Royal palm update Arizona

[Coasta 149]

Hello all! Just wanted to share an update on my cuban royal palm. I planted this bad boy in the ground in March of 2020. This summer it has skyrocketed! I believe the bigger spacing means it's growing fairly quickly per frond.

[AZ_Palm_Guy 54]

1 hour ago, Coasta said:

Hello all! Just wanted to share an update on my cuban royal palm. I planted this bad boy in the ground in March of 2020. This summer it has skyrocketed! I believe the bigger spacing means it's growing fairly quickly per frond.

@Coasta looks amazing! Where in AZ did you get this one?

[Coasta 149]

@AZ_Palm_Guy I purchased this as a 15 gallon at shamus tropical fruit nursery in phoenix. They usually get a shipment in the spring so not sure how much inventory is left.

[AZ_Palm_Guy 54]

@Coasta ah okay, and I do believe he will be getting a new shipment in 2022. Definitely have to grab a couple next year if he brings in new inventory. @aztropic has some beautiful specimens as well. How much sun does yours see?

[aztropic 3,576]

Beautiful! Once they get several feet of wood,then they work on getting fat. Looks like another success with royal palm in the valley.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Coasta 149]

Yes I know Scott grows them as well and if I knew previously, I would have purchased through him. Mine is planted between two homes on the eastern side. It gets sun until about 3pm in the summer. It's not ideal, but so far so good. Oh and I give it a lot of water otherwise it won't look right.

[96720 694]

Is the first picture when you first planted it?

[Collectorpalms 1,867]

what usda zone and record lows are for the area?

[Coasta 149]

@aztropic yes!! Thanks so much for all your help scott!!

@96720 yes! The first one was when it was planted originally in March of 2020

@Collectorpalms I live in a suburbs of Phoenix! Our zone is 9b. Our lowes are usually in the low 30s but we have gone down to the 20s a few times. I have only been in the valley for 4 years but @aztropic has been growing these palms for many years. He can give a better idea on cold hardiness

 

[Collectorpalms 1,867]

I found this weather data from the National Weather Service for Phoenix

Top 5 Coldest Days

1. 16 (7 Jan 1913) 2. 17 (6 Jan 1913) 3. 19 (7 Jan 1971)     19 (8 Jan 1913) 5. 20 (8 Jan 1971 and 2 other times)

[aztropic 3,576]

Yes. Many winters here,we seem to get an average low of 29F;if only for a single night. Some years we squeeze by without any freezes,but will always see 30's F at some point over every winter. I've been living here 26 years now,and the coldest I've ever seen it was 23F and an extreme high of 121F. Because of the extremely dry air,most palms will survive 28F with little or no damage.Royals seem to get considerable damage at 26F here,but have always come back,even from complete defoliation.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Collectorpalms 1,867]

I would gander that the record lows in Phoenix metro are from radiational cold, with warm day time highs. Compare that to 9b/10a Texas that saw a very windy advective freeze of 23F that killed a bunch of Royal in exposed locations. The survival rate much better in AZ than an advective freeze in south Texas and central Florida. 

Edited November 27, 2021 by Collectorpalms

[Coasta 149]

I would agree! 

[96720 694]

That is a big palm for 15 gal

[Coasta 149]

I went the first day the palms arrived at the nursery and picked the biggest of the crop. This year I went in March and they were not as big. I got lucky! 

[xoRudy 283]

This is a sad post for me, I actually bought one as well from Shamus in March of 2021 and planted it the same month. But sadly mine died in August of 2021. Couldn’t get past the summer. I should of accumulated it on the side of my house where it’s shady but I was too excited about it that I planted it right away. It would of been trucking by now. 
 

this was it when I planted it, RIP 

[D Palm 282]

Cool to see the tan-orangish trunk. They are always a white-concrete looking trunk in Florida unless hit with a reclaimed water sprinkler.

Edited November 27, 2021 by D Palm

[Coasta 149]

@xoRudy thats really weird as it shouldn't have died from this summer. I planted mine and last year was a rough summer. How much water were you giving it? 

@Dpalms I wonder if mine will turn grayish? Or is this how it is because or climate.

[96720 694]

Yours will turn Greg’s’s it gets older. Royals some make it and some don’t as @aztropicsays he started a lot from seed and a lot die it’s just ones that are not tough enough for our climate! As you can see the older one is grey the younger one is brown.

[aztropic 3,576]

18 minutes ago, 96720 said:

 Royals some make it and some don’t as @aztropicsays he started a lot from seed and a lot die it’s just ones that are not tough enough for our climate! 

Exactly. Palms that are imported from Florida,Hawaii,or California have never been exposed to our extreme Arizona temperatures that would have already killed off the genetically weaker seedlings.There definitely is genetic variance from plant to plant. On the marginal species,it's best to try and find ones that have already been living in AZ for a year or more,or better yet, buy from a local grower or hobbyest.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[xoRudy 283]

I agree with Scott above. Some make it and some don’t. The Royal I bought from @aztropic is still doing well. Grew some this summer.

[Coasta 149]

@xoRudy very nice palm! It looks happy!

[wrigjef 274]

On 11/27/2021 at 3:34 PM, aztropic said:

Exactly. Palms that are imported from Florida,Hawaii,or California have never been exposed to our extreme Arizona temperatures that would have already killed off the genetically weaker seedlings.There definitely is genetic variance from plant to plant. On the marginal species,it's best to try and find ones that have already been living in AZ for a year or more,or better yet, buy from a local grower or hobbyest.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

AZtropic,

   I bought this small Royal in early summer and kept in filtered sun all summer and it put on some nice growth in a small pot.  I plan to plant this in the ground at the end of February.  Question - the pot is very tight and the roots are about to grow out the holes in the bottom of the pot. Would you replant in a new pot for the next 3 months or just leave it alone until I plant in the ground?   Concerned about shocking the tree if I transplant twice in three months.  Thoughts?   Thanks 

[Fishinsteeg234 67]

Wrigjef,

From my experience, yours seems it would be ok for the next three months in that same pot. I would try to avoid any extra shock until end of feb. I see a lot of nursery palms with the same tight pots that last just fine through winter. keep doing what your doing until time to plant.
 

If your worried about the bottom roots drying, you can consider placing in a water dish or adding some potting substrate in the dish to hold extra moisture around the bottom holes. 

Edited December 1, 2021 by Fishinsteeg234

[aztropic 3,576]

Absolutely leave it in the current pot. With the short days,and colder temperatures,it will not be growing anymore until spring.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[wrigjef 274]

3 hours ago, Fishinsteeg234 said:

Wrigjef,

From my experience, yours seems it would be ok for the next three months in that same pot. I would try to avoid any extra shock until end of feb. I see a lot of nursery palms with the same tight pots that last just fine through winter. keep doing what your doing until time to plant.
 

If your worried about the bottom roots drying, you can consider placing in a water dish or adding some potting substrate in the dish to hold extra moisture around the bottom holes. 

Thanks for the advice! I will wait.  

[wrigjef 274]

2 hours ago, aztropic said:

Absolutely leave it in the current pot. With the short days,and colder temperatures,it will not be growing anymore until spring.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

Thanks brother!  I figured as much but why not ask the AZ expert!