Planting distance for a Hammock

[Zeeth]

I know this is probably a weird question to ask, but I've always liked that cliché of the 2 coconut palms with the hammock between them. What would be the best distance to plant the 2 palms to do this? I assume that you would want to plant them curved away from each other like this \ Hammock / so the coconuts don't fall on you. Yeah, I know this is a weird question, but I was just wondering...

Keith

[MattyB]

Buy a hammock, read the instructions, wait 10 years.

[Kim]

15 feet seems to be the standard for free standing hammock stands, so presumably that would work with palms. Hammocks usually have some adjustability in their design, so if you come up with an ultimate distance of 14 or 16 feet apart at the appropriate height above the ground, you should be able to work it out. Of course, there are many sizes and styles of hammocks, so do your research before planting. Math problem for the day: how tall will you be and how much will you weigh when the palms are mature enough to handle your weight, and what will their diameter need to be? And how will you work it if one palm dies?

Does anyone on this board actually lay around in a hammock on a regular basis? That's my weird question...

[MattyB]

I certainly don't Kim. But I do drink girly drinks with umbrellas in them daily.

[amazondk]

Well Kim since you asked the question. I do. They are standard furniture around here. And, I sleep in them plenty as well. I don´t normally tie them up between palm trees though. But, I do use one a lot in the forest part of my land up river. And, I have a few hammock hooks around the house. They are really handy to put babies to sleep in as well. My wife, who grew up sleeping in hammocks is real good at putting the kids to sleep in one. Not many palms in the pictures below. But, you can get an idea of where to put hammocks. At least where I put them. As to adjustability what we use here is a piece of rope.

dk

In the secondary forest at my place at Paricatuba.

My littlest son Daniel asleep at his aunts house in the country under a mango tree.

Lunch break with my son Shane who now lives in San Diego when we were fishing a few years ago when he was here. We did not catch a lot of fish. But, that is not the point of fishing I think.

[Kim]

Well Don, you do look mighty comfortable! I can see I need to change my habits.

[amazondk]

Kim,

Hammocks are a great way to relax. The kind sold in Brazil is not really like the ones most Americans use. They are actually one of the main sleeping systems in many parts of the country.

Here is a shot with a palm, just to keep things on topic. The palm behind our camp site in the jungle near here is an Oenocarpus bacaba. I was camping with my son Dylan a few years ago. He is now a Junior at FSU. This was in 2005. I really need to go camping again. It has been a while. We were in the middle of the wilderness on a lake north of here. Just string a tarp and hang the hammocks. I did have a few thoughts about a jaguar strolling into camp during the night though.

Lunch on the lake while fishing. I always take a hammock along to find a place in the shade and get out of the mid day sun.

[FRITO]

good question Keith. Ive had customers ask to buy one palm, but can usually sell two when I suggest they plant them about 15 feet apart and down the road they can hang a hammock between them!

Don, great pics, I regularly enjoy my hammock outdoors as well, I camp in a jungle hammock which has built-in mosquito netting and a rain fly for a wet day.

[Zeeth]

Thanks for the info! I'm thinking that in the new house, I'll do a planting set up with 2 Beccariophoenix alfredii's 15 feet apart. Where we're moving I think coconuts will grow, but I will have to provide protective measures to make sure, but I don't want to have a nice hammock set up with 2 coconuts and have them die from cold. It will take much longer for the Beccarios to grow that big, and by that time I'll have my own house, but it will be a nice treat for my parents when they get large enough. When I get my own house, I plan to live on one of the SW Fl islands (Snead island, Anna Maria, Longboat Key, etc) so coconuts will be good long term, and I will definitely have a coconut hammock set up!

Keith

[amazondk]

Don, great pics, I regularly enjoy my hammock outdoors as well, I camp in a jungle hammock which has built-in mosquito netting and a rain fly for a wet day.

Luke,

For the most part as long as you stay away from the muddy water rivers you don´t have many if any mosquitos at night here. In fact we don´t really even have many in the day time most of the time. So regular hammocks work just fine. Nothing like sleeping on a river boat in a hammock in the middle of the river while cruising along all night. It actually gets cool bordering on cold. If that is possible around here.

dk

[ariscott]

We have mexican hammock.. not brazilian (sorry.. Don...). Since we have no trees big enough... Scott hang it on our verandah columns about 3.3m apart.

Regards, Ari