My little Hercules in the ground has done pretty well, taking 28F with frost like a champ!  It had no noticeable damage, and is still growing even in winter.  The stem has definitely thickened up, and it has at least 4 or 5 new leaves.  The one I repotted twice is growing new leaves, and looks like it will recover this spring. 

21 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

My little Hercules in the ground has done pretty well, taking 28F with frost like a champ!  It had no noticeable damage, and is still growing even in winter.  The stem has definitely thickened up, and it has at least 4 or 5 new leaves.  The one I repotted twice is growing new leaves, and looks like it will recover this spring. 

Get ready.. it's gonna get massive soon,lol

" Big Mick " as " winter " starts it's retreat: Debating about repotting it before the move. Has to rest against something since it is become quite heavy and is trying to leave it's pot.

Overall:


W/a quarter for scale:







" Striations " starting to build up the trunk?   ..Be afraid,  Very afraid....   

On 1/15/2021 at 7:34 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

" Striations " starting to build up the trunk?   ..Be afraid,  Very afraid....   

Oh yes!!!  Striations are here!!!  Currently my largest is 3 feet tall, 2 feet diameter, and about 4 inches diameter at ground level.  I planted another one up in the front yard last fall, it's still pretty small.  I just planted a third one in the backyard, on the East side of my agave bed.  Both are about 1 foot tall seedlings, but hopefully will grow just as nice!

On 11/21/2011 at 8:29 AM, MattyB said:

On Saturday, Paul, Bob and myself all piled in the new PRA Action Van and made a trip up to George Sparkman's place in Fallbrook. Paul took some pics of the PRA which I'm sure he'll share in a different thread, but here's some pics of the Aloe Hercules I got. I've read conflicting info regarding the parentage of this Aloe. It's a cross between A. bainesii and A. dicotima, but which one is the parent? I was going to put this up by the house in my new dry garden, but after George's advice, and doing some more research on the internet, I decided to put this monster a little farther down the hill. This tree aloe exhibits hybrid vigor and is expected to easily reach heights in excess of 30 feet tall.

Matty, how is yours looking these days?  Has it hit the 30' tall mark yet?  Mine was planted a year earlier than yours (late in 2010) but mine was much smaller (1 gallon) when I planted it than the one you got from George.  I've never read which species was mother and which was father for this hybrid either, anyone have any insights?

Unfortunately my 3-4' tall Hercules didn't like 24F and frost very much, though it didn't have a lot of leaf burn.  The brown tips in the photos are from the cold front.  So a few months later I noticed it wasn't really growing anymore.  I gave it a little push from the side...and it fell over.  The roots and lower trunk had rotted away.  So I beheaded it far enough up the trunk to get rid of any visual signs of brown rot.  I put it on my back porch and squirted the base with some hydrogen peroxide and dusted it with sulfur powder.  Over the past couple of weeks the trunk did get a little bit of a sunken area (see below photo) but seems firm.  I suspect the sunken area was a little bit of the leftover trunk rot that I might have missed.  It currently is not growing new leaves or attempting to grow roots, but otherwise seems ok as a cutting.  What's the best way to get this rooted again?  Pure perlite?  Perlite + 25% soil mix?  Perlite/Turface/sand?  Totally dry or occasionally lightly watered?  Should I strip off the lowest leaves and leaf bases to get ~6" of clean trunk?

@Silas_Sancona recommended this method in an earlier thread where 5150_cycad was selling cut heads:

Regardless, in my case, i just threw them in 1-3 gal pots using a chunky, good draining soil mix, and stuck them somewhere that stays warm, in bright shade.. Not sure it would matter if they saw more sun this time of year though.  You might just stick yours in something like a 5 gal, trimming off just enough of the trunk length so that it won't tip over in the pot while it roots. Water the heck out of them once set in the pots, and leave alone.. Only water them occasionally, if needed. ( maybe not at all there thru the rest of winter.. if you guys keep getting rain ). You'll know when they root when you start seeing them produce new leaves/growth.  Would imagine they will sit ..or slowly root  until it starts warming up. Take off pretty quick once rooted.

It seems like I'd need to put this one on the back porch in shade for rooting, since we get daily afternoon thunderstorms.  It might not like that much rain while attempting to root?

