Washingtonia Filibusta/Filifera? Fayetteville north caroline

[NC-Key-Bar]

1 hour ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Thought I'd post a mid-winter pics on my unprotected Fayetteville NC Washingtonia. The others in shelters are just as they where at the end of last summer.

 

This one looks great. I said in another threat I thought the “Fayetteville” was heavy robusta. But seeing this pic, I’m not so sure. Lots of fibers and light petioles. Seems like there’s very little damage to the upper fronds. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

7 minutes ago, NCkey-bar9831 said:

This one looks great. I said in another threat I thought the “Fayetteville” was heavy robusta. But seeing this pic, I’m not so sure. Lots of fibers and light petioles. Seems like there’s very little damage to the upper fronds. 

In all fairness, we've only 2 nights that dipped to 29°F last weekend. Daytime temps rebounded quite nicely.

[NC-Key-Bar]

I visited Fayetteville today and had to stop by. A decent amount of green remaining. I saw it in person 2 years ago for the first time, and it seems noticeably bigger now. 
 

I wish someone would clean it up, but I do love the natural “mess” this thing has made. In the end, it’s just a plant doing plant stuff - but a long ways from home. 

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 3/18/2025 at 2:38 PM, NC-Key-Bar said:

I visited Fayetteville today and had to stop by. ...

 

Here's 3 of it's offspring after their first winter, worst to first.

This one received only a poly cover an absolute minimal amount of time. During the coldest period (19°F / -7°C on 3 occasions) it was afforded some burlap but no supplemental heat source. The fronds are nuked but the bud is still green, so no spear pull.

 

This second one was in a relatively large insulated shelter. Thermo-cube activated mini incandescent lights placed loosely around the trunk and a string of C7 bulbs on the ground underneath the palm. No rain, frost, snow or wind.

 

This last one was in an insulated shelter nearly as tall as the palm itself.  Also, the same lighting set up and conditions as #2 above.

[jwitt]

@Las Palmas Norte your worst just about equates to my Washingtonia(s) this winter. 

So 2 nights at 4f here(unprotected), equate to 19f by you. Crazy!

[Las Palmas Norte]

1 hour ago, jwitt said:

... So 2 nights at 4f here(unprotected), equate to 19f by you. Crazy!

The "Crazy" equates to two entirely different winter climates, therefore not overly crazy. Yours look like it's rebounding were as my badly damaged palm has yet to start moving. The other two are growing, especially the better example of the 3 palms.

[mrjc]

7 hours ago, jwitt said:

@Las Palmas Norte your worst just about equates to my Washingtonia(s) this winter. 

So 2 nights at 4f here(unprotected), equate to 19f by you. Crazy!

Did you protect it at all?

[Las Palmas Norte]

@jwitt Is yours also a Fayetteville offspring palm?

[jwitt]

4 hours ago, mrjc said:

Did you protect it at all?

Sometimes I brush snow off with a broom.  That is it on these direct sowed palms. Seed sourced out of Cleburne Tx.

[jwitt]

10 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

The "Crazy" equates to two entirely different winter climates, therefore not overly crazy. Yours look like it's rebounding were as my badly damaged palm has yet to start moving. The other two are growing, especially the better example of the 3 palms.

Still crazy as you provided protection on all yours.  

Yes, different climates and full zone difference. 7b vs 8b. 

Just an observation.  

Also as you stated, you rain protected your worst one.  So in my mind, there is possibly more to the wet vs dry argument. 

[Chester B]

9 hours ago, jwitt said:

So in my mind, there is possibly more to the wet vs dry argument.

It's the winter time humidity too.  On the west coast its low humidity and sunshine all summer, the winter is the opposite.  Cool, cloudy and high humidity, due to the large amount of drizzle hours and the fact that once things get wet they stay that way.

I had Washingtonia filifera in a pot on my porch, not watered and it never got wet.  It developed the typical black fungus spots and the older fronds all died off.  Robusta is more tolerant of it and always fared better for me.

[jwitt]

12 hours ago, Chester B said:

It's the winter time humidity too.  On the west coast its low humidity and sunshine all summer, the winter is the opposite.  Cool, cloudy and high humidity, due to the large amount of drizzle hours and the fact that once things get wet they stay that way.

