Sabal minor "McCurtain"

[jfrye01@live.com]

Hello all:) Just out of curiosity, any forum members growing the McCurtain County Sabal minor? Looks like these are promising little shrub palms! If you grow them, do you use them as accent or filler plants, or are they standalone? I currently have two of these in 1 gallon pots, one of them has 2 foot long strap fronds, the other one about 10 inches or so...come spring, is it ok to plant these young palms in the ground? Just wondering...I love this community because there's always someone who is an expert on certain palms!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I grow one of these, small palm, you can tuck it anywhere you need a low growing palm.

[WestCoastGal]

Where ever you plant it don't plan on moving it from what I've read. The underground trunk of sabal minors is very sensative and if damaged, high likelihood of plant demise. Also be careful of the boot.

Here's a website about Oklahoma palm trees that described the McCurtain variety of Sabal minor. If you watch the YouTube video at the bottom of the page it is devoted to the McCurtain in habitat and showing it's various stages. The video was part of a series aired on local TV called "Oklahoma Gardening".

http://urbane-chaos.hubpages.com/hub/Oklahoma-Palm-Trees

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

The ads on the website are annoying so here's the video, you can watch it directly on PalmTalk. It's a very small sabal, kinda cute and bonzai-esque.

[WestCoastGal]

I'm very good at ignoring any website ads. The website also has info on some other Oklahoma growing palms that I thought the OP might be interested in as well. All you have to do when you see a smaller embedded YouTube video on a website is click on the right expanding arrows anyway and everything else disappears on your screen.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I'm very good at ignoring any website ads. The website also has info on some other Oklahoma growing palms that I thought the OP might be interested in as well. All you have to do when you see a smaller embedded YouTube video on a website is click on the right expanding arrows anyway and everything else disappears on your screen.

I am glad you shared this site. The video was tbe best part.

The ads make I impossible to watch on an Android. Also, the site is providing misleading info in order to sell plants. That's why I posted the video here.

[tjwalters]

My McCurtain is the slowest of my minors and also seemed to take more damage than my other S. minor palms this year. It also has not flowered yet and I've had it many years and even transplanted it once. I also think 5 years, as the guy in the film stated, is much too young for a minor to start flowering. I would guess closer to 10 years before flowering, at least in the north. Here mine will put out only 1 or 2 leaves per year.

[jfrye01@live.com]

Thanks for the replies everyone! And thanks for the link!! I'm outside Wichita, KS...zone 6b, and I have a 5 foot Trachy and 6 foot Butia (both potted) outdoors right now, as the lows tonight are not going to drop below freezing. My Sabals, being so small, are kept on my nightstand beside the window, allowing sunlight to come in on them in the afternoon. These guys will be planted this spring, I've had them for a month and they are still in the "strap leaf" phase, hopefully they will pop open after being in the ground.

[Turtile]

They'll grow to 5ft eventually. Mine flowered after two years from a 3 gal and the previous plants I had would produce 3-5 leaves per year in full sun. Not sure if the seeds are any good though since it's the first flower.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Thanks for the replies everyone! And thanks for the link!! I'm outside Wichita, KS...zone 6b, and I have a 5 foot Trachy and 6 foot Butia (both potted) outdoors right now, as the lows tonight are not going to drop below freezing. My Sabals, being so small, are kept on my nightstand beside the window, allowing sunlight to come in on them in the afternoon. These guys will be planted this spring, I've had them for a month and they are still in the "strap leaf" phase, hopefully they will pop open after being in the ground.

I would not put any strap leaf palm into the ground in your climate if I were you, they'll be goners next Winter. You need to grow palms to have enough root mass and size to be able to withstand your Winters, even if you're gonna protect them.

Put them into nice 5 gallon pots where they can grow a nice mass of roots. Then get a greenhouse or build a cold frame to extend your season. Bring them inside during cold spells next Winter. In about 2-3 years you can plant them into the ground.

[tjwalters]

I would not put any strap leaf palm into the ground in your climate if I were you, they'll be goners next Winter. You need to grow palms to have enough root mass and size to be able to withstand your Winters, even if you're gonna protect them.

Put them into nice 5 gallon pots where they can grow a nice mass of roots. Then get a greenhouse or build a cold frame to extend your season. Bring them inside during cold spells next Winter. In about 2-3 years you can plant them into the ground.

Axel,

I'm in 6b and I have many (Sabal minor) coming up from seed around the mother plants, and am occasionally surprised when I stumble across a more remote seedling now and then.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I would not put any strap leaf palm into the ground in your climate if I were you, they'll be goners next Winter. You need to grow palms to have enough root mass and size to be able to withstand your Winters, even if you're gonna protect them.

Put them into nice 5 gallon pots where they can grow a nice mass of roots. Then get a greenhouse or build a cold frame to extend your season. Bring them inside during cold spells next Winter. In about 2-3 years you can plant them into the ground.

Axel,

I'm in 6b and I have many (Sabal minor) coming up from seed around the mother plants, and am occasionally surprised when I stumble across a more remote seedling now and then.

You're a more advanced grower. And yours is next to the house, those seedlings are protected. For someone new to the hobby, it's better to start with more established specimens. I probably would give someone in California the same recommendation.

BTW, nice sabal, looks very healthy!

[tjwalters]

You're a more advanced grower. And yours is next to the house, those seedlings are protected. For someone new to the hobby, it's better to start with more established specimens. I probably would give someone in California the same recommendation.

The picture only shows those somewhat close to the house (NE exposure), but there are others ten or more feet away. I've also had no problem planting strap-leaved minors here. They will do better in the ground and are easily protected during the colder months (just cover with mulch). (I live in a cold place. )

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Well, we're just

You're a more advanced grower. And yours is next to the house, those seedlings are protected. For someone new to the hobby, it's better to start with more established specimens. I probably would give someone in California the same recommendation.

The picture only shows those somewhat close to the house (NE exposure), but there are others ten or more feet away. I've also had no problem planting strap-leaved minors here. They will do better in the ground and are easily protected during the colder months (just cover with mulch). (I live in a cold place. )

Well, we're just going to have differing opinions then, nothing wrong with that. I'll stick with my recommendation that a beginner grower is going to be better off starting with a larger specimen. Like I say, I'd give the same advice even if you're USDA 10a. Makes no difference to me, a strap leaf plant is more challenging than a larger specimen.

[_Keith]

Well, we're just

You're a more advanced grower. And yours is next to the house, those seedlings are protected. For someone new to the hobby, it's better to start with more established specimens. I probably would give someone in California the same recommendation.

The picture only shows those somewhat close to the house (NE exposure), but there are others ten or more feet away. I've also had no problem planting strap-leaved minors here. They will do better in the ground and are easily protected during the colder months (just cover with mulch). (I live in a cold place. )

Well, we're just going to have differing opinions then, nothing wrong with that. I'll stick with my recommendation that a beginner grower is going to be better off starting with a larger specimen. Like I say, I'd give the same advice even if you're USDA 10a. Makes no difference to me, a strap leaf plant is more challenging than a larger specimen.

Larger vs small is definitely dependent upon patience, diligence and age of the gardener. Although for most plants in the long run small will outgrow large, I long ago determined that small is not likely to survive my temporary bouts of negligence. Nowadays, my rule as large as I can afford. Reason 1 - small is likely to die before it grows up. Reason 2 - For many things, I am likely to die before it grows up.