Local Arizona Thread

[BillDaCat8]

16 hours ago, Garcia3 said:

Nice Mules BillDaCat! Where'd you find them?  I usually only see them at Treeland Nursery, they have a beautiful older specimen close to a stunning Cuban Royal.  

Thank you. They are really quite nice. I found them at Whitfill Nursery. 8th Street & Glendale location. 

I'd like to see that big mule at Treeland. Where are they located? 

[raimeiken]

those are nice size mules. I didn't know there's a source for larger size like that here locally. I ended up buying a one gallon size online last year. 

[SueH_AZ]

Treeland has very nice large mule palm specimens.  A friend mentioned that the Moon Valley on Arizona Avenue has some good sized ones for a good price but I can't confirm that myself.  That location DOES tend to get a better selection of palms than the others though...

 

[raimeiken]

I never expect moonvalley to have good prices lol

Do Senegal date palms do well here? I don't know if I've seen any around the valley. 

Also I'm looking for a source for butia eriospatha (wooly jelly palm). I have a small pindo palm but I read recently that the wooly jelly palm have better tasting fruit.

[Garcia3]

Treeland is south of the 60 on AZ Ave just past Guadalupe Rd.  Here is a pic of their Mule Palm. 

[RichAZ]

5 hours ago, raimeiken said:

 

Do Senegal date palms do well here? I don't know if I've seen any around the valley. 

There are several P. Reclinata at the Phoenix Zoo and they're absolutely huge so they can definitely live here.  There is one across from the carousel that was recently cut way back as it was just becoming a mess.  To your point though, you just don't see that many around.  

[BillDaCat8]

Finally scored a few Psuedophoenix Sargentii seeds as well as a gaggle of Bismarckia Nobilis seeds. 

Anyone here have any tips on germinating these guys here in the valley? 

[Garcia3]

Here is a photo of the Trunk of that same Mule for reference, apologize was having trouble posting this yesterday.  

 

[raimeiken]

how old you think is that? I heard they're fast growing but mine's only been in ground a year and kind of slow so far

Edited May 31, 2018 by raimeiken

[raimeiken]

what do you guys fertilize or feed your palms with? and do you guys use any of the nutritional sprays like the Southern AG palm foliar feed?

[SueH_AZ]

On 5/31/2018, 4:54:12, raimeiken said:

how old you think is that? I heard they're fast growing but mine's only been in ground a year and kind of slow so far

Most of our Mule Palms have been very fast growers, but we bought one from Whitfill that just isn't taking off like the others.

I have one that was a 3 gallon plant five years ago that's at least 15 feet tall to the tip of the tallest frond.  It has grown crazy fast.

[raimeiken]

Any parajubaea torallyi growers here? What's your experience have been with these palms? do they take our summer heat well? winter cold? anyone gotten them to fruit yet? 

[SueH_AZ]

6 hours ago, raimeiken said:

Any parajubaea torallyi growers here? What's your experience have been with these palms? do they take our summer heat well? winter cold? anyone gotten them to fruit yet? 

 

We have tried two--the first in shade/filtered sun.  It never thrived, just declined slowly until it died.  We tried another in a sunnier spot, thinking that was the issue.  It did exactly the same thing.

 

I've heard of others who have had success with them, but we had no luck at all so we've crossed it off our list.

 

[RichAZ]

6 hours ago, raimeiken said:

Any parajubaea torallyi growers here? What's your experience have been with these palms? do they take our summer heat well? winter cold? anyone gotten them to fruit yet? 

I had a nice 15g that grew strongly through the winter but fried and died its first summer.  Maybe try it on the east side of your house?

[aztropic]

I have a couple of them that have been in the ground for several years each.They DO do most of their growing over our winter.Definitely get a little toasty over our summers but so far,not enough to kill them.         Base is currently 8" and I expect it to get ALOT fatter...                      

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

 

[raimeiken]

How much sun does it get? I'm about to get torallyi and sunkha.  Only sports I have are both sunny.

