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Scottsdale Coconut


wrigjef

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Hey guys,

Its been a while since I posted anything but I have read a lot of the threads.  It will be 4 years ago in July I bought a coco from EBay that came from Puerto Rico. I don't know it's variety but sure someone will know. I'll give the most detailed information leading up to today.

When it arrived it was about 16 inches tall coming out of the husk with no visible roots yet. I quickly planted it in its current home, a 20 gallon pot.  I used pure sand bought from HD.  The sand sold where i live is very course and rocky. Not a fine powder so very good drainage. I kept the palm for the first two years outside under a patio in partial sun. I brought it inside my house a few times while it was young but very heavy in sand.

I started a thread in 2012 called "pushing the limits of cocos" if you want to see pics of it then.  

The last 18 months the palm has been sitting in a lanai in my new house and it's time to put it in the ground. I kept it in the same spot even in winter. I used a small space heater for the roots and it did ok. The lanai would get down to the mid 40s just about every night.  The coldest this palm has experienced is 38 degrees.  image.thumb.jpg.52372d32de35ca7bab06836a

I think it has survived because I water it very rarely in the winter and when I do I use warm water and only water it when I know there will be several days of pure sun ahead. It struggled this year in early January when we had 5 straight days of rain and temps in the low 50's for highs and near freezing at night. The older fronds started to cook. That was the roughest stretch in almost 4 years but other than that it has done well.  

I have been eying a spot to plant it all winter waiting for the right time. Well that time is here   

 

 

 

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:greenthumb: Looks good coming out of winter. There are a couple other forum members there in the Valley who had shared pictures of their own Cocos last Summer. Wonder how they fared through the winter. Az thread has been very quiet over the last few months. :hmm:

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I planted it in the ground today. I dug the hole 30 inches deep and 24 inches wide. The root ball was 13 inches deep and 16 inches wide. I put 3 bags of sand in the hole first as I needed to build the bed up. Once in the ground the palm had about 17 inches of pure sand to grow down in before hitting hard dirt. That should be good for dainage for a while. I also mixed in a good amount of Palm and cactus mix around the sides of the root ball in hopes to fertilize it as well. 

image.jpg

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It looks pretty good, Jeff.  I think it is probably either a bronze petiole variety of the Jamaican Tall or a Mayjam hybrid between a Golden Malayan Dwarf and a Jamaican Tall.  The variety native to Puerto Rico is the Jamaican (Atlantic) Tall, but the Malayan Dwarfs were imported there like many areas of the Caribbean in order to replace the Jamaican Talls for commercial production due to Lethal Yellowing that wiped out many of the Jamaican Talls throughout the Caribbean and South Florida in the 1970's and 1980's.  Maypan hybrids (the cross between one of the Malayan Dwarf varieties and the Panama Tall) were also likely imported into Puerto Rico from the Jamaican or Costa Rican Coconut Boards as another viable commercial replacement for the Jamaican Talls, which are about 70% susceptible to Lethal Yellowing, so it could be a Maypan.  If I get a chance, I will check out your thread when you got it and see what it looked like then.  Sometimes when they are young it is hard to tell exactly what variety they are.  It always helps to know what the parent tree is.

John

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39 minutes ago, wrigjef said:

I planted it in the ground today. I dug the hole 30 inches deep and 24 inches wide. The root ball was 13 inches deep and 16 inches wide. I put 3 bags of sand in the hole first as I needed to build the bed up. Once in the ground the palm had about 17 inches of pure sand to grow down in before hitting hard dirt. That should be good for dainage for a while. I also mixed in a good amount of Palm and cactus mix around the sides of the root ball in hopes to fertilize it as well. 

image.jpg

Jeff,

What is your USDA Climate Zone there?  Knowing this will really help in determining it's chances of surviving in the ground there.

John

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2 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Jeff,

What is your USDA Climate Zone there?  Knowing this will really help in determining it's chances of surviving in the ground there.