I had Washingtonia filifera in a pot on my porch, not watered and it never got wet.  It developed the typical black fungus spots and the older fronds all died off.  Robusta is more tolerant of it and always fared better for me.

Never mentioned is acidic vs alkaline conditions.  

Fayetteville itself, slightly colder zone wise, has a near winter precipitation average as Portland/Seattle. 

Could acidic conditions make a filifera a "weaker" palm?  

Filifera seedlings abhor acidic conditions.  100% failure rate vs 100% success rate on same seed batch within feet of each other at same temperature.  Tested it in my yard.  

Just a thought. 

[Chester B]

Just now, jwitt said:

Filifera seedlings abhor acidic conditions.  100% failure rate vs 100% success rate on same seed batch within feet of each other at same temperature.  Tested it in my yard.  

The soil is definitely acidic there.  That could be a factor too. 

[jwitt]

28 minutes ago, Chester B said:

The soil is definitely acidic there.  That could be a factor too. 

We are talking a species that has been in cultivation in all practicality less than 100 years.  The palm itself has a life expectancy of 250 years.  My hunch is we may not know everything. 

I am am nearly 100% certain seedlings and small filifera with identical climatic conditions die off at different temperatures with the only difference being acidic vs alkaline soils. 

Native filifera naturally grow in some insane alkaline conditions, up to 9.2ph!  But seems never to be a factor in it's requirements.  Yes, it will grow in neutral and acidic conditions, but maybe it affects it's cold tolerance. 

Never seen it discussed as a factor. Could it be? Maybe.  

It definitely is in my yard. 

Fayetteville is in the Sandhills of NC.  Just another data point. leading to soil conditions irrespective of acidic/alkaline. 

 

[SeanK]

On 4/1/2025 at 12:42 AM, jwitt said:

@Las Palmas Norte your worst just about equates to my Washingtonia(s) this winter. 

So 2 nights at 4f here(unprotected), equate to 19f by you. Crazy!

Even this one is off and running!

[jwitt]

1 hour ago, SeanK said:

Even this one is off and running!

Also Fayetteville with it's 14f w/o humidity or rain protection and much below normal January. 

Just data points! 

[jwitt]

The predominate climate of Fayetteville experiences no dry season and remains relatively stable through the course of the year.

Humidity percentages are uniform across the months, with values ranging narrowly from 72% to 77%.

The cloudiest month of the year in Fayetteville is January, during which on average the sky is overcast or mostly cloudy 50% of the time.

--_--_---_--_-----_------+--++++

Interestingly, both Sacramento and Fresno, both filifera "hotbeds" are more humid in winter that Portland Or.. 

Fayetteville is less humid(~70% vs ~80%) in winter compared to Portland. 

 

If humidity was the concern in the pnw with filifera palms, one could fairly easily lower it(humidity), by increasing the diurnal temperature. A clear covering above the palm(glass/plastic), just the top, not sides,  would accomplish this needed increased diurnal temperature. It would lower the humidity. It would also stop rain from above if that is also a concern. 

Personally, I feel acidic/alkaline conditions are the major player.  My thoughts. 

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

My minimally protected Fayetteville finally succumbed. The months of April and May seemed to have reverse weather patterns. There was some green in the bud going into spring. Killed by death.

 

My best "Fayetteville" example is this one.

 

[Swolte]

I am officially joining the Fayetteville Washie club!

Thanks to @Leelanau Palms, I was able to get 2 fantastic specimens. I placed one in a pot and the other in the garden. I made a well-draining, alkaline mix of sandy loam, clay, and some expanded shale. It is in full sun and I was able to plant it right before the thunderstorms had me run inside for shelter. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

6 hours ago, Swolte said:

I am officially joining the Fayetteville Washie club!

Lookin' good. Welcome. I thought I'd check on one of mine.

 

[ZPalms]

7 hours ago, Swolte said:

I am officially joining the Fayetteville Washie club!

Thanks to @Leelanau Palms, I was able to get 2 fantastic specimens. I placed one in a pot and the other in the garden. I made a well-draining, alkaline mix of sandy loam, clay, and some expanded shale. It is in full sun and I was able to plant it right before the thunderstorms had me run inside for shelter. 

 

20 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Lookin' good. Welcome. I thought I'd check on one of mine.

 

NICEEEEE! LOOKING GOOD, I need to go give the bragg blvd washie a visit! I only have one specimen still and I want many more!

