Is Ravenea A Good Choice for California?

[happ]

Recently picked up 5 gallon R. rivularis at Home Depot for $12 and planted it within 4' of a mature magnolia/michelia champaca.

2 questions:

Michelia loves lots of water but I understand that majesty palms practically require a lake to keep them happy.  [Can I afford an even higher water bill?     ].  How do ravenea handle super dry [dew points/humidity under 20% for days] santa ana winds?

Will ravenea grow a less massive trunk with slightly less water?

The majesty palms I see around town barely show trunk formation but look happy.

[BigFrond]

The majesty requires less water than the michelia.  I have them both.   You should ask Joe Palma about majesty palm.  He got some big, fatties at his house and they're on a hill.

[bgl]

Happ,

I'm sure that with less water, the trunk is going to be less massive. The trunk is a reflection of the root system. The more water, the more vigorously the roots will grow, and the more they grow and expand, the larger the trunk will be.

Bo-Göran

[doubravsky]

I have several Majesties... and out here in Riverside we get the Santa Anas pretty nasty. I use primarily overhead watering, and I made sure to add a couple sprinkler heads nearby.

They are doing fine... the two with about 24" of trunk generally have about 4 spears going at a time during the growing season.  

I have noticed that the oldest fronds get a little torn up by the Santa Ana winds.. tip browning, but not major.. and in the spring their growth is so vigorous that it still looks full.

There is one about 5 miles from my place that has at least 10' of trunk and looks great. I'm sure you'll have an easy go of it.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Happ, Toss the Rivularis and get a Glauca...prettier, and bombproof...my 2 cents

[MattyB]

Steve has a good point about R. glauca.  I do love a well grown Majesty though.  Keep it watered and fertilized and it will stand strong against the nasty Santa Ana winds.  R. rivularis might be hard for the average home owner who dosen't pay much attention to what a plants needs are, but if your into gardening and try and give your plants what they want, then I'm sure you can make it look beautiful.

[DoomsDave]

Majesties get fat fast, but they're not as fast as some of the others.

Definitely get a glauca if you can, several if you have the room.  They're a lot more drought tolerant and a lot easier to keep looking good, especially if you have well-drained gravelly soil (they're natural habitat is gravelly creek beds, and they have deep, fleshy roots).

dave

[SunnyFl]

(Dave from So-Cal @ Aug. 23 2006,21:30)

QUOTE

Majesties get fat fast, but they're not as fast as some of the others.

Definitely get a glauca if you can, several if you have the room.  They're a lot more drought tolerant and a lot easier to keep looking good, especially if you have well-drained gravelly soil (they're natural habitat is gravelly creek beds, and they have deep, fleshy roots).

dave

I agree with Dave, Matty B and Steve.  Glaucas rock.  I wish I could find a truckload of them!

And that's the only disadvantage of the glauca.  Here, in FL, they're almost impossible to find!  Which is stupid, considering they'll fit better in the average garden, are totally undemanding (all mine wants is to be ignored), are fairly drought tolerant and have some cool-tolerance as well.  They may be an excellent choice for indoors, too.  Plus, critters don't like 'em.  Only thing is, they don't like wet feet.

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.  Be careful about generalizing about Raveneas.  They're not too diverse to look at -- except for xerophylla or however the expletive you spell it.

Same shuttlecock crown shape.  Some form heels, others don't.  Yawn.

But, they're tremendously varied in habitat, mostly in water needs from what I've seen.  They range from true aquatic (musicalis) to xerophytic (xerophylla or however the expletive you spell it).  

Howabout a shout from Dr. Dransfield?

dave

[Gtlevine]

Plant Glauca's, then plant some more Glauca's.

Gary

[happ]

Glauca has a nice shape and less irrigation sounds like a good fit.   ???   Actually my real concern is location.  Can ravenea handle part shade?  

Dave,

I'm considering replacing a 50 yr valencia orange tree for a trio of signature palms.

[Fred Zone 10A]

happ,

Ravenea are a SUPER genus for Southern California.  R. glauca is a lovely palm, but there aren't many trunking ones that I've seen.  If it is watered and fertilized well, R. rivularis can be a beautiful palm.  I have a half dozen in my garden.  Some are in full sun and some are in part sun.  I'll try to remember to take a picture this weekend and post it.