John

I looked up a Scottsdale zip and it said 9b... This one is planted right up against the wall in a corner so suppose it has as good as chance as any coconut in 9b. Planting against a wall really seems to help a lot, pretty much all the adonidia were wiped out in my area in 2010 except for some planted close to a house. I posted a few weeks ago about veitchia planted on the south side of a home and all 6 made it. That coconut should have a fighting chance, but I don't know what will happen once it gets too tall. Jeff, keep us posted, I'd be very interested to see how your coconut holds up there.

Edited by RedRabbit
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Westchase | 9b 10a  ◆  Nokomis | 10a  ◆  St. Petersburg | 10a 10b 

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Thanks for the info John. I bet it's a Jamacian Tall but hoping a Malayan Dwarf as I plan to fully protect it in winter. I live in zone 9B so certainly marginal for a Coco but well worth trying. I will build a type of greenhouse to protect next winter depending on how it does this spring and summer. I have a 9 month growing season now ahead of me now so hopefully put on some nice growth.  I am concerned about the    Intensity of the sun and heat this summer for sure. I planted it in a southeast facing part of my yard. It gets full sun from sunrise to about 130 pm then in shade the rest of the day.  I am hoping this keeps it from frying this summer. In winter the sun is further south so the palm would be in direct sun until about 3pm. Here is a pic just before planting. The husk is still attached but holding on by a thread. 

image.jpg

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2 hours ago, RedRabbit said:

I looked up a Scottsdale zip and it said 9b... This one is planted right up against the wall in a corner so suppose it has as good as chance as any coconut in 9b. Planting against a wall really seems to help a lot, pretty much all the adonidia were wiped out in my area in 2010 except for some planted close to a house. I posted a few weeks ago about veitchia planted on the south side of a home and all 6 made it. That coconut should have a fighting chance, but I don't know what will happen once it gets too tall. Jeff, keep us posted, I'd be very interested to see how your coconut holds up there.

Thanks, Tiberius.  I suspected it was not in a Zone 10 part of Arizona.  I think the only Zone 10 part of the state is around Yuma at the southwest corner.

John

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2 hours ago, wrigjef said:

Thanks for the info John. I bet it's a Jamacian Tall but hoping a Malayan Dwarf as I plan to fully protect it in winter. I live in zone 9B so certainly marginal for a Coco but well worth trying. I will build a type of greenhouse to protect next winter depending on how it does this spring and summer. I have a 9 month growing season now ahead of me now so hopefully put on some nice growth.  I am concerned about the    Intensity of the sun and heat this summer for sure. I planted it in a southeast facing part of my yard. It gets full sun from sunrise to about 130 pm then in shade the rest of the day.  I am hoping this keeps it from frying this summer. In winter the sun is further south so the palm would be in direct sun until about 3pm. Here is a pic just before planting. The husk is still attached but holding on by a thread. 

image.jpg

Jeff,

It sounds like you picked the best spot in your yard for it.  With your intense summer sun and heat, having some shade in the afternoon, will certainly help it in the summer, and the longer time it is in direct sun in the winter will help it out then too, so it's probably in a perfect spot.

John

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On February 27, 2016 at 6:34:00 PM, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Jeff,

What is your USDA Climate Zone there?  Knowing this will really help in determining it's chances of surviving in the ground there.

John

Good luck on your coco.  Mine survived this winter in Arizona.  I'm in the southwest valley, Avondale.  It even pushed out a spear all winter long.  The spear appeared in November and currently it is about 12 inches.  

 

It it doesn't look pretty as of now, but it appears to be alive.  I didn't water mine once this winter except for the winter rains.  It's planted on the west side of my house under a Mexican fan palm and close to the pool.    hopefully it still pulls through all summer long  

 

Bryan 

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1 hour ago, ando.wsu said:

Good luck on your coco.  Mine survived this winter in Arizona.  I'm in the southwest valley, Avondale.  It even pushed out a spear all winter long.  The spear appeared in November and currently it is about 12 inches.  

 

It it doesn't look pretty as of now, but it appears to be alive.  I didn't water mine once this winter except for the winter rains.  It's planted on the west side of my house under a Mexican fan palm and close to the pool.    hopefully it still pulls through all summer long  

 

Bryan 

Have been curious how yours was doing.. Hopefully the early heat you guys have been having the past couple weeks should help jump start spring growth. 