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, ZPalms said:

 

NICEEEEE! LOOKING GOOD, I need to go give the bragg blvd washie a visit! I only have one specimen still and I want many more!

I was wondering if you or someone else might check in with an update. Standing by. 

[Leelanau Palms]

I got one more Fay-Wash that I grew from Jesse's seeds, if anyone wants it.

[MrTropical]

28 minutes ago, Leelanau Palms said:

I got one more Fay-Wash that I grew from Jesse's seeds, if anyone wants it.

Sending you a PM!

June 12, 2025

[Las Palmas Norte]

I have one other Fayetteville but with a face made for radio. It's decided to head south and grows obliquely in that direction. 

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

On 1/22/2025 at 7:05 PM, NC-Key-Bar said:

This one looks great. I said in another threat I thought the “Fayetteville” was heavy robusta. But seeing this pic, I’m not so sure. Lots of fibers and light petioles. Seems like there’s very little damage to the upper fronds. 

It does look heavy on the Robusta factor. 

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

On 5/26/2025 at 12:24 PM, Las Palmas Norte said:

My minimally protected Fayetteville finally succumbed. The months of April and May seemed to have reverse weather patterns. There was some green in the bud going into spring. Killed by death.

 

My best "Fayetteville" example is this one.

 

I don't think those Filibustas are ideal for your area.  Still, they are doing pretty well, overall.  They really would enjoy longer stretches of heat during the year and also drier weather during your wet season.

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, Atlanta Area Palm Guy said:

I don't think those Filibustas are ideal for your area.  Still, they are doing pretty well, overall.  They really would enjoy longer stretches of heat during the year and also drier weather during your wet season.

Long known facts by anyone here that has tried Washingtonia. There's other Canuckleheads growing these in colder winter eastern Canada. 

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

1 hour ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Long known facts by anyone here that has tried Washingtonia. There's other Canuckleheads growing these in colder winter eastern Canada. 

There are things that can be done to mimic their ideal growing conditions.  Though, it would seem quite challenging to do in Eastern parts of Canada.

[MrTropical]

On 6/15/2025 at 11:01 PM, Atlanta Area Palm Guy said:

There are things that can be done to mimic their ideal growing conditions.  Though, it would seem quite challenging to do in Eastern parts of Canada.

James Palms on YouTube does it very well. He's located in southern Ontario.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJames2929

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

On 6/19/2025 at 3:34 AM, MrTropical said:

James Palms on YouTube does it very well. He's located in southern Ontario.

https://www.youtube.com/user/TheJames2929

Yes, I'm aware of him.  He's very dedicated.

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 6/20/2025 at 5:04 AM, Atlanta Area Palm Guy said:

... He's very dedicated.

You'd have to be in his climate.😁

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

29 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

You'd have to be in his climate.😁

Yeah, lol.  There's no choice in the Toronto area.  He is a master of human protection methods for palm trees.  We can all learn something from him.

[ZPalms]

Thought I'd show my brag blvd washie, It's a bit different than my other washies, It's quicker with verticle growth and slimmer than my other washies.

[Las Palmas Norte]

The two "Fayetteville" Washingtonia I have, each are exhibiting very  different traits, both from the same seed lot.

 

1. Thin elongated trunk with fewer fronds and rather dark cinnamon colored petioles. Strong robusta characteristics.

 

2. More fronds in a tighter pattern and a thicker trunk. Almost no trace of coloring on the petioles. Indicators of the filifera sp.

[NC-Key-Bar]

I was in Fayetteville for a funeral in March, and picked up some seeds. They pretty much all sprouted, and the deer and squirrel ate them up. 
I have 2 left that are growing like weeds. 1 went into a rock bed I’m working on. This one is staying in a pot. 4 months old and swallowing up a half gallon. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

One of the two I have grows scrawny, a 4' ugly duckling.

 

[ZPalms]

They really seem to love some quick vertical growth over thickness 😂

[JohnAndSancho]

On 6/12/2025 at 6:43 PM, Las Palmas Norte said:

I have one other Fayetteville but with a face made for radio. It's decided to head south and grows obliquely in that direction. 

I love it, but I'm weird and I like stuff with bends and curves and leans. 

[SeanK]

"face made for radio" is a saying not heard much anymore. 🙂