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Local Arizona Thread


MKIVRYAN

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Looking good so far!  I planted a few myself!

What are your plans for protecting from the sun in summer?  

And palm experts, what have you found to be the best slow release fertilizer for our alkaline soil that includes manganese and sulfur for these bad boys?

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41 minutes ago, wase471111 said:

are those really called "old man palms"?  very cool, did they come from Shamus?

thanks

They’re Cocothrinax Crinita, but one of their common names are “old man palm”. There available at Whitfill nursery on southern ave in Phoenix. They only had 5 left yesterday.

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Yes,the common name of Coccothrinax crinita really is old man palm due to the long hairs that cover the trunk. They did not come from shamus. He only brought in royals and foxtails this year for palms. He mainly specializes in tropical fruit trees. Whitfill on southern originally brought in 18 of these rare palms. They had 10 available when I bought mine,but only have 5 left at the moment. It's a cute tree,but will require protection from our western sun to succeed.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

IMG_20220315_124415135_HDR.jpg

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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2 hours ago, aztropic said:

IMG_20220315_124415135_HDR.jpg

You should cut and gel the fibers to make hair and a moustache :floor:

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Lucas

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37 minutes ago, xoRudy said:

Officially in the ground

E727E795-EE30-4FE4-B192-995AB4DE15D1.jpeg

Beautiful tree!

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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On 3/16/2022 at 9:26 AM, aztropic said:

Yes,the common name of Coccothrinax crinita really is old man palm due to the long hairs that cover the trunk. They did not come from shamus. He only brought in royals and foxtails this year for palms. He mainly specializes in tropical fruit trees. Whitfill on southern originally brought in 18 of these rare palms. They had 10 available when I bought mine,but only have 5 left at the moment. It's a cute tree,but will require protection from our western sun to succeed.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

IMG_20220315_124415135_HDR.jpg

did whitfill provide the cool shades too? B)

I read that these guys dont like anything below 35 degrees, and, obviously, there are several nights in our "winter" where it dips to that or below..

Is that anything to worry about?

thanks

 

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Short answer... It could be. I grow several other Coccothrinax species in my yard without any problems,but I'm counting on this one to be a little less frost hardy. I planted it in my best microclimate where I was able to keep a coconut alive in the ground for 5 years. Time will tell. I have had problems with the old man palm in the past with spear pull after winter. It will either make it,or it won't. If it doesn't,I'm done with the old men. Check out my posts in this other thread for Coco's that are trouble free for me.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

 

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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1 hour ago, aztropic said:

Short answer... It could be. I grow several other Coccothrinax species in my yard without any problems,but I'm counting on this one to be a little less frost hardy. I planted it in my best microclimate where I was able to keep a coconut alive in the ground for 5 years. Time will tell. I have had problems with the old man palm in the past with spear pull after winter. It will either make it,or it won't. If it doesn't,I'm done with the old men. Check out my posts in this other thread for Coco's that are trouble free for me.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

 

So, all those coco's survive out here with no shade cloth, and just the "normal" amount of desert watering?

Your plants are super impressive in that thread!   Are they mostly seed grown, or, can you buy them decent sized?

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Yes,everything in my yard has grown unprotected,for over 10 years.When the plants were smaller,I did protect against freezes,but now everything is just too big to even worry about. At this size,if we get cold enough for freeze damage,the plants just shrug it off and keep growing with a new frond to start over.

Most of those Coccothrinax palms were installed at 3 or 5 gallon size,from plants purchased in FL. There never has been a real nursery in AZ that has ever imported these rare species. You can either buy them off eBay,grow them from seed yourself,or buy them from a local hobby grower like myself who planted the seeds 15 years ago. I used to live in Florida and have been back many times,often bringing a few plants back with me each time. Give them 10 or 15 years in the ground here,and you can grow a pretty impressive collection.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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But of course... I currently have 3 planted around my yard. I will say that they need protection from our afternoon summer sun,and that they can be frost tender as younger plants. Once established,they grow slowly,but steadily. Plants are endangered, and extremely rare and hard to find.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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Thanks for the info I know they are slooooow but didn’t know where to plant it yours look great hope I can get mine to look that good!!

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I saw some ArchontoPhoenix Alexandrae Palms (King Palms) at HD near the 101 and Raintree that I have never seen sold here locally.   Any chance of survival in the ground?  $99 for a three trunk a palm about 6 feet tall in a 5 gallon pot.  Thought It was a great price by todays standards but also thought about how cheap Majesty Palms can be as they die as soon as you leave the store.   
sorry I did not get a pic of the Palms but certainly can tomorrow 

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If you can provide COMPLETE protection from afternoon western sun,they can be grown in the ground here. I had one for about 15 years that did fine growing under and inside an orange tree. Anytime a frond reached outside of the citrus canopy though,it was immediately burned off the following June.Eventually,it just got too tall,and could not survive anymore with the summer frond loss. Stop on by,and I'll give you one if you'd like to experiment with this species...

