Dypsis carlsmithii

[Dave-Vero]

Our January 22 freeze didn't affect a small Dypsis carlsmithii (about four feet tall, with no trunk yet). It's at the edge of shade from a laurel oak and in a bed with other palms and cycads about the same height. Palms in the yard, with full exposure to the sky, that suffered no damage include Archontophoenix cunninghamiana, A. tuckeri, Carpentaria, Coccothrinax barbadensis, Dypsis decaryi, Thrinax radiata, and Dypsis "fine leaf". One of two Satakentia liukiuensis (about 6 feet tall) suffered a great deal of leaf browning. Neighbors' Dypsis lutescens suffered considerable leaf browning.

The temperature, under a clear sky with a slight breeze, fell to freezing about 9:30 pm and remained at 31-32 degrees F until falling to about 30 at dawn (temperatures are from the airport, about a mile away. My neighborhood has lots of trees, so may have been a degree or two warmer).

[Dave-Vero]

Our first freezing night of the winter was similar to last year's cold night, with temperatures at or below freezing for about nine hours. The second night was still but seemingly free of frost, with a low of 28 degrees [-2 C]. The D. carlsmithii remains trunkless. It added leaves regularly during warm weather but is not much larger than last year.

[Dave-Vero]

No damage has appeared since the last report. By contrast, Dypsis decaryi developed some leaf browning during warm weather after the cold.

[Dave-Vero]

The same plant (with several new leaves added during the summer) is looking fine after a cold night, low 26º F, (-3.3º C), freezing or below for 5 to 6 hours. The following night was 29º F with freezing temperatures for about 3 hours. Temperatures are from the nearby airport, which should be very close to what the palm was exposed to. Windy conditions, no frost either night.

Archontophoenix tuckeri suffered leaf burn, A. cunninghamiana, Acoelorraphe wrightii, and Coccothrinax argentata all look fine (damage could show up later).

[Dave-Vero]

Dypsis carlsmithii is unfurling a new leaf despite the two freezes in December.

[osideterry]

Carlsmithii looks like a trooper. I have a 1 gallon I'm hoping to plant wen it gets up to 3 gallon size. Glad to have another Dypsis that can handle our similar climates.

[_Rich]

Great looking palm Dave - I wish you continued luck and will closely follow the cold hardiness of your tree . As this palm grows, will it continue to have the same canopy protection - or will its specie's size eventually outgrow the overhead protection? If my memory serves me correctly - you use very little irrigation and rely on the palms to grow deep and healthy root systems - correct?

I am very interested in the hardiness and viability of D. carlsmithii in central FL. Thanks for the thread!

[MattyB]

Carlsmithii looks like a trooper. I have a 1 gallon I'm hoping to plant wen it gets up to 3 gallon size. Glad to have another Dypsis that can handle our similar climates.

Terry you'd be better off planting it and putting a shade cloth over/around it. Like a lot of the big Dypsis, it's really difficult to get them to put on any size while still in a pot. I've had really good luck with putting the big Dypsis, including D. carlsmithii, in the ground at an early age and protecting them. They aren't as slow then. In fact, Dypsis prestoniana looks like it's going to be a pretty fast grower.

[Dave-Vero]

Thanks for the nice words. D. carlsmithii has been a beautiful juvenile.

Matty's strategy of shade canopies for young palms seems to work wonders. An alternative is perhaps to grow a short-lived shrub for shelter. A beautyberry bush did that for a couple of palms and Salvia coccinea, growing about 4 feet tall, has partially concealed assorted understory palms during the summer (I've had excellent luck with assorted Chamaedorea, Crysophila, and Lytocaryum in a slightly moist, shaded area).

The D. carlsmithii is on well-drained ground toward the edge of a high laurel oak canopy. Its growth rate has been leisurely, so the oak might die of old age before the palm reaches its crown. Then again, the new leaf is longer than any previous one. The palm may be accelerating its growth. I need to check reports on growth rate. Obviously there's some fairly large D. carlsmithii in cultivation.

Thanks to drought, I've been irrigating since late spring, though if I remove some grass, nearly everything in the immediate area can get by on whatever rain shows up, including the Zamia vasquezii and Ceratozamia hildae next to it (both look unharmed).

[naraj]

I had 3 small juveniles survive 33 degrees F in the ground, unprotected, in Sarasota last winter. They didn't see any frost.

[palm tree man]

Has anyone around the Gulf or in Northern Florida had any luck with Dypsis Carlsmithii?

[palm tree man]

Anymore success with Carlsmithii?

[Xhoniwaters1]

3ft in ground saw 23 degrees one night, completely defoliated. Core still looks healthy but new spear is brown.