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New appreciation for the Mules


Xhoniwaters1

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Here is a picture of one of my three seedlings I have in the ground. They were unprotected throughout these deep freeze episodes we've had this winter. 60+ frozen hours and counting. Still looking perfect. Awesome palms..gotta plant more!

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  • Upvote 1

Tyler

Coastal Zone 9a

''Karma is a good girl, she just treats you exactly how you treat her"

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I think, like their Butia half parent, they actually enjoy a little cold.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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It will be interesting to see what features they take on when they are older. I've got this one growing right next to a Chamaerops in a raised bed by the driveway. A fan palm feather palm combo. :36_14_15[1]:

Tyler

Coastal Zone 9a

''Karma is a good girl, she just treats you exactly how you treat her"

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Mules are one of my anchor palms. I have 4 and each has different characteristics. I'm not sure which one I like best but what I appreciate most is their ability to take a beating and still look lush in the landscape.

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Yes, im sold as well. I might be ordering a couple of 2-3 ft. CT ones from Mark Heath again this summer. Let me know if y'all are interested in piggybacking on my order.

Would really like to try some of the other cocoid hybrids that are being developed.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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David, how did your two mules do? Thought I remember seeing a photo of the one in the back but believe you had one planted in the front as well, maybe a smaller one?

Zone 9b (formerly listed as Zone 9a); Sunset 14

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Unfazed for the most part...may be a little bronzing of some leaves. Later in the spring I will be documenting all the palms in the cold damage section of PT under their respective botanical names.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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x2 on thinking they like it.

My pindos are the same way, they either survive from seedlings now without freeze protection or die. I believe it helps to introduce the young seedlings to frost sooner than later (not too sure about hardening but it seems to work). I have purposely planted pindos in areas that stay in standing water half the year, added 3x too much fertilizer, and trimmed the foliage and roots down to nothing while transplanting and very few things can be so detrimental to kill them.

Edited by bbrantley
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Amidst utter destruction, look at those mules and the Jubutia. Tell me I don't want more of those in the garden.

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  • Like 1

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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For comparison, this is what my P. reclinata looks like.

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In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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This is what my L chinensis and CIDP look like.

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In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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And this is what is left of a queen I added year before last.

Note that Sabal back there, I want more of them, too.

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In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Amidst utter destruction, look at those mules and the Jubutia. Tell me I don't want more of those in the garden.

Is the palm on the right a yatay mule? I like it.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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Amidst utter destruction, look at those mules and the Jubutia. Tell me I don't want more of those in the garden.

Is the palm on the right a yatay mule? I like it.

Yes, it is. Pretty much the showiest palm in my garden.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Yes thats a fine one....love the height of the crown.

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Keith, i have a similar sized queen also planted in 2012.

Did yours grow fast after planting out? I noticed it had 3 fullgrown fronds, do they need more trunkmass before they start to grow more fronds/bigger crowns?

Axel

Edited by Axel Amsterdam
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Thanks for your photos Keith. While we had some pretty cold temps here we didn't experience an advective freeze like you guys so the mule photos were very interesting to see. Pretty sure this part of Calif had one in the late 80s or early 90s before we moved here, and at some point I'm sure we will see another one. Glad to know we chose well for a cold hardy yard by selecting our mules as the anchoring palms. I did notice your sabal in the background. Looks like a trunking version...? What kind is it?

If there is any silver lining to the arctic freeze, I hope it's that xButygryrus gets more recognition and become more widely planted. If you have the space to accommodate it's fronds, I think it is a beautiful palm. Plus for those that say palms don't provide shade, these guys can speak to the opposite.

Zone 9b (formerly listed as Zone 9a); Sunset 14

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Great photos Keith! Really shows the hardiness difference between Sabals, Butia, and Jubaea vs. all the rest. The more I read and experiment with Butia and Jubaea, the more encouraged I get about these varieties and the hybrids also. They may be the only 2 varieties other than Windmills and Euro Fan Palms that actually have a legit shot of growing to maturity in the Pacific NW climate here.