4 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Unfortunately my 3-4' tall Hercules didn't like 24F and frost very much, though it didn't have a lot of leaf burn.  The brown tips in the photos are from the cold front.  So a few months later I noticed it wasn't really growing anymore.  I gave it a little push from the side...and it fell over.  The roots and lower trunk had rotted away.  So I beheaded it far enough up the trunk to get rid of any visual signs of brown rot.  I put it on my back porch and squirted the base with some hydrogen peroxide and dusted it with sulfur powder.  Over the past couple of weeks the trunk did get a little bit of a sunken area (see below photo) but seems firm.  I suspect the sunken area was a little bit of the leftover trunk rot that I might have missed.  It currently is not growing new leaves or attempting to grow roots, but otherwise seems ok as a cutting.  What's the best way to get this rooted again?  Pure perlite?  Perlite + 25% soil mix?  Perlite/Turface/sand?  Totally dry or occasionally lightly watered?  Should I strip off the lowest leaves and leaf bases to get ~6" of clean trunk?

@Silas_Sancona recommended this method in an earlier thread where 5150_cycad was selling cut heads:

Regardless, in my case, i just threw them in 1-3 gal pots using a chunky, good draining soil mix, and stuck them somewhere that stays warm, in bright shade.. Not sure it would matter if they saw more sun this time of year though.  You might just stick yours in something like a 5 gal, trimming off just enough of the trunk length so that it won't tip over in the pot while it roots. Water the heck out of them once set in the pots, and leave alone.. Only water them occasionally, if needed. ( maybe not at all there thru the rest of winter.. if you guys keep getting rain ). You'll know when they root when you start seeing them produce new leaves/growth.  Would imagine they will sit ..or slowly root  until it starts warming up. Take off pretty quick once rooted.

It seems like I'd need to put this one on the back porch in shade for rooting, since we get daily afternoon thunderstorms.  It might not like that much rain while attempting to root?

Definitely trim the leaves up a bit..  And yes, as mentioned in the past, would place where it won't get soaked daily.. Bright shade under a patio is perfect, Water heavily when you plant, then only water once a month ( ..or once every 6 weeks ) until it is rooted ..and keep an eye on it / give it a gentle nudge now and then to check how it is doing ( Seems to not wiggle each time much as you check = good sign it should be rooting )

I'm a little concerned on the prospects of this one rooting successfully though since the leaves appear they are quite dehydrated.. See some " puckering / wrinkling " on the stem as well which may ( ..or may not ) effect the cutting's ability to take up moisture while it tries to root.   Regardless, w/ the extra moisture in the air there, you should know what it decides to do fairly quickly ..Compared to the length of time they took to fully root here at least ( which really wasn't too long to begin with ) ..

Would still try to save it anyway if it were mine though.  Update over the next few months.

17 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Definitely trim the leaves up a bit..  And yes, as mentioned in the past, would place where it won't get soaked daily.. Bright shade under a patio is perfect, Water heavily when you plant, then only water once a month ( ..or once every 6 weeks ) until it is rooted ..and keep an eye on it / give it a gentle nudge now and then to check how it is doing ( Seems to not wiggle each time much as you check = good sign it should be rooting )

I'm a little concerned on the prospects of this one rooting successfully though since the leaves appear they are quite dehydrated.. See some " puckering / wrinkling " on the stem as well which may ( ..or may not ) effect the cutting's ability to take up moisture while it tries to root.   Regardless, w/ the extra moisture in the air there, you should know what it decides to do fairly quickly ..Compared to the length of time they took to fully root here at least ( which really wasn't too long to begin with ) ..

Would still try to save it anyway if it were mine though.  Update over the next few months.

I stripped it back to about 8" of clean "trunk" and potted it, though I think it might be a goner.  The sunken/wrinkled area in the stem appeared to be brownish in color, the same brown color as the original trunk rot.  So even if it roots, the rot fungus might still be in there eating away at the rest of it.  I guess time will tell!  I put it in a loose draining mix of perlite, pine bark, and generic loose topsoil.  I drenched it in a 3g pot, and put it on the back porch.  There's no direct sun but it is very bright out there.

Here's my Aloidendron 'Hercules' after about 5 years in the ground from a 1-ft cutting. It gets too much sun here in suburban Sacramento, so some of the leaves are sunburned on one side. Eventually the Butia yatay behind it should shade it more during the most intense months of summer, at least that's the plan. Or perhaps the Bauhina semla behind both of them will help provide some shade.

