Hyophorbe lagenicaulis aka bottle palm

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

Just curious, how many fronds does yours hold ? Mine is currently holding onto 6 with a new one coming up. I keep mine in full sun 8 months out of the year. Winter it spends its time in my garage =) 

So lets see yours 

Also i know these are common palms and not that sexy to what most can grow here on PT, but this is what we got out this way haha 

T J 

[HtownPalms]

Looking through old threads and saw this. Surprised no one posted. Mine is in full sun and potted too. I think it usually has 5 healthy fronds with a spear. Technically I could say it has 6 at times, but the sixth usually looks yellow and ratty and i usually cut it off when it starts dropping and the stem shrivels as seen in my pic. 

[Jeff985]

I never saw this thread. Two of mine have five with a spear. I keep two in full sun and two in the shade on my covered patio. The ones in the shade look much better than the ones in the sun, which contradicts everything I’ve read about this palm. The two in the sun look kinda ratty. 

[Butch]

I never saw this thread either... I just used this pic in another post.... 5 and a spear, right now.... I don't keep track, so I couldn't tell you if it's pretty much the same all the time.... But I'll go look at some older pics and see what I can tell...

Butch

[Fusca]

24 minutes ago, Jeff985 said:

The ones in the shade look much better than the ones in the sun, which contradicts everything I’ve read about this palm. The two in the sun look kinda ratty. 

I have the same experience with mine.  Bought a small 1-gal in early spring and gradually acclimated it to full sun.  By early May it started looking sunburned so I moved it to part sun.  I just recently moved it back to full sun.  Maybe by this spring it will take the sun better?  Who knows.  Mine is smaller so it only holds 3-4 fronds + spear. 

[HtownPalms]

I bought my Bottle Palm in June of 2018 before joining this forum. I didn't know squat about palms at the time, but assumed all palms needed full sun so that's where it has been for the last 18 months not counting cold snaps. I bought a second larger one on sale last fall that is also full sun. 

My first Bottle Palm June 2018 versus October 2019

 

[HtownPalms]

That's an awesome Bottle you have Butch! I really hope mine can get to the stature of yours someday!! 

[Butch]

8 minutes ago, HtownPalms said:

That's an awesome Bottle you have Butch! I really hope mine can get to the stature of yours someday!! 

Thank you... I don't know what I would do, if I had to move it in and out like you do... That's a 42" pot, so it's not going anywhere... Yours has done very well, in a little over a year... Starting to get that "Big bottomed look".... Mine is starting to out grow that look, which I kinda miss... The proportions are so cool at that stage...

Butch

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

Here's mine enjoying it's time in it's safe space for the winter =) I'm not sure how much better it would do if it got some shade, but its definitely still growing in my garage !!! Easily my most carefree palm

[jimmyt]

Those Bottles look happy boys!  Maybe I should get one for my container Ranchito.    They dont sell those kinds up here in the northlands.

[HtownPalms]

1 hour ago, Butch said:

Thank you... I don't know what I would do, if I had to move it in and out like you do... That's a 42" pot, so it's not going anywhere... Yours has done very well, in a little over a year... Starting to get that "Big bottomed look".... Mine is starting to out grow that look, which I kinda miss... The proportions are so cool at that stage...

Butch

Your palm would definitely need a LOT of help to move. I have seen those 42" pots, they are huge. I am definitely stoked about my palm starting to round out. I think it helps to get them as small as you can and then give them proper space. The ones fresh from the nurseries are always jammed together and narrow looking. My second bottle palm is much larger, but it doesn't have the right shape. I dont think it ever will. Spent too long growing in tight spaces at the nursery. 

 

51 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

Here's mine enjoying it's time in it's safe space for the winter =) I'm not sure how much better it would do if it got some shade, but its definitely still growing in my garage !!! Easily my most carefree palm

Agreed! These palms seem bulletproof as long as you dont let them freeze. 

 

41 minutes ago, jimmyt said:

Those Bottles look happy boys!  Maybe I should get one for my container Ranchito.    They dont sell those kinds up here in the northlands.