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Amidst utter destruction, look at those mules and the Jubutia. Tell me I don't want more of those in the garden.

Those look really nice Keith. I agree...and plant lots of really hardy stuff so I can enjoy the garden in Feb-Apr.

Glenn

Modesto, California

 

Sunset Zone 14   USDA 9b

 

Low Temp. 19F/-7C 12-20-1990         

 

High Temp. 111F/43C 07-23-2006

 

Annual Average Precipitation 13.12 inches/yr.

 

             

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My favorite thing about mule palms is the lack of unwanted seedlings! I wish I had planted more of them years ago rather than experimenting on marginal palms. I assume the cold hardiness varies, but will probably try a few at the farm to experiment again - I guess I just can't help myself.

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My favorite thing about mule palms is the lack of unwanted seedlings! I wish I had planted more of them years ago rather than experimenting on marginal palms. I assume the cold hardiness varies, but will probably try a few at the farm to experiment again - I guess I just can't help myself.

I am up to 10 now, and looking for a few more. Got to love their total need for nothing at all.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Hi Keith, I love the hybrid on the right of the 1st pic! This one is the Jubutia?

What is the palm behind your CIDP that still looks almost fully green? Is that Syagrus R.?

I'm sorry for you people in North America for the freezing winter you had! ..but thanks to this we enjoyed an almost no frost winter in western Europe (here at more than 47°N latitude)!!

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Hi Keith, I love the hybrid on the right of the 1st pic! This one is the Jubutia?

What is the palm behind your CIDP that still looks almost fully green? Is that Syagrus R.?

I'm sorry for you people in North America for the freezing winter you had! ..but thanks to this we enjoyed an almost no frost winter in western Europe (here at more than 47°N latitude)!!

The hybrid on the right in the 1st pic the Mule with a B. yatay parent. On the left is the Jubutia. That Jubutia is slooooooow. I'll be happy if it exceeds my height before it dies.

Right behind and slightly to the right of the CIDP is another Mule showing some light bronzing. Directly behind and much taller is my large Syagrus r. Much of those green fronds are now turning brown, but it is very much alive. That queen is a beast. In its early days it was blown over twice by hurricanes, and moved twice. The third time, again by a hurricane it took a slight lean, but straightened itself back up and now has a nice mild curve in the trunk..

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Keith, what low temps did you have in your place this winter. The poor queen looks like it may not make it. I love the Yatay, looks like the centerpiece of your yard.

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Hey Guys,

I haven't been on in a while as I am working on many different fruit trees in my yard. The brutal Winter has pushed me back to see what others have experienced. We had a low of 19F BUT we were at or below freezing for 40 hours and we had a ice storm that covered everything with ice. I'm afraid that I do not have any good news.

My sabal, european and windmill palms of course were undamaged mostly. My two washingtonias lost their fronds but have pushed new ones.

My three P. Reclinatas (with 5 -6 feet of CT) are mostly dead. One will have some root regrowth. The other two were non-suckering and probably had sylvestrus in them and show no signs of pushing new growth. My three clumps of slender lady palms are toast. My seven queen palms dead with bleeding trunks. One of these was massive with a nearly 18" diameter trunk and close to twenty five feet tall. I was very surprised to see it dead. Rhaphis palm dead. My lisa dead.

My twenty foot tall sylvestrus is barely hanging in there with the top frond showing green. This is my centerpiece and i hope it will recover. Still it will take ar least three years to look right again.

Here is the kicker. My two mule palms looked untouched but slowly the center frond started to yellow and yesterday I gave it a small tug and it came right out. Very discouraging.

Edited by Darkman

Darkman in Pensacola - Looking for cold hardy palms and plants that make Pensacola look tropical

Life - Some assembly required, Side effects frequently experienced, Mileage may vary, As is no warranty, Batteries not included, Instructions shipped separately and are frequently wrong!