2 hours ago, Hillizard said:

Here's my Aloidendron 'Hercules' after about 5 years in the ground from a 1-ft cutting. It gets too much sun here in suburban Sacramento, so some of the leaves are sunburned on one side. Eventually the Butia yatay behind it should shade it more during the most intense months of summer, at least that's the plan. Or perhaps the Bauhina semla behind both of them will help provide some shade.

It is surprising that you have sunburn in Sacramento.   I have seen large ones in Southern California's inland areas that do fine and I would think sun would be more intense.  Your Butia probably won't outpace the Aloidendron.   My adjacent Dypsis pembana has grown at about the same pace as the Aloidendron Hercules.   

It is probably a pretty novel plant in Sacramento and will only become a bigger conversation starter as it grows. 

19 hours ago, Tracy said:

It is surprising that you have sunburn in Sacramento.   I have seen large ones in Southern California's inland areas that do fine and I would think sun would be more intense.  Your Butia probably won't outpace the Aloidendron.   My adjacent Dypsis pembana has grown at about the same pace as the Aloidendron Hercules.   

It is probably a pretty novel plant in Sacramento and will only become a bigger conversation starter as it grows. 

Tracy: Yes, I'm also surprised and puzzled why some of my palms (esp. Trachycarpus species) and some other subtropical plants get sunburned growing in the clay soil of my yard. Someone on this forum suggested I incorporate more acidic soil media around the palms and I've been trying to do that. Results are still inconclusive. The recent high temps during our heatwave definitely had a noticeable effect! I'm also planting Handroanthus species next to some of my other palms for shade, such as a Caryota gigas (?) that got badly scorched this summer. ☀️ If I didn't mind turning my small backyard garden into a stand of 'telephone poles', I'd have planted fast-growing queen palms everywhere as overstory for shade!

Here's an update on my chunk-o-trunk...it looks almost identical to what it did right after I potted it!  I haven't watered it, but it is close enough to the edge of the patio to get some overspray/mist from heavy rainfall.  It seems relatively sturdy in the pot, but it also seemed that way as I compacted the perlite into the pot.  I have no way of knowing if it's grown any roots, at least not without taking it back out of the pot.  Any thoughts on watering it or putting it into the sun...clearly NOT as hurricane Ian is stopping by to drop 10-20 inches of rain on us.

On 9/17/2022 at 4:08 PM, Tracy said:

It is surprising that you have sunburn in Sacramento.   I have seen large ones in Southern California's inland areas that do fine and I would think sun would be more intense.  Your Butia probably won't outpace the Aloidendron.   My adjacent Dypsis pembana has grown at about the same pace as the Aloidendron Hercules.   

It is probably a pretty novel plant in Sacramento and will only become a bigger conversation starter as it grows. 

Mine in Fresno seems to handle the sun ok. It has gotten some shade now as other plants near it grow tall enough to shade it. Surprisingly, these are showing up in nurseries pretty often now - in 15 gallon and fairly large for the containers. The Southern CA surplus must have hit the markets here in the central valley. There are a few large ones around town in private gardens that are definitely showpieces. There's even a large dichotoma in a public garden here that just gets better and better every year.

Here is my small one, picking up the pace a bit. Cycas revoluta x deboaensis in front of it, and Aloe thraskii + Aloe vaombe behind it

See if you can spot it here... front yard is getting crowded 

 

3 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Here's an update on my chunk-o-trunk...it looks almost identical to what it did right after I potted it!  I haven't watered it, but it is close enough to the edge of the patio to get some overspray/mist from heavy rainfall.  It seems relatively sturdy in the pot, but it also seemed that way as I compacted the perlite into the pot.  I have no way of knowing if it's grown any roots, at least not without taking it back out of the pot.  Any thoughts on watering it or putting it into the sun...clearly NOT as hurricane Ian is stopping by to drop 10-20 inches of rain on us.

Easy way to get an idea on if it is rooting / how that is progressing?, give the plant a nudge every so often.. Enough to see if it wiggles around more, or stays fairly firm in the pot. At some point you should be able to lift the entire thing by the trunk, and see roots peeping out from the drain holes.  Is how i'd check rooting progress on all of mine.. 

  Would also give it good soak, and trim off the leaves, -below the dead brown one visible just right of center.

3 hours ago, Josue Diaz said:

Mine in Fresno seems to handle the sun ok. It has gotten some shade now as other plants near it grow tall enough to shade it. Surprisingly, these are showing up in nurseries pretty often now - in 15 gallon and fairly large for the containers. The Southern CA surplus must have hit the markets here in the central valley. There are a few large ones around town in private gardens that are definitely showpieces. There's even a large dichotoma in a public garden here that just gets better and better every year.

