Dypsis Pembana clumping type?

[James B]

So I picked up a decent sized Dypsis Pembana at a local nursery. I really wanted the clumping form as I think it looks better when there are 4-5 trunks together. They only had singles and doubles. Judging by the pics and the way it is attached at the base is this the clumping type? Or were these two seeds put together closely when originally potted? It appears that the smaller palm is coming out of the actual base of the palm. For those of you with more experience what are your thoughts?

[PalmatierMeg]

Clumping. You can see where the offset attaches to the main stem.

[James B]

40 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Clumping. You can see where the offset attaches to the main stem.

Thanks Meg! Will this palm produce more once it’s settled in its spot and has its roots in the ground?

[PalmatierMeg]

Probably. My two adult pembana have 3 trunks each.

[Stevetoad]

Agreed. Looks like you got what you wanted. Nice score!

[Merlyn]

My Pembana was originally 4 seedlings in 1 pot, the grower said that they planted them so they'd appear fuller when young.  Each plant has since grown 1 or 2 offsets at the base.  The offsets look exactly like the original poster's photo.

[Johnny Palmseed]

It’s impossible to predict how many offsets you will end up with. I had several from the same batch of seedlings. The adults ended up being anywhere from solitary to 7 suckers.

[Merlyn]

Here's a photo of my biggest Pembana cluster.  This was originally 3 seedlings, I think.  The biggest trunk has sprouted 3 more, and the others started sprouting a couple as well. 

The biggest one did a "doinker" coming up through the base, and sprouted two normal looking ones off to the right.  Apparently it's just a weird thing that Dypsis do!

[Tracy]

3 hours ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

It’s impossible to predict how many offsets you will end up with. I had several from the same batch of seedlings. The adults ended up being anywhere from solitary to 7 suckers.

Agree with Mr. Palmseed.  The fact that this one has produced at least one offset at this point is encouraging if you want one that will produce multiple stems.  Mine that have multiple stems, were still putting out new ones at that size.  In my experience, once they get to a certain point of growth, if they haven't produced offsets they just aren't going to magically start.  Congratulations on a nice plant.

[chad2468emr]

I knew you lived in CA as soon as I read you were able to get a dypsis like this from a nursery, haha. It's absurd to me how CA has so many dypsis + kings for sale given how much they thrive in FL with all the rain + humidity we get. I've only ever seen small ones for sale at any nursery in FL outside of select few palm specialty nurseries run by members on this forum, and it blows my mind. They do well in CA too, but I know y'all have to take great care to water constantly or else they dry out. 

I had a clump of pembana that I DID manage to find, but it was overly-crowded since people just LOVE to cram multiple seedlings into a single pot to make a palm that already divides and clumps look fuller when they are young. It just did. not. grow. Which I know is far from the norm for pembana, and after attempting to split the seedlings into their own pots, I did too much damage to the roots and they sat looking miserable for a few months before I got tired of watching them suffer and threw them out, haha. Currently on the hunt for a large, single-potted pembana and hopeful to find one before we get too into the growing season. 

[James B]

I think it’s because when I comes to palm mania en masse California is probably 10 years or so ahead of Florida. Most of the senior members of the IPS seem to be from Cali. It’s only a matter of time before you see more and more exotic palms more readily available in Florida. There seems to be growing number of palm eunthusiasts in Florida and with that will come more and more specialty nurseries that will pop up in the southern half of the state. Add the fact that most palms will grow much faster due to the rain and humidity and nursery owners will be able to produce new stock at a faster rate than we can here. 

[sonoranfans]

 

1 hour ago, chad2468emr said:

I knew you lived in CA as soon as I read you were able to get a dypsis like this from a nursery, haha. It's absurd to me how CA has so many dypsis + kings for sale given how much they thrive in FL with all the rain + humidity we get. I've only ever seen small ones for sale at any nursery in FL outside of select few palm specialty nurseries run by members on this forum, and it blows my mind. They do well in CA too, but I know y'all have to take great care to water constantly or else they dry out. 

I had a clump of pembana that I DID manage to find, but it was overly-crowded since people just LOVE to cram multiple seedlings into a single pot to make a palm that already divides and clumps look fuller when they are young. It just did. not. grow. Which I know is far from the norm for pembana, and after attempting to split the seedlings into their own pots, I did too much damage to the roots and they sat looking miserable for a few months before I got tired of watching them suffer and threw them out, haha. Currently on the hunt for a large, single-potted pembana and hopeful to find one before we get too into the growing season. 

Actually, california has a climate that is better suited for many dypsis.  Yeah some dypsis grow here as well like pembana, luetcens, leptocheilos, but few grow well here that cant be grown in california.  SOme like that drier climate, like baroni, ambositrae, decipiens etc.  Some of these want less wetness and you can always add wetness but its hard to take it away.   Pembanas are easy grows here in florida to ~28F as are lanceolatas if you dont see 30F.   I have killed a bunch of dypsis sp that weren't available here in nurseries and apparently for good reason.  You should be able to find a pembana, but the same nurseries that sell those get run out of business by big box stores that everyone likes to shop at.   You have less selection today than 10 years ago IMO.  The box stores would refer you bought another adonidia or foxtail( I have neither) that are less suited for our soils/climate.  I have both the clumper and solitary pembana, the solitary palm has an much thicker trunk(7-8" caliper now) and gets taller.  My solitary is ~25' overall.  I do prefer the clumper with 3 trunks, it looks proportionately more balanced as the solitary has a relatively small crown for a 25' tree.  I have a few seedling pots of "solitary multiples" from my palm that I planted together in pots, they should be a huge looking "clumper look"(to 25') in  10 years.   I my do a phantom planting near the highway in the wet season next year.  I have killed more dypsis species than Ive grown here all ordered from california/hawaii, that is why there arent so many dypsis species for sale here.  Remember hawaii has wet and dry sides of th islands, florida is just wet.

