Leaderboard
Popular Content
Showing content with the highest reputation on 02/24/2026 in Posts
-
After several revisions, I’m excited to share my ongoing PDF guide to cold hardy palms. This has been a long-term project and will continue to evolve as I learn more and gather new experiences. Feel free to share it anywhere by posting the link to the document — that will always point to the latest version for when I update. I am still working on some more pages in time. I truly appreciate all the support, knowledge, and friendships from this forum over the years. My goal has always been simple, help others enjoy and succeed in this hobby as much as I have. Hopefully this information will especially help others new to the hobby. While the design is AI assisted, all photos and text dictation are from my experiences. While I am aware there are a few errors still, let me know what you think TNTropics Cold Hardy Palm Guide https://drive.google.com/file/d/1w9-43MjGhgyQyqgVeQoWXU69GvRGLpdU/view?usp=sharing
8 points -
39F was my low. Plants are probably just as tired of this as the rest of us. 1 more night. As far as why all of FL is cold, it's the persistent flow of air directly from Canada to FL. The high pressure over the 4 corners is never good for FL and it has not moved much of 2026. West ridge is a good indicator of cold nights in FL. The drought isn't helping either. Like the desert, dry ground cools much faster. Basically this has been a perfect storm but in the wrong way.
6 points -
I enjoy researching just about anything to do with plants, and I never come out of multiple hours of researching without having learned at least something that I didn't already know. I know I'm not nearly as active as I use to be here, but that's just part of having a full time job. The rest of my time goes towards taking care of the garden, with not much time left over to use here. I more so just lurk in the background most of the time, but I try to chime in periodically, especially in the Florida winter thread. As far as social media goes, all I use is X/Twitter. People may not like the guy that owns it, and there's a lot of toxicity on that platform, but is the toxicity really any different than other big name platforms? I don't think it is. I have my feed set up in a way where I only see the important stuff, I don't make it a point to find toxic spaces. With that being said, my X/Twitter experience is almost always good. I don't like Facebook, and I wont touch Instagram or TikTok with a 10 ft pole. So that's my review on those.5 points
-
Rhopalastylis Baueri getting the ring. Planted out as a small 15G in the winter of 2020 it’s grown way more than my other Rhopalastylis. This one is happy. -dale
5 points -
Palms here are killed by lightning a lot, hence no tall washingtonias even in dry soil areas like spring Hill. Then there is the summer heat and humidity and diseases, you can't add more "dry" during heavy rain periods, whearas you can add more water when there is a drought. Many homes are newer, hurricanes, etc. There are a lot of potential reasons for less impressive palms than other places, but cold is a major one for sure. I am leaving out natives of course.5 points
-
Don't give up! More palms and tropicals than you think will bounce back. We are still in the darkness "winter". It will be over soon.4 points
-
For me it's not a reclinata but a hybrid of rupicola! I said it! I didn't know whether to say it or not4 points
-
Mary Lock inspects the betel vendors at the Long Bien market in Hanoi. All of the betel nuts for sale were still green, which is apparently preferred over fully ripe nuts in Vietnam This vendor peels the fruit and arranges them as if they were flowers - an edible arrangement. These arrangements serve as gifts for your discerning betel nut chewer. The gift package is handed over to a motorbike courier for delivery.
4 points -
More photos for posterity from Universal. It’s interesting that there’s so many degrees of variances to the damage plants achieve. I was at Islands Of Adventure to snap up some photos, and it’s really bad there. This was probably somewhat of a reckoning. But to my surprise, traveler’s palms in some locations fared better than I would have guessed.