Meanwhile, here's a photo to pique your interest.  Today I had to drive from LA down to northern San Diego County.  I usually go "the back way" down I-15 because it's faster (but longer), plus I get to stop and visit one of my favorite palm nurseries on the way down and one on the way back.  I took my camera this trip so I could take pictures of field grown majesties.  This particular field once had about 800 majesties in it, but about 100 have already been dug and sold.  [sorry for the power line in the photo.]

Doesn't this want to make you hop in your truck and get one?

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Wow...where is that, Frederico..????

[bgl]

Looks very familiar - Escondido > Rancho Santa Fe area? And why just get one of those Raveneas? Get a BUNCH of them!!

[BS Man about Palms]

I would guess Fallbrook, Rainbow, Bonsall area...

[DoomsDave]

Hmm.

I remember, back when they were small, and I'm like, dang, what is that fool up to?

On the west side of the I-15, not too far south of the big hill.

dave

[Tyrone]

Ravenea rivularis are great if you remember what they want. They want lots of Nitrogen, lots of Iron, lots of Magnesium, and of course lots of water. If you remember these things you will have a monster of a plant. If you plant them in mucky muddy river loam with a high water table etc they'd probably be almost trouble free.

regards

Tyrone

[Daryl]

Raveneas do vary in the looks department Davo. A well grown R.robustior will knock anybody's socks off and looks nothing like a rivularis. They are a monster palm with a character all of their own...

Daryl.

[Fred Zone 10A]

Where is it?  BS is too far north.  Bo is too far south.  It's in Vista.

Here's a close up of the same field from the SE corner (the prior photo was taken from the SW corner).  Ain't it sweet?

This field is one of two that together must hold about 1,500 mature majesties.

[STEVE IN SO CAL]

Ahhh...Tomlinsons. I've been there, but never saw them at that angle(and they were much smaller) Pretyy affordable, too...as I remember.

[Fred Zone 10A]

Steve in So Cal,

You guessed it!  And you are right, they are affordable.  Once I filled a 17 foot U-Haul truck with palms and cycads, including two trunking majesties.   I've made many palm runs since in my wife's PT Cruiser and nearly filled my garden.

Here's the final photo, taken from the SW corner but from a higher elevation, to give you an idea of the extension of the field.  [No power line in this pic.]

When I first went there in 2002 their 17 acres were nearly full of field grown palms and cycads.  But with the real estate boom in San Diego County the land is worth much more for McMansions than growing palms.

The Trachycarpus fortunei have all been dug and shipped to  Northern California, Oregon and Washington.  The triangles, which were out of fashion for several years, are shown in a different thread.  The kings and queens are almost all gone--just a few stragglers here and there.  Their Chamaerops humilis "Silver Back" are now being bagged in burlap and sent to Las Vegas.  And most of the Cycas revoluta and big Macrozamias have been dug and are in gardens from California to Texas.  They still have a lot of big palms, though and they are great people.

[surgeon83]

how much would one of those beauties set you back?

[Rob Pittman]

Not sure about Ravanea rivularis in California but they are great for my yard.

[happ]

Those are beauties, Rob Pittman. Love the shape of the trunks  

Lots of space is best for showing off the ravenea.

Are you in Florida?

[Rob Pittman]

Happ

Yes I am in Florida...Ruskin to be exact.  That is between Sarasota and Tampa.

The Ravanea is between the Cuban Royal and the smaller Florida Royal.

There is a triple Ravanea rivularis in the background.

I removed them from someones yard that did not want them blocking their view of their lake....hard to believe.

I was going to sell them but broke down and planted them in the yard.

There is another single not pictured.

Rob

[Rob Pittman]

Here a picture of the Multi..

[DoomsDave]

(Daryl @ Aug. 25 2006,08:26)

QUOTE

Raveneas do vary in the looks department Davo. A well grown R.robustior will knock anybody's socks off and looks nothing like a rivularis. They are a monster palm with a character all of their own...

Daryl.

Well, okay, you're right up to a point.

But they don't have the variations that Dypsis have.

Not that they have to!

dave