Sunlight and Satake/K. oliviformis palms

[Vincent]

New to palms. Purchased 7 gal (at least 4 foot tall) Kentiopsis oliviformis and Satake palms. Tag attached says Full to Part Sun. Planted palms on west side of my house in full blazing sun. Did I make a mistake? I've searched this forum and spoke to different people (even consulted a few different palm guides) and heard different things. Some say some shade, some say full sun ok. Any feedback would be appreciated. Also, a fertilizer brand and strength would be helpful. I am in southwest Florida, 100 miles south of Tampa.

Edited May 13, 2009 by Vincent

[Palm Guy]

HI Vincent,

Welcome to the forum! Satakentia are great for full sun especially at a young age. However, if they were shade grown plants I would acclimate them as they may get sunburnt fronds (satakentias are slow growers so they may take a while to recoup any sun damage). Just put up a temporary shade structure for the time being to be on the safe side. It can be a large plant or a makeshift structure out of shade cloth and gradually give the palm more sun.

I would suspect the Kentiopsis would be even more tender to the sun so extra care should be given to it.

Both nice selections btw. Good luck.

[tikitiki]

I made the mistake of not moving my satakentia into the full sun bit by bit and it fried bad. The second one is doing fine. I think there is a kentiopsis in full sun at kopsick in St. Pete. Mine is in shade so no help.

[rozpalm]

My Satakentia was placed in full sun from day one. It burned some and took almost 7months to open its first frond. Its seems to be happy now.

[Davidl]

Full Florida sun when there young and they usually burn.

[Moose]

Vincent - Great selection! I believe that they should have partial shade, not full sun all day. The summer Florida sun is brutal. Putting a shade cloth over them until they are acclimated is your best bet. To move them and replant would bring additional stress. Make sure you water and mulch until the rains arrive in about 15 days - hopefully .

Welcome to the forum!

Kindest regards,

Ron.

[Daryl]

In my experience, Kentiopsis oliviformis is more sun hardy at an early age than Satakentia. They seem to get a glaucous waxy texture to the leaf. Like any palm though, if they were grown in heavy shade you will need to acclimatise them to the sun for a little while first.

Daryl

[Walter John]

Two of the best palms going these be, they might go back before going forward. and maybe a little sideways, patience is required with these absolute beauties of the palm kingdom.

[SubTropicRay]

I have two small Satakentia growing beautifully in fairly deep shade. My Kentiopsis is in full, hot late afternoon sun.

[palmislandRandy]

Welcome! Looks like you bought them at HD. They were probably from Morningstar Nurseries and were grown under shadecloth. Most likly they will get a nice sunburn & fry a little, but will recover with the new growth.

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

Ditto what everybody said. If they are in the ground already it might be better just to put some temporary shade over them. Don't skimp on water 'til they are established. The hot west wall site is hard to overcome all the direct and reflected light and heat.

For fert, you can use the Dynomite stuff from HD right away. It is slow release so it is almost impossible to over apply. Use about a cup on each every 4-6 months (I think it is rated at 6 months). If you use other fert, look for an analysis close to 8-2-12, but it would be a faster release and would burn tender little rooties so don't apply for 4 weeks or so. Apply the fert then mulch on top of the fert.

Geraldo

[Vincent]

Thanks for all the info. It is interesting to see the diversity of answers. This is similar to what I have encountered in the various online and textbook palm guides like Betrocks, etc. Some say full sun, some shade. Fortunately, the rain has started, so that has reduced the aggravtion of watering. I can confirm that rain water is the best. My lawn has immediately turned green (what is left of it) and my lychee trees have perked up.

I will keep the K. oliviformis (three of them purchased at Home Depot @ $69 originally from Morningstar Nurseries) where they are in full sun and expect some leaf burn and eventual recovery, as feedback seems to indicate. I have a Satake palm on the east side of my house. Late afternoon sun, from 3:00 onwards is blocked. Also, I purchased another HD palm- a 15 gal. Spindle for $49- to provide additional shade to the Satake.

Are both the Satake and K. oliviformis relatively new to Florida? They are both better choices than a queen or traditional coconut palm. I am surprised that they are not more widely planted. Maybe with the HD selling more of them, they will become more common. I would prefer to take my business to somebody else other than the HD, but the HD had a good price.

I would like some price quotes on a 25 gal. Satake palm. I have a price in mind but will not yet reveal it. Price is not everything, I do want a quality palm, but as tight as money is, it is important. So if anyone is looking to sell, let me know what your price is.

Vincent

[Palm Guy]

Thanks for all the info. It is interesting to see the diversity of answers. This is similar to what I have encountered in the various online and textbook palm guides like Betrocks, etc. Some say full sun, some shade. Fortunately, the rain has started, so that has reduced the aggravtion of watering. I can confirm that rain water is the best. My lawn has immediately turned green (what is left of it) and my lychee trees have perked up.

I will keep the K. oliviformis (three of them purchased at Home Depot @ $69 originally from Morningstar Nurseries) where they are in full sun and expect some leaf burn and eventual recovery, as feedback seems to indicate. I have a Satake palm on the east side of my house. Late afternoon sun, from 3:00 onwards is blocked. Also, I purchased another HD palm- a 15 gal. Spindle for $49- to provide additional shade to the Satake.

Are both the Satake and K. oliviformis relatively new to Florida? They are both better choices than a queen or traditional coconut palm. I am surprised that they are not more widely planted. Maybe with the HD selling more of them, they will become more common. I would prefer to take my business to somebody else other than the HD, but the HD had a good price.

I would like some price quotes on a 25 gal. Satake palm. I have a price in mind but will not yet reveal it. Price is not everything, I do want a quality palm, but as tight as money is, it is important. So if anyone is looking to sell, let me know what your price is.

Vincent

Hi Vincent,

Check with Ken Johnson or Jeff Searle, their both on this board(sorry if I have forgotten anybody but Ken and Jeff came to mind first). I think Bill (Pious Palms) may have the smaller sized Satakentias. They're all in Florida so shipping shouldn't be too bad.

Cheers,