4 points -
Bing / Edge = steamy, slime covered piles of hot garbage to be avoided at al costs.. Overall, agree, definitely annoying that one now has to carefully weave thru techno trash piles to get to desired info / content but, ..it's out there, if you avoid AI ( = Am Idiot ) generated trash and aren't afraid of buckling down and doing actual research ..the only kind that matters ... and takes time / determination, and sharp as a tack critical thinking skills. Emphasize the Critical part. As much as sitting and reading thru a book might drive me nuts at times, glad to have them as back up info sources for specific stuff, if needed. Side note thought, ...Would hate to be a teacher atm.. Me? ..if i found -any- of my students using Am Idiot for completing any of their assigned course work, i wouldn't hesitate to call them out, by name, escorting them out of class, in front of everyone else, with a big " I Failed ..Completely " sign slung around their necks as they' reach the outside side of the door.4 points
-
I have a 'Green Malayan' at my house in Altamonte Springs (north of Orlando). I'm in a cold pocket and wasn't planning on trying a coconut here. We have Great Danes and one of them liked to carry and chew on coconuts. My inlaws live in Jupiter so we would brink coconuts back and had a pile on the side of the house. One of them sprouted so I planted it in my banana patch. That was about 10 years ago. It would get some damage almost every year. This year it already had about 25% burn before the freeze hit. Its about 10ft tall with 3ft of clear trunk. I had 23F in my yard with the winds, 28F the 2nd night with frost. All the leaves are burned but the petioles are still green and a few leaflets stayed green. I cut the center leaves out last week in case rot tried to set in, spear was solid. With 3 days last week near 90F it is actually pushing new growth. I will be floored if it does regrow.4 points
-
Every seed and bulb I own is now planted. I'd just like to throw that out there. Please clap. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVAn6WoDTPQ/?igsh=aWgwNHQ4aTJ3a2Y43 points
-
I have friend phil who lives in town and I have him a couple of plumosa palms. He planted them in basically full sun with temperatures that reach at least 42 degrees Celsius and in a scorching hot brick paved backyard, and last summer was a hot one as well, it was one of those hot days you can cook egg on a frypan day, the poor plumosa basically cooked its heart and burst out. Now it’s in full recovery and growing somewhat well with a bit of a scare as a reminder of that one hot day. So I will say plumosa can take an absolute beating in heat and hot sun, but it was watered well and it did have a cool root run, but took a beating and still does!
3 points -
I have always been a zone pusher, even when I lived in DC and always will. I'm thankful I live in one of the best microclimates in Orlando so that helps to an extent. It also may tempt me to push harder. Lol. So many people moved here from Puerto Rico and the Carribbean the last 5 years. They tell me coconuts are cheap and it reminds them of home. So I don't know if they think like we do as palm enthusiasts. It's just do it. I do think some will go with more hardy options just because it is work to remove and replace like you said. I had one night below 34F this winter and it just happened to be 25F. My luck. Most years we worry about that 30-32 range.3 points
-
I was just looking at the models and the high sank down to the eastern Gulf. Again. That provides direct flow from the north to Florida unmodified if the wind is fast, which has been an issue everywhere this winter (the wind is the main complaint for California this year too). It also creates a wind direction that doesn't hit any water for many of the interior spots, so only soil heat (dry sand holds minimal heat) to modify the air. This high will be moving towards Naples this evening and bringing a wind shift to many, but light winds. If these high pressure centers went off the east coast (backside NE winds are worse for cold here in my spot but better south) instead or further west (not usually possible) then this pattern would not be so strong for east Florida, same as if there was winter rain and the wetlands full (thermal heat sink to modify air). The 80s had drought and drained Everglades (now being restored) and that was partly to blame for the extreme temps then. The drought now is assisting too. Once you add up all the parameters there are not many in our favor, and almost none if your not in an urban core or by water. Go north of I4 and all this is overwhealmed by the Continental airmass, so subtleties are moot, but further south the details matter, and this year none were lined up for a good pattern. Hope for El nino next fall to break the cycle and bring rain.🤞3 points
-
We had our first hike of the biennial today at Cuc Phuong National Park. The weather was cloudy and drizzling but that didn't stop us from having a great time. Here is an Arenga westerhoutii along the trail.
