Needle Palm

[ChrisA]

Hello All,

 

I bought one several years ago, a 1 gallon from WalMart but it didn't even survive the summer so I had no way to test the winter hardiness. My soil tends to be dry (sand, stone and some clay/caliche) and lacks anything you could call organic matter.  Even in an area of my backyard which receives regular watering it succumbed in July of that year.

What kind of soils are best for Needle Palm, and how much moisture do they need?  In my climate I am used to regularly watering everything other than native vegetation (which I also water to keep it looking good, and to keep alive during droughts) so I would be willing to amend the soil accordingly.

It would be great to have a very hardy palm that is slow growing and makes a nice shrub but I need to get it to survive the desert summers!

 

Thanks for any advice you can give,

Chris

[Laaz]

They love water & here in habitat you can find them pretty much growing in standing water. Our soil is red clay once you get down a couple inches. Try using heay compost in the planting hole next time & keep them moist.

[ChrisA]

Okay, I will add a bunch of compost and amend a good part of the area where I would like to plant.  Hey I like the lizard in your photo, is it a Broadhead Skink?

[Laaz]

Yes it is. I have a nice population of them in my yard. They bite like hell... Lmao!

[ChrisA]

I remember catching one while on vacation on Kiawah Island, SC! It was a great big male and bit the begeezus out of me!    Awesome lizards!

[PalmatierMeg]

I've found needles don't like non-stop sunshine. Two I tried in sun croaked but a third that gets partial shade survives. In the Southeast they get regular rain most of the year. AZ desert summers may be too much to overcome, esp. if they are in sun.

[Bigfish]

Rhapidophyllum tolerates a wide range of soils, but I think it does best in a clay loam that's rich with organic matter.  To echo what Meg said, try and find a shady spot for it in the desert!  Add organic matter to the soil every chance you get too, if you have poor soils.  Once established, Needles can take a bit of drought.  Not desert-type drought...but a bit!

[NorthFlpalmguy]

The natives grow in a slightly different soil locally (sandy loam) but the organic matter (OM) is high, in shade, and are in saturated soil for 30% of the year or more. I would water it more than most species.

[Bigfish]

3 hours ago, NorthFlpalmguy said:

The natives grow in a slightly different soil locally (sandy loam) but the organic matter (OM) is high, in shade, and are in saturated soil for 30% of the year or more. I would water it more than most species.

Get up further north towards the Fall Line in Alabama and Georgia and the clay content increases in the soils.  As a general rule, I think you're pretty close about being in saturated soil for 30% of the year or more.  However, they can also be found on bluffs or hillsides where they are almost never saturated by water.  They do love that organic matter though!  I have noticed that they really don't care for being under Live Oak canopy though.  I have a bunch of potted Rhapidophyllum under a Live Oak at my folks' house, and they don't grow very well under there.  I don't think they care for the leaves.  They like Magnolia, Beech, Spruce Pine, Hickory, Sweet Gum, deciduous Oaks, and others. 

[_Keith]

I have 2 that are thriving in fairly heavy clay and near full sun.  They do seem to hate drought, but tolerate saturated soils.  

[jwitt]

Chris- I can't speak to needles, but I have had much success using coffee grounds in our soil. Even got fatsia japonica going on nearly no additional precip!

[SailorBold]

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2016‎ ‎4‎:‎09‎:‎42‎, PalmatierMeg said:

I've found needles don't like non-stop sunshine. Two I tried in sun croaked but a third that gets partial shade survives. In the Southeast they get regular rain most of the year. AZ desert summers may be too much to overcome, esp. if they are in sun.

I planted 4.. have lost one.. and 2 are doing alright..the other just holding on... in mostly full sun.  On two of the plants one of the sideshoots turned a straw color over the summer while the main plant grew well and appeared to be unstressed..

This might be a palm for northern exposures.

[SailorBold]

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2016‎ ‎10‎:‎07‎:‎03‎, ChrisA said:

Hello All,

 

I bought one several years ago, a 1 gallon from WalMart but it didn't even survive the summer so I had no way to test the winter hardiness. My soil tends to be dry (sand, stone and some clay/caliche) and lacks anything you could call organic matter.  Even in an area of my backyard which receives regular watering it succumbed in July of that year.

What kind of soils are best for Needle Palm, and how much moisture do they need?  In my climate I am used to regularly watering everything other than native vegetation (which I also water to keep it looking good, and to keep alive during droughts) so I would be willing to amend the soil accordingly.

It would be great to have a very hardy palm that is slow growing and makes a nice shrub but I need to get it to survive the desert summers!

 

Thanks for any advice you can give,

Chris

Hey Chris..  When I try more of these I'm planting on the east and northern exposures.. that would be my only advise. The ones I have are doing ok with drip.. but even on the east and north the would be more water for them.  They should be hardy enough for northside planting

[sashaeffer]

I had a nice one in almost full southern sun and set back close to the house(I thought better to overwinter protect) but in reality two things killed it. Too much NOT sun, without the benefit of rain water soaking it as the eve of the house kept most rain off it.

2nd try, a bit larger palm bought, and planted just 5 feet away from the first BUT was now further away from house so could get rained on plus this one was on East side of same garage so got full sun just 1/2 the day Thing grows really well there, almost fast! Winter protection is just plastic 55 gallon barrel over it.

I try and research any palm for it's care but a lot of the time it's generalized so would rather rely on real world growing experience from members here with similar growing conditions and climate.

 

See pic attached. Needle on far right. Waggie on far left(first winter in ground) Pic was taken in June of 2015 and was about 1/3rd taller when winter came around to protect it.

 

That little tuft of palm fronds sticking out of the ground is a Chinese fan palm that is planted in the ground that keeps coming back with very little protection. Even at the end of the season it doesn't look like much since it grows so slow but I will say the species is pretty tough!