This is sold here mostly as a palm for planting in a decorative ceramic pot,to be kept under a covered patio. (in Arizona)

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

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Edited by aztropic
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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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2 gallon in 15 years, to 6 feet of trunk in Arizona. Roof line is 8 ft,and my specimen started declining after that due to burned fronds.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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Another Coccothrinax crinita going in the ground. This one’s at my fathers house in Yuma Arizona.

CF797777-44C4-477E-BD21-329330C65AE4.jpeg

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A question to all Arizonan gardeners on this thread!

I once read that Arizona's soil is rocky and hard to dig into. I am growing date palms, mangoes, avocadoes, papayas, bananas, etc. in Attica, Greece and our soil is exactly like that in some places (like in my garden unfortunately).

Though we don't have desert climate, the place has a high aridity, which, in combination with the soil being hard and rocky, has made the growth of the plants extreme slow.
I have attached a satellite view of the place; the only plant that grows without trouble are some wild olive trees.
Even papayas, which is considered a relatively fast growing plant, grow about 1 inch per month.

Unfortunately, being a student, I don't have money for a soil modification or any other expensive treatments at the moment. Which brings me to my question:
Is there any other (cheaper) way to combat this? What do you guys do?

(I do water and fertilize the plants, but that doesn't boost up things)

Many thanks in advance!

Στιγμιότυπο οθόνης (51).png

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Do better soil prep before planting in a spot. Dig a $100 hole,for a $10 plant. This means,dig a hole 3 times as wide and 3 times as deep as the rootball you are planting. Remove all that soil from the hole,fill up a wheelbarrow half way with this native soil,and start amending it by adding components like gypsum,perlite,peat moss,compost,etc. - anything you can think of that will loosen and lighten the soil mix to allow more oxygen to the plantings roots. I understand you have no money,but there really is no shortcut,or cheap way out to increase the growth speed of your plants,without increasing the quality of the soil they are growing in. To borrow a phrase from the computer world..."Garbage in = Garbage out". :greenthumb:

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

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Mesa, Arizona

 

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20 minutes ago, aztropic said:

This means,dig a hole 3 times as wide and 3 times as deep as the rootball you are planting. Remove all that soil from the hole,fill up a wheelbarrow half way with this native soil,and start amending it by adding components like gypsum,perlite,peat moss,compost,etc.

Actually that's doable! I just can't afford a complete soil modification, i.e. the whole garden, which is over 400 square feet in total. (This solution was originally suggested to me)

I figured that eventually the roots will outgrow this bit of modified soil and the plant will again face the same problems, but even if so, it will give the plant a good head start.
Will do so in the future.

Thanks a lot! :D

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On 3/27/2022 at 3:17 PM, Victor G. said:

Actually that's doable! I just can't afford a complete soil modification, i.e. the whole garden, which is over 400 square feet in total. (This solution was originally suggested to me)

I figured that eventually the roots will outgrow this bit of modified soil and the plant will again face the same problems, but even if so, it will give the plant a good head start.
Will do so in the future.

Thanks a lot! :D

I've read it's not a good idea for plants in general as it's kind of the same thing as putting them in a pot. For palms though, given their small root ball I guess it will be fine. You can find cheap pumice at Jumbo btw. Compost is also cheap. 

previously known as ego

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1 hour ago, ego said:

I've read it's not a good idea for plants in general as it's kind of the same thing as putting them in a pot. For palms though, given their small root ball I guess it will be fine. You can find cheap pumice at Jumbo btw. Compost is also cheap. 

It's not a perfect plan, I agree, but at least the rootball will sit in soft soil this way and will be able to "breathe" easier.
In time, I believe the other roots will push through and grow in the hard soil too, as it will get more and more narrow in there.

I'll try it out and post the results! After all, my plant-in-crappy-soil method, hasn't yielded any results so far.

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27 minutes ago, Victor G. said:

It's not a perfect plan, I agree, but at least the rootball will sit in soft soil this way and will be able to "breathe" easier.
In time, I believe the other roots will push through and grow in the hard soil too, as it will get more and more narrow in there.

I'll try it out and post the results! After all, my plant-in-crappy-soil method, hasn't yielded any results so far.

I've seen many uprooted Cocos in Indonesia and trust me their roots are tiny. If you can dig 1 meter width and 50cm depth you should be fine. Perhaps someone with more experience can confirm?

previously known as ego

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7 minutes ago, ego said:

I've seen many uprooted Cocos in Indonesia and trust me their roots are tiny. If you can dig 1 meter width and 50cm depth you should be fine. Perhaps someone with more experience can confirm?

It's true many palms (and yuccas) have a small rootball (with the wind in Dikastika, I don't see a bright future ahead of them).

But I'm also talking about other plants for my future gardening, such as mangoes, papayas, etc. These can grow much bigger roots.

