On 10/3/2021 at 1:45 PM, Looking Glass said:

I got these bean poles back in March 2021.  They were grown in deep canopy shade, packed in tight with 20+ of their brethren in pots.  They were about 9 feet tall with their big “shade leaves”….….

At the one-year point, mine are still doing well.  They put out a couple leaves over winter, but they didn’t really enjoy this year’s cold spells.  Temps in the low 50s and high 40s a few times, seemed to bronze and yellow some leaves minorly.   Their broomstick necks seemed to double or triple in girth over a year.  I continued to water pretty aggressively over winter - but not daily in the cooler weather, with the goal of keeping the ground moist to wet around them.  The weeds and grass responded by swamping the mulch.  Will yank out the grass and weeds and remulch a bed this week…. It was a busy winter.   

15 hours ago, Midnight Gardener said:

@Scott W I just picked up 3 from MB palms at the Leu Gardens plant sale, along with a KO. Good to see that growth rate on yours. I’m hoping mine are the same. Just need to find the right spot to plant them. 

I’d predict @Midnight Gardener that your’s will double in hight, with good watering and fertilizing, by late fall.  Dappled, filtered sunlight would be best at that small size.  Too much sun and they will fry.  Keep an eye on them as the sun shifts.  

Some useful information on these….

http://www.palmbeachpalmcycadsociety.com/palms/documents/SatakentiaLiukiuensis.pdf

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by Looking Glass

Here is mine, planted in 2013 in full sun right by a lake in South Florida. The palm has grown fast and now is as beautiful as ever showing full color and about 20' tall.

4 hours ago, EPaul said:

@Little Tex I believe Houston can get severe cold fronts, with temps below 25 degrees, that would easily kill this palm.

Occasionally. But That doesn't stop the mass planting of Foxtails, So it should be ok because Cold fronts aren't below freezing usually.  And not often. People even plant the Alexander kings.  If its not I'll Just plant one in the Valley.

17 hours ago, Midnight Gardener said:

@Scott W I just picked up 3 from MB palms at the Leu Gardens plant sale, along with a KO. Good to see that growth rate on yours. I’m hoping mine are the same. Just need to find the right spot to plant them. 

I grabbed one of those myself. Shopping in the middle of a thunderstorm was fun :-) Cant wait to find a spot for it! Good luck with yours!

4 hours ago, Little Tex said:

Do you think one of these would do okay in Houston? Coldest this year was 35

If you find one for a price you like and are either willing to protect it when needed or to potentially lose the plant during any less than easy winter, I say go for it.  Palms die even in the tropics.  Just maybe not due to cold weather. A Carpentaria survived for nearly 20 years in Galveston.  

14 minutes ago, Austinpalm said:

If you find one for a price you like and are either willing to protect it when needed or to potentially lose the plant during any less than easy winter, I say go for it.  Palms die even in the tropics.  Just maybe not due to cold weather. A Carpentaria survived for nearly 20 years in Galveston.  

This one? I thought it was a king. 

(Photo Credit: @Xenon)

 

Edited March 24, 20224 yr by Austinpalm

8 minutes ago, Little Tex said:

 

Copied from one of Xenon's postings.

ZE

thanks

 

@Little Tex @Austinpalm 

 

Yes, a collector in Galveston once had a Satakentia on the verge of forming trunk (pic lost in an old thread somewhere) 2010 freeze probably killed it. It's doable as a zone push, would need protection on 2-10 nights (depending where in Houston) in an average year 

Edited March 25, 20224 yr by Xenon

On 5/13/2008 at 6:11 PM, Kathryn said:

Someone sent me pictures of this beautiful Bismarckia nobilis beginning to bloom for the first time and I just had to share them. It was planted from a 3 gallon container around 1993 in Galveston, which is a small island off the coast of Texas about 50 miles southeast of Houston. The sender stated that he rarely gets frost or below the upper 20’s (-2ºC).