Here is my small one, picking up the pace a bit. Cycas revoluta x deboaensis in front of it, and Aloe thraskii + Aloe vaombe behind it

See if you can spot it here... front yard is getting crowded 

 

Amazing jungle in your front yard Josue! Like a tropical forest! With height those palms will open up understory spaces and then you'll be able to plant smaller ones there that need more shade/protection! 😉

5 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Easy way to get an idea on if it is rooting / how that is progressing?, give the plant a nudge every so often.. Enough to see if it wiggles around more, or stays fairly firm in the pot. At some point you should be able to lift the entire thing by the trunk, and see roots peeping out from the drain holes.  Is how i'd check rooting progress on all of mine.. 

 Would also give it good soak, and trim off the leaves, -below the dead brown one visible just right of center.

Yeah at the moment I can pick up the pot by lifting the chunk-o-trunk.  But that's not a dramatic thing, because the pot is full of mostly perlite.  So I guess the pot and "soil" may weigh 1lb and the trunk piece is 5lb or so.  There aren't any visible roots, but I will give it a drink and slice off some of the dead stuff. 

5 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Yeah at the moment I can pick up the pot by lifting the chunk-o-trunk.  But that's not a dramatic thing, because the pot is full of mostly perlite.  So I guess the pot and "soil" may weigh 1lb and the trunk piece is 5lb or so.  There aren't any visible roots, but I will give it a drink and slice off some of the dead stuff. 

Even using Pumice and 1/4th inch Granite gravel, and Turface as the main things for the soil mix i dunked the bigger cuttings in, if i tried to lift them by the trunks before rooted, you could tell they'd pop out of the pot if i lifted any higher..  One rooted, i could use them as dumb bells,  -if so inclined lol.   Yours may be in the process of rooting itself in atm.

I was out in my front and noticed that my Aloidendron Hercules is developing some appendages again, but this time they appear to be more like it is trying to develop aerial roots like a Ficus tree.  Very interesting to see these hanging down at about 6' -7' off the ground.  They will have to get pretty long if they hope to ever root themselves!

Interestingly, Dragon trees are known to do this, as well.

So this is odd...my "chunk o trunk" still looks basically the same over a year later.  It's clearly wanting some water, but it is very slowly growing new leaves.  I count about 2 to 4 new ones since last fall.  I'd guess there may be a couple of roots, but I probably won't mess with it until next spring.  If it survives the winter then it's got a chance!

Gah. I still want one of these. 

20 hours ago, Merlyn said:

So this is odd...my "chunk o trunk" still looks basically the same over a year later.  It's clearly wanting some water, but it is very slowly growing new leaves.  I count about 2 to 4 new ones since last fall.  I'd guess there may be a couple of roots, but I probably won't mess with it until next spring.  If it survives the winter then it's got a chance!

I wouldn't be surprised if you've got some decent roots in there. I haven't grown 'Hercules,' but I've grown other Aloes from different sizes cuttings and some were slow to start. 

It's a pretty incredible hybrid, and they look flawless in San Francisco where Aloidendron barberae (Aloe bainesii) sometimes looks a little yellow if not well located and cared for.

On 10/22/2023 at 12:51 PM, Tracy said:

I was out in my front and noticed that my Aloidendron Hercules is developing some appendages again, but this time they appear to be more like it is trying to develop aerial roots like a Ficus tree.  Very interesting to see these hanging down at about 6' -7' off the ground.  They will have to get pretty long if they hope to ever root themselves!

 

thats very cool tracy.  it would be really neat to see them continue to reach out and possible anchor to the soil line ... then it could start looking like a banyan tree like i saw growing up in miami.  regardless, it will be interesting to see how this manifest.  

On 10/22/2023 at 2:51 PM, Tracy said:

I was out in my front and noticed that my Aloidendron Hercules is developing some appendages again, but this time they appear to be more like it is trying to develop aerial roots like a Ficus tree.  Very interesting to see these hanging down at about 6' -7' off the ground.  They will have to get pretty long if they hope to ever root themselves!

How is this looking now?  Is it really an aerial root forming on an Aloe?

7 hours ago, Austinpalm said:

How is this looking now?  Is it really an aerial root forming on an Aloe?

It didn't turn into aerial roots.  The Hercules seems to just get wider as time goes by.