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Hey Bryan,

That is incredible it made it through winter. This year was very cold and rainy until a few weeks ago. I would love to see a picture of it. 

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11 hours ago, wrigjef said:

Hey Bryan,

That is incredible it made it through winter. This year was very cold and rainy until a few weeks ago. I would love to see a picture of it. 

Here is a night shot of her.  She is not the prettiest of coconut palms that's for sure.  And the last few cold weeks we had she really began to turn yellow and get ugly.  Three fronds went totally brown on me this winter.  If you look close, you can see a new yellow frond.  Its greener towards the bottom, due to the warmer temps.  She seems to be very much alive, but I could be wrong.  

 

Conversely, my two coconut palms I planted in a pot that I kept inside this winter, one died.  Its because I didn't water them once this winter.  I was going through a remodel on the house and they got neglected.  So i plan on planting the one thats still alive in another spot near my pool.  If they die, oh well.  Its hard to keep plants alive in the summer in pots anyhow here in the desert, at least for me.  They dry out too fast.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed this one will look better and grow into a beautiful specimen again this summer.  

IMG_0563.JPG

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Thanks your palm need some TLC just like mine. Mine took a turn for the worse since I put it in the ground.  It's getting brown spots all over it. I'm hoping it will grow through this only time will tell. 

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  • 1 month later...

Keep us apprized! :drool:

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

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 lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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1 hour ago, wrigjef said:

Two months in the ground and growing.  

image.jpg

Looks good! Thanks for the update.. Will be interesting to see how much it grows through the Summer, esp. once Monsoon season kicks in.

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As fas as i check your location info temps drow minus degrees sometimes . What is the min temp your coconut experienced?

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2 hours ago, kutsalangemon said:

As fas as i check your location info temps drow minus degrees sometimes . What is the min temp your coconut experienced?

I had it in a pot the last 4 years and was in a screened in porch. 38 degrees is the lowest it has seen. Normal lows inside the porch hit 50 just about every night this past winter. 

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14 minutes ago, foxtail said:

Looks excellent!!! 

Ask to me why I know. :P

Foxtail you are from Puerto Rico!  I bought this Coco on EBay from a lady there.  How do you know it looks excellent?  

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Because I see a lot of seedlings/ juveniles everyday!!!:)

Edited by foxtail
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Rio_Grande.gif

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A side bar for the Phoenix crowd:

Arizona Palm & Cycad Society

Open garden, potluck and "swap meet" is firmly set now for

May 21st noon until sunset and the home and garden of long

time member OB Kingsby at 1901 E. Alta Vista Phoenix, 85042

OB has one of the most complete palm collections in town and

last hosted an open house 10 yrs ago.  I visited him last fall and

has it ever grown!  Since we no longer collect dues, we ask everyone

to bring food or drink to contribute to the festivities.  Also bring any

seed, seedlings or potted plants to sell or swap.  We hope to have

Bob Clasigan and his great Phoenix hybrids there as well.  Please pass

this invite to any non Palmtalk folks who might be interested.  See you there.

OB.JPG

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That is great to hear. It's going to be a challenge in winter but well worth the effort. I think it is adapting to its new home nicely. I will continue to post pics and updates. 

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1 hour ago, mcrawford said:

A side bar for the Phoenix crowd:

Arizona Palm & Cycad Society

Open garden, potluck and "swap meet" is firmly set now for

May 21st noon until sunset and the home and garden of long

time member OB Kingsby at 1901 E. Alta Vista Phoenix, 85042

OB has one of the most complete palm collections in town and

last hosted an open house 10 yrs ago.  I visited him last fall and

has it ever grown!  Since we no longer collect dues, we ask everyone

to bring food or drink to contribute to the festivities.  Also bring any

seed, seedlings or potted plants to sell or swap.  We hope to have

Bob Clasigan and his great Phoenix hybrids there as well.  Please pass

this invite to any non Palmtalk folks who might be interested.  See you there.

OB.JPG

That is a great Arizona garden!!!

