture/4H center for very localized knowledge. 
Fertilizer is a waste of money if your soil PH is way out of balance…

A $3 soil test kit will save you a lot of guess work too!

[Fallen Munk]

That's an Edison quote because he was a trial by error experimenter, Tesla was nothing of the sort.

My biggest error when starting out was putting strap leaf seedlings in 5 gallon pots.  They hold too much water.  Start with small pots and work your way up as it grows.

 

[palmsOrl]

1.  Overwatering potted palms

2.  Improper soil for potted palms

3.  Inadequate and/or incomplete fertilizer

4.  Underwatering

5.  Improperly selected species for one's USDA zone

[Chester B]

That zone ratings are not all equal and merely a guideline.  Zone X in one location, ie: Oregon is not the same Zone X in Florida and this does impact what you can and can't grow, it's best to learn from other locals as to what works and what doesn't.

[Merlyn]

On 10/10/2021 at 12:17 AM, msporty said:

1. Give up quicker on plants you don’t love. I felt so guilty about trashing a freebie Trachy from a friend that I actually planted it in my yard 5 years ago! It’s getting the ax this winter but if I hadn’t planted it, I could have grown something I love in its place and had a 5 more year head start getting it to maturity. 

This is a great point!  As my in-ground inventory has grown to over 250 palms, things get "edited" into the burn pile without a second's hesitation.  One of the first Spindle palms I ever bought turned out to have a fist-sized hole in the side of the trunk at ground level.  After it barely survived a couple of mild winters, I looked at it and said to myself, "this will always be a stunted, ugly palm that barely survives a good year."  I yanked it out of the ground in under 10 seconds and replaced it with an Encephalartos Natalensis seedling.  I'm about to do the same with a Dypsis Madagascariensis/Lucubensis freebie seedling and a few others.