[aztropic]

Both receive full, burning, western afternoon sun. If I had it to do over,I would have gone with an eastern exposure for this species.Mine survive and grow just fine,but could look better with a little less sun.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Garcia3]

Question AZ Tropic, in your experience will P. Torallyi always look this "toasted" or does this palm eventually build up some kind of resistance to our sun exposure with age?  

[GottmitAlex]

11 hours ago, aztropic said:

Both receive full, burning, western afternoon sun. If I had it to do over,I would have gone with an eastern exposure for this species.Mine survive and grow just fine,but could look better with a little less sun.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

So it's the afternoon sun that damages them. I like the picture. Doesn't look burned at all. But I see what you're saying. How cold hardy are they? (Considering they be placed on the east side of the property)

[Tom in Tucson]

I have 2 P. sunkha in 50% shade, and they never look half as vigorous as the hybrids (BxPjc, BxPjs, and B paraquayensis x Pjc) do.

Hi 87°, Lo 69° - cloudy with light rain

[Chadphx]

On 6/15/2018, 9:43:19, aztropic said:

Both receive full, burning, western afternoon sun. If I had it to do over,I would have gone with an eastern exposure for this species.Mine survive and grow just fine,but could look better with a little less sun.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

How much do you water yours?  I have one with an eastern exposure but still gets sun most of the day.  I've heard to keep them dry during the hot summer but not sure what this means.  

[aztropic]

18 hours ago, Garcia3 said:

Question AZ Tropic, in your experience will P. Torallyi always look this "toasted" or does this palm eventually build up some kind of resistance to our sun exposure with age?  

No further resistance.September through March,palm grows a new crown of 4 or 5 fronds.Looks fantastic! Goes to sleep over the hot summer and fronds eventually end up about 25% burned before the cycle starts over again.No worries about it freezing in the valley.Ours get deep watered once a week pretty much year round.Seems to be a pretty tough palm but would just look better with a little less sun.       

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

 

[Chadphx]

Mostly common stuff for Phoenix except for the L. australis on the right. 

[raimeiken]

thanks for all the input!

[Chadphx]

Thanks for the watering tip Aztropic. Just planted a P. rupicola. Not sure how much sun it can take so I planted it out of direct afternoon sun. 

[Chadphx]

I also just planted a Sabal x brazoriensis along the same wall but the picture won’t upload for some reason. 

[BillDaCat8]

On 5/30/2018, 8:42:52, BillDaCat8 said:

Finally scored a few Psuedophoenix Sargentii seeds as well as a gaggle of Bismarckia Nobilis seeds. 

Anyone here have any tips on germinating these guys here in the valley? 

 

We have sprouts!

Four of the five Sargentii seeds have sprouted and four of the 15 Bismarckia’s have shot up.  

Of the Bismarck’s, only eight sank during their initial soaking. So, I wasn’t super optimistic about the whole batch. Four is still more trees than I’ve got room for in my yard anyway considering I already have two in the ground. 

I’ve “potted” up two of the sargentii in used oatmeal cups for now. I’ll do something larger when we get to some warmer weather.  

They’re just in plastic buckets out in the garage. Cheap Xmas lights to keep them warm. Have an Ecobee remote sensor in a ziplock bag in there as well. That way I can monitor temps with my phone  

 

Edited December 16, 2018 by BillDaCat8

[BillDaCat8]

Haven’t been posting much.  But been doing palm stuff.  Earlier in the thread I mentioned surrounds for the trees. 

Here’s the lawn ornament Bismarck with its new ring.  

Corten steel rolled into 3’ diameter rings. 

Edited December 16, 2018 by BillDaCat8

[AZPalms]

1 hour ago, BillDaCat8 said:

Haven’t been posting much.  But been doing palm stuff.  Earlier in the thread I mentioned surrounds for the trees. 

Here’s the lawn ornament Bismarck with its new ring.  

Corten steel rolled into 3’ diameter rings. 

Where are you in the Valley? It’s been a pretty mild winter so far. Palm is looking great! 

[GottmitAlex]

8 minutes ago, AZPalms said:

Where are you in the Valley? It’s been a pretty mild winter so far. Palm is looking great! 