Kentucky Bourbon - It may not solve the problem but it helps to make it tolerable!

Statistics - Opinions that analyst twist to support the insanity of those that pay them.

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Sorry to hear about the state of things in your yard. Spring time can look pretty ugly. Any photos of your palms? Am curious how large are your mules are and if you expect the mules with spear pull to push out new fronds? Figure you are getting some nice warm weather to help out.

Zone 9b (formerly listed as Zone 9a); Sunset 14

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Darkman.....check out this post...make sure your palms are dead, dead, dead before you give up on them. Just because your mules coughed up spears doesn't necessarily mean they are dead. Treat the area with peroxide once a week otherwise just keep the hole dry.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/40653-palm-surgery-need-photos/

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Hey Guys,

I haven't been on in a while as I am working on many different fruit trees in my yard. The brutal Winter has pushed me back to see what others have experienced. We had a low of 19F BUT we were at or below freezing for 40 hours and we had a ice storm that covered everything with ice. I'm afraid that I do not have any good news.

My sabal, european and windmill palms of course were undamaged mostly. My two washingtonias lost their fronds but have pushed new ones.

My three P. Reclinatas (with 5 -6 feet of CT) are mostly dead. One will have some root regrowth. The other two were non-suckering and probably had sylvestrus in them and show no signs of pushing new growth. My three clumps of slender lady palms are toast. My seven queen palms dead with bleeding trunks. One of these was massive with a nearly 18" diameter trunk and close to twenty five feet tall. I was very surprised to see it dead. Rhaphis palm dead. My lisa dead.

My twenty foot tall sylvestrus is barely hanging in there with the top frond showing green. This is my centerpiece and i hope it will recover. Still it will take ar least three years to look right again.

Here is the kicker. My two mule palms looked untouched but slowly the center frond started to yellow and yesterday I gave it a small tug and it came right out. Very discouraging.

Sounds like you had a winter just about like mine. Don't give up on anything till mid summer. I know it sounds crazy, but you might be amazed at what will come back. Your P sylvestris will be fine. Your P reclinata will probably return just fine. Don't give those mules a 2nd thought. They'll drop the old fronds now, and grow some nice new pretty ones.

Not sure what fruit trees you have, but many of them probably appreciated the increase in chilling hours.

Patience is the word right now.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Amidst utter destruction, look at those mules and the Jubutia. Tell me I don't want more of those in the garden.

Keith, what would you guess the lower hardiness threshhold for mules and jubutias might be?

Cincinnati, Ohio USA & Mindo, Ecuador

 

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Amidst utter destruction, look at those mules and the Jubutia. Tell me I don't want more of those in the garden.

Keith, what would you guess the lower hardiness threshhold for mules and jubutias might be?

Can't be sure, but I am guessing Mules are good to 15 degrees for sure. But the nature of the cold, wet or dry, and repetition of the cold, one time or constantly all winter long are factors.

In my post I sometimes express "my" opinion. Warning, it may differ from "your" opinion. If so, please do not feel insulted, just state your own if you wish. Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or any other damages

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Eric, beautiful mules. Notice that they have very upright fronds.....almost like a 'strictor' variety. How many different "parents" do ya'll use for your operation?

David Simms zone 9a on Highway 30a

200 steps from the Gulf in NW Florida

30 ft. elevation and sandy soil

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Brooksville FL has seen 15 degrees on many occasions. This is the second Generation of Mules we sent up to them. The first went to Texas over 20 years ago. 15 year old trees here along with some others.

It is the largest Mule palm field you will find in the world. Next to the guys in the south.

All parents are of the same. Butia Odorata x Syagrus R.

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Down South.. So do you notice the more upright fronds in the north compared to the south? It is climate not what parents are used.

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I'm curious Erik as to the growth rate of the mules. Aren't they suppose to be faster than normal butias?

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Some of those up north mules seem to take on more of the queen character in the leaves.

Keith 

Palmetto, Florida (10a) and Tampa, Florida (9b/10a)

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