Geonoma schottiana

[Xenon]

I ordered some Geonoma schottiana seeds and have almost no experience with growing palms at all. There isn't much information on the web, so I'd be grateful if you could share some germination and growing tips.

Also, how cold hardy is this palm? Davesgarden lists it as a Zone 9a palm hardy to 19F, though I'm kind of suspicious...

Thanks in advance,

Jonathan

Edited April 9, 2011 by Xenon

[Ntheastpalms]

Hi Jonathan

I have tried this species twice & failed both times.

I have no problem at all germinating the seeds & I can grow them up to nice little single leaf seedlings but unfortunatley its all down hill from there & I have no clue why.

I have some nice Geonoma ensiformis growing on their fourth leaf but G schottiana is one I cant crack.

[Matt in SD]

I grew a G schottiana from a ~5 leaf seedling to a trunking palm in the ground. It then got some sort of fungus and died, but had been an easy grow until then. But to support what Matt said above, I have had a very hard time getting any Geonomas from the 1 leaf stage to the ~5 leaf stage...after that they are pretty easy.

G schottiana is cold and cool tolerant and really looked good in my SoCal climate. I haven't seen hardly any others around here though, so I must have gotten lucky with the plant that I had.

Matt

[Xenon]

Thanks for the advice Matt and Matt

Jonathan

[Alberto]

It´s certainly hardy in my climate where it is native...

Needs a wet acid soil ,full shade and wet environment .High air humidity.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=21172&st=0&p=353225&hl=schottiana&fromsearch=1&#entry353225

[Xenon]

It´s certainly hardy in my climate where it is native...

Needs a wet acid soil ,full shade and wet environment .High air humidity.

http://www.palmtalk....=1

We don't have any of that here, except the humidity...By the way how hot/cold does it get in G. schottiana's habitat Alberto? We have nearly 3 months of 32-37C (90-100F) temperatures, and winters sometimes reach -6C(20F).

Thanks,

Jonathan

[Tyrone]

Impossible grow. Can't get past seedling size. Probably missing a miccorhyza that the native area has. Even in a humid climate (shadehouse) they suffered despite everything I tried.

Best regards

Tyrone

[gyuseppe]

Impossible grow. Can't get past seedling size. Probably missing a miccorhyza that the native area has. Even in a humid climate (shadehouse) they suffered despite everything I tried.

Best regards

Tyrone

also in Europe this species is not easy to grow

[Eric in Orlando]

Here it has grown well in bright shade with moist acidic soil. it has tolerated upper 20sF with very minor burn. Ours is about 6ft tall and has flowered and set seed.

[Jonathan]

I've got about 20 seedlings pushing their third leaf in my greenhouse (unheated), will be interesting to see how they go over winter...so far they have been easy and well behaved, but after reading everyones comments above I wont hold my breath!

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Darold Petty]

I obtained 24 seeds in February, 2010 and sowed them without bottom heat in my greenhouse with temperatures ranging from 10 to 23C. (50-75F). Twenty seeds germinated after about 8 months, four have died from fungus attack, and the remaining 16 plants have just begun to show their second leaf developement (after six months). They seem quite feeble and slow, compared to easy growers like Chamaedorea, Rhopalostylis, or other common genera.

I sowed them one per cell because of a previous loss. I had germinated Geonoma undata in a comunity pot, resulting in 4 plants. At six months of age I attempted to separate them into individual pots. Despite my utmost care, all four died within 48 hours.

Here is a photo taken earlier today of my G. schottiana population!

[Tyrone]

They look good Darold. No real sign of issues. I wish mine grew that well. I had some G gamiova come up too. All dead now.

Best regards

Tyrone

[edbrown_III]

Dent Smith had these listed as surviving 1962 in his Daytona Beach garden. ---- so its has additional track record.

Best regards

Ed

[Xenon]

Thanks for the insight Tyrone, Gyuseppe, Eric, Jonathan, Darold, and Ed! I sowed them in individual pots covered with plastic bags. Tomorrow is gonna be quite cool with low/high of 48/79 but the rest of the week is in the mid 80sF.

