Leaderboard

Just adding to pogobob’s thread about this NewCal palm. Looking good after a frond drop exposing another inflorescence. Handsome palm. Tim

I like it well done, it’s an art to what you’re doing and you’re doing it well!

Here’s a few pics that well end up the cutting room floor, the ones they don’t want you to see. Every grower has them and if you don’t you’re not a real grower. We try our best to grow the best, but Mother Nature has a way of saying try as you must even I have dead plants she says. But it certainly looks a lot better once you get in and clean it up! Iam sure there are some real messed up grow shows out there until we get around to fixing them! Especially when it’s a hobby and you have a life to live and a job on top that with work taking up most of you life, but the bills have to be paid, but one gets tired of making someone else’s the money when working and all you want to do is work for yourself, one day I will retire!

Hello ! One of the most original palm to germinate. Maybe my technique was not the best but managed to have 2 beautiful seedlings : lost 3/5 because the tap root was too fast and got through the pot

Chrysalidocarpus Robustus with shoe for scale.

Hey Dave, mine is still kickin! It's growing quite well, faster than alot of others.

Oh , I push the zone on a few but I don’t protect them . I plant them close to other palms and then they are on their own . I don’t get frost here and most have adapted to our weather . I have lost palms that are just too tropical for my area. If I lived in an area that required protection , I may have a different attitude . About 25 years ago I spent $100 on a small Roystonia Oleracae that was not supposed to make it here , my lows in winter can reach 38f for a few hours. I planted it next to a larger Syagrus R. for protection. It is still there , now catching up to the Queen . Now we know they are much more tolerant to temperate climate than was originally believed. Our winters seem milder nowadays but that can change . Harry ‘My zone push success. I’m sure it would look much better in a more tropical climate . One thing I learned here on Palm Talk is that it wasn’t getting enough water. This is only a year and a half after drenching it and applying organic fertilizer . You can see the fronds are getting progressively larger and the crown is fattening up. A couple more years and it will be even nicer. Harry

My first “Weekend Biennial” was amazing. Chuck Malloy, and the Palm Society of South Texas, provided excellent programs that were very interesting. Everyone I had the pleasure of meeting were warm and friendly. I hope to see you all again in Miami, 2029

I started this addiction of mine during covid and I'm hooked, still planting away even though I dont have the space so I cut away concrete to make more land. My wife thinks I'm nuts but supports my alot better habit compared to others out there.

A bit of spare time in the busy schedule @happypalms, so time take the opportunity to pot some of the new ones that popped up. When you sow as many seeds as I do there’s always something to put up sooner or later and staying on top the project is a work in progress, it never ends. I did manage to get a hundred percent germination on the Rhopalostylis, so thanks to @Tassie_Troy1971 for those seeds, at least there was no customs bill for that lot of seeds.

Burretiokentia koghiensis opening with a little color today.

Definitely it was in need of considerably more tlc!

We learn as we grow and grow as we learn! Another grow tips absolutely no weeds in the containers, it’s a No No, a big grower mistake is weeds. Don’t let them into your container plants!

Jim and Harry-- Have either of you tried using coffee as a defense against scale? Tom Broome of the Cycad Society in Florida published an article on this subject at the height of the cycad scale nightmare when it hit Florida. I believe the story was that he was visiting the house of a society member and all the fellow's cycads looked great...scratching his head, Tom asked him, why aren't your plants overwhelmed with scale? He replied something to the effect that he had no idea...since all he did was put coffee grounds down for compost/fertilizer. After further investigation (providing I'm properly remembering these details) it was discovered that the crawling stage of the scale can't get through the coffee grounds, I believe due to some toxicity they experience when they emerge from the ground. So maybe try spreading coffee grounds all around the trunks of the affected palms and see if it has any beneficial effect. I think you can still find his article somewhere online, probably in the cycad society journal.

My Carpentaria dropped a frond, showing this:

This is what COVID did to me, I went a palm growing frenzy and I built a few things. Problem is now it’s finished Iam still on a palm building frenzy 🤣

Oh yeah half the time you wonder if you’re a grower or plant destroying machine. Weather can have big impact on growing performance, one hot scorching day when you’re out and having to forget to water due to life issues it can get quite annoying!

With weeds you get disease from the insects spreading them around (aphid vector disease one example) they harbour insects and are a perfect breeding ground for them, chewing and sap sucking. They suck the nutrients out of the soil. Constantly drinking any moisture they can get. There a maintenance issue costing time and money, and they basically look terrible, once they take hold you’re problems are exasperated. They one of the biggest costs in the horticultural industry. They are a sign of mismanagement and poor cultural practices. They can be a deterrent for people buying your plants, a lot of people don’t want to take home your seeds and spread new unwanted weeds. And there are noxious weeds that are poisonous to livestock, pets and humans especially children. All in all they are not good! And a weed free nursery looks good and we all know if it looks good it grows good.

Inflorescences are emerging from every leaf drop. Hopefully will set seed.

