Howea forsteriana in Clay

[Palmfarmer]

I planted one of my kentias between 2 washies to give it some canopy. its in clays soil however. I tried googling, but found no good info. I get some conflicting info on what they like as well,do they like a lot of water or not? what can i expect in terms of growth in the ground? are they heavy feeders. Here it is: 

[PalmCode]

They grow in clay ok just be careful not to over water it especially  in the coldest months if you get frosts. Clay does not drain well and can rot em if water sits too long. 

I mixed some river sand and compost with the clay when i planted mine and they grow good with moderate water.

[Palmfarmer]

7 hours ago, PalmCode said:

They grow in clay ok just be careful not to over water it especially  in the coldest months if you get frosts. Clay does not drain well and can rot em if water sits too long. 

I mixed some river sand and compost with the clay when i planted mine and they grow good with moderate water.

ok i will topdress with some compost then. water once a week or so. thats good since it never rains in winter we have a rainseason, but it is in the summer. How long can i expect it to form a trunk if it does good?

[palmfriend]

Hi, 

we are warm/hot the most time of the year - so not perfect for them. But I managed to keep

it shaded and kept a close eye on the soil - adding some extra water if needed. 

It is a rewarding palm, if you can keep it happy. Just beautiful.

Btw., here some young guns growing under my still young washies...

The dark green of the leaflets tells you everything is all right. 

I love them, a great species.

Trunking will need some time - I would say five years for your one.

best regards from Okinawa -

Lars

[Palmfarmer]

Cool that you are growing under a washie as well. Yes min was a bit sunburnt when i got it and it burned some more being under only  partial shade from the washies. This should improve as the washies gets some more fronds over the Kentia and the new leafs will darken because of more shade. 

[PalmCode]

14 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

ok i will topdress with some compost then. water once a week or so. thats good since it never rains in winter we have a rainseason, but it is in the summer. How long can i expect it to form a trunk if it does good?

It should have a trunk with some rings within five years hopefully.

 

[Tyrone]

These palms really do love organic compost top dressing. Where they grow on LHI is in the sand belt above the high tide mark in limestone areas, however they will tolerate heavier soil. What they always have is a good layer of decomposing leaf litter on the ground. The best ones I saw there were in a mutton bird rookery. The mutton birds tunnel underground amongst the roots in the sand to make their nests and must deposit all sorts of manure and ocean debris deep near their roots. Side dressings of decomposed poultry manure make these green right up.

[Steve Mac]

I've never fertilized my 30 yr old specimen, but as Tyrone said it has always had a good layer of composting leaf litter and organic compost.

 

[TomJ]

They "LOVE" clay, and water.

 

[akamu]

48 minutes ago, TomJ said:

They "LOVE" clay, and water.

 

I have to agree with Tom the three I have love the clay and water the single one has outpaced my king palms 

[BS Man about Palms]

Years ago, soon after joining PT I met Jim Wright, a local San Diego legend and had some Howeas with 20+ feet of trunk.  I asked him his secret. He said "When cold, you pretty much stop watering, if it's warm, you almost can't overwater them!!" 
It has proven to be very true, and as mine are in clay with several feet of trunk now, he was right!

[Tyrone]

2 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

Years ago, soon after joining PT I met Jim Wright, a local San Diego legend and had some Howeas with 20+ feet of trunk.  I asked him his secret. He said "When cold, you pretty much stop watering, if it's warm, you almost can't overwater them!!" 
It has proven to be very true, and as mine are in clay with several feet of trunk now, he was right!

I agree with this. I’ve got clay peat soil here and amended with organics the Kentias love it. However my soil is quite acidic so I do have to side dress with a bit of lime and trace elements now and again, as they need the calcium and like a slightly higher pH than belmoreana do. However I think the clay in Southern California is high pH anyway so you won’t need to worry about that. 

In my old garden in Perth  I had a Howea forsteriana that must have put its roots into my septic leach drain. It was deep sandy soil and I did water a lot but the base of the palm was like the foot on an adult elephant about 60cm across. It was enormous. When I went to LHI I was looking for any Howea with a base so fat and only found a few that big in the mutton bird rookery. 

[Palmfarmer]

Thanks for all tips, inputs and beatiful photos. Fortunatly for me Rain season is at the peak of summer. I love it i dont have to do anything, just watch the garden grow like crazy. I am wondering where would you put Howea in terms of cold hardiness compared to other palms? Also i get these 60cm ones for rougly 50 usd shipped to my house is that a mediocre, bad or good deal?

[Tyrone]

3 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

Thanks for all tips, inputs and beatiful photos. Fortunatly for me Rain season is at the peak of summer. I love it i dont have to do anything, just watch the garden grow like crazy. I am wondering where would you put Howea in terms of cold hardiness compared to other palms? Also i get these 60cm ones for rougly 50 usd shipped to my house is that a mediocre, bad or good deal?

They will burn badly at 28F (-2 C) especially small ones. If you get regular frosts every year it's best to plant these under the canopy of an evergreen frost tolerant tree.