12 hours ago, Tracy said:

It didn't turn into aerial roots.  The Hercules seems to just get wider as time goes by.

Great pix.  Thanks for the update.  It looks like 2 more are trying to form in the second pix. 

The recent hard freeze in central fla did a number on my hercules aloe tree. At mid 20's for several hours with a brutal north wind off the lake was at a survivable limit for it. I can see it growing on top two weeks later, so it is alive and didn't get slimey. I read to leave withered foliage to dry, but in my wetter climate I think it's probably a better idea to cut it off to avoid fungal growth. Other that that what else can i do?

3 hours ago, junglejim said:

The recent hard freeze in central fla did a number on my hercules aloe tree. At mid 20's for several hours with a brutal north wind off the lake was at a survivable limit for it. I can see it growing on top two weeks later, so it is alive and didn't get slimey. I read to leave withered foliage to dry, but in my wetter climate I think it's probably a better idea to cut it off to avoid fungal growth. Other that that what else can i do?

My fear is that if you get a few good years of growth then get hit with an event like this you will be dealing with a very large plant.  I have seen the damage a large Aloidendron falling can do.  They are extremely heavy and will crush anything below them when they come down.  Heavy rain and wind with a top heavy Aloidendron can be a lethal mix.

3 hours ago, junglejim said:

The recent hard freeze in central fla did a number on my hercules aloe tree. At mid 20's for several hours with a brutal north wind off the lake was at a survivable limit for it. I can see it growing on top two weeks later, so it is alive and didn't get slimey. I read to leave withered foliage to dry, but in my wetter climate I think it's probably a better idea to cut it off to avoid fungal growth. Other that that what else can i do?

Oof..   Beat up atm, yes,  ..but,  as long as the trunk is solid,  it will survive.. 

For now, leave it alone  ..no matter how ugly the damage looks / urge is to trim might nag..  Leave- it-  alone.. 

Once some of the new growth up top starts pushing out as temps rise over the coming weeks,  you can start trimming away the ugly stuff..  Brown tipped sections of the leaves at the top will likely slough off on their own ( a couple of mine did this after suffering heat -related damage )

Lower down, you can trim away the older leaves, leaving an ~aprox 2" nub ( don't remove any leaves to the trunk ).  Remaining piece still attached to the trunk  will dry out and fall off on it's own. 

Have trimmed some i had to cut up ( Trunks roughly 2ft in height. Done to save / re-root them after the base of that plant rotted < from too much of our special flavor of sun ) down to about 3 or 4 leaves when rooting and they bounced back pretty quickly once rooted.. 

Keep us updated 

11 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Oof..   Beat up atm, yes,  ..but,  as long as the trunk is solid,  it will survive.. 

For now, leave it alone  ..no matter how ugly the damage looks / urge is to trim might nag..  Leave- it-  alone.. 

Once some of the new growth up top starts pushing out as temps rise over the coming weeks,  you can start trimming away the ugly stuff..  Brown tipped sections of the leaves at the top will likely slough off on their own ( a couple of mine did this after suffering heat -related damage )

Lower down, you can trim away the older leaves, leaving an ~aprox 2" nub ( don't remove any leaves to the trunk ).  Remaining piece still attached to the trunk  will dry out and fall off on it's own. 

Have trimmed some i had to cut up ( Trunks roughly 2ft in height. Done to save / re-root them after the base of that plant rotted < from too much of our special flavor of sun ) down to about 3 or 4 leaves when rooting and they bounced back pretty quickly once rooted.. 

Keep us updated 

Thank you Thank you! I have never asked any gardening type questions on the internet before because I'm usually good with just waiting and see what happens. The aloe tree has always done well and this bothered me enough to ask someone who knows more than i do about it.

 

 

11 hours ago, Tracy said:

My fear is that if you get a few good years of growth then get hit with an event like this you will be dealing with a very large plant.  I have seen the damage a large Aloidendron falling can do.  They are extremely heavy and will crush anything below them when they come down.  Heavy rain and wind with a top heavy Aloidendron can be a lethal mix.

