Need Some Advice (Licuala Peltata 'sumawongii')

[MattyB 2,158]

Hey Y'all.  I had a very large Dypsis heteromorpha die from a fungal infection, leaving this Licuala exposed to full midday to afternoon sun.  I thought for sure it was gonna fry after growing up in the filtered light of the Dypsis above, but it made it through the second half of summer completely perfect.  My question is:  Do you think I should plant another taller clumping Dypsis (D. lafazamanga) next to it to give it some filtered light again, or do you think that this Licuala can take this much sun?  I'm in SoCal about 9 miles from the coast.  Something to consider is that the stumps of the dead Dypsis is buried under that mulch, so I'm not sure if that would be smart to replant in that spot so soon without the old stumps rotting away first.  Any ideas would be welcomed.  Thanks. 

[Tracy 6,747]

20 minutes ago, MattyB said:

My question is:  Do you think I should plant another taller clumping Dypsis (D. lafazamanga) next to it to give it some filtered light again, or do you think that this Licuala can take this much sun? 

Sorry about the loss of your D heteromorpha Matty!  Relative to the question about the Licuala, which is masterfully grown and beautiful, given the time of year, I would say patience is the best call.  Since we are headed into the mildest time of year for adapting to full sun, I would be inclined to watch it and see how it does.  If you have the a Dypsis lafazamanga in the bull pen waiting to go into the ground, you could always place the pot in the potential planting spot if you need to add shade.  This gives you the option of waiting out the D heteromorpha trunks to fully decay too.  The Licuala looks great without having anything else adjacent so if you can get by with it, my personal preference would be to let it stand alone.

It feels funny for an apprentice to be providing the teacher advice, but I'm sure I'm just reinforcing what you already know and have considered.  By the way, was this the extra thick D heteromorpha or one of the other ones you have that was lost to the fungal infection?

[MattyB 2,158]

Thanks Tracy. I do like the look of the Licuala on its own in that spot.  We had a mild summer and did not exceed 98f this year so I’m worried about the normal summer temps we get over 100f sometimes.  But dang it looks good right now. Yes this was the really beefy heteromorpha; the one that almost looked like a triangle hybrid 

Edited November 22, 2021 by MattyB

[Matt in OC 1,194]

I agree with what Tracy said and also note that the Lafazamanga (at least for me) is very robust and may overcrowd your gorgeous Licuala. It looks fantastic!

[MattyB 2,158]

Good to know. I’d like to show off that Dypsis so I’ll look for a more open spot. Thanks 

[TheMadScientist 225]

Glad to see this post @MattyB.....Keeping an eye on any change to the Licuala, you can easily erect shade cloth above it.

[realarch 6,281]

That Licuala looks terrific! Curious as to how the Kerriodoxa is faring?

Tim

[MattyB 2,158]

Hi Tim. The Kerriodoxa is doing great. 

[John hovancsek 1,464]

I would put a dypsis baby red stem. It is not a heavy clumpier but would give you something without making it look messy 

[quaman58 2,382]

Beautifully grown Matty. I think I made the mistake years ago of putting mine into too much shade and it looks nothing like yours. The lack of even any brown tipped leaves is amazing.

[MattyB 2,158]

Ok full midday sun it is. I’ll just leave it alone. Thanks everyone for the input.