Palm Growth season

[chris.oz]

I have noticed over the years that some palms actually will not grow much during the peak of summer.

In fact many of my Chamaedoreas and in particular the Lord Howe Isl. palms seem to grow more actively in Autumn.  

Has anyone else seen this ?

Following the maxim that palms should be fertilsed during he growth period,  maybe some light fertilising may be a good idea.

[tim_brissy_13]

Chris,  I noticed a couple of years ago that the majority of my palms grow at their fastest in March and early April.  Each growing season since has confirmed this.  This year, my A. cunninghamianas struggled a bit during the peak of summer, but have come back well over the last month and a half.  

I assume that this pattern is related to evaporation rates and rainfall.  This year the middle of summer was just too dry for anything to grow at its optimum rate, and despite twice weekly watering, the ground seemed to dry out between these.  While the ground is still fairly warm, and palms are receiving more water, early-mid autumn gives me the best growth.  My Dypsis albofarinosa is just about my best performing palm at the moment, loving this weather.

[chris.oz]

Yes Tim,

I have suspected it may be due to the medium drying out and repelling water,  even filling the pot to the brim has been shown to trickle through without wetting all the soil.

But maybe its more than that.... maybe its humidity related.

Perhaps the palms just dont like the bouts of very dry air that we get.

But it also seems to happen with palms in the ground as well,  most notably Chambeyronias.

On the other hand,  my Ravanea glaucas have nearly stopped growing !

[Tyrone]

My palms always look at their peak from March-June. Although I water every day in summer as I have a bore the summer sun can cause more damage than any winter cold. We had four days in a row in Feb that were over 40C with very low humidity and my emergent Howeas burnt. (Interestingly my Hydriastele wendlandianna next to my Howea didn't burn....Didn't expect that) In Perth the peak warm humidity times are Oct, Nov, March, April, and even May in a good year. Dec Jan Feb are generally too harsh except for the real sun lovers. I believe it's all about the humidity and extra cloud cover.

regards

Tyrone

[PalmGuyWC]

I've notice that north of the equator my fastest growing months are Aug, Sept, and Oct. as the days are getting shorter. Those are some of our warmest months also. I think it may have something to do with heat, but mostly the length of the days and nights. I read someplace that plants make food during the day and do most of their growing at night, so the longer nights may have something to do with it.

Dick

[Daryl]

Soil and water temperatures always peak later than air temperatures. Maybe the combination of these at the end of your warm season is more to the liking of your palms, especially when combined with more humid air?

We see a similar thing here, with strong growth until mid June, then a slow down over winter.

Daryl.

[quaman58]

I've also noticed different growth rates/ appearances depending on species. Wer'e pretty temperate here, so warm climate stuff like Roystonea and various Caryota & Dypsis really rock during mid to late summer. But the LHI species, Rhopalosylis, Beccariophoenix and several others really seem happier in the April - June and the October-November months.

Bret

[Kamipalms]

  Quote

· Posted on Apr. 27 2007,22:25

My palms always look at their peak from March-June. Although I water every day in summer as I have a bore the summer sun can cause more damage than any winter cold. We had four days in a row in Feb that were over 40C with very low humidity and my emergent Howeas burnt. (Interestingly my Hydriastele wendlandianna next to my Howea didn't burn....Didn't expect that) In Perth the peak warm humidity times are Oct, Nov, March, April, and even May in a good year. Dec Jan Feb are generally too harsh except for the real sun lovers. I believe it's all about the humidity and extra cloud cover.

Couldn't agree more .

my Howeas burnt during those couple of days also, it was a big surprise to see them burn.

One sun lover that did very well was my bottle and it just goes to show the more sun  the better they do grow.

This bottle in both pics is potted and has been all its life. It was in a position where it got only half a days sun and growth was reasonable.

The beginning of last spring I moved it to a full sun location  and its been there ever since.

For this one, I'd say the hooter it got the faster it grew.

Heres a couple of pics;

November 2006....not the toasting Howea next to it.

and heres 5 months later...

[Tyrone]

That's really happy Jay. 5 deep green leaves and a spear that will open soon.

My bottles I planted out the front of my place just took like pigs to mud. The more sun the better definitely. They're right next to my burnt Howea. Even a big Dypsis madagscariensis burnt for me. The Foxy Ladies only slightly yellowed in areas , but they grow out of damaged leaves so fast it doesn't matter. My biggest Foxy is now up to gutter height. It's doubled it's size in a year. I'll have to take some piccies.

regards

Tyrone

[Ntheastpalms]

G'Day chris,

Most of my palms grow better in the Autumn but the New Caledonian's really do well at this time year. My Chambeyronia mac has thrown out two new leaves at once & even my Burretiokentia vieillardii has two new leaves, so I fertilise my palms in late summer to accomodate this growth.

Cheers

Matt.

[Kamipalms]

(Ntheastpalms @ Apr. 28 2007,11:12)

QUOTE

so I fertilise my palms in late summer to accomodate this growth.

Cheers

Matt.

Or does growth occur because you fertilize in late summer...

[PalmGuyWC]

Not to get off subject, but......I think we all agree we get a spurt of growth in the Autumn as the days are getting shorter and the days and nights are still warm. I fertilize like crazy during that period and use a lot of water too. I think it's prudent to cut back on the nitrogen about 6 weeks before cool weather sets in and growth slows down. In my climate, I seem to get half of my yearly growth in those 3 months preceding cool weather.

There is a theory by some that a heavy fertilizing, while the plants are still sucking up nutrients before cool weather, builds up salts in the palms and that will enable them to take lower temps as the freezing temp is lowered in the cells.

Any thoughts on the subject?

Dick

[chris.oz]

Dick,

I cant really comment on the protection from freezes.  We have not had any freeze problems here for many years.  But a frost might come any time.   The last coldest weather we had was Christmas day.

However the Autumn growth spurt is not happening for some palms.  My Raveneas appear to have have stopped, as have the Archontophoenix.

[Jim in Los Altos]

(chris.oz @ Apr. 29 2007,06:33)

QUOTE

Dick,

I cant really comment on the protection from freezes.  We have not had any freeze problems here for many years.  But a frost might come any time.   The last coldest weather we had was Christmas day.

Really Chris? Christmas Down Under is in summer. How cold was it?

As for my palms, I've always noticed the fast rate of growth in nearly all of my palms from late summer 'til cool weather sets in early winter. I always watch with great anticipation for the beginning of some slow new growth in mid spring. We've had some hot weather (low 90s) already and the Bismarckias last spears to appear last fall are finally opening.

[tim_brissy_13]

Jim, I think Christmas day was about 18C (65F), but it seemed so much colder because the weather around that period was so warm (regularly into the 30s ©).

[Tyrone]

(tim_brissy_13 @ Apr. 30 2007,03:15)

QUOTE

Jim, I think Christmas day was about 18C (65F), but it seemed so much colder because the weather around that period was so warm (regularly into the 30s ©).

I just checked the BOM's records for that day in Melbourne City and it was 14.5C. That is cold.

Tyrone

[chris.oz]

On christmas day it snowed in the nearby hills.   The ground was warm,  so the snow melted on contact.

[Tyrone]

Weren't their bushfires going at the same time further north?

When this was all happening I was up in the dry tropics near Exmouth near the Ningaloo Reef camping in constant 40C weather with blue skies. I couldn't believe the radio saying how cold it was on the other side of the continent.

Tyrone