Palms for San FRancisco Peninsula Area

[Ben in Norcal]

Just remember to watch the microclimates. 100F Silicon Valley is down the road a bit from 70F San Francisco. Add places like Stockton . . .

West San Francisco 60F

Mission District 70F

Atherton: 75F

Palo Alto 77F

Mountain View 80F

Cupertino 83F

Los Gatos 87F

That's about the level of warming of Summer averages as you go in a straight line down the peninsula.

I've experienced 99F in Palo Alto and WSF 60 in a day. Maybe an outlier, but it still illustrates.

And you guys aren't even talking East Bay, where more than a 40 degree differential is reasonably common 30 miles east of WSF.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Dave, I work in Mountain View, I've seen worse, try 105F. The valley gets at least 2-3 solid heat waves in the Summer with temps in the high 90's to low 100's, not all that unusual but it's definitely not regular. The rest of the time 70's rule in Palo Alto.

[Jadd Correia]

I am currently growing some Calyptrocalyx species in the ground in Oakland (Hollrungi and albertisians). A small 4inch Hollrungi made it through last winter, so I have planted some larger 1 gallons from FB.

Additionally, I have added Cyphophoenix alba + nucele + elegans. All are small 4 inch palms, but seem to be doing fine. 

Pritchardia is another genus I really enjoy. I have in the ground a minor + hilldibrandi + marti + beccariana. All are doing fine so far.

Beccariophoenix alfreddi and fenestralis have both done really well. I have multiple of each planted in the ground.

Archontophoenix includes cunninhamianna + alexandrea + purpurea.

Pinanga includes javaena + coronata. 

Burreotkentia includes kohogenisis and hapala. Small 4 inch palms but rolling along. 

Attalea cohune made it through past winter no problem. 

Copernicia alba + pruniferia

Howea belmoriana + foresteriana 

Bentickia condapanna (4 planted and all are doing well)

Satakentia liukiuensis (2 planted as 4 inch palms and are beat up but still kicking after this past winter)

Allagopteria caudescens + arenaria

Wodyetia bifurcata

Geonoma schottiana

Caryota urens + maxima var himilaya + obtusa + monostachya

Arenga pinata

Dypsis carlsmithii + decaryi

 

 

[tim_brissy_13]

Calyptrocalyx? That’s amazing!

[DoomsDave]

1 hour ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

Calyptrocalyx? That’s amazing!

But I think very doable in the Bay Area right near the bay. Relatively cool and nice and humid.

[bruce Steele]

Jadd Correia, How has your Parajubaea sprouting project gone? Sounds like you have a nice microclimate. 

[tim_brissy_13]

8 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

But I think very doable in the Bay Area right near the bay. Relatively cool and nice and humid.

I always thought of Calyptrocalyx as being purely tropical in requirement, or at least frost free subtropical. Are there any in So Cal near the coast?

[Jadd Correia]

19 hours ago, bruce Steele said:

Jadd Correia, How has your Parajubaea sprouting project gone? Sounds like you have a nice microclimate. 

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for checking in. Unfortunately I must have had a squirrel or rodent problem because I lost a few seedlings to predation before I realized what was happening. 

I am looking to collect more seeds as both the SF and Oakland cocoides are fruiting right now and I want to put the future seedlings in a more protected space until they are big enough to not be eaten (I've lost some Wodyetia seedlings in the same way). 

How are your parajubaeas doing? 

[bruce Steele]

Jadd, I have five P. Cocoides potted up and in second or third leaf.  Two more waiting to show their first leaf. In the ground are two Torallyi , the larger one is about twelve feet tall. They are fast in the ground and much faster than Jubaea while still in containers. 

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I don’t think that carlsmithii is a good choice for the San Francisco Bay Area. I grow this palm in ou cool wet climate (55-78F) up the mountain in Hawaii and carlsmithii really doesn’t look that great after our winters, which are as mild as a summer in the Bay Area. The only time of the year when that palm looks good is during our muggy season in September and October when overnight lows are between 64 and 68 and highs are between 74 and 78. I can recommend a bunch of palms that seem to thrive in our cooler temperatures, although in the Bay Area, your biggest limiting factor is going to be humidity and high Winter chill (hours between 32F and 45F). 

[bruce Steele]

Jadd, I keep the sphagnum over the radicle to keep it from sunburning. 
I have lost seeds to a local blue jay . They like big seeds like the Jubaea, parajubaea and the Jubaeopsis. I try to cover containers with aviary wire , that is why the Cocoides are in the galvanized water trough. It makes it easy to cover with wire but still easy enough to remove for maintenance. At first the radicle is exposed on the palms I like to grow and the seed still feeds energy to the leaf via the radicle for several months.