Show us your Majesty palms!!

[PalmatierMeg]

I took New Year's photos around our decimated yard today. Here are a couple of my largest Ravenea rivularis. It was planted in the mid-90s and is about 35' tall. It benefited from all the a/c runoff over the years. But I am really impressed at how well it handled Hurricane Ian. Other than some shredded fronds it withstood hour upon hour of cat 4/5 winds in the eyewall where gusts were recorded at 179 mph just before landfall. Still straight, no lean. I would never have expected such a stellar performance from a non-native palm. It's a water/fertilizer hog that's a bit on the homely side, but, still..........

Ravenea rivularis, Cape Coral, FL., January 2023

 

[tinman10101]

Wow Meg . As sturdy and resilient they are to Ian, makes me wonder if planting a row of them to somewhat shield wind from future catastrophic events might be something to think about. They are very slow growers for me but are tough in California.  Thanks for sharing 

[Palmfarmer]

7 hours ago, tinman10101 said:

Wow Meg . As sturdy and resilient they are to Ian, makes me wonder if planting a row of them to somewhat shield wind from future catastrophic events might be something to think about. They are very slow growers for me but are tough in California.  Thanks for sharing 

They are slow here as well. Despite them being classified as a fast grower. Mine grow perhaps 2x faster than my Kentias

[ZPalms]

I'm impressed by majesty palm wind resistence, I just watched a youtube video of a hurricane and the majesty was planted on the beach getting directly hit with salt and strong category 2 winds. It's really holding it's own

video link if anyone else wants to see hurricane: 

Edited February 11, 2023 by ZPalms

[ruskinPalms]

On 1/1/2023 at 3:56 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

I took New Year's photos around our decimated yard today. Here are a couple of my largest Ravenea rivularis. It was planted in the mid-90s and is about 35' tall. It benefited from all the a/c runoff over the years. But I am really impressed at how well it handled Hurricane Ian. Other than some shredded fronds it withstood hour upon hour of cat 4/5 winds in the eyewall where gusts were recorded at 179 mph just before landfall. Still straight, no lean. I would never have expected such a stellar performance from a non-native palm. It's a water/fertilizer hog that's a bit on the homely side, but, still..........

Ravenea rivularis, Cape Coral, FL., January 2023

 

Well if that isn’t a strong endorsement to use these more in central Florida then I don’t know what is. What’s not to like about these? Cold hardy, can stand up to cat 5 winds, self cleaning, cheap, easy to find, moderate growth rate etc. I know people say they are water and fertilizer hogs and for the most part they are, but careful siting in the yard like a low point where water drains solves both of those problems (all that fertilizer you spread around runs off to the low points too).

 

[JohnT]

On 12/30/2022 at 12:52 PM, JLM said:

Mine survived 22F last winter without protection, so i just left it to see what would happen. If this thing survives 19F (i doubt it), its definitely a keeper lol

JLM, what ended up happening with it? Did it survive? 

[JLM]

55 minutes ago, JohnT said:

JLM, what ended up happening with it? Did it survive? 

It pretty much melted.

[BayAndroid]

There are a lot of Ravenea Rivularis out there, but this one's mine... 

 

Planted this one out tonight! I have it in a low corner of the lawn that stays soggy almost all the time. I think it will love the spot. The only challenge will be the frosty winters I get. The temperatures don't get cold enough to kill it, but it could look pretty ugly in the winter. 

For $24 at the big box store, I'd say it was worth a try. 

[ZPalms]

Well, I bought another majesty palm to plant outside because I'm a zone-pushing addict, so we'll see how this turns out.

I'll take a photo of it when the sun is back up. It was a sad Walmart one, and I was lucky to get a single one with no multiples in a pot. It has some good roots; it just needs some care.

Edited March 15 by ZPalms

[PalmatierMeg]

On 3/5/2024 at 9:30 PM, BayAndroid said:

There are a lot of Ravenea Rivularis out there, but this one's mine... 

 

Planted this one out tonight! I have it in a low corner of the lawn that stays soggy almost all the time. I think it will love the spot. The only challenge will be the frosty winters I get. The temperatures don't get cold enough to kill it, but it could look pretty ugly in the winter. 

For $24 at the big box store, I'd say it was worth a try. 

Photos of majesties taken in CA always look better than majesties planted in FL - even my two, which are the most bodacious I've found here. Maybe the mediterranean climate is not as harsh - FL is brutal much of the year - maybe they are better cared for there, though I doubt it. But most people who plant majesties in FL are too cheap to water, mulch and fertilize them. So they linger, decline, then drop dead. You have to meet their greedy needs to have them attain that "bodacious" look. Oh, and avoiding cat 5 hurricanes is a bonus.

