cyphophoenix nucele surprise

[Phoenikakias]

Im sure everybody has gotta be joking here!

Seriously, I can't believe the lack of civility projected on this topic.

Unless there has some major trash talk behind the scenes, I would think all the " old timers" would appear a little open minded and less threatened by a relative newcomer to palm talk.

I am absolutely possitive that the ips welcomes new ideas!

I've seen Axels palm garden. I'd say it rivals anything in SoCal , Florida and Hawaii.... Ok well almost Hawaii.

Sure, time will tell how we'll his new arrivals adapt.

Knowing Axel like I do, I'm sure he'll be reporting on his gardens progress.

Ok... I'm off my soap box.

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

So true!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

OK, here is all the data in pictures:

Species: cyophoenix nucele,

Planting size: 5g

Source: Palms n'Cycads - George Sparkman, grown outdoors under shade cloth, exposed to 27F in January, no trace of frost damage on plant.

Planting Time: Early March, soil still cold, air temp 65-75F highs, 39-47F lows.

Observations: Plant had the start of a spear, then proceeded to grow out 1-2 fronds over a period of three months, with a new spear starting to open up now. Experienced some sunburn during two hot days of > 95F temperatures and several weeks of >80F temperatures but the latest leaf appears to have acclimated. Growth is about twice of an identically sized cyophoenix elegans planted at the same time purchased from the same location.

Planting location: planted on a southwest corner of the house with overhead canopy and full sun exposure from 1PM onward in Summer, 11AM Winter.

Soil: Soil is basically crap, sandy with shale, near a brick retaining wall that gets full sun in the afternoon.

Fertilizer: Home Depot Vigoro time release granules, applied once a month.

Watering: 2-3 times a week by flooding swale, has a dripper, but drip irrigation is not currently turned on.

Close up of new spear coming up:

[grant b.]

This is the last thing I will comment on with this Axel. You are not getting a key point. You have nothing but a few months palm growing experience with these NewCals and Dypsis you are planting yet you go around challenging books, websites and other growers as incorrect or plain wrong based on your very limited knowledge that doesn't even include one winter! If you had been growing for a few years and posted your experience people would be more willing to accept it - as seen by the many threads posted here every day by others. It amazes me someone can make such bold assumptions off only a few months experience.

After reading the beginning of this discussion yesterday, and catching up with it today, this post says everything.

Axel, you say you dont want to gloat, but isnt that why you started this thread? Saying that your plants are cranking just a few months after planting them is fine, but drawing conclusions from such a short period of time and deriding the growing experience of others is silly.

Its great you feel your diurnal temperature swings and dolomitic lime are the fountain of youth for your trees, but until you take the experiences of others with a little more weight, most of the people who are going to read this thread have learned very little except that a wink is as good as a nod to a blind horse.

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Hey... Did anyone Hear what Paula Deen Said?

[Phoenikakias]

It may well be that after first winter outdoors particular plant will slow down its growth. On the other hand I have to read yet a similiar report from a veteran, about his/her C nucele growing that fast when outplanted and then after first winter reducing growth rate. At the very end all tropical palms before outplanting had been growing in a green house or cold frame or under shade cloth (beyond the tropics that is). There are certain generalized procedures with palms but exactly this is also the main drawback, the generalization! Hard anyway for a palm grower/collector to meet exactly the needs of all palms which can be from several dozens to several hundreds. Has it never occured to anyone of you, that a particular palm, which used to grow at snail's pace, suddenly 'explodes' in growth before it drops again to this slow growth rate? Is not this due to a usually random coincidence of many conditions to (or near to) optimal combination for this palm like in its natural habitat? What I am trying to say is that Axel's comments should be considered as a reason for further investigation...

[LJG]

Hey... Did anyone Hear what Paula Deen Said?

No! But I just planted a Cyrtostachys renda and it has put out three leaves so far this year. I can't believe what books and other growers have said about it in SoCal. It's growing for me! Edited June 21, 2013 by LJG

[MattyB]

Observations: Plant had the start of a spear, then proceeded to grow out 1-2 fronds over a period of three months

You get all technical and then say this? Is it 1 or 2? Over a short period of time, like 3 months, that's a massive difference. I don't really care what it specifically is. I'd say something like, "it seems to be growing well so far". But you're the one breaking it down all scientifical so...

I like that exposure. Sounds ideal for pushing the zone.

BTW, your soil doesn't look so bad, from the pics anyway. I'm sure you know this, but a nice thick layer of mulch will benefit that palm greatly. In my experience and observations, at least here in SoCal, bare dirt is one of the worst things you can do to your palms.

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Hey... Did anyone Hear what Paula Deen Said?

No! But I just planted a Cyrtostachys renda and it has put out three leaves so far this year. I can't believe what books and other growers have said about it in SoCal. It's growing for me!

I'd be happy for you!

But then again....

I stayed at a Holiday inn last night!

:floor:

Edited June 21, 2013 by Jeff in Modesto

[LJG]

Hey... Did anyone Hear what Paula Deen Said?

No! But I just planted a Cyrtostachys renda and it has put out three leaves so far this year. I can't believe what books and other growers have said about it in SoCal. It's growing for me!

I'd be happy for you!

But then again....

I stayed at a Holiday inn last night!

:floor:

Hope it had a few orangutans to keep you warm.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Observations: Plant had the start of a spear, then proceeded to grow out 1-2 fronds over a period of three months

You get all technical and then say this? Is it 1 or 2? Over a short period of time, like 3 months, that's a massive difference. I don't really care what it specifically is. I'd say something like, "it seems to be growing well so far". But you're the one breaking it down all scientifical so...