I have a feeling that you're right, mainly because i have never even seen another one of these trees before. I think they're popular in southern California or more arid parts of the southwest, by the lake in central florida is not this plants natural habitat. I randomly got it from a guy with a nursery in st pete. But... i did at least take warning about it's size and heavy/damaging branches, so i put it where it can get as big as it wants without being able to damage structures or anything important. This variety seems to not mind excess water from rainy season and likes the nutrient deficit sand on the central florida ridge. I read they would die at 21 degrees, which is unheard of here and 24 was the coldest it's been in 20yrs. But the wind resistant is my biggest concern, (until this hard freeze) there are summer downburst that come across the lake as powerful as any hurricane just a shorter duration, in it's smaller state it shrugged off a direct hit from cat2 hurricane, but i fear it will be a different story when it's bigger. Do people ever trim them to stay lower and squatty rather than high?

1 hour ago, junglejim said:

Thank you Thank you! I have never asked any gardening type questions on the internet before because I'm usually good with just waiting and see what happens. The aloe tree has always done well and this bothered me enough to ask someone who knows more than i do about it.

 

  No worries.. I'm exactly the same way but, never hurts to seek additional insight either sometimes,  even if the always inherent risk of not always getting the best feedback ( a lot of " generalized " info the net spits out more often than it should ) exists when seeking advise. 

Regardless,  yes,  X Hurcules is one tough nut of a Succulent..  I have a couple in pots i tucked under a Bougainvillea over a year ago ( maybe longer? )  i essentially forgot about that  ..remarkably..  while they look pretty rough,  are still alive.  That includes one in a 1gal pot that fell over and hasn't had -any- direct water since that time.  ..A remarkable feat for -any- plant considering our climate here. 

Two local Bot. gardens i frequent that can see colder winter lows than i do where i'm at have Hurcs. in their collections that have shrugged off whatever sub 35F cold they might see.  One,  at Boyce Thompson Arboretum,  is planted on a steep, extremely rocky /< very > well drained hillside that i don't think receives any extra water, other than what nature might provide.  Looked good the last time i saw it.

Another, planted at a garden in Tucson which experiences occasional winter lows in the mid /lower 20s ..and the rare dusting of snow they see down there every once in awhile has shrugged that off as well. 

That said, how freezes / frost episodes behave / can effect frost tender stuff here is quite different ..majority of the time..  compared to a lot of other places in the sun belt,  inc. there in FL. 

We get similar ( or occasionally stronger ) summer storms here ( Lived in FL. myself and chased storms there )  and i don't recall of hearing about any larger specimens in private gardens being knocked over    ..Not to say that isn't something to consider when siting one in a garden though.   No matter what you plant,  it's mature height / width is always something you consider  -right out of the gate. 

Similar to many trees,  think that factor ( Toppling over threat ) comes down to how they are grown..  No succulent -anything- should be babied / treated like something that wants lots of water,  ...Say Bananas for example..    These plants evolved to handle tough conditions,  ..which includes infrequent -but deep- watering which trains the plant to seek water / push deep root growth that anchors it in rather than providing so much water that most of the roots sit closer to the soil surface  ..which makes a big, heavy plant that much more vulnerable to wind throw under the right conditions,  no matter what it is. 

If you look over pictures from Huntington Botanical and The Los Angeles Arboretum,  ..or any # of other gardens around S.Cal. ...  you'll see HUGE  ..and i mean HUGE, lol...  specimens of one of the parents involved in creating Hurcules,  Aloidendron barberae..  while i'm sure they've had branches snapped off,  to my knowledge,  don't think any of them have completely toppled despite decades of facing big storms.  Why? ..because they were given lots of space,  ..and we're grown hard,   ...the way they would grow where native in S. Africa.   While barberae tolerates more moisture than the other parent involved in this cross ( A. dichotomum ) it still doesn't want to be babied.   ..It's a CAM plant,  which means it stores plenty of water to sip on during dry times. 

While hurricanes and sandy, fairly rock free soil in alot of FL presents unique considerations for growing these, even there,  you can have a good sized specimen if placed right and pretty much left to fend for themselves once established after planting.  Sun there isn't quite as brutal as it can be here.  Have cooked a few of these since moving here years ago. 

Depending on which parent an individual Hurc. specimen leans toward,  you could have a specimen that puts on some height ..but doesn't get massive like A. barberae can.  That said, how much extra  water you might / might not  provide will also influence mature height / growth rate. 








 

I got this A. Hercules off FB Marketplace. The guy is a landscaper and has a little side hustle in his yard. It’s about the same size as some that I found at HD which have started to show some sun damage. This guy had his under a young mesquite tree so I think they were slowly getting acclimated with some filtered sun. I’m in Tucson so the sun is a concern.