[Looking Glass]

18 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Photos of majesties taken in CA always look better than majesties planted in FL - even my two, which are the most bodacious I've found here. Maybe the mediterranean climate is not as harsh - FL is brutal much of the year - maybe they are better cared for there, though I doubt it. But most people who plant majesties in FL are too cheap to water, mulch and fertilize them. So they linger, decline, then drop dead. You have to meet their greedy needs to have them attain that "bodacious" look. Oh, and avoiding cat 5 hurricanes is a bonus.

I think the dry season is just too dry and hot sunny in the spring and the soil too sandy in many areas here.  These guys seem to thrive in wet muck with sun, but breaks from it too.  I always wonder why the aren’t planted right on the edges of the freshwater retention ponds, drainage canals and such in neighborhoods around here though.  When those roots grow into the water, they get happy.  They are partially submerged for part of the year, in habitat.

These are really great looking palms, even though they are often treated as annuals and get no respect sometimes.  I had good luck in pots keeping them with their trays of water usually kept full in the heat.   Of course they outgrow pots in a few years, but they looked good by the pool for a while.   

All day sun does beat them up a bit.  
 

[PalmatierMeg]

3 minutes ago, Looking Glass said:

I think the dry season is just too dry and hot sunny in the spring and the soil too sandy in many areas here.  These guys seem to thrive in wet muck with sun, but breaks from it too.  I always wonder why the aren’t planted right on the edges of the freshwater retention ponds, drainage canals and such in neighborhoods around here though.  When those roots grow into the water, they get happy.  They are partially submerged for part of the year, in habitat.

These are really great looking palms, even though they are often treated as annuals and get no respect sometimes.  I had good luck in pots keeping them with their trays of water usually kept full in the heat.   Of course they outgrow pots in a few years, but they looked good by the pool for a while.   

All day sun does beat them up a bit.  
 

Good thoughts about sandy soil. I got the worst dreck soil I've ever encountered. Most places in CA I know of have much better soil than we got in Cape Coral We are on fresh water - an 80' wide canal with a steep slope that offers no planting sites for palms that large. Also, Cape Coral Code Enforcement would fine us, then spray them dead with brush killer.

Both of my majesties are approx. the same age, but the bigger one in my photos has the benefit of a/c runoff all summer so seldom lacks for water. The two of them also receive irrigation 2x per week. 

[flplantguy]

I wasnt going to try one because all i have is sand, at least until i could amend some soil in the low spots. Turns out one low spot is clay, at least at the surface where it was dumped during the well placement.  I think i could use that spot to grow one so im going to try it.  The wind resistance is awesome too.  If not there is organic amendnents i need for other plants i can use for it too.  That explains why they look so good in certain spots and terrible in others.

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, flplantguy said:

I wasnt going to try one because all i have is sand, at least until i could amend some soil in the low spots. Turns out one low spot is clay, at least at the surface where it was dumped during the well placement.  I think i could use that spot to grow one so im going to try it.  The wind resistance is awesome too.  If not there is organic amendnents i need for other plants i can use for it too.  That explains why they look so good in certain spots and terrible in others.

Pick a relatively wet and low area, amend the hell out of it with rich soil, manure and mulch. Pour on the water to excess and fertilize the hell out of them.  It helps if they get a decent break from the sun here too.   I bet you’ll be happy with the results….  Just depends on your specific conditions and how long you want to keep pouring it on.  

[Harry’s Palms]

I bought one about 25 years ago at a grocery store for $10 , I think . It was in a small pot that I kept watered outside just to see if it would survive. It did well so I planted it . They seem to get a bottle shaped trunk at the base and it narrows at the top, or at least mine did. This is the only pic I have and it is hidden by the two Caryota Urens ,and to the left of the C. Gigas but you can see  about half of the trunk and some of the fronds behind the fishtail. Harry

[Frond-friend42]

These are sold in big box stores as the sole potted palm in Utah--SLC area. I had a neighbor with one. Hers died. Both times I bought one they languished and died though I tried quite a few things. I wonder if any of the ones sold in pots and kept in pots around here survive. They look pretty good inside the cool temps with no direct sun in coir at Home Depot.

[PalmatierMeg]

Took the following updated photos today of my two Ravenea rivularis, the larger of which was featured at the beginning of this topic on 01-01-23 where it showed a lot of frond damage from Hurricane Ian but otherwise stood tall against cat 4/5 winds. Both of them now look great, given that we fertilized them last week for the first time in a year. If you are willing to give them the water and fertilizer they require your majesties might beat back major hurricanes too.

Ravenea rivularis the larger, April 2024, Cape Coral, FL

Ravenea rivularis the smaller, April 2024, Cape Coral, FL