 

Found the thread, it actually had some trunk! 

14 hours ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

Those look very nice but also shade grown. Be careful if you are planting them in a sunny area. How was the show? We were going to go Saturday morning but a line of thunderstorms was heading right for the area.

For sure - I’m going to try to slowly acclimate them to full sun before planting. They are under live oak canopy right now.  The show was awesome - lots of great vendors. Bought some bromeliads and citrus trees too!  We got there early at 8am and were able to look around until 9:30 and then the rain just came down hard.

12 hours ago, EPaul said:

@Midnight Gardener Hope you don't mind me asking, but how much were they charging for the Satake Palms?  Also, I haven't been to Leu Gardens yet, do they have a shop year round or was that a limited-time event you went to?

@EPaul $50 each. It’s a limited time event - just one weekend a year. It’s a good way to meet growers and learn about nurseries in the area.  They don’t have a shop on site unfortunately. 

10 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

At the one-year point, mine are still doing well.  They put out a couple leaves over winter, but they didn’t really enjoy this year’s cold spells.  Temps in the low 50s and high 40s a few times, seemed to bronze and yellow some leaves minorly.   Their broomstick necks seemed to double or triple in girth over a year.  I continued to water pretty aggressively over winter - but not daily in the cooler weather, with the goal of keeping the ground moist to wet around them.  The weeds and grass responded by swamping the mulch.  Will yank out the grass and weeds and remulch a bed this week…. It was a busy winter.   

I’d predict @Midnight Gardener that your’s will double in hight, with good watering and fertilizing, by late fall.  Dappled, filtered sunlight would be best at that small size.  Too much sun and they will fry.  Keep an eye on them as the sun shifts.  

Some useful information on these….

http://www.palmbeachpalmcycadsociety.com/palms/documents/SatakentiaLiukiuensis.pdf

Thanks @Looking Glass. I hope so!  I have a spot that might work for them instead of full sun. It gets gentle morning sun and filtered light under an oak tree for the rest of the day.

4 hours ago, Midnight Gardener said:

Thanks @Looking Glass. I hope so!  I have a spot that might work for them instead of full sun. It gets gentle morning sun and filtered light under an oak tree for the rest of the day.

You could always grow them up a little bigger in pots, then put them wherever in another year or so.  My two out front were 7 gallon? I think, when at got them.  But about 9 feet tall grown in the shade.  They survived full all day sun with a lot of TLC and mostly daily hand watering, but took a beating at first.  They still get a little pale in that spot at times.  

I also got two 3 gallons, much like the size of yours, last summer.  They didn’t respond well to part day direct sun.  They did much better in protected, dappled light and some low angle morning and evening sun, getting dark green with that type of exposure, but still gaining size fast.  Still in pots, stuck under a tree.  Will up-pot to 7 gallon soon.  Then to the ground after that.   

I would plant these under canopy in orlando area.  These palms are susceptible to frost out in the open.  This year we only hit 34F with frost, one with no overhead and one with overhead canopy.  Frost was not evident in my yard but damage to tips of leaves was evident on satakentia that had no direct overhead.  These palms can probably tolerate 28-30F or so before leaf burn, but frost is another dynamic.  My frost burned one has two unopened spears that were undamaged and one you can see is opening now, so I expect a relatively quick recovery.  The nearby archontophoenix myolensis(leaf to the right) was not burned though its a bit taller(5-7') and 7' closer to the house with no overhead as well.  So in 9b/10a Id put it in a frost free position if you don't want burn.

.

Here’s one next door to Dent Smiths old property in Daytona Beach on beachside in a very warm area. 

Thanks for all the info and growing experiences, good photos too. 

Thought I’d add a few more to the pile. Been in the ground awhile and thought over the years they’d develop that spectacular purple crown shaft that I’ve seen on some specimens. No complaints, it’s a nice elegant palm with a smooth clean trunk and straight as an arrow. What’s also nice is falling fronds don’t weigh a ton and are easy to turn into mulch. 