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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On ‎4‎/‎29‎/‎2016‎ ‎7‎:‎42‎:‎07‎, wrigjef said:

Two months in the ground and growing.  

image.jpg

Wow!  I wish mine looked that good, and I live in a 10A Climate!

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  • 2 weeks later...

OB used to roar on out of the desert and visit me when I lived in LA all those years ago when I sold plants a lot. I recall he visited me at least a couple times, maybe more. (It's been a while.)

Glad to see his garden is looking so good! If I wasn't treasurer of the PSSC with a meeting on the same day, I'd roar out into the desert and see OB's place.

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

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 lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

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  • 1 month later...
On April 30, 2016 at 12:44:59 PM, foxtail said:

 

it's been two months since my last update. Been an extemely hot June. As a matter of fact the hottest I have experienced in 16 years of living here. My official high was 119 degrees on Sunday June 19th. Not to mention 7 straight days at or above 115. I am happy to say the Coco made it though just fine. My research paid off as the heat of the day Sun was far enough north of my house so after 2pm the Palm is in shade. Plus I mist it multiple times a day. Not sure if you can tell in this pic taken from inside my pool today, but it has put on nice growth. There's new growth in the crown that's now bout a foot tall. I will keep you guys posted. 

image.jpg

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Thanks for the update! Glad to see it is doing well. :D

Edited by RedRabbit

Westchase | 9b 10a  ◆  Nokomis | 10a  ◆  St. Petersburg | 10a 10b 

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I was wondering how it would do in the high heat / low humidity. Looks great with your technique of misting and some mid day shade.

Cheers, Barrie.

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Looking good.  Water the heck out of it (sounds like you may already), protect it from the occasional freeze and it should do well.

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Wow, talk about a hopeless labor of love!

The palm to try (if nobody has already) in Scottsdale would be Sabal palmetto. It can take extreme heat and low humidity and doesn't mind a little winter cold.

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On April 30, 2016 at 12:44:59 PM, foxtail said:

No idea why it keeps pulling up Foxtails post from earlier but here is a pic of my Sabal Palm  it's been in the ground for almost two years 

image.jpg

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5 hours ago, wrigjef said:

 

1 hour ago, foxtail said:

:D nice sabal!!

image.jpg

Excellent Sabal!

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Looks great!

Larry Shone in wet and sunny north-east England!  Zone9 ish

Tie two fish together and though they have two tails they cannot swim <>< ><>

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On 6/29/2016, 8:10:03, wrigjef said:

it's been two months since my last update. Been an extemely hot June. As a matter of fact the hottest I have experienced in 16 years of living here. My official high was 119 degrees on Sunday June 19th. Not to mention 7 straight days at or above 115. I am happy to say the Coco made it though just fine. My research paid off as the heat of the day Sun was far enough north of my house so after 2pm the Palm is in shade. Plus I mist it multiple times a day. Not sure if you can tell in this pic taken from inside my pool today, but it has put on nice growth. There's new growth in the crown that's now bout a foot tall. I will keep you guys posted. 

image.jpg

:greenthumb: Looks great! I was wondering how this guy was doing after the " incinerator" heat wave we had earlier on..   Im sure you will see a good growth spurt now that the Monsoon has kicked in ..And yes, Sabal, several species in fact, seem to do quite well here. Of all my seedling/smaller Sabals.. Barely any burn at 120F+, including 13 strap-leaf S. mauritiiformis seedlings that have endured the worst of the sun around mid day. Regular 'ol palmetto at work in Queen Creek are flawless, as were some S. blackburniana at another nursery last time i checked.

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nice work.  My coco in the West Valley has grown a few new fronds.  But they are very stunted.  It's been in the ground for over a year now.  It is still alive and its current spear looks normal in size so far.  Loves water.  

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  • 1 month later...

Last post was just over a month. I stated the crown was about a foot tall but very tight, not looking to open.  This is it today. Seems like it's starting to really push growth fast now. It feels more like Miami here now. Also there is a very old frond up against the wall. About 1/3 still green. Hack it or leave it alone? I trim it very rarely as to not shock it.   

Edited by wrigjef
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