I like that exposure. Sounds ideal for pushing the zone.

BTW, your soil doesn't look so bad, from the pics anyway. I'm sure you know this, but a nice thick layer of mulch will benefit that palm greatly. In my experience and observations, at least here in SoCal, bare dirt is one of the worst things you can do to your palms.

I think it's 2, one of the new fronds burned after emerging because I re-planted the thing and in the process rotated it. The other is fine. The spear is the third one.

The other New Caledonia stuff I grow is more like: 1 frond, then nothing for a while, then a spear, then another frond. It's like watching paint dry.

You are right about the much. I will put down mulch as soon as I take care of the drip. Still need to do some drip debugging.

For everyone who's complained about it only being three months: I am going to post a separate post about this.

[kahili]

If you want to improve your soil even faster, use composted leaf mulch twice a year for a few years and you will be amazed

[MattyB]

Yeah, leaves do breakdown nicely.

[kahili]

I'll say! I took a large area and made it a tropical garden with hardy tropicals/palms which was all straight clay when I started the project. Put composted leaf mulch down once a year for a few years and this year I was the one to plant the lantanas etc in there to fill it out and I was blown away by how nice the dirt was . Key word-dirt, not clay. Was only planting one gallon size, but never hit clay once, even though its still down there a few feet, but huge improvement. Digging was so easy. I could start using shredded hard wood now, but I really like the way that the leaves break down so fast and convert to soil.

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Hey... Did anyone Hear what Paula Deen Said?

No! But I just planted a Cyrtostachys renda and it has put out three leaves so far this year. I can't believe what books and other growers have said about it in SoCal. It's growing for me!

I'd be happy for you!

But then again....

I stayed at a Holiday inn last night!

:floor:

Hope it had a few orangutans to keep you warm.

bongo_022.gif

Hey Now... I miss really those lads that I met at Noon Nooch botanical gardens!

Its really true what they say about the night life in Thailand!

Edited June 21, 2013 by Jeff in Modesto

[paulgila]

yeah,remember to watch out for flying ping pong balls

[Walter John]

and bongo players..

As usual my palm growing went against the rule and my nucele performed well whilst my elegans drifted downhill, that was then, have an idea why, I'm ready to try an elegans again. Forget numbers, just plant 'em, and I submit the notion of trying the same species (for example C.nucele) in a few different spots of your yard under slightly different habits, one with less sun etc. See how they perform, enjoy.

[Cedric]

Hope this helps LJG. PACSOA doesnt beat around the Cyphophoenix on this issue.

C. elegans "Easy, and quite fast growing, as well as being wind tolerant."

C. nucele "Despite its rarity, this is quite an easy plant to grow, being able to take full sun from an early age, as well as being salt, wind, and limestone tolerant. It is also a reasonably fast grower."

They sound a cinch (:

[LJG]

Hope this helps LJG. PACSOA doesnt beat around the Cyphophoenix on this issue.C. elegans "Easy, and quite fast growing, as well as being wind tolerant."C. nucele "Despite its rarity, this is quite an easy plant to grow, being able to take full sun from an early age, as well as being salt, wind, and limestone tolerant. It is also a reasonably fast grower."They sound a cinch (:

I am sorry. Not sure I understand why you addressed this to me.

[BeaumontTropics]

Wow,

what a hot mess of a thread. Axel, Im sure you had all the right intentions describing your growing success thus far with your plants. If there is one thing I've learned here on Palmtalk, as soon as claims get

thrown out about growing "real palm trees" (palms i could never grow), everyone seems to get up in arms about this vs. that, slopes, irrigation, sun exposure, acidity in soil, blah, blah blah. So you've got

a palm that is growing well for you, AWESOME! and it seems to be growing better, at least at this point, than what published and online literature suggests, even Better. And if Len, or Matty, disagrees with

your conclusions based upon your growing experiences, let them, they're entitlled to have a different opinion, and they may be wrong or right. Who Cares?

This is a forum intended to feed the likes of us who indulge in the growing of palm trees and everything tropical. Take it for what it is. Its not going to be the most scientific way of getting information, that's a given. But it allows us to interact with other likes of people who share the same hobby. I hope you don't get discouraged from Palm Talk. It's actually a pretty fun forum, however, sometimes EVERYONE TAKES THEMSELVES A LITTLE TOO SERIOUS on this thing. When stuff gets thrown out about "more experience growing than you," or "you have limited experience", blah, blah blah, get a hold of yourselves people. At the end of the day, it's a Palm Tree, a Palm Tree. We're all entitled to have a different opinion, and that is great! But if we're going to talk smack in a non joking way about palm trees, it is save to say that we clearly must have too much time on our hands, and undoubtedly must find something more constructive to do.

Just my Opinion, anyway, happy growing!!

[LJG]

When stuff gets thrown out about "more experience growing than you," or "you have limited experience", blah, blah blah, get a hold of yourselves people. At the end of the day, it's a Palm Tree, a Palm Tree. We're all entitled to have a different opinion, and that is great! But if we're going to talk smack in a non joking way about palm trees, it is save to say that we clearly must have too much time on our hands, and undoubtedly must find something more constructive to do.

Just my Opinion, anyway, happy growing!!

Yeah, you were good up to this point. Then you started pontificating.

[PALM MOD]

This topic has also run its course and is closed.