White so. Let's see what happened in January. However until now, five days before winter begins, we have a forecast into the 80's for next week. Some say this phenomena hasn't happened in 10 years.  But of course, the east coast is going through a very early winter. Here again, something unheard of since 10 years ago.  Balance in nature I suppose. 

[aztropic]

2 hours ago, BillDaCat8 said:

We have sprouts!

Four of the five Sargentii seeds have sprouted and four of the 15 Bismarckia’s have shot up.  

Of the Bismarck’s, only eight sank during their initial soaking. So, I wasn’t super optimistic about the whole batch. Four is still more trees than I’ve got room for in my yard anyway considering I already have two in the ground. 

I’ve “potted” up two of the sargentii in used oatmeal cups for now. I’ll do something larger when we get to some warmer weather.  

They’re just in plastic buckets out in the garage. Cheap Xmas lights to keep them warm. Have an Ecobee remote sensor in a ziplock bag in there as well. That way I can monitor temps with my phone  

 

Long road ahead on growing up those Pseudophoenix.Great choice for our desert climate.Just very slow growers until you get a 6-8 inch base developed,then they actually seem to move along reasonably well.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[aztropic]

I grew up a batch of sargentii several years ago.(see pic below) Great palm for our desert climate - just very slow until they develop an 8 inch base,then they seem to finally take off.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[RichAZ]

Agree on the weird weather.  Everything in my yard is still pushing and opening new spears.  I've never seen that before this late in the year.  On the other hand, I only cut water to every 5 days instead of backing off to once a week so that is likely a factor too.  

 

[BillDaCat8]

5 hours ago, AZPalms said:

Where are you in the Valley? It’s been a pretty mild winter so far. Palm is looking great! 

Thanks. That pic is a couple months old. The winter rye grass didn’t work out that well this year. I thought these pics were better for sharing.

I’m at 35th ave & Bell basically. 

I’m mostly prepped for the cold. Got a few potted plants that’ll need to be brought in closer to the house. More Xmas lights on the trunks of my more cold sensitive trees.

 

[AZPalms]

21 hours ago, BillDaCat8 said:

Thanks. That pic is a couple months old. The winter rye grass didn’t work out that well this year. I thought these pics were better for sharing.

I’m at 35th ave & Bell basically. 

I’m mostly prepped for the cold. Got a few potted plants that’ll need to be brought in closer to the house. More Xmas lights on the trunks of my more cold sensitive trees.

 

I prepped a bit as well but the only things I’ve moved into my greenhouse are my papayas, spindle palm and bottle palm. Everything else is out in pots or planted in ground. Even my banana looks good! Last year day time highs were warmer but the night time lows this year so far (fingers crossed) could be another 40f+ low winter. My yard low has been 40f on the dot. Last year was 38f. Still not complaining!! 

[RichAZ]

Hi guys!  I'm seriously crushing on the giant Baobab trees from Madagascar.  Has anyone tried growing any species of Adansonia here in the valley and if so, what was your experience?  Thanks.  

[Silas_Sancona]

11 minutes ago, RichAZ said:

Hi guys!  I'm seriously crushing on the giant Baobab trees from Madagascar.  Has anyone tried growing any species of Adansonia here in the valley and if so, what was your experience?  Thanks.  

Can't share personal experience w / these here, but have also wondered the same thing, and probably would try a few if staying put.. 

That said, and i'm sure there are those who might assume otherwise.. or direct pitchforks in my direction, lol.. i don't see why they wouldn't stand a chance.. We have the heat ( both a potentially good..and not so great factor) Get summer rainfall ( some years better than others of course)... not too much winter rain ( more years than not) Cold exposure might be a factor to consider but not all that much that you couldn't place it somewhere that offers enough protection when young, and get it to a size where it might be able to fend off a few days of frost better, why not try it.. 

U of A apparently has two Adinsonia za in the Campus Arboretum collection that, at least from pictures on their directory, look big and have flowered.. Tucson gets a *bit* colder than a majority of the Valley, especially in Gilbert  ..so, if they can pull it off, twice.. why couldn't you?