You have to get one. They grow surprisingly fast and are tough as nails. If you are ever in the Houston area they sell them at every Home Depot and Lowes in the area. The next time I head up that way I can bring you one if you want. They are on $21 at the box stores. 

[Jeff985]

Mine even froze last year and lived. I didn’t have them yet. At the end of February all the garden centers here started putting out all their new plants because we usually don’t have a threat of a freeze at that point. We had a weird freeze the first week of March. Katy got down to 30 degrees and all the garden centers had their bottles outside in pots. They looked pretty bad. When I bought mine they only had two fronds. One of them only had one  now they all have 3 to 5. 

[Merlyn]

My two "rescue Spindles" took some significant burn with two non-frosty nights at 33F last winter.  They were in the open but were in sorta poor health going into winter.  This year I have a bunch of Bottles and a few more Spindles in the ground.  I picked them up at local Lowes for $10 each in February from the clearance area.  I also picked up a trunking Bottle for $35 as an April "Special Buy" that's planted up close to the East side of the house, where it'll get early AM sun.  I hope this winter is mild!

[CodyORB]

On 12/19/2019 at 8:55 PM, Merlyn2220 said:

My two "rescue Spindles" took some significant burn with two non-frosty nights at 33F last winter.  They were in the open but were in sorta poor health going into winter.  This year I have a bunch of Bottles and a few more Spindles in the ground.  I picked them up at local Lowes for $10 each in February from the clearance area.  I also picked up a trunking Bottle for $35 as an April "Special Buy" that's planted up close to the East side of the house, where it'll get early AM sun.  I hope this winter is mild!

You may have posted it elsewhere, but how well did they make it through last winter? No frost in Orlando but I would like to know what kind of burn/damage they took on. Thanks!

[Merlyn]

47 minutes ago, CodyORB said:

You may have posted it elsewhere, but how well did they make it through last winter? No frost in Orlando but I would like to know what kind of burn/damage they took on. Thanks!

This last winter wasn't too bad here, only I think 2 nights at around 32-33F at my house.  The sickly "rescue Spindles" from Green's nursery suffered bad, and one died this spring.  I suspect that was just because of general poor health since they never really recovered from years of being tossed in a corner of a greenhouse.  Every other Bottle and Spindle faired pretty well, with only a little yellowing of the older fronds and a bit of spotting/burnt tips.  They all started growing pretty quickly in February and have mostly replaced any damaged fronds now.  

If you are looking for a slightly hardier version look up the Gaussia Princeps, aka "The Other Bottle Palm."  I bought a bunch of seedlings earlier this year and have ~25 in the ground now, even though they are really small.  They are supposed to be tougher than Hyophorbes, by at least a few degrees F. 

Edit: the $35 almost-trunking Bottle next to the East side of the house fared the best out of all of them, probably because it had radiant heat from the house to keep it slightly warmer.  It also had sun early in the morning (by about 9AM), which Eric @ Leu Gardens said seemed to really help some of his marginal palms.

Edited July 12, 2020 by Merlyn2220

[CodyORB]

30 minutes ago, Merlyn2220 said:

This last winter wasn't too bad here, only I think 2 nights at around 32-33F at my house.  The sickly "rescue Spindles" from Green's nursery suffered bad, and one died this spring.  I suspect that was just because of general poor health since they never really recovered from years of being tossed in a corner of a greenhouse.  Every other Bottle and Spindle faired pretty well, with only a little yellowing of the older fronds and a bit of spotting/burnt tips.  They all started growing pretty quickly in February and have mostly replaced any damaged fronds now.  

If you are looking for a slightly hardier version look up the Gaussia Princeps, aka "The Other Bottle Palm."  I bought a bunch of seedlings earlier this year and have ~25 in the ground now, even though they are really small.  They are supposed to be tougher than Hyophorbes, by at least a few degrees F. 

Edit: the $35 almost-trunking Bottle next to the East side of the house fared the best out of all of them, probably because it had radiant heat from the house to keep it slightly warmer.  It also had sun early in the morning (by about 9AM), which Eric @ Leu Gardens said seemed to really help some of his marginal palms.

The Gaussia Princeps sounds like an interesting alternative, thank you!

