How to properly water a Sabal Minor...

[JayW]

Since Sabal Minors have their trunk under the ground, when watering them, how do you keep the water out of the bud area? I've been wondering this for a while and just wanted to get some feedback.

Also, I usually water mine daily as they seem to like water... any other suggestions?

[JLeVert]

Since Sabal Minors have their trunk under the ground, when watering them, how do you keep the water out of the bud area? I've been wondering this for a while and just wanted to get some feedback.

Also, I usually water mine daily as they seem to like water... any other suggestions?

Don't worry about water in the bud area of S. minor. They grow naturally in seasonally flooded areas and can be nearly submerged at times. It doesn't seem to bother them. They do like water, but will grow in ordinary garden soil without a problem. They will even grow in deep sand that is never flooded and sometimes very dry. S. minor grows faster in a regular garden situation than it does in swampy areas. You might also try the Louisiana form of S. minor that forms a trunk, the Cape Hatteras form that is hugh, the Blountstown form that is very dwarf, or the S. minor "Tamaulipas" from Yucca Do nursery. It is originally from Mexico and blooms a month earlier than the usual S. minor. It also has a trunk that creeps and huge seeds!

At the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens in Savannah, GA, the Southeastern Palm Society has planted many different ecotypes of S. minor from North Carolina to Oklahoma and south to the Panhandle to see if the variations in S. minor are genetic or cultural. The palms in the planting all receive the same treatment and there is a decided visual difference between the various ecotypes. I would post pictures if I could ever figure out how to do it on this Board.

[JayW]

Since Sabal Minors have their trunk under the ground, when watering them, how do you keep the water out of the bud area? I've been wondering this for a while and just wanted to get some feedback.

Also, I usually water mine daily as they seem to like water... any other suggestions?

Don't worry about water in the bud area of S. minor. They grow naturally in seasonally flooded areas and can be nearly submerged at times. It doesn't seem to bother them. They do like water, but will grow in ordinary garden soil without a problem. They will even grow in deep sand that is never flooded and sometimes very dry. S. minor grows faster in a regular garden situation than it does in swampy areas. You might also try the Louisiana form of S. minor that forms a trunk, the Cape Hatteras form that is hugh, the Blountstown form that is very dwarf, or the S. minor "Tamaulipas" from Yucca Do nursery. It is originally from Mexico and blooms a month earlier than the usual S. minor. It also has a trunk that creeps and huge seeds!

At the Bamboo Farm and Coastal Gardens in Savannah, GA, the Southeastern Palm Society has planted many different ecotypes of S. minor from North Carolina to Oklahoma and south to the Panhandle to see if the variations in S. minor are genetic or cultural. The palms in the planting all receive the same treatment and there is a decided visual difference between the various ecotypes. I would post pictures if I could ever figure out how to do it on this Board.

Thanks for the info! I have 2 varieties right now and would love to add more. I have 2 Sabal Louisiana's and 3 native Florida Sabal Minors grown from seeds from a near by swamp / creek area. You can load your pics at photobucket and then copy and paste them in here... I'd love to see some pics! Edited April 16, 2009 by JayW

[iamjv]

In Texas they usually only naturally occur in areas prone to seasonal flooding and seem to do well! I'm growing one in shallow soil with limestone rock below. I planted it as a seedling due to the limited depth I could dig and it has done amazingly well. It's been there 5+ yrs now and has bloomed the last two seasons. I water mine one or two times a week but doesn't get flooded due to the terrain. Overall height of the plant is 3 feet. Jv

[Darold Petty]

I would post pictures if I could ever figure out how to do it on this Board.

[JLeVert]

Picture attempts:

Sabal ? It looks like Lisa, but was grown from seed under a S. causiarum. That is Sabal minor 'Louisiana' in the background.

Part of the S. minor planting in Savannah. In the middle area, there are very few minors, but there is S. etonia, S. uresana, S. bermudana, S. causiarum, S. rosei and others. The minors are on the periphery.

Sabal tamaulipas: Augusta, GA

S. tamaulipas seed: Augusta, GA

[JayW]

In Texas they usually only naturally occur in areas prone to seasonal flooding and seem to do well!

Same here. The ones I collected seeds from are from a very swampy area and grow right where water normally sits. I have taken several walks in the woods lately just to look for S. Minors and they all grow in the dips and low spots, right along side with the water Iris and water Cannas. I even saw one with a small trunk (12" or so) and it was growing on the creek bank, down where the water normally is but right now the drought has totally dried up the creek bed.

Edited April 17, 2009 by JayW

[JayW]

Picture attempts:

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

[Kathryn]

I think the proper way to water a Sabal minor is to flood it daily!

[Kris]

Picture attempts:

Great pics! Thanks for sharing!

I would call those stills as 'picture perfect' & that S.Lisa is indeed a beauty !

Thanks & Love,

Kris

[palm tree man]

Sabal minor should be broken into different species there is just too much genetic variation within it in order to continue to clump them. If it were a palm grown in a remote corner of the world there would already be four distinct species classified. I have grown most of the above and they are all very different in growth rate and many other factors. Sabal Minor are truly amazing and beautiful palms.

[DoomsDave]

Well, just water them.

Overhead, underneath.

Just water them. Gurp!

Ack!

They're not fussy. Like so many . . .

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Sabal minor should be broken into different species there is just too much genetic variation within it in order to continue to clump them. If it were a palm grown in a remote corner of the world there would already be four distinct species classified. I have grown most of the above and they are all very different in growth rate and many other factors. Sabal Minor are truly amazing and beautiful palms.

Sabal minor is sabal minor, there are just different forms, that's all. They're all unified by the fact that they have underground trunks, and small seeds borne on inflorescence that are taller than the leaves. For example, the Cape Hatteras form and the Blountstown form are all definitely minor. However, Sabal tamaulipas and sabal louisiana are not minor. The seeds, seed inflorescence and the creeping trunk of Sabal tamaulipas warrant that it be given species status. I just don't think the botanists have gotten around to researching and classifying this palm. Sabal louisiana is also most likely similar to Sabal x brazoriensis in that it's an old but stable cross, i.e. its offsprings retain the characteristics of the parent. No one has done any actual genetic analysis on sabal louisiana, but the fact that it trunks is a pretty good clue it's not a pure minor. I hope this clarifies the confusion.

As to the watering issue, sabal minor is the one sabal that is not drought tolerant. Lack of water is a sure way to stress this palm, not to mention making it hopelessly slower than it already is. It will survive a short dry period but nothing of the likes you get in an average Mediterranean climate. Since the trunk is underground it really doesn't matter if water gets into the crown.