Tim

Most recent pic, has a nice new fat spear about to open up.  Gets full Florida sun in this spot from mid-day until sunset.

 

I want to try this palm here. I think it would do good in a high 9B+ area. Like just about all crown shafted palms, they aren’t going to like frost/frozen dew on their fronds. Ultimately, for my area, it’s tolerance to my soil and the soils microbes would be more important than cold tolerance. Hurricanes shouldn’t be too much of a problem, they have plenty of them there.

Hey everyone - I could use a some advice. I planted the satakentias a few months ago under a laurel oak tree. This morning, I noticed that one of them is not looking great.  The leaves are browning, especially the new growth. See the pictures - can anyone help me diagnose this? Is this fungus or crown rot?  Or is it too much sun?  This one gets 3 to 4 hours of direct morning sun, while the other one close by (see the last pic) which is getting a bit more filtered sun. However, it has been looking very healthy up until today. We’ve been getting a lot of rain this last week in Orlando so maybe that is causing a fungal infection?  I just sprayed with copper fungicide in case. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated! 

On 3/24/2022 at 3:35 PM, Austinpalm said:

 

Austinpalm: What species of palm is that?

Carpentaria  acuminata

Unfortunately this palm did not survive the 25F lows we had December 25th and 26th, 2022... 

I have a few Dypsis and Caryota growing in pots to satisfy my marginal / non marginal palm desire.  Aside from that I'm focusing more on Butia and Syagrus as well as hybrid varieties that will survive my area.

On 8/13/2022 at 9:31 AM, Midnight Gardener said:

Hey everyone - I could use a some advice. I planted the satakentias a few months ago under a laurel oak tree. This morning, I noticed that one of them is not looking great.  The leaves are browning, especially the new growth. See the pictures - can anyone help me diagnose this? Is this fungus or crown rot?  Or is it too much sun?  This one gets 3 to 4 hours of direct morning sun, while the other one close by (see the last pic) which is getting a bit more filtered sun. However, it has been looking very healthy up until today. We’ve been getting a lot of rain this last week in Orlando so maybe that is causing a fungal infection?  I just sprayed with copper fungicide in case. Any help and advice would be greatly appreciated! 

Looks like it is rotting.  Almost a year later, did it survive?

24 minutes ago, Scott W said:

Unfortunately this palm did not survive the 25F lows we had December 25th and 26th, 2022... 

Unfortunate news. We know roughly where the cutoff is for these now.

On 9/1/2023 at 6:02 PM, kinzyjr said:

Looks like it is rotting.  Almost a year later, did it survive?

Unfortunate news. We know roughly where the cutoff is for these now.

No. It didn’t make it. Unfortunately two out of the three died. However the one that survived is doing really well now with dark green foliage and growth really starting to accelerate.  The new spear in this photo is easily 6 feet long. Satakentia really start to take off once they get established!

This guy struggled at first but is now growing fast in heavy clay in my tropical climate.    Gets sun all afternoon. Was a strap seedling a year ago 

On 3/24/2022 at 1:03 PM, Looking Glass said:

At the one-year point, mine are still doing well.  They put out a couple leaves over winter, but they didn’t really enjoy this year’s cold spells.  Temps in the low 50s and high 40s a few times, seemed to bronze and yellow some leaves minorly.   Their broomstick necks seemed to double or triple in girth over a year.  I continued to water pretty aggressively over winter - but not daily in the cooler weather, with the goal of keeping the ground moist to wet around them.  The weeds and grass responded by swamping the mulch.  Will yank out the grass and weeds and remulch a bed this week…. It was a busy winter.   

I’d predict @Midnight Gardener that your’s will double in hight, with good watering and fertilizing, by late fall.  Dappled, filtered sunlight would be best at that small size.  Too much sun and they will fry.  Keep an eye on them as the sun shifts.  

