Last year I picked up a couple of the hybrids from Patric. The butia x parajubaea cocoides took off with a vengeance, quadrupling in size in the last 9 months. In contrast, the jubaea x syagrus hasn't moved much, looks almost like it did 9 months ago, grows about as fast as a regular jubaea.

What are the chances the specimen I got isn't an actual cross, but just a regular jubaea? Could it be the climate?

Gary Levine might know. His experienced unreal growth, but he is obviously much hotter.

Mine is slow too. I joke that I'll be happy if it exceeds my height before I die. Now I have lack of heat, but I have no lack of winter either. It actually had a spear pull after the freeze in 2010, but recovered on its own with no treatment.

"his climate is much hotter (warmer)"

Gary Levine might know. His experienced unreal growth, but he is obviously much hotter.

Gary's Escondido garden is pretty high up, I think 1,700 feet, so pretty hot during the Summer and not exactly cold in the Winter although his sun exposure suffers a bit in the Winter. It might be the heat, but then why would Keith's be so much slower? Keith gets way more heat than Gary, then why is his slow?

Keep in mind both syagrus queen and jubaea are relatively well adapted to our climate. Jubaea actually seems faster than this hybrid.

Gary is much much warmer than you, plus his is in full all day sun from sunrise to sunset. Also, even fast Syagrus like romanzoffiana and botryophora are slow as seedlings. 9 months? Dude take a chill pill. Even the fastest palms aren't going to grow much in their first year.

Gary is much much warmer than you, plus his is in full all day sun from sunrise to sunset. Also, even fast Syagrus like romanzoffiana and botryophora are slow as seedlings. 9 months? Dude take a chill pill. Even the fastest palms aren't going to grow much in their first year.

You haven't seen the BxPC quadruple in size. If you did, you'd wonder why this JXS is being such a slacker. Not to mention even the bulk of my brahea seedlings are outgrowing this thing by a long shot. The BxPC is growing faster than Florida palms, to me I expect a hybrid to be a bit faster.

I am going to put it in a little more sun exposure to see if that's gonna kick start it a bit. And I put it in the greenhouse for now, a few months of 85F-95F should kick it into gear.

How can you even see a Brahea seedling grow in 9 months? What is that .75 leaf?

How can you even see a Brahea seedling grow in 9 months? What is that .75 leaf?

Try double in size, two new leaves each much larger than the one before.

Edit: not to mention going from juvenile to divided leaf. That's what dolomite lime and potassium supplements buy you on brahea, makes them grow very nicely.

Brahea seem pretty happy here in northern California for some reason.

Clara and armata tick along (not lightning fast but steady). Can definitely see progress month over month.

Even elegans and decumbens are crawling along here.

I don't know about Axel but I see so many palms die that I notice anything that grows.

In the cold hardy section I posted a shot of a Jubaea I planted at my parents place - it is really taking off.

A smaller one here is going nowhere and looks like it's in trouble.

A third that I guerilla planted is moving slowly.

Im at 971 feet Axel. But i would guess that the kind of slow growth your experiencing must be either that yours is pure Jubaea, or it is somehow not happy.

I planted a very small (three strap leaves) Jubaea X Syagrus in my neighbor's front yard in 2007 and it remained strap leafed for four years while looking very healthy otherwise. It's now five feet tall with gorgeous large pinnate fronds and finally showing some decent speed. The next seven years should be very interesting.

Photo Jim would be nice.

I planted a very small (three strap leaves) Jubaea X Syagrus in my neighbor's front yard in 2007 and it remained strap leafed for four years while looking very healthy otherwise. It's now five feet tall with gorgeous large pinnate fronds and finally showing some decent speed. The next seven years should be very interesting.

Well, that's promising! I pulled a large pluot that didn't bear any decent fruit, I was hoping I could plant it sooner, but at this size, i am worried to plant it in the ground. It's in a tall 7 gallon. it's in the greenhouse where I hope it will pick up some speed. A new spear did emerge since I put it in there.

Photo Jim would be nice.

I'll try and snap a picture of it in a day or so.

I have two of Patric's Butia X Parajubaea hybrids and they are about five tall now. They have been quite fast as Axel noted. On the other hand I have two of Tim Hopper's 1/4 Butia 1/4 Jubaea 1/2 Syagrus. They have been slow in my hands and I think my weather is ideal. Just slow for me but others have not had the same experience. Keep in mind that with these hybrid crosses the off spring can very quite a bit and thus behave different in growth rates.

patrick

I have two of Patric's Butia X Parajubaea hybrids and they are about five tall now. They have been quite fast as Axel noted. On the other hand I have two of Tim Hopper's 1/4 Butia 1/4 Jubaea 1/2 Syagrus. They have been slow in my hands and I think my weather is ideal. Just slow for me but others have not had the same experience. Keep in mind that with these hybrid crosses the off spring can very quite a bit and thus behave different in growth rates.

patrick

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I think these hybrids can be variable in genetics, and that could influence growth speed. Most JxS have been slow aside Gary's. there are some in texas ,florida and California. It will be interesting to see the genetic variation. The butia xPJ all seem pretty fast so far. By the way Patrick, I have the tim hopper x jubutyagrus that I got as a strap leaf seedling in spring 2011, its now about 10' overall, not so slow.