Jonathan

Edited April 15, 2011 by Xenon

[calyptrocalyx&licuala freck]

Here it has grown well in bright shade with moist acidic soil. it has tolerated upper 20sF with very minor burn. Ours is about 6ft tall and has flowered and set seed.

Nice Eric, These guys suffer here in Cairns.

Regards Mikey...

[Alberto]

It´s certainly hardy in my climate where it is native...

Needs a wet acid soil ,full shade and wet environment .High air humidity.

http://www.palmtalk....=1

We don't have any of that here, except the humidity...By the way how hot/cold does it get in G. schottiana's habitat Alberto? We have nearly 3 months of 32-37C (90-100F) temperatures, and winters sometimes reach -6C(20F).

Thanks,

Jonathan

G.schottiana grows in a lot of habitats in Brazil from sea level too 1100m altitude on the frosty tablelands of Paraná state (were B.eriospatha,T.acantocoma etc are also native) It also grows wild in Southeast Brazil at higher elevations (I saw them growing in Poços de Caldas- Minas Gerais)

If the origin is responsible for different hardiness levels..? I don´t know....?

-6 °C is certainly OK for our T.schottiana.....

[Jonathan]

Good info Alberto - thanks.

Do you have any idea where RPS might source their seed for this species from?

I'm hoping its from somewhere high and cold!

Cheers,

Jonathan

[Alicehunter2000]

Bump.........another possible pinnate palm for zone 9a to try.........starting to run out of species....may have to switch to more cycads...lol

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

David, don't waste your time. This is a very tender and difficult to grow palm. I don't know very many people outside tropical humid 9b-10a that have succeeded with this species.

[Alicehunter2000]

9b in my courtyard area......could plant it with my C. macrocarpa and flowering D. cabadae.

[Alicehunter2000]

It´s certainly hardy in my climate where it is native... Needs a wet acid soil ,full shade and wet environment .High air humidity.http://www.palmtalk....=1

We don't have any of that here, except the humidity...By the way how hot/cold does it get in G. schottiana's habitat Alberto? We have nearly 3 months of 32-37C (90-100F) temperatures, and winters sometimes reach -6C(20F).Thanks, Jonathan

G.schottiana grows in a lot of habitats in Brazil from sea level too 1100m altitude on the frosty tablelands of Paraná state (were B.eriospatha,T.acantocoma etc are also native) It also grows wild in Southeast Brazil at higher elevations (I saw them growing in Poços de Caldas- Minas Gerais)If the origin is responsible for different hardiness levels..? I don´t know....? -6 °C is certainly OK for our T.schottiana.....

If -6C is not a problem then it might still be possible here.....curious as to why Axel does not think it would grow in North Florida. It is certainly humid enough. Alberto....does this species grow ok in sand? Near the beach?

[Alicehunter2000]

Just looked at globe south Brazil is around the 30th parallel Southern Hemisphere. My area is the 30th parallel in the Northern Hemisphere. Does that mean the sun angle and intensity would be pretty close to being the same?

[Halekuma]

It´s certainly hardy in my climate where it is native... Needs a wet acid soil ,full shade and wet environment .High air humidity.http://www.palmtalk....=1

We don't have any of that here, except the humidity...By the way how hot/cold does it get in G. schottiana's habitat Alberto? We have nearly 3 months of 32-37C (90-100F) temperatures, and winters sometimes reach -6C(20F).Thanks, Jonathan

G.schottiana grows in a lot of habitats in Brazil from sea level too 1100m altitude on the frosty tablelands of Paraná state (were B.eriospatha,T.acantocoma etc are also native) It also grows wild in Southeast Brazil at higher elevations (I saw them growing in Poços de Caldas- Minas Gerais)If the origin is responsible for different hardiness levels..? I don´t know....? -6 °C is certainly OK for our T.schottiana.....

If -6C is not a problem then it might still be possible here.....curious as to why Axel does not think it would grow in North Florida. It is certainly humid enough. Alberto....does this species grow ok in sand? Near the beach?

I guess the problem could be your high temperatures (day and night) in the warmer months... but if they grow and set seed in Orlando as Eric commented everything is possible...

Anyway the problem here I think is start with a healthy seedling with some leaves... I have not been able to past the third leaf (most died after second leaf developed)...