Help Me Decide

[ahosey01]

I am thinking through options for palms for a flood-irrigated lawn I have behind my house.  The soil under the lawn isn't very good - I had to build it up about 3ft above existing grade to get it to be level (for flooding) and the fill dirt I got was some sandy, decomposed granite nonsense.  Drains really well, but low in nutrients.  I was trying to grow a couple citrus trees in it, but I think the water, the sandiness of the soil, the lack of adequate nutrition for citrus and likely the rootstock they're on are combining to make them not particularly happy.  Instead, I figured I'll take them out and plant some palms (who here is mad about that?!)

Anyways, was looking for some ideas.  Obvious ones I can think of are P. canariensis and P. dactylifera - both well-suited to the desert, lovers of water and low nutritional requirements.  However, I already have both.  I should mention the area gets full sun until around noon, but is shielded from the ridiculous western low desert Arizona sun.

I'm in zone 9A.  We get fairly cold, but the lowest temp I'm aware of from the old-time gardeners and nurserymen around here was 17F in 2007.  There are some large ficus, citrus, Grevillea robusta and Dalbergia sissoo around town that are all older than the freeze, if that tells you anything.  Hybrids are definitely on the table (Jubaea x Syagrus if I could find any of them).

Anyone got any thoughts?  Something fast-growing would be cool (no Jubaea, already have one anyways) so that you can walk under it in a couple years and enjoy the grass on your feet.

Edited May 19, 2022 by ahosey01

[spike]

dypsis psammophila? 

Actually no idea if anyone even grows it

Edited May 19, 2022 by spike

[D Palm]

Low in nutrients, 17F…makes me want to say a Sabal genus. Maybe Sabal Uresana if you can get your hands on some.

what type of citrus was there? Mine grow in white sand in Florida.

[ahosey01]

9 minutes ago, D Palm said:

Low in nutrients, 17F…makes me want to say a Sabal genus. Maybe Sabal Uresana if you can get your hands on some.

what type of citrus was there? Mine grow in white sand in Florida.

Already have two uresana getting water from the flood irrigation!

Normally 17F is beyond the pale for us.  Most years will be 25-30, far as I can tell. USDA says 9a but whatever.

Would be interested in Sabal dominguensis but idk where to find any that are decent size and I don't want to wait 40 years for them to get big LOL

[Neil C]

Everglades palm

[ahosey01]

38 minutes ago, Neil C said:

Everglades palm

I like this suggestion also, along with S. domingensis.

I need to find a palm grower that has some of decent size.  Maybe a trip to Florida with a trailer is in order!

[96720]

Everglades palm is not very fast growing but they will grow in hot dry weather!

[aztropic]

I'd search out the JxS hybrid. I have 2 of them planted,and couldn't be happier with their performance. Unsure of how fat they will get under our desert conditions,but I have a chainsaw at the ready if mine gets out of hand...

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona