Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Cocos nucifera on Madeira Island


Cluster

Recommended Posts

Hello John, I agree with everything you said. Every time I speak with someone remotely interested in Palms/cocos/nature I tell them about how much the responsible entities are harming the coconuts on the island for several reasons. The other day when I arrived I went to the marina and spoke with the local people around it as well. The only way this might improve is to speak with the appropriate people that could perhaps change this behaviour or at least lessen the butchering. 

The coconuts have recovered a lot since the trim in August, though. I will share the pictures later on, hopefully they won't  butcher them yet again as I get pictures.

I have also found a new coconut that for now broke the highest altitude record on the island, will try to get pictures!

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

And here it is the highest altitude coconut on the island so far! :https://goo.gl/maps/hgivV5TvZ3n

I still need to leave the car and take a picture myself but I am certain it is when I passed by (I was not the one driving so Could not stop for a picture:) ). This coconut is at an amazing 200 meters (656 feet) and is doing just fine!

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Cluster said:

And here it is the highest altitude coconut on the island so far! :https://goo.gl/maps/hgivV5TvZ3n

I still need to leave the car and take a picture myself but I am certain it is when I passed by (I was not the one driving so Could not stop for a picture:) ). This coconut is at an amazing 200 meters (656 feet) and is doing just fine!

Hey Pedro,

That is a nice looking coconut palm, and the Google photo is from 2009, so I can only imagine how nice and big it is now!  It is probably big enough to be producing coconuts now, especially if they don't trim it like the others on the island.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello again John,

That is weird here it says the picture is from 2015, regardless if this coconut is not a dwarf the chances of it having fruits is slim as talls rarely self pollinate, right? Knowing the closest is some kms/miles away I doubt the bees would bother :). The biggest coconuts I saw were on the previous page, they were almost as big as tennis balls and the pictures were taken during the first week of august so they would have guaranteed heat for many more months to come if they had not cut them 3 days after along with the leaves.

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Today or the following days I want to take shots of some of the coconuts I am able to grasp (some of them seem to have been left alone since the trimming the occurred in early August) as I will be flying back to Lisbon. I might try the new smartphone as well (and not just the camera), since it seems to have good quality in daylight pictures. Since the smartphone also supports 4k video, I might try to record some clips (if I get the time) so people can see them in motion, though don't expect me to talk:). Seeing as IPS is looking for palm videos this might be something they could also use should they find it fitting.

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I look forward to more photos and the videos if you get a chance to make them.  You really have a beautiful island, and I envy you.  I wish I could live there.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

So here it is the highest coconut on the island, taken one week and a half ago, this coconut is located at 200 meters altitude (656 feet). I found it by chance and I am surprised how they got the coconut as I and other people I know are unable to find them on the island:

Qi87oBI.jpg

 

y2XMPJt.jpg

b7EyHv3.jpg

I was not expecting to see a coconut due to its rarity as I have explained but especially at this altitude.

Coconut is my favorite palm but it does make me wonder if a Cyrtostachys renda could really survive near sea level, maybe in the warmest microclimates of the southwest coast if one meets their water requirements:)

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Cluster said:

So here it is the highest coconut on the island, taken one week and a half ago, this coconut is located at 200 meters altitude (656 feet). I found it by chance and I am surprised how they got the coconut as I and other people I know are unable to find them on the island:

Qi87oBI.jpg

 

y2XMPJt.jpg

b7EyHv3.jpg

I was not expecting to see a coconut due to its rarity as I have explained but especially at this altitude.

Coconut is my favorite palm but it does make me wonder if a Cyrtostachys renda could really survive near sea level, maybe in the warmest microclimates of the southwest coast if one meets their water requirements:)

Pedro,

It looks good, especially for the northernmost limit of where they can be grown in the Atlantic region.  Don't be shy, go up to the front door one day, knock on it and introduce yourself to the people who live there and ask them about it.  Ask them where they got it from, how old it is, and if they know what variety it is (they probably won't know this since there are so few of them growing on the island and so few Coconut Palm NUTS like us, LOL!  But it doesn't hurt to ask anyway.)  If most Portugese people are as friendly as you, then they would probably love to talk about it, and we would love to know about it.

I am not very familiar with the Cyrtostachys, other than knowing its common name of Lipstick Palm and that it likes a Zone 11 Climate, but why not try it?

John

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

John thanks for the words hehe,

I  might actually try that, though it won't be easy:). I only know two more places that have them in private gardens, the coconuts from Paul do Mar I have shown before (they look very nice) and the one in Ponta do Sol, but at high altitude. 

Soon have more coconuts updates coming!, did not have as much time as I wanted this weekend.

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, Cluster said:

John thanks for the words hehe,

I  might actually try that, though it won't be easy:). I only know two more places that have them in private gardens, the coconuts from Paul do Mar I have shown before (they look very nice) and the one in Ponta do Sol, but at high altitude. 

Soon have more coconuts updates coming!, did not have as much time as I wanted this weekend.

I always look forward to your updates, Pedro.  As I recall, the one at Paul do Mar is the really big beautiful one seen from a distance by a house on the southwest coast?  And the one in Ponta do Sol is the most mature one you have seen at a higher altitude that you posted a photo of a while back that had a lot of trunk?

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes on page 5 there is a very tall one in a private house with some bananas behind, that was the previous record holder in altitude. That coconut has a bit more than 20 years if I recall correctly when I asked the owner's wife. It does need water though^^. On page 7 you find a pair of coconuts in Paul do Mar, close to the sea private house as well, picture taken in February. Those do look wonderful, though slightly trimmed, on that same page I took the chance and saw the pictures from the coconut in that Regency Hotel again.. wow that one is very good looking (still trimmed though!). I also know the story of this one as well (I did ask when I went to the hotel to hunt it), and you will be proud to know this coconut came from florida when the hotel was born:)

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

After Pargomad reported this next coconut some months ago I had to see it for myself, unfortunately I arrived a bit late to this spot and the light was already gone, it did look a bit different than the other talls I had seen, with a fatter base. This coconut is from the Hotel Inn&Art in Caniço just a bit east of Funchal, I was already expecting it to be fatter from the previous shots we had from the hotel.

The coconut is well but I saw something that seemed to me very bad, unfortunately the trunk near the top has a big hole, I found it by chance when I was using the flashlight to check the coconut's health and then noticed the hole seemed to be almost as deep as half of the trunk and around a fist in diameter. What could do this to the coconut? I am afraid it might not do well in the future:

qsWEdPI.jpg

 

i5J1LNi.jpg

Near the lamp level (on the 2nd picture) around the upper trunk of the coconut you can see the hole, though it is way bigger than it shows in both pictures, only the flashlight revealed the true extension.

ps:Just for reference the base seemed as large as some washingtonias that I know of.

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Pedro,

That is a nice looking, but yet again over trimmed Coconut Palm.  The one behind it looks nice too, but if they would stop trimming them, they would have full complete crowns.  I don't know what could have caused the hole.  Do you have woodpeckers or some similar bird that might have caused the hole?  Or it could be that the management of the hotel had the maintenance personnel attach something to the trunk for a while that caused a hole in the trunk.  I have seen older Jamaican Talls in Florida that have lots of small holes in the trunk, that I assume is from some boring insect or other animal injury.  I have also seen small holes with a black bleeding effect coming down from them due to tree trimmers using spikes to climb the palms and trim them.  This is a HORRIBLE practice and is far worse for the palms than just the regular over trimming, because it opens up the palms to pest and disease problems and weakens the trunk.

By the way, if it is from Florida, it is probably a Jamaican Tall, with the swollen base (bowl) of the trunk and curving trunk, but it could be a Maypan, which is a hybrid cross between a Malayan Dwarf variety and Panama Tall.  The Maypans along with the Malayans have been imported as viable seed nuts from the Jamaican Coconut Board into Florida for decades for the nursery and landscaping industry due to their increased resistance to Lethal Yellowing.

John

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It seems we do have one species of woodpeckers on the island, though I doubt they would do such a strong hole, besides I would find it weird for them to find safety in the esplanade, with so many people and staff members all year. Maybe it is an accident while doing maintenance, should have asked anyway. 

The Florida palm is the one in the other hotel called Regency in page 7, the one that looks very nice. This one in the Inn&Art I have no clue where they took it from:)

Hm the other palm that is in my picture it was very dark, I took a quick glance at the crownshaft and saw some green (you can see a bit in the next picture) so I dismissed it and tried to capture the big coconut while I still had a bit of light, could it be a coconut?

UJC0YLK.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to be clear as the thread is big, here are the pictures I took from the best looking coconut on the island (maybe the malayan on occasion before the big trim) one year ago from the Regency Palace hotel:

6hmatf.jpg

2utj4ld.jpg

It was a lonely coconut so I doubt it fruited being tall, regardless they trimmed it as well. This is the coconut that came from Florida and the best looking coconut on the island. Well now the hotel closed so I am not sure what happened to the garden, they will probably change owner and continue I just hope someone is keeping those gardens (they are very beautiful and lush).

Ps:Do notice this was taken during the coldest month, February, which was being colder than usual due to a severe "cold spell" (don't worry the cold spells there are like not really cold spells, just relatively speaking :))

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, Cluster said:

It seems we do have one species of woodpeckers on the island, though I doubt they would do such a strong hole, besides I would find it weird for them to find safety in the esplanade, with so many people and staff members all year. Maybe it is an accident while doing maintenance, should have asked anyway. 

The Florida palm is the one in the other hotel called Regency in page 7, the one that looks very nice. This one in the Inn&Art I have no clue where they took it from:)

Hm the other palm that is in my picture it was very dark, I took a quick glance at the crownshaft and saw some green (you can see a bit in the next picture) so I dismissed it and tried to capture the big coconut while I still had a bit of light, could it be a coconut?

UJC0YLK.jpg

Hey Pedro,

In the RGV, apparently there is some kind of woodpecker that pecks holes in the tall old dead trunks of the Mexican Fan Palms that are big enough that the native Mexican Red Crowned Parrots use to nest in and thus these old palm trunks are protected as I understand it within the city of Brownsville.  It appears that the palm in the background of this photo is another Coconut Palm, though it may be a Green Malayan (notice the more narrow looking and slightly straighter trunk), whereas the one in the foreground is a tall variety or hybrid of some sort, since it has the characteristic bowl (swelling) at the base and the curved and somewhat wider trunk of the talls and many of the hybrids.  Talls, sometimes, however, have very straight trunks and very little if any swelling.  My Jamaican Tall that I am afraid I am going to lose has a very straight trunk, and so does my Mexican Tall, and I have seen some very tall Jamaican Talls in South Florida with virtually no bowl at the base and very straight trunks, but more often than not they will have the bowl and a curved trunk.  Also, occasionally the Malayans will curve or actually lean somewhat rather than curve, but I have never seen one with the bowl at the base. 

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello John!

It does resemble but all the picture we have have bad quality or do not show it properly, I always want to return and pay a visit to the island coconuts anyway!

Here are some pictures I could find online from that palm:

maxresdefault.jpg

1156635199.jpg

The left fronds belong to the palm in question.

 

 

PS: I hope that the birds do not cause this much damage to coconuts, from what I read they don't harm much when they do attack trees! 

Do you think you really lost your Jamaican?:( that would be sad, but I am sure you are doing everything possible.

The Malayans do lean, when I post the video and current pictures of it you will see it clearly:)

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

I have been a bit busy last 2 weeks I still need to get the last photos from the coconuts I took in late January. 

One and a half week ago there was a big cold front that hit the island for 2 days, I do not recall seeing Madeira as cool during the day, the temperatures in the south went down to 10.5/12.5 C (51/55 F) during the night depending on the zone and during the day we had max temperatures ranging from 15,6-17.5 C (60-64F) again depending on the zone. I hope the coconuts did not care much from this cold front!

On the island it is normal to snow 2 or 3 days per year on the mountains and peaks, this year people took some nice shots of the event:

12746136_987627664637978_862725630_n.jpg

 

RUI_3450.jpg?1456880312

 

RUI_3379.jpg?1456880312

 

In this last one you are can see the marina down there where some of the coconuts are!. Would have loved to be there to have coconut pictures with the peaks covered in snow as the background. During the snow days there were some people on the beach in southwest parts of the island where others where in the snow, can take as little as 30/45 mins from one place to the other.

And now to get the last batch of the coconut pictures from late January:)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎2‎/‎8‎/‎2016‎ ‎11‎:‎29‎:‎20‎, Cluster said:

Hello John!

It does resemble but all the picture we have have bad quality or do not show it properly, I always want to return and pay a visit to the island coconuts anyway!

Here are some pictures I could find online from that palm:

maxresdefault.jpg

1156635199.jpg

The left fronds belong to the palm in question.

 

 

PS: I hope that the birds do not cause this much damage to coconuts, from what I read they don't harm much when they do attack trees! 

Do you think you really lost your Jamaican?:( that would be sad, but I am sure you are doing everything possible.

The Malayans do lean, when I post the video and current pictures of it you will see it clearly:)

Hey Pedro,

I love the beautiful photos you post of the your island and the Coconut Palms in particular.  Yes, I am afraid I will lose my Jamaican Tall that I planted, since I found out after the fact that they don't like their roots disturbed when they are young, and transplanting a palm even under the best of circumstances, certainly disturbs the roots.  I have a second one though that I got sent to me from Melbourne Beach, Florida, and I am going to leave it in its pot for about a year and a half before I try planting it in the ground.

Yes Malayans do sometimes lean, but not as often as the tall varieties do, and they have a more narrow trunk with very little if any swelling at the base.  Also, their crowns are more compact than the crowns of tall varieties, but they may have more leaves on them than a tall variety.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Cluster said:

I have been a bit busy last 2 weeks I still need to get the last photos from the coconuts I took in late January. 

One and a half week ago there was a big cold front that hit the island for 2 days, I do not recall seeing Madeira as cool during the day, the temperatures in the south went down to 10.5/12.5 C (51/55 F) during the night depending on the zone and during the day we had max temperatures ranging from 15,6-17.5 C (60-64F) again depending on the zone. I hope the coconuts did not care much from this cold front!

On the island it is normal to snow 2 or 3 days per year on the mountains and peaks, this year people took some nice shots of the event:

12746136_987627664637978_862725630_n.jpg

 

RUI_3450.jpg?1456880312

 

RUI_3379.jpg?1456880312

 

In this last one you are can see the marina down there where some of the coconuts are!. Would have loved to be there to have coconut pictures with the peaks covered in snow as the background. During the snow days there were some people on the beach in southwest parts of the island where others where in the snow, can take as little as 30/45 mins from one place to the other.

And now to get the last batch of the coconut pictures from late January:)

 

Pedro,

That's amazing!  Like in Hawaii, where the tops of the highest mountains/volcanoes have snow on them in the winter, but at the beaches below, it can be 78F and there are 100ft. tall Coconut Palms full of mature nuts!  Here in Texas, there can be 15+ inches of snow on the ground in Amarillo in the Panhandle with a temp of 20F, and at the same time on the same day, it can be sunny in Brownsville with 70F with 35ft to 40ft. tall Mexican Tall Coconut Palms with nuts on them!  But that is a distance of about 13 hours driving time.  Amarillo is actually closer to the state line of North Dakota than it is to Brownsville.  That is how big Texas is.

John

Edited by Mr. Coconut Palm
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello John, 

I am glad you enjoyed it is another resemblance with Hawaii then! It is indeed nice to have snow and coconuts so close to each other, the only problem is that the temperatures went a bit low, but considering what I have been reading here it is not probably a big deal as that "this low" would still be considered very warm compared to the extreme freezes from other places.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2016‎ ‎5‎:‎49‎:‎41‎, Cluster said:

Hello John, 

I am glad you enjoyed it is another resemblance with Hawaii then! It is indeed nice to have snow and coconuts so close to each other, the only problem is that the temperatures went a bit low, but considering what I have been reading here it is not probably a big deal as that "this low" would still be considered very warm compared to the extreme freezes from other places.

Pedro,

Keep the photos of your beautiful island coming, especially photos of the Coconut Palms there.

John

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you John, last batch of coconut pictures coming, I also uploaded the video to youtube:)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Great pictures ! I actually already knew the baby coconut palm. 

(Ps : I will retake my thread about madeiran palms and trees soon). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Cluster said:

Thank you John, last batch of coconut pictures coming, I also uploaded the video to youtube:)

Pedro,

What should I look it up under on Youtube?

John

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Pargo,

I am glad you enjoyed them, nice to see you back:)

And now for the Marina coconut pictures late January, the last batch of pictures I had starting from the western most to the eastern:

2OUCSmp.jpg

What can I say still very trimmed, but they look better than in the previous page in August after the trim and are showing a lot more leaves. Do notice that the second coconut further way is suffering from some condition that makes its leaves way shorter than the foreground coconut. Finally one can also notice the difference in the third small coconut, it is getting fatter.

MoSOa9M.jpg

This next one is also fuller compared to August after trim

QUAcUxo.jpg

Another big recovery, this coconut seems to have a lot of Fronds density compared to the other talls, but hard to judge with all the trimming they do to the coconuts.

 

5V2a5Jq.jpg

This one is turning into a very beautiful coconut in my opinion, again the difference from August to now is quite big.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Next we have the last tall variety (well at least I think they are tall, could be Maypans or some other hybrids):

tI9UrdA.jpg

Like the other examples, this one shows a lot of recovery, if they do not trim it I am sure the crown will be a bit spherical around the summer time, not counting on it however.

This coconut has some fruits as well:

PQFd2S9.jpg

1y3m54s.jpg

I would love to get here at the end of this year and pick a coconut for myself and begin my Cocos nucifera journey, wishful thinking with all the trimming of course, but I am repeating myself now:)

Next we have the our mascot the dwarf which I think is still the one looking the best:

VTZkRyk.jpg

sodfoee.jpg

It shows a massive recovery compared to August after trim, maybe the coconut that recovered the fastest. As I have said in many threads, it is weird the dwarf does very well here when it should be the one looking worse, though I know that the trimming makes things hard to compare. The conditions are a bit weird in the Marina as they do not have much space to grow freely in my opinion and this is a theory I have why the dwarf fares a bit better. Another thing is that all the coconuts in the Marina have whiteflies, but this one is barely affected. Oh an it leans too:)

The dwarf also has cocos, though they are still very young:

 

sQlLiaO.jpg

71axoKI.jpg

I invite people to take a look at the previous page and see the latest coconut pictures in the Marina in August after the trim to understand their recovery.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just some extra pictures from the Marina coconuts in late January, some taken with the smartphone:)

xl35Q9X.jpg

 

IGeTf8a.jpg

IDeQccR.jpg

This last one from the dwarf.

 

I honestly think the dwarf is looking amazing, imagine if they would just let it grow untrimmed:) 

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have just noticed I have close up pictures of the youngest coconut tree from the Marina in late January, I do not recall I have ever shared a picture from it up close:

uL8YSOL.jpg

CRYMaqX.jpg

This one is probably a tall type or at least a hybrid when we compare the trunk to the dwarf coconut in the previous post. I think it looks healthy and with this the Marina photo coverage from the winter is complete.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
On 3/5/2016, 2:20:53, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Pedro,

What should I look it up under on Youtube?

John

Hello John, sorry had some issues with the video, uploaded it now (will share the link next), hope you enjoyed these last coconut updates above.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello again everyone, today I share with you the first coconut video on the island.

The video is just some raw footage from all the coconuts in the Marina, no editing whatsoever. If you guys enjoy this type of content as well I will be doing more in the future.

I recorded this with my smartphone, it does not have image stabilization so the video might be a bit shaky, sorry! I could add some software stabilization but would lose some resolution, I welcome any feedback:)

I hope you enjoy, here is the link (Do not forget to watch it in the best resolution your computer/connection can handle):

 

Ps: If IPS finds the movie useful and wants to share it, I would be glad to assist.

Edited by Cluster
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 months later...

Hey I'm back here again, Cluster your photos are great keep taking pictures for us. I miss my island ! Does someone have any news about coconut palms in Madeira or other palmtrees. I heared there were no more any big and old canarian date palm on the island as the red palm weevil exterminated them all over the country. In Lisbon they all are dead and the killing won't stop until the portuguese government don't try anything to kill this plague.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello Pargo!

So nice to see you back, let me try to address your questions:

Last year I actually picked some seeds from the dates near Forum Madeira and they were delicious the ones in Madalena do mar (west beach part) were also very alive. If between now and then they died I am not sure, I will let you know when I arrived there. The only really big CIDP (centenary), that I can remember there is in Jardim Municipal, I think it was attacked but I am almost sure I saw it this January (when I took these last photos) and it was ok. Again I will try to look for it when I go there in one month.

As for the cocos I asked my mother to take me some pictures with the smartphone 15 days ago, they are not ultra quality, I will try to post them tomorrow:)

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I meant the canarian date palms (phoenix canariensis) not the common date palm. On the island and also in other places in the country like Lisbon, there were tons of canarian date palms in the street, in gardens and yards, specially in mansions and palaces. And now more than a half of them have died, specially the tallest and oldest ones. Try to compare a panorama picture of Funchal or Lisbon 10 years ago and pictures from today. You'll see that all the canarian date palms in the old photo are missing in the second picture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pargo there are some CIDP still left, but you are right and living both in Lisbon and Funchal I see them all the time getting slaughtered by RPW. I think it is even worse in Lisbon, but then again Madeira plants less CIDP than Lisbon so it ends up having less. We have one CIDP in our garden a female and it has not been attacked yet (the people say females tend to be more ignored than males)in Avenida do Mar I still remember seeing some as well among many other places. Since they trim CIDP they get more prone to be attacked as well, the smell also attracts the weevil. In August I might try to take pictures of the tallest ones I find out around the island:). 