To give you an idea, this is where I'm planting stuff (left and right from the road). A complete and proper soil modification would cost thousands here. That's why I'm looking for cheaper solutions.
If they work out it will be perfect; if not, so be it.
Our own garden is way to small to plant stuff (and already full of other stuff) that's why I'm planting out on the street. Take a walk in Dikastika and you'll see a lot of people planting on public property, across their houses! (I guess it's common there)

DSC_0657.JPG

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1 minute ago, Victor G. said:

It's true many palms (and yuccas) have a small rootball (with the wind in Dikastika, I don't see a bright future ahead of them).

But I'm also talking about other plants for my future gardening, such as mangoes, papayas, etc. These can grow much bigger roots.

To give you an idea, this is where I'm planting stuff (left and right from the road). A complete and proper soil modification would cost thousands here. That's why I'm looking for cheaper solutions.
If they work out it will be perfect; if not, so be it.
Our own garden is way to small to plant stuff (and already full of other stuff) that's why I'm planting out on the street. Take a walk in Dikastika and you'll see a lot of people planting on public property, across their houses! (I guess it's common there)

DSC_0657.JPG

You do realize that all your mangoes etc will be stolen before you even have a chance to try them, right?

Well, anyway in that case, just modify as much soil as you can and pray a lot :D

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previously known as ego

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1 minute ago, ego said:

You do realize that all your mangoes etc will be stolen before you even have a chance to try them, right?

Well, anyway in that case, just modify as much soil as you can and pray a lot :D

Hahah I know. My goal is to keep one mango tree in my yard (provided they survive there) and others out on the street.

I don't care if they steal them, I just think it would be nice to have them

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  • 2 months later...

Hi local palm people!

 

I haven’t drifted in for a while. Just saying hello and wanted to see if anyone had a line on finding a couple Coconut Queens? 
 

Looks like there’s been quite a few new contributors to this thread. Very cool. I love being able to trade info with others dealing with our unique growing situation here. 
 

I’ll be sure to wander into here more often.  
 

btw, Hi Scott @aztropic  All of your plants that I’ve got are doing really well. I did lose a 15 gal Royal to a nasty wind storm than blew through my yard though. Knocked it over and tore up the bulk of the roots.  I tried to save it. But, it wasn’t meant to be. :( Got anything new/exciting down there ? 

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If you've never tried a Barbados cherry,that is a tree that I have become very impressed with! Fast grower that will produce fruit,but you have to be faster than the birds to enjoy some... Pretty pink flowers,and tropical looking leaves. Seems to take our full sun without any problem.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

1 hour ago, BillDaCat8 said:

Hi Scott @aztropic  Got anything new/exciting down there ? 

 

IMG_20220506_124930169_HDR.jpg

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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3 hours ago, BillDaCat8 said:

Hi local palm people!

 

I haven’t drifted in for a while. Just saying hello and wanted to see if anyone had a line on finding a couple Coconut Queens? 

 

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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I have a couple Coconut Queens in my yard that I bought from Phil at Jungle Music and drove home from San Diego.  They've done really well, growing tall and full and not getting too beat up by all day full sun and the occasional "plunge" into the low 30's.  I'd give them a try www.junglemusic.net

 

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On 5/31/2022 at 3:02 PM, BillDaCat8 said:

Hi local palm people!

 

I haven’t drifted in for a while. Just saying hello and wanted to see if anyone had a line on finding a couple Coconut Queens? 
 

Looks like there’s been quite a few new contributors to this thread. Very cool. I love being able to trade info with others dealing with our unique growing situation here. 
 

I’ll be sure to wander into here more often.  
 

btw, Hi Scott @aztropic  All of your plants that I’ve got are doing really well. I did lose a 15 gal Royal to a nasty wind storm than blew through my yard though. Knocked it over and tore up the bulk of the roots.  I tried to save it. But, it wasn’t meant to be. :( Got anything new/exciting down there ? 

Hey Bill.  How much is Pacific Palms asking for those?  I'd like to give on a try if they can handle the sun better than a queen.

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3 hours ago, AZJakeB said:

Hey Bill.  How much is Pacific Palms asking for those?  I'd like to give on a try if they can handle the sun better than a queen.

Looks like $800 each for a truly 'instant landscape' sized palm. Honestly don't think you can find them for sale any bigger than that out west. Buy the time!

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

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Mesa, Arizona

 

Temps between 29F and 115F each year

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On 5/31/2022 at 6:06 PM, aztropic said:

 

Thank you. I will chase this lead.

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On 6/1/2022 at 1:12 PM, RichAZ said:

I have a couple Coconut Queens in my yard that I bought from Phil at Jungle Music and drove home from San Diego.  They've done really well, growing tall and full and not getting too beat up by all day full sun and the occasional "plunge" into the low 30's.  I'd give them a try www.junglemusic.net

 

I will definitely try Phil if I can’t scare anything up here locally.  Gas prices right now make that sort of trip unappealing tho. 

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