I planted on the eastside of my neighbors bottle tree so it starts to get shade after 3pm until sun down, and I mean shade! The bottle tree is very full from almost the very bottom to the top since he’s never pruned it. I’m just a little worried I might have planted a little too close to the corner of my house where my roof overhang might some day encounter those Hercules leaves.

I’m excited to see what this guy/gal can do!

IMG_7255.dng IMG_7254.dng

3 hours ago, CaryElTucson said:

I got this A. Hercules off FB Marketplace. The guy is a landscaper and has a little side hustle in his yard. It’s about the same size as some that I found at HD which have started to show some sun damage. This guy had his under a young mesquite tree so I think they were slowly getting acclimated with some filtered sun. I’m in Tucson so the sun is a concern.

I planted on the eastside of my neighbors bottle tree so it starts to get shade after 3pm until sun down, and I mean shade! The bottle tree is very full from almost the very bottom to the top since he’s never pruned it. I’m just a little worried I might have planted a little too close to the corner of my house where my roof overhang might some day encounter those Hercules leaves.

I’m excited to see what this guy/gal can do!

IMG_7255.dng IMG_7254.dng

You should be ok, ep. as it acclimates and gains hardened tissue..

While i've seen a few that have taken more sun pretty well, mine have all burned ..badly ..or to death.. when sited in full sun up here..

Here's one from Tohono Chul, that gets quite a bit of sun and has done well. Shots are a couple years old, so i suspect it has added some size. Not sure how large it was when planted.





As mentioned somewhere else, any branch (es) that might get a tad too close to the side of your house for comort, in time, can be lopped off and re -rooted. Gritty Turface, Pumice, and river grit mix = safest soil mix for rooting cuttings.


Feeling adventurous? ..Tohono Chul also has a massive Pachypodium as well. Since it has been a couple years since my last check in, Fingers crossed it is still there. Wall it is growing against faces east.

I believe you had recommended I stop by Tohono Chul in a past post. I do only live about 5 minutes from there. That’s life when you are busy raising 3 kids. Little time for the hobbies!

I didn’t know a Pachypodium could grow so well here with the frost risk. I’m not familiar with their growing habits but it looks like that one took years to grow this tall!

I got a tip from someone else that there’s a row of A. Hercules at the Chipotle by Cortaro Farms and I-10. I looked them up on Google Maps and you can see the difference in growth from about 2017 to 2025. It’s amazing how those things grow. You have to zoom in on the 2017 picture to see how small they started out. It looks like they were planted on the eastside of the building so they get some really good sun.

7 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

You should be ok, ep. as it acclimates and gains hardened tissue..

While i've seen a few that have taken more sun pretty well, mine have all burned ..badly ..or to death.. when sited in full sun up here..

Here's one from Tohono Chul, that gets quite a bit of sun and has done well. Shots are a couple years old, so i suspect it has added some size. Not sure how large it was when planted.





As mentioned somewhere else, any branch (es) that might get a tad too close to the side of your house for comort, in time, can be lopped off and re -rooted. Gritty Turface, Pumice, and river grit mix = safest soil mix for rooting cuttings.


Feeling adventurous? ..Tohono Chul also has a massive Pachypodium as well. Since it has been a couple years since my last check in, Fingers crossed it is still there. Wall it is growing against faces east.

16 years from a 1 gallon this autumn. They grt chunky with time.

1 hour ago, Tracy said:

16 years from a 1 gallon this autumn. They grt chunky with time.

That’s very impressive! Do they have a tendency to grow straight up for several years and then branch out and build girth? Or is there a way to help promote the branching when they are young? I did see someone post that HD had a couple of small branching Hercules. They looked maybe 3ft tall in the pictures.

2 hours ago, CaryElTucson said:

I believe you had recommended I stop by Tohono Chul in a past post. I do only live about 5 minutes from there. That’s life when you are busy raising 3 kids. Little time for the hobbies!

I didn’t know a Pachypodium could grow so well here with the frost risk. I’m not familiar with their growing habits but it looks like that one took years to grow this tall!

I got a tip from someone else that there’s a row of A. Hercules at the Chipotle by Cortaro Farms and I-10. I looked them up on Google Maps and you can see the difference in growth from about 2017 to 2025. It’s amazing how those things grow. You have to zoom in on the 2017 picture to see how small they started out. It looks like they were planted on the eastside of the building so they get some really good sun.

You're probably correct, ha ha..