Some useful information on these….

http://www.palmbeachpalmcycadsociety.com/palms/documents/SatakentiaLiukiuensis.pdf

Mine continue to grow decently, but there is something about even our mild winters, that they don’t seem to enjoy.  These are kind of finicky for me at times.  

On 2/19/2024 at 1:58 PM, Looking Glass said:

Mine continue to grow decently, but there is something about even our mild winters, that they don’t seem to enjoy.  These are kind of finicky for me at times.  

your winter is similar but perhaps a bit warmer than mine, so its likely its not your mild winter.  Maybe a mild case of Mg deficiency.  High calcium soils can cause Mg deficiency at alkaline pH.  KMag or langbeinite may help.  My satakentias only get yellow when ready to drop a leaf and it does drop those one at a time as new spears open.  I had some struggles with small bifid seedlings, but the larger ones are easy care for me.  

A preview of coming attractions at the CFPACS 2024 Summer Meeting tomorrow:

16 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

your winter is similar but perhaps a bit warmer than mine, so its likely its not your mild winter.  Maybe a mild case of Mg deficiency.  High calcium soils can cause Mg deficiency at alkaline pH.  KMag or langbeinite may help.  My satakentias only get yellow when ready to drop a leaf and it does drop those one at a time as new spears open.  I had some struggles with small bifid seedlings, but the larger ones are easy care for me.  

It may be Mg or K+Mg, perhaps pH or Ca related, or maybe just from growing in full sun?   Either way it’s annoying and not a quick or easy fix.   The oldest two fronds always have some yellow.  Seems to get more pronounced shortly after I fertilize.  They grow at a good clip, with a new frond opening every 5-6 weeks.  I probably overfertilize most things and do hit with Langbeinite fairly often.   

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/TR004

Magnesium (Mg): Although Mg concentrations in calcareous soils are not low, crops grown on calcareous soils often show Mg deficiency symptoms. The high calcium concentrations in calcareous soils suppress Mg plant uptake and its translocation from the roots to the upper plant parts. Magnesium can be applied as a dry fertilizer or as a foliar application. Foliar applications of magnesium nitrate and magnesium sulfate have been shown to be efficacious.

 

MANAGEMENT OF CALCAREOUS SOILS

The marl and rocky calcareous soils in Miami-Dade County usually contain from 30% to 94% CaCO₃. The pH values of calcareous soils are greater than 7, usually in the range of 7.4–8.4. Textures of calcareous soils can be sandy, loamy or gravelly. Soil depths range from less than five inches to several feet. These soils are important for production of vegetable, fruit, and ornamental plants in Florida. Over 85% of Florida's tropical fruits are grown on calcareous soils in the southern part of the state. This is done because of favorable temperatures, rather than favorable soil characteristics. Careful management of nutrients is critically important to the successful production of crops on calcareous soils. The following information is likely to be useful for commercial growers and homeowners, who grow plants in Miami-Dade County.

So miami limestone can contain 30-94% CaCO3, the former(30%)_ is not a problem, the latter has so much calcium that the Ca:Mg ratio must be low inhibiting Mg uptake.  Grass likes 10:1, palms like 3:1.  Have you ever tried epsom salts?  Might be worth a shot.  Mg deficiency can recover in a leaf, K cannot, its permanent and is spotted from leaflet tips showing first.  Whatever it is its a mild effect, might be due to our dryness this year till the last few weeks.

 

On 3/25/2022 at 11:23 AM, Reeverse said:

Here’s one next door to Dent Smiths old property in Daytona Beach on beachside in a very warm area. 

Saw that recently and had to take a photo. Huge, and looks very healthy. Great microclimate on the barrier island. A few fruiting coconuts around it. I’m about 30 miles SW of this, and have been hesitating on putting my 15g Satakentia in the ground. 