Like the poster who questioned above about “whether the island will survive the next heavy rain”, I also tend to be pessimistic with regard to long-term success. Even rock fortification of the island would likely not hold up to mid-term water level fluctuations in rains. And as someone who lives on a bayou, I can attest in most cases waterways tend to serve not only water drainage purposes, but also pathways of cold air drainage. Often the affects of this far outweigh the benefits of any heat coming off the water.

Amazing palm to try and germinate . Glad you got a couple to grow. Harry

If you can find a marojejya darinii or a Johannesteijsmannia Altifrons, in the middle of a creek bed it’s bound to have plenty of moisture and humidity along with shade, it’s a microclimate just waiting to happen and begging for such quality palms, and if it floods you just never know your luck!

30 g weight I fear is too little. Parts of plant touching the garment, when wet, is a problem. Moistened fronds in free air would dry up much faster.

That’s the spirit! Here’s a few arabica flowers for you as I know you love your coffee, why don’t you collect enough seeds to make a coffee from the seeds, it’s a process in doing so but you will love the coffee!

I got the seeds in march, root poped in about 2 weeks, full length tap root in May, first leaf in August. not growing super fast, I put one directly in the ground and it’s definitely going faster than the one in pot. Already 2 leaves and preparing a third one. The one in pot is still with a single leaf. Inspired by you, I take that as a great compliment 🤩

Yes I saw I made a sale on peachys palm paradise, and I received the payment already for that cute little addy. Keep on planting those palms because there more they came from at halfway creek. Richard

They are a welcome addition that’s for sure, I think there’s a grower near you that should have some adscendens very soon, you have purchased from this grower before. Richard

You have indeed still a lot to learn, me too! I am not sure whether it is better that you come yourself to various conclusions through a trial and error procedure. There are instances, when one considers afterwards the option of having let plants rather totally unprotected.

Up to +6 months depending on temperature

You might be a Chambeyronia dad soon hey Harry! Richard

Well at least it wasn’t me 🤣

The SF Botanical Garden (formerly the Strybing) is having a holiday event where they light up the plants, often with changing patterns, to music. I wouldn't call it an unqualified success and the color accuracy in these photos is not great, but it was interesting and it's certainly cool to see so many people enjoy the garden. Here are a few pics. Caryota: Parajubaea: Ceroxylon: Jubaea: Rhopalostylis: Rhopalostylis: Not sure about this one, maybe Syagrus:

Ok they fooled me which isn’t hard to do!

Such a shame I can’t send live plants to you or can I?

Obviously you have seen them in full swing. The two in Sydney botanical gardens are one of the biggest palms I have ever seen making maxima look like an understory palm! I guess I won’t be doing mail orders on this one in the future 🤣

I had to pot up my C kiriwongensis twice while they were still sending out their first frond. You can just just from a young age these will be monsters. Mine now fill out deep 140mm containers and only now working on the second frond. They’ll get larger than any other Caryota, including C obtusa!

Some rarer than chicken s teeth, one day they will be planted in the garden. Richard

Chrysalidocarpus prestonianus showing some colorful fruit.

Underrated choice. Water lover, cheap and available, look great, practically zero maintenance, very underrated choice.

Photo from today on this pleasant afternoon. Although this C. nucele does well here, it’s my only palm that occasionally attracts scale on old leaves primarily this time of year. I scrubbed them off one frond yesterday.

Whoopsie! Sometimes it happens where certain areas don’t get the attention they need or Mother Nature has other plans . I haven’t kept potted seedlings in quite a while but now I have some and they require constant attention. When they are in the ground a while they are much more forgiving. I am still working at my shop 4-5 days a week , spending time with my wife and socializing . Dealing with health issues from my broken hip , etc. Neglecting plants isn’t always from oversight or laziness , it’s called life . You do a great job and although it seems like a loss , your wins far outnumber the few poor plants I see in the photos. Maintaining the size of operation you have is quite the feat. You are human! Harry

Yes, I remember when he used to post but it's been a long time ago. Hopefully you can make a visit here - I'd be happy to show you this and my personal collection although most of the rarer stuff is still small. Oliver's collection at his office is impressive and I'm sure he's got some interesting palms at his house too. 😊

Lots of damage to the deciduous trees, their leaves have changed from a green color to all sorts of golds, oranges and reds. 😁

Very grateful to be leaving with a palm and a book!

Brahea new spear

Well jury member number 3 has sealed the fate of said variegated peroffskyana.

Some nice ones there . They are looking like they are doing well for you. Harry

The seed turns a nice gold color at harvest time and thankfully, the seed is easy to clean. The photo shows both before and after being cleaned. Also a shot of the palms with the shovel for scale. Tim

Oh, those Kerrodoxa are so beautiful! They not only survived, but are thriving. There are five in my garden, getting larger and larger in spite of falling trees and rampant vines trying to reclaim them into the jungle. I will have to untangle them on my next visit and see if I can get a decent photo. Your jungle looks well tamed and orderly. :)