Photo Jim would be nice.

These are the pics of the Jubaea X Butia that I planted in my neighbor's yard. Average watering and virtually no fertilizer over the seven years since it was planted out of a 4" container with two strap leaves. I will throw some palm fertilizer on it this spring and see what happens.

Thanks for the photos Jim. It is interesting the variability because mine looks nothing like the one you posted a photo of. This might explain the slow growth of that one and Axels. That one is very clearly jubaea growth rate and more of the jubaea look with more curved leaves.

For that matter, doesn't that plant look more like Jubaea x Butia?

Photo Jim would be nice.

photo-19.JPG photo-20.JPG

These are the pics of the Jubaea X Butia that I planted in my neighbor's yard. Average watering and virtually no fertilizer over the seven years since it was planted out of a 4" container with two strap leaves. I will throw some palm fertilizer on it this spring and see what happens.

Jim, so it was a Jubaea X Butia that you planted in your neighbors yard? I thought you were saying that you planted a Jubaea X Syagrus, but the growth rate of the Jubaea X Butia that you posted makes much more sense than if it was a Jubaea X Syagrus.

Photo Jim would be nice.

photo-19.JPG photo-20.JPG

These are the pics of the Jubaea X Butia that I planted in my neighbor's yard. Average watering and virtually no fertilizer over the seven years since it was planted out of a 4" container with two strap leaves. I will throw some palm fertilizer on it this spring and see what happens.

Eh? Your original post said jubaea x syagrus. That's a whole different hybrid.

Oops. Sometimes the mind does this. Especially with the hundreds of palms I've planted over the years. When I first saw the thread I was thinking that the palm I planted for my neighbor was Jubaea X Syagrus. I realized, after I posted those pictures that it IS a Jubaea X Butia. Sorry for the confusion. I warned my neighbor that, eventually, his palm will be massive. He said "yeah, I'm waiting", while tapping his toe.

I took some photos today, I really don't think this is a pure jubaea, the jubaea seedlings I've seen don't have the weird papery wrapping going. I think this palm responds to a lot of heat. it's growing at a good clip in the greenhouse. It's actually looking a little "queen-esque" as a seedling.

That looks like tomentum? Queens have tomentum right, but Jubaeas? If Jubies (baby Jubaeas) don't, maybe you could then rule out a pure Jubaea?

How can you even see a Brahea seedling grow in 9 months? What is that .75 leaf?

OK, for you Matty, here are some pictures of my brahea which went from two strap leaves to this in 9 months. They love azomite + dolomite lime + home depot vigoro fertilizer along with a soil mix based on my native sandy loam mixed with organic soil amendment. I don't use any potting soil and I pot them up into 5 gallons as strap seedlings.

Brahea dulcis blue, already turning a nice blue color:

Brahea clara icy blue, this one's going super icy blue:

Brahea elegans

Axel,

Glad to see some one else growing some of the more unusual Braheas. With our pending drought and because I live in San Diego, it is hard to find a palm that is any more suited to my environment. Each is a bit different and a nice contrast to the pinnate palms.

Patrick

Axel,

Glad to see some one else growing some of the more unusual Braheas. With our pending drought and because I live in San Diego, it is hard to find a palm that is any more suited to my environment. Each is a bit different and a nice contrast to the pinnate palms.

Patrick

I am in love with the Brahea genus, it is at the top of my list of favorite palms, right next to parajubaea. These are the genera that dominate my garden. I wish there was more interest in brahea on PalmTalk, but people are too busy breaking their teeth on dypsis and Newcal stuff.

I currently care for at least 25 different brahea, just as you say, each one is different.

beautiful brahea seedlings, a awesome color!!

I´m fall in love with this genus.

...i have two jubaea x syagrus seedling and looks like yours.

grows faster by far than a normal jubaea here in my climate.

regards

faster in the ground Hoss !

I wonder how much cold/ frost it can take. Is it hardier than a butyagrus?

I have to say my JxS is not what i would describe as slow, even here in the UK where every palm grows slowly compared to most of you guys. It is faster than Butia, BxS, JxB and BxJ and obviously faster than pure jubaea.

Time will tell though as it went in the ground last year so should get going soon.