3 points -
I can not say it is not pure but neither can I claim the opposite. We just need more evidence. Alone the still not suckering habit is a strong indication of not purity but not full proof. Chamaerops is also a clumping sp but there is also a solitary strain, let alone the environmental factors that promote or conversely obstruct the amount and start time of suckering. I have come across a couple big reclinata specimens (admittedly not closely inspected- only in the web), which are solitary and imo no noincidence at all, that both are male. At least in dactylifera and theophrasti frequently male specimens have a considerably less pronounced to non existent caespitose habit than female individuals and about this I am pretty certain. So why this should not be also the case the close wild relative P reclinata? Furthermore if individual plant in current case is the result of offshoot transplant, I have even more serious doubts, whether it would sucker as soon as a seed grown plant of similar size. Like I said in the beginning we need more clues. A close up of the acanthophylls could be a crucial indication. Base of spine in reclinata is more or less rounded while in other lager sized spp and hybrids triangular.3 points
-
I know we have gone far afield from Joseph Rossi/Texas Cold Hardy Palms, and the digression was partly my fault. However. I wanted to add: Leaving Facebook and Meta was a breeze compared to leaving Twitter. I was an addict, really. I did leave, though. I set up a Bluesky account (as @tarnado.bsky.social) ... I post some palm stuff from time to time. I'm very happy there, unlike Mastodon (which I also tried out). Peace be with you all. The world beyond our forum here is ... well, I love it here and I appreciate you all a great deal.3 points
-
Doesn't she have any suckers yet? Reclinata as a child, she puts out suckers3 points
-
I have 2 of these that are having trouble in the wind. Any suggestions on getting them to root deeper so I don’t have to stake them?
2 points -
Port Richey, in Jasmine Lakes. We were extremely fortunate with the wind direction remaining slightly west of north during this event. Our low minimum was 28.0°F for 3 to 5 hrs (guessing on duration. I still need to check our weather station data). Veitchia Arecina, planted December 2021, this year, I was having a bad Lupus Flare and was curious about the cold tolerance. Completely unprotected through the 3 nights of freezing and 3 to 5 nights close to freezing. My Beccariophoenix Alf. was also unprotected with the 28.0°F. Alexander Palm, toasted, but alive and the new spear has grown about 6 inches. Foxtail, foliage crisp, new spear green and also has grown a few inches. Dichrostachys "Kalahari Christmas Tree", surprisingly was defoliated but will recover. Pretty sure the wind was the main culprit. Not to mention it too was uncovered. My Coconut Palm and 2 small Teddy Bear Palms were my main concern. One Teddy Bear, oddly enough the one I boxed and blanketed, defoliated, but the green spear has grown slightly. The other was on the southern side of my husband's big work truck, which must have helped protect the foliage. I wrapped the base up to halfway its height. The end of the big frond eventually did brown mostly, but not as much as I anticipated. As for my Coconut Palm, the C9 lights actually burned each frond and they fell over *smh* but, the temperature stayed about 70°F with the cover. I was hospitalized for a few days after the freeze and left the lights on to keep it cozy. The spear has actually grown about 3inches since. The photo driving down Jasmine Blvd (heading east towards Little rd - I was not driving) is of Royals, Coconut and Caryota. A bit crispy, but nothing like the carnage to our east
2 points -
I actually found a taker!!! A legit Palm reseller here in San Diego wants them. He took a look at them last week, and is coming Thursday to haul ‘em away! I shouldn’t be so sentimental, but it feels great to know they’ll be saved. 🥹 Better yet, the root ball will be removed, so adding their (more exotic) replacements will be a little easier. Yay! 🎉2 points
-
I am of the school (newly oriented) "Plant the right stuff and you won't have to worry too much". For me, the stress is too much. I put a lot of money and effort into our yard and we loved it. Most of our northern guests liked it OK but they would have been just as happy with a few sabals, ligustrums and Quercus virginiana. Add in a few potted tropicals and flowers and voila! We know the difference (which is important, mind you) but most people don't care. I am not suggesting this is a solution for everyone. At this point in my life I am not of a mind to try and recreate the tropics in my backyard. It worked well for 10 years and was just reaching it's finest point, but in 10 more years I know it will be beyond what I can do. It's a sobering point, and one I need to accept. Younger people should absolutely roll the dice if that makes them happy and it may work for another 20 years or more. Richer people can do as they please, but I have more money than time, and I don't have a lot of money! So, having said all that, it appears much of my landscape has refused to succumb, as of yet, and fall in with my new found enlightenment so we will see... The NWS just raised my forecast low tonight from 36°F to 39°F although they kept the Frost Advisory. Counting down to the end of this outrage. Good afternoon and good luck to all!2 points
-
This cold air is firmly entrenched. Another brisk night tonight, hopefully it is over for you as well.