I'd say, if you have the space, can offer both cold and sun protection ( White wash the trunk when young ) and the dedication, give it a go.. 

I'd also look into trying Gumbo Limbo (Bursera simaruba) though, if you can find them locally ( specific nursery in Tucson has them, along with various Baobabs fairly regularly) you'll have to start small. Again, i know some might be of a differing opinion, which is fine.. but in my own experience, mine have done fine here.. and they're small, even my biggest ..which i kept outside through this weeks cold spell. No burn, etc damage to the foliage. I do keep them in a spot where the sun doesn't hit them in summer since they're in pots. Very fast growers in the summer, esp. once Monsoon season kicks in, or has been what i have observed.
 In the ground, in a spot where the sun is filtered, at least until they have some size to take on full summer sun.. that drains well, especially in the winter,  i'd suspect they'd do fine.. and are great looking trees that can provide good shade, if you let them get big enough to provide canopy.. have seen nice specimens kept no taller than 15ft through yearly pruning back in Florida. I can only imagine how good the street median out front would look with these planted in it.. If i wasn't moving, i'd be working on getting some big enough to plant out there..

Good luck

[Garcia3]

Dude…………..  first off welcome to Caudiciform Trees, you are opening pandora’s plant  box.  Pachycaul trees are amazing and there are so many we can grow here.  Adansonia do fairly well in phx, I am growing A. Grandidieri myself, and I know a couple of people growing A. Digitata.  Generally, they seem to be strong plants handling full sun (some late afternoon filtered shade), prefer excellent drainage, and require frost protection.  Their only drawback seems to be the slow growth rate.  You may not see any significant size in your lifetime.  If you like Adansonia, check out others like; Aloidendron  Bursera, Brachychiton, Beaucarneas, Cyphostemma, Dracaena, Ficus, Moringa, Pachypodium, Pachycormus.  For a source, check out  Arid Lands Nursery,  or  Plants of the southwest in Tucson, they carry Adansonia from time to time.  If you get the chance I suggest you head down to Plants of the Southwest. 

[Silas_Sancona]

12 minutes ago, Garcia3 said:

Dude…………..  first off welcome to Caudiciform Trees, you are opening pandora’s plant  box.  Pachycaul trees are amazing and there are so many we can grow here.  Adansonia do fairly well in phx, I am growing A. Grandidieri myself, and I know a couple of people growing A. Digitata.  Generally, they seem to be strong plants handling full sun (some late afternoon filtered shade), prefer excellent drainage, and require frost protection.  Their only drawback seems to be the slow growth rate.  You may not see any significant size in your lifetime.  If you like Adansonia, check out others like; Aloidendron  Bursera, Brachychiton, Beaucarneas, Cyphostemma, Dracaena, Ficus, Moringa, Pachypodium, Pachycormus.  For a source, check out  Arid Lands Nursery,  or  Plants of the southwest in Tucson, they carry Adansonia from time to time.  If you get the chance I suggest you head down to Plants of the Southwest. 

^ Agree, often has / grows stuff Arid lands might not.. Also grows some harder to find Cycads as well.. 

Some additional  caudiciform things to look for, if they interest you / either of you: Cyrtocarpa edulis ( Baja Plum, Ciruelo. Fruit is edible) Jatropha macrocarpa,  Ipomoea arborescens and pauciflora;  Commiphora ( several sp) and  Boswellia ( Frankenscense)   Mine did fine through the cold this week.. DBG has the largest specimen i have seen locally.  

Another id highly recommend anyone into Caudiciforms to search for, Manihot caudata.. Don't know of any direct sources but someone i know in Tucson obtained a specimen from someone else down there.. Really cool tree that looks a lot like Cercropia peltata ( bluish leaves, silvery underneath) but grows like Bursera ( dark reddish brown, peeling bark )  Some pictures of it can be seen on the Explore Life On Earth's  "The Mexican clade of Manihot" page. 

[RichAZ]

Thanks very much for the detailed and informative responses.  I stayed up way to late researching these.   I have a feeling I will be planting something as soon as it warms up a bit.