[chad2468emr]

37 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

 

Actually, california has a climate that is better suited for many dypsis.  Yeah some dypsis grow here as well like pembana, luetcens, leptocheilos, but few grow well here that cant be grown in california.  SOme like that drier climate, like baroni, ambositrae, decipiens etc.  Some of these want less wetness and you can always add wetness but its hard to take it away.   Pembanas are easy grows here in florida to ~28F as are lanceolatas if you dont see 30F.   I have killed a bunch of dypsis sp that weren't available here in nurseries and apparently for good reason.  You should be able to find a pembana, but the same nurseries that sell those get run out of business by big box stores that everyone likes to shop at.   You have less selection today than 10 years ago IMO.  The box stores would refer you bought another adonidia or foxtail( I have neither) that are less suited for our soils/climate.  I have both the clumper and solitary pembana, the solitary palm has an much thicker trunk(7-8" caliper now) and gets taller.  My solitary is ~25' overall.  I do prefer the clumper with 3 trunks, it looks proportionately more balanced as the solitary has a relatively small crown for a 25' tree.  I have a few seedling pots of "solitary multiples" from my palm that I planted together in pots, they should be a huge looking "clumper look"(to 25') in  10 years.   I my do a phantom planting near the highway in the wet season next year.  I have killed more dypsis species than Ive grown here all ordered from california/hawaii, that is why there arent so many dypsis species for sale here.  Remember hawaii has wet and dry sides of th islands, florida is just wet.

Totally get all that. I guess I mostly meant it’s a shame we don’t see more of the dypsis species that DO grow well here. Interesting that so many dypsis like dry conditions - likely my Floridian perspective on palms just assumed all dypsis are like the ones I can grow, which at no coincidence, like lots of water, haha.

 

[chad2468emr]

1 hour ago, James B said:

I think it’s because when I comes to palm mania en masse California is probably 10 years or so ahead of Florida. Most of the senior members of the IPS seem to be from Cali. It’s only a matter of time before you see more and more exotic palms more readily available in Florida. There seems to be growing number of palm eunthusiasts in Florida and with that will come more and more specialty nurseries that will pop up in the southern half of the state. Add the fact that most palms will grow much faster due to the rain and humidity and nursery owners will be able to produce new stock at a faster rate than we can here. 

Here’s to hoping! That all sounds good to me!!  

[Bazza]

I just planted my first one and am very excited at the prospect of the fast growth! Only about 4' OA height but has about 6 trunks already and came out of a 15 gal. pot fully rooted. It takes the place of an Alexandra that didn't make it due to transplant shock.

 

[Merlyn]

21 hours ago, Bazza said:

I just planted my first one and am very excited at the prospect of the fast growth! Only about 4' OA height but has about 6 trunks already and came out of a 15 gal. pot fully rooted. It takes the place of an Alexandra that didn't make it due to transplant shock.

Mine went from 3' to 12-15' in about 1.5 years, about the same speed as a Caryota Mitis.  The top fronds got fried at 28F and frost here, but it's already putting out new fronds from every stalk!

[sonoranfans]

On 3/26/2021 at 8:30 AM, James B said:

I think it’s because when I comes to palm mania en masse California is probably 10 years or so ahead of Florida. Most of the senior members of the IPS seem to be from Cali. It’s only a matter of time before you see more and more exotic palms more readily available in Florida. There seems to be growing number of palm eunthusiasts in Florida and with that will come more and more specialty nurseries that will pop up in the southern half of the state. Add the fact that most palms will grow much faster due to the rain and humidity and nursery owners will be able to produce new stock at a faster rate than we can here. 

I think there are few regular posters here that have been on palmtalk for 20 years.  13 years ago, there were quite a few, many dont post much anymore.  Palmtalk is great for those starting out in palms to talk to others about thir experiences, but most often the "experience" has alrady been reported.  With species like tahina, and to a lesser extent b. alfredii, the experiences may be new with respect to large palms, but thousands of seedlings have been around in cultivation 10-15 years.   Dypsis species are mostly not recent, they have been grown in Miami at Fairchild, in Orlando at Leu botannical gardens and the results showed which ones work well here.  If you want to grow allthose dypsis species, youre better off in southern california.  Miami has had plenty of exotic palms over the time I have been in florida(10+ years).   In my area, the number of those palm specialty nurseries has really dropped, I think its hard to make a living selling cheap palms.  I used to be able to buy lots of palms from fellow palm talkers in florida, today its mostly seed and tiny seedlings and not a local pickup.  I could have bought (10) 10 gallon copernicia fallaensis 8 years ago, today they are very rare and very expensive now.  We are not at the awakening of palm hobby here in florida, IMO.  We might not have supported our small nurseries enough over the last 10 years and now we generally have less availability to choose from.   Last year I had to really hunt out a flamethrower, not really exotic, and even some sizeable nurseries like redlands nursery didnt have any.  I used to be able to pick one of them up within 20 minutes of my house, now its 3 hours.  Tight now I am also finding lots of closed businesses due to Cov-19 and as I understand it 60% of small businesses in general are not coming back.  As the number of sources drops, that kills competition and prices will inevitably rise because they can do that without competition.

[donalt]

Chad2468, you indicate that you are located south of Orlando. Have you tried MBPalms for dypsis pembana? Owner Mike has LOTS of them.