2 points -
Yes, I cut the 2 or 3 inner leaves and an opening leaf and spear. I did this Thurs. and it has pushed out new growth about 1.5". I'm going to put a sheet wrap around this center tonight. Its supposed to be 35 but still so maybe frost. Next week I will trim the other leaves but going to leave the lower halves since the petioles are still solid, green and alive.2 points
-
Have in mind both, that greenhouse grown palms in shade are etiolated and therefore look more tropical.2 points
-
It’s incredible how far South on the West coast of Florida the cold dives. It’s February 24th for Christ Sake!?! Doesn’t anyone notice this?! I feel like I’m taking crazy pills!!? I’m still in Orlando where it was a balmy 36F.
2 points -
To your point there are many, many more Royals and Sabals around these parts than Washingtonias and certainly no naturally growing ones. Florida cannot, for a number of reasons, match the iconic look that a towering Washingtonia bestows on the West Coast of California. But outside the urbanized, wealthy corridors the same description applied to Florida is true for California, I imagine. This isn't a knock on California at all! I am at a disadvantage as to the horticultural delights on the West Coast as I have not had the pleasure to familiarize myself with that area recently. Now that I am a gentleman of leisure I hope to correct that. I consider myself as living in the interior, certainly this year would bear out that assumption. In certain areas I could think I was back living in the tropics, while in others, only blocks away, it looks like a savannah. It takes effort, intent, knowledge and $$ to successfully achieve a "tropical" look here and maintain a landscape. Most people do not possess that combination. Even then, a winter such as we are experiencing, can quickly knock years off of a truly tropical garden. I am living proof. Finally, I cannot tell you how many times I have looked upon unkempt Queen Palms, Coconuts, etc that people have strewn about their yards willy nilly and then never lifted a finger to maintain. They would be better off with grass. My two cents.2 points
-
This was a while ago. It has two main trunks that are getting big . My plan is to cut almost all the suckers off except the main larger trunks . I just have to get my chain saw down there and hack away , I just know I will need a lot of band aids! Harry This one was suckering before it left the pot at an early stage , younger than yours. From our deck looking down . To the left of the Washingtonia . Harry
2 points -
They are free gyuseppe, to a good home. I think @Jonathan wants to adopt them!
2 points -
That last photo is the vendor explaining what chewing betel nut does to your teeth.2 points
-
2 points
-
It's a shame they'll be replaced, but at least they will be replaced, or interest exists for that. Some nice investigative work @tarnado2 points
-
The ones I sent out in Australia haven’t germinated yet either, they must not have the happypalms knack for germination. Well now in Australia i would say Pauline Sullivans seeds are most likely the only ones getting around. Richard2 points
-
The other ones I sent out in Australia still haven’t germinated either, they must not have the happypalms knack 🤣 Richard2 points
-
Doesn’t matter that it’s in a pot. P. reclinata start suckering at a young age whether in a pot or in the ground. The coloring of the cut stems on the trunk of your’s reminds me of Phoenix sylvestris.2 points
-
That's why I only use UPS even if it's a pain in the ass. I have to drive to the library to print a label or I can pay $4 for the UPS store to print it or maybe the other drop-off point (gun store) can print it if their printer is working that day. Either way it's a 70 mile round trip but I know whatever I send will get there when it's supposed to.2 points
-
A couple of Chamaedorea have gotten the ring. ‘This C. Radicalis tree form volunteer has a couple of rings . Chamaedorea Plumosa getting its rings . This palm grows every bit as fast as the fast growing Radicalis in my garden , it is already chest high . Harry
2 points -
Florida doesn't really rely on palms as much for its landscape, from what I've seen, as there's a certain charm and appeal even to just the type of foliage you see around Ocala or Jacksonville, where it's mostly mature live oaks, old sabals (some of which look more like a wild shrub at times than a palm), etc. Granted, very little of that is visible from the interstates, where a lot of the planting choices have been poor. You have to drive through the local roads to see the old growth. The more exotic/majestic palms will always be centered around the coasts and wealthier areas I'd say. And Florida was a pretty cheap place to live/retire before the COVID mass migration, so California probably has had more money dumped into such things in general.2 points
-
Yes, the fluctuations are brutal. I do feel this should be the end of freezing worries based on long range forecasts. Anything is possible anymore though! I soaked the soil today around the coconut but am not planning any protection.2 points
