How old are Sabals?

[carolinapalms]

I have a couple of Sabal Palmettos that were transplanted last year. I have often been asked about the age of these trees. A local nursery has a new website that claims that "10-20 ft. tall Palmettos have been growing in Florida for 50 to 80 years". majesticpalmtrees.com (Lancaster, SC)

I don't really know the answer, but I was thinking 10-20 years old. I have read somewhere that Sabal Palmettos take about 7 years to form a trunk and then grow about a foot per year. Is this correct?

[iamjv]

Sabals seem to be slower here in south central Texas than say Florida... the growth you stated is about what I've seen here. One exception to that is my S. Riverside that has grown fast in comparison, forming a 2' trunk in about 10 yrs. Jv

[Ricigliano]

Here in florida it takes about 10-20 years to get 10-20 feet overall. If their not over trimmed, like most are. I would think that it would take longer in your area due to the shorter growing season.

[carolinapalms]

Thanks. All of the Palmettos in my area are transplanted from Florida. My understanding is that these are harvested from natural Palmetto forrests. This website seems to overstate the age of these trees. This nursery has a neat website that is relative to my area; however, it does have a few inaccuracies. Thanks to faithfully following PalmTalk, I have noticed.

[kylecawazafla]

If they are growing in the wild and do not have constant access to a water supply, a Sabal palmetto with 10 - 20 feet of trunk could be well into it's 70's or even 80's, 90's, or 100's! From talking to long term residents in Florida, I've learned that some palms can take off, while others can stay the same height for decades! The more you water them in the summer, the faster they will grow is a general rule you can follow.

[jayfro6]

I met a ranch manager in the Lake Okeechobee area and he says they classify their Sabal palmetto as immature, marketable, and overmature. They sell them to the tree digging folks for about $18-$25/tree, which was in 2007 I think. I guess what he was saying if they're not vigorous growers, the guys who dig them don't take them. I would guess most of the Sabal palmetto on the trucks headed for the Carolinas are approximately 20 years old. It may seem like mother nature is getting ripped off for that price, but this particular ranch is making money from the forest so it's actually allowing them to afford to keep thousands of acres green and undeveloped rather than having to sell to developers.

[JayW]

I think it has a lot to do with water and sunlight. I've noticed that Sabal Palmettos growing in the wild always grow much faster when they are out in the sun. Some of the places I have been going for years that have shade, the trees seem to barley grow. Others, the Sabals are like rockets when they are out in the sun and getting plenty of water. My old place, we lived there for 19 yrs. There was a small wild Sabal growing there that was about 2 ft tall (with no trunk of course). This tree was growing under a massive Oak tree. When we moved a few months ago... it was maybe 4 ft tall (with no real visible trunk). It just never grew much and hardly ever put on new growth in the 19 yrs we lived there. I never really did anything to it as far as water or fertilize either. I had another one, that I grew from a seed and then planted out in the sun, watered regularly and it had already passed up the one in the shade within a few years!

[merrill]

Hi, Kyle:

You have it exactly correct!

Best Wishes,

merrill

TO QUOTE KYLE:

If they are growing in the wild and do not have constant access to a water supply, a Sabal palmetto with 10 - 20 feet of trunk could be well into it's 70's or even 80's, 90's, or 100's! From talking to long term residents in Florida, I've learned that some palms can take off, while others can stay the same height for decades! The more you water them in the summer, the faster they will grow is a general rule you can follow. END QUOTE

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