Webcams where you find CIDP! 

http://www.netmadeira.com/webcams-madeira/funchal-lido

http://www.madeira-web.com/camera/cam-04.html

http://www.madeira-web.com/camera/cam-01.html

http://www.madeira-web.com/camera/cam-07.html

http://www.madeira-web.com/camera/cam-14.html (this one even has one of our coconuts in Jardim Almirante de Reis! if you donot know where to find it let me know and I draw it in the picture:) )

 

Now for coco pictures my mother took  like 2/3 weeks ago:

The last row of cocos near the Dwarf one:

JUIxtzI.jpg

The dwarf next to them:

pybc5wM.jpg

And another:

uZULfdH.jpg

 

The tall/hybrid pencilling next to the dwarf is fruiting as well (not the first time either)!:

RgCLIdO.jpg

It already has a bigger coco!

 

Lets take a closer look:

g7rYVVo.jpg

 

I do not think it is a question if they fruit on the Island, it is just a matter of when will we see it fully matured there as like always I expect them to remove the fronds and fruit soon. This is a pencilling palm (almost neglected and over trimmed) in a confined place, not what I would call ideal. I hope when I arrive I still have the chance to see them "untrimmed", regardless the palms recovered a lot since last year's trimming:)

 

Edited by Cluster
  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hey Pedro,

They are finally looking pretty good.  Imagine how they would look if they stopped trimming them all together and applied a good organic slow release fertilizer in a 8-4-6 or 6-2-4 ratio with micronutrients at least twice a year (spring and summer) and watered them a little more often in the warmer months!  I am concerned about the penciling on that one palm, probably due to over trimming and lack or fertilizer and water.  I think you are right about the talls not growing well due to the lack of space they have for their roots to grow in those small planter boxes.  The Green Malayan is really starting to look good and on the road to looking great if they stop trimming it.  I think it is doing better due to the fact that its root system is probably smaller and can handle the confined space of the small planter boxes better than the talls.  That one coconut though, is becoming bonsaied probably due to way over trimming of it, and it probably gets the least water of any of them.  It should be at least twice or 3 times the size it is.

I will contact you tomorrow.  I now have a total of 3 sprouts from my beach coconuts and I took pictures of them this evening.  I will try to post a link to them tomorrow.  It's getting late, and I have been trying to get to sleep earlier lately, but I will contact you tomorrow.

John

  • Upvote 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello John

Yap I think they are looking good, I have hopes in 3 weeks I will be able to show you guys good pictures of them still untrimmed. 

Regarding the confined space I am sad that I might be right about the larger coconuts having issues in such confined space. My first coconut picture that was taken in 2013 (a year before I started this thread) and showed how the biggest coconuts from the Marina were back then, one of them has been having small fronds for some years now. Later on I will send you a message and maybe post here my findings as well. The green Malayan looks the best most of the times probably due to this issue with confined space and they do not always seem to trim it as much as the taller ones.

The bonsai coconut is weird, it looks funny but it should have bigger fronds than the Malayan, it has always looked healthy but does not grow much, while the other coconuts grow a lot more.

If the space turns out to be a real issue then I am afraid the only thing that can make them happy is fertilizers and more water, I doubt they would transplant them, they rather cut a palm most likely, even if there are only like 20 on the island.

I have also noticed the biggest fruit from the pencilling coconut seems to be attacked by white stuff.

Edited by Cluster
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Hi all! I'm new to this forum and decided to sign up after quickly looking at this thread.

Just to let you know that coconut palms fruit just fine in Madeira. These photos are from last week, south west coast of the island.

IMG_7767.jpg

IMG_7768.jpg

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Rolling through this post, I am staggered by the natural beauty of this island. What a gem!

  • Upvote 1

What you look for is what is looking

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Olá Pedro. Tudo bem ?

I totally missed this thread because coconuts aren´t palms I can grow, but now I saw the topic ''Coconuts on Madeira'' I thought it must be yours..... and a very long thread. It was a pleasure to have meet you and the friendly people in Portugal a year ago. I hope your coconuts  and ''juçara'' palm will grow fine for you. Are there photos of your garden in the thread ?

  • Upvote 1

Carambeí, 2nd tableland of the State Paraná , south Brazil.

Alt:1030m. Native palms: Queen, B. eriospatha, B. microspadix, Allagoptera leucocalyx , A.campestris, Geonoma schottiana, Trithrinax acanthocoma. Subtr. climate, some frosty nights. No dry season. August: driest month. Rain:1700mm

 

I am seeking for cold hardy palms!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...