These are not fast growing palms by any means.  Moderate growers at best.  A king palm...that is fast growing

Already posted mature and well tended Satakentia liukiuensis at ANSG:

I believe I planted mine in 2021 from a 7 gallon pot.  Planted in deeper shade from a huge hedging of Areca palms.  Only received western sun as the day progressed.  Those are gone now so it receives full sun all day long.  3 pictures showing it's progress.  First is from being hit by Hurricane Ian in September 2022 with the Areca palms surrounding it.  Next is April 2024.  Areca palms removed so getting used to full on sun.  Finally the last picture was just taken.  A bit overcast this morning.  Opening it's 15th leaf now.  Nice steady growth.  Since hurricane Milton, it's now opening it's 11th leaf.  It's been 11 months since Milton so averages 1 leaf every 4 weeks or so.  Slows down in the Winter dry season.  Seems to love water.  Crownshaft color is getting better as it matures.  The next leaf to fall will show nice color.  Decent growth in 3 years.  Quite a large crown.  Should be planted more here for sure.  Easy palm.  I Fertilize once a year.

@Cape Garrett  Good to see that progress, I planted a small one a couple of years ago and it's starting to pick up steam this summer. What is your irrigation like during the winter? 

35 minutes ago, aabell said:

@Cape Garrett  Good to see that progress, I planted a small one a couple of years ago and it's starting to pick up steam this summer. What is your irrigation like during the winter? 

Watering is from the lawn sprinklers 2 times a week during dry season.  Probably half inch each time the sprinklers go on.  Rarely hand watering.  I use Suniland palm fertilizer from Lowe's for over 20 years on my palms.  Never an issue.  Only once per year, rarely twice.

On 3/25/2022 at 11:10 AM, sonoranfans said:

I would plant these under canopy in orlando area.  These palms are susceptible to frost out in the open.  This year we only hit 34F with frost, one with no overhead and one with overhead canopy.  Frost was not evident in my yard but damage to tips of leaves was evident on satakentia that had no direct overhead.  These palms can probably tolerate 28-30F or so before leaf burn, but frost is another dynamic.  My frost burned one has two unopened spears that were undamaged and one you can see is opening now, so I expect a relatively quick recovery.  The nearby archontophoenix myolensis(leaf to the right) was not burned though its a bit taller(5-7') and 7' closer to the house with no overhead as well.  So in 9b/10a Id put it in a frost free position if you don't want burn.

.

3 and 1/2 year later.  First the one that was under canopy and didnt get frost burn has a little over 8' clear trunk and is about to drop a leaf and reveal a new purplish crownshaft.

the second one that was frost burned in the pic above has done very well also has just over 8' clear trunk and a crownshaft newly exposed 4 days ago.  This one appear to have a thicker crownshaft, ~ 9" caliper.  I count 4 foot of trunk growth(4-8') on #1 and 5 foot on #2(3-8') over 3 1/2 years, not archie alexander fast but a definitely a thicker trunked and crownshafted palm for me.  They seem to really pick up speed in the wet season with good rain and we have had that typical wet season here this year.   

1 hour ago, sonoranfans said:

3 and 1/2 year later.  First the one that was under canopy and didnt get frost burn has a little over 8' clear trunk and is about to drop a leaf and reveal a new purplish crownshaft.

the second one that was frost burned in the pic above has done very well also has just over 8' clear trunk and a crownshaft newly exposed 4 days ago.  This one appear to have a thicker crownshaft, ~ 9" caliper.  I count 4 foot of trunk growth(4-8') on #1 and 5 foot on #2(3-8') over 3 1/2 years, not archie alexander fast but a definitely a thicker trunked and crownshafted palm for me.  They seem to really pick up speed in the wet season with good rain and we have had that typical wet season here this year.   

Very nice.  Steady growth for sure.  Averaging just over a foot a year for you.  How many leaves does yours tend to carry?  Mine seems to have 14 to 15 at any given time.  I'm ready for the fronds to get overhead but I have a few years more before that will happen.