If /once old enough, can always take the kids w/ you. Pretty sure the garden offers kid friendly stuff / classes as well.. Have seen it offered in their events calendars at least..


Was pretty shocked to round a corner and see the pictured Pachy. there.. Did not know they could grow -at all- outdoors anywhere ..except maybe in some well sheltered spot at UA... down there either.

Oddly enough, unless i'm forgetting one seen ..somewhere.. up here over the years < Long ago visits to DBG maybe? >, the specimen there is the largest i've seen anywhere since moving here in '16.

Was only recently that i spied one in a yard ( Same east facing exposure, strangely enough ) not too far from the house.

While i usually take Ina to get to the garden when in the area, esp. if coming into / leaving town using the 10, rather than coming into town via Oro Valley / Catalina, i have taken Cotero a few times to get out there also.

Will have to take a look at the specimens in the shopping center next time i'm in the neighborhood.. Considering the shopping center itself is right next to the river ..an area which many consider to be one of the cooler parts of overall Tucson, pretty impressive that they have survived at that location as long as they have.

9 hours ago, CaryElTucson said:

That’s very impressive! Do they have a tendency to grow straight up for several years and then branch out and build girth? Or is there a way to help promote the branching when they are young? I did see someone post that HD had a couple of small branching Hercules. They looked maybe 3ft tall in the pictures.

So you can see where my Hercules branched which is at about 5'-6' up. They definitely start getting thicker as they grow up, so it isn't a straight shot up and then thickening.

I have an Aloidendron dichotomum, which is one of the parents in the hybrid Aloidendron "Hercules". I just recently posted regarding it showing the initial formation of branching in the last post I made here (right above Peter's post):

15 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Was pretty shocked to round a corner and see the pictured Pachy. there.. Did not know they could grow -at all- outdoors anywhere ..except maybe in some well sheltered spot at UA... down there either.

I was driving away earlier from a jobsite in the northeast foothills area of town and happen to see a pretty good size Pachy with multiple branches. Might have been about 6-8 ft tall and about the same in diameter. Wondering if owners make sure to cover that thing on our coldest nights. The nice thing about Tucson is that freezing temps usually only last a few hours right before sunrise and shortly after. If there’s no cloud coverage, we get that nice winter sun to warm things up again.

5 hours ago, Tracy said:

So you can see where my Hercules branched which is at about 5'-6' up. They definitely start getting thicker as they grow up, so it isn't a straight shot up and then thickening.

I have an Aloidendron dichotomum, which is one of the parents in the hybrid Aloidendron "Hercules". I just recently posted regarding it showing the initial formation of branching in the last post I made here (right above Peter's post):

I’ll try to remember and post a follow up picture in about 5years and hopefully by then will start to see some branching. I’m so amazed by these things it makes me want to throw another one in my yard- LOL

I was driving away earlier from a jobsite in the northeast foothills area of town and happen to see a pretty good size Pachy with multiple branches. Might have been about 6-8 ft tall and about the same in diameter. Wondering if owners make sure to cover that thing on our coldest nights. The nice thing about Tucson is that freezing temps usually only last a few hours right before sunrise and shortly after. If there’s no cloud coverage, we get that nice winter sun to warm things up again.

Never really roamed some of the neighborhoods near where the Pima Canyon access is but looking over the area during hikes there, many of the neighborhoods there ..and built against the Tucson Mtns, remind me of what you see fairly often in many parts of S.Cal ( and a few spots where i grew up further north )

Don't doubt there is a really nice thermal belt region that wraps around the Catalinas ..Compared to neighborhoods situated next to the river at least. Somewhere here awhile back, i'd posted some history - related info regarding past cultivation of both Citrus and ..of all things.. Mangoes.. in the Orange Grove / Casas Adobes area several decades ago before a big freeze apparently took most of them out.

Would make sense seeing unusual stuff in those neighborhoods though since the thermal belt areas in S. Cal / parts of my neighborhood in San Jose are some of the best locations for growing / pushing the boundaries with a lot of tender stuff.

I'm waiting to hear of ..or stumble on.. both Royal Poinciana and Cassia fistula specimens popping up in yards down there. UA grew both and while their R.P. apparently got hammered sometime ago, their Golden Shower Tree ( C. fistula ) looks great..

Did you even see any frost this past winter in that part of town? Didn't seem like it when i'd check temps. on the coldest mornings and glanced at some stuff through a fence during a quick stop at Tohono Chul while in town for one of the Gem & Mineral show events.