[Frond-friend42]

Anybody have luck starting bottles from seed? I have acquired a bunch of seed. No activity yet, just fungal outbreaks so far. I'm using pots inside baggies under light so far. Heat and light and moisture.

[aztropic]

Be patient.I started a batch last summer and it was about 4 months before they started sprouting.Fast growers after that.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[aztropic]

3 hours ago, CodyORB said:

The Gaussia Princeps sounds like an interesting alternative, thank you!

Gaussias ARE a great alternative for the bottle look in a colder climate.Also have a batch of these growing;started last spring!

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[Brett in Mission Viejo]

My bottle is really starting to put on height. About 16-20 feet tall with 6 feet of trunk! Not flowering yet though. It is partially shaded, but seems to love the location. Has a little curve in the trunk. Hard to get a good shot of the full tree (Spindle to the immediate right).

Full tree:

Trunkal region:

 

 

[Meangreen94z]

I think I’m going to hit up Lowe’s for a few of these in November. They clear their palms out at 75%+ off towards the end. Home Depot uses vendors that take their product back to the greenhouses for the winter. 

[wase471111]

any of you guys had luck growing these in the Phoenix area?  

 

thanks

[WaianaeCrider]

I have two bottles in the ground for about 18 years.  One in stream silt, but the stream only flows w/heavy rain.  Over the years the original irrigation line has been covered by silt and I'm amazed it's still giving enough water to keep the palm alive.  It flowers and sets seed regularly and has about 6 fronds.

Number two is planted on top of a HUGE rock wall built in the late 1800's.  Sugar cane was grown in the flat land around me and "my dry stream" valley was to narrow to lay rail road tracks.  So they built this wall which is about 20' wide at the top bout 250' long and shows about 15' in height but I have no idea how much is burried in silt over the past 100 years.  The sugar was planted and harvested before there were trucks to haul the cut cane and rail roads were built where ever sugar was grown in Hawai`i.  To get back to #2, I removed a bunch of rocks 18 years ago and made perhaps a whole 2' deep and 3' around.  This I filled w/soil, instilled a drip line and planted a 1 gallon Bottle palm.  As you can see it's quite stunted but it has about 5 fronds, a nes spear and it seeds and fruits.

Palm One

Palm Two

[aztropic]

3 hours ago, wase471111 said:

any of you guys had luck growing these in the Phoenix area?  

 

thanks

As you've seen in my other post,I had 1 in the ground for 20 years before it finally met it's demise due to record breaking heat duration of this past summer.Actually, this is a species that is probably better kept in a nice ceramic pot on your patio where you can move it to avoid our extremes of heat or cold.Phoenix planting in the ground is just a little too extreme for this palm, and, I know my success with it was probably the exception,rather than the rule.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[WaianaeCrider]

On 9/25/2020 at 9:34 AM, WaianaeCrider said:

I have two bottles in the ground for about 18 years.  One in stream silt, but the stream only flows w/heavy rain.  Over the years the original irrigation line has been covered by silt and I'm amazed it's still giving enough water to keep the palm alive.  It flowers and sets seed regularly and has about 6 fronds.

Number two is planted on top of a HUGE rock wall built in the late 1800's.  Sugar cane was grown in the flat land around me and "my dry stream" valley was to narrow to lay rail road tracks.  So they built this wall which is about 20' wide at the top bout 250' long and shows about 15' in height but I have no idea how much is burried in silt over the past 100 years.  The sugar was planted and harvested before there were trucks to haul the cut cane and rail roads were built where ever sugar was grown in Hawai`i.  To get back to #2, I removed a bunch of rocks 18 years ago and made perhaps a whole 2' deep and 3' around.  This I filled w/soil, instilled a drip line and planted a 1 gallon Bottle palm.  As you can see it's quite stunted but it has about 5 fronds, a nes spear and it seeds and fruits.

Palm One

Palm Two

Here is another shot of the "wall" to give you an idea of it's size.

[lzorrito]

Here's mine. Potted and full sun until 4PM. 5 fronds and pushing a new spear.

[tacobender]

I have 4 in the yard, none are blooming yet. All of them hold 7 - 8 fronds.  Handle this climate well.