-
Okay - @PNWPalmSeeker I mean @NWpalms@206 and @Las Palmas Norte and @jwitt I sent *a letter* to the residential address where these palms are located on Vashon Island. A couple of weeks later, I got a phone call from the palm-grower hisself! So - some interesting and *naturally* sad news about these Washies. a) So, the palm-planter is a fan of palm trees from their time spent in Mexico and Costa Rica. When he saw some Mexican fan palms for sale at the Home Depot or Lowe's about 20 years ago, he bought a dozen of them. They were about 2 to 2.5 feet high (less than 1 meter) and he planted them along the lower part of the property. b) sometime about 2 years ago - so, about 6 months after you took the photo, @NWpalms@206, the palm-planter and owner reports that all these palms seemed to come down with some kind of disease or infection. I will say that we had a pretty significant cold snap before this disease outbreak, so those things could be related. The cold itself, though, did not seem to damage the palms (down to 14 F). c) the palm-planter is pretty bummed out about the whole affair but seemed to be hopeful that Washies will be for sale again at cheap prices at the area Home Depot or Lowe's this spring, or following spring... he still seems excited about palms. So! Maybe you'll bump into him down at the area big box hardware store some time 😜2 points
-
That’s part of my wish a mini botanical garden, I will collect any plant so long as it doesn’t have a big weed potential. And no certificate for my plants I couldn’t handle the government bureaucracy ruling me it’s bad enough importing seeds. One day I will make a few bucks! Richard2 points
-
Yeah, in the past few months more and more of the Big Search engines just point directly - and almost solely - to AI-generated (i.e., stolen) content and 'slime.' Getting to the root of the information is still kinda possible on Google, but Bing is completely borked for trying to get good info that isn't a) one link to Wikipedia and b) 20 links to AI-stolen content. Then you can't even dig deeper!2 points
-
My Cordylines and Crotons were all defoliated. We'll see if they leaf back out when it warms up. If not, there is a reason I put a few Sabal minor 'McCurtain' between each of the crotons.2 points
-
Sabal mauritiformis with the dypsis saintlucei in the background followed by a chamaedorea adscendens that’s 26 years old with a young kerriodoxa elegans.
2 points -
Seed generation is easy, as @happypalms says, just lay them down, half buried. I usually use course perlite or pumice to germinate them. The growth rate of young plants is pretty average for a Zamia however after about 4 years they start growing faster and add much more mass. Here’s one 12 years old from seed. This one is also 12 year old but kept in a pot. You can see a pollenated cone just breaking apart. Here you can see the embryo development of one of the seeds of the cone breaking apart. I would lay it down to germinate at this stage.
2 points -
Here’s a quick snap of my Joey this morning, still hiding in a sheltered location after the last wind event. The preferred location (that I’m worried might be too windy) is in the lower left, in front of the mealy bug. You can also see a toppled bromeliad from the recent wind event (which is of course a non-issue). On a positive note, I can see the mealy bug palm again! Which was the reason I moved my lafazamanga).
2 points -
My lafazamanga caught my eye this evening, and I thought I’d share a photo of it post-transplant (which happened months ago). as far as I can tell, it’s very happy in its new location, and hasn’t missed a beat from the move.🤞 Has been such a great plant for me, so I’m hoping it will do as well in the new (equally prominent) location. 💕
2 points -
I learned real quick that growing palms is a huge commitment. It's not like you plant something and call it a day. Here in Texas I can't even fully enjoy the winter because my nose is glued to the NWS screen just hoping that we don't get a 2021 Palmageddon winter. It's the uncertainty that bothers me. Every hobby costs money. I'm someone that can easily let go. I don't need to live at a place where I can grow palms. I also don't have the time and willpower to build structures around zone pushed palms just to keep it alive. I see some of our members doing that every year I'm like there's no way I'm going to do that. I work many hours, physically I don't have time for that kind of stuff. I also have my wife . She's maintenance too lol. I'm just a simple palm grower and I'm cool with that.2 points
-
Have no idea what any of these are, I just like the variety of shape, texture, and color they give the garden. If it’s not a palm, a memory deficit disorder kicks in. Anyway, the lighting was perfect this afternoon and my phone was in hand. Tim
2 points
(200x197).thumb.jpg.fca9b396a7de9e73bf3a08217336d9b1.jpg)
.thumb.jpg.304b32ca4398a111edf4ac525048111e.jpg)
