Satakentia liukiuensis fast growing

[Cape Garrett]

5 hours ago, Cape Garrett said:

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  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.

Ah... I misspoke.  This was originally planted out in 2017, I believe, not 2021.  Was VERY slow for me in shade the first few years.  Has taken off since the Areca palms were removed in 2024 allowing full day sun.

[Looking Glass]

Mine have been fairly speedy over 4 years, going from the 7g bean poles to overhead fronds now.   They are fat now.  The love water, and are enjoying out rain this week.   Looking at their native island weather, they get much less sun there, than here, and pretty much rain 2 out of 3 days year round, with consistently cooler temps.   Warm to cool most of the year, but not super hot.  

Mine get irrigation 3 out of 7 days, and additional supplemental hose watering when it’s dry, and full all day sun.   I fertilize heavily, and add extra langbeinite and potassium.  Still the oldest fronds can yellow on me despite this.  

The one that takes the brunt of the setting sun grows faster, but shades its partner somewhat now, and the partner doesn’t get the yellowing anymore.   I think it’s just a little too heavy of direct sun.   These grew up in all day direct sun and 95 degree summer temps.

Full sun exposure on their native island is very low for half the year, and medium at peak.  Still, they do pretty well for me.   Temps there average about 10 degrees lower most times of the year.   I think as adults, ideal conditions would be half day direct sun here, resulting in slower growth, but greener fronds.  

Ishigaki……

 

Vs Fort Lauderdale….

[Looking Glass]

1 hour ago, Cape Garrett said:

Ah... I misspoke.  This was originally planted out in 2017, I believe, not 2021.  Was VERY slow for me in shade the first few years.  Has taken off since the Areca palms were removed in 2024 allowing full day sun.

Yours look exactly like mine in all day sun at the respective ages.  Lots of extra water helps, but not completely. 

[aabell]

Satakentia is often described as an emergent palm and that's definitely an appropriate label.  Most of the other vegetation on the Ryukyu Islands is relatively short but it provides a dense cover for seedlings. Half day sun seems about right, for mine I took several large plumeria cuttings and made a wall on the southwest side of it. Provides some cover during the summer when its most needed, and they will be shallow rooted and easy to remove in a few years. I didn't want to plant it in deep shade after reading here about how much faster they grow in sun. 

https://maps.app.goo.gl/k3zEoNQuHhwyA6xZ8

(most of the shorter palms here are Arenga, but there does seem to be some Satakentia regeneration happening)

[Cape Garrett]

2 hours ago, Looking Glass said:

Mine have been fairly speedy over 4 years, going from the 7g bean poles to overhead fronds now.   They are fat now.  The love water, and are enjoying out rain this week.   Looking at their native island weather, they get much less sun there, than here, and pretty much rain 2 out of 3 days year round, with consistently cooler temps.   Warm to cool most of the year, but not super hot.  

Mine get irrigation 3 out of 7 days, and additional supplemental hose watering when it’s dry, and full all day sun.   I fertilize heavily, and add extra langbeinite and potassium.  Still the oldest fronds can yellow on me despite this.  

The one that takes the brunt of the setting sun grows faster, but shades its partner somewhat now, and the partner doesn’t get the yellowing anymore.   I think it’s just a little too heavy of direct sun.   These grew up in all day direct sun and 95 degree summer temps.

Full sun exposure on their native island is very low for half the year, and medium at peak.  Still, they do pretty well for me.   Temps there average about 10 degrees lower most times of the year.   I think as adults, ideal conditions would be half day direct sun here, resulting in slower growth, but greener fronds.  

Ishigaki……

 

Vs Fort Lauderdale….

Yes.  Our climates are very similar.  Cape Coral here.  Not sure why mine was so slow for me when first planted.  Maybe just setting roots a bit longer than expected.  Always fertilized but in the Winter it pretty much had zero direct sun being shaded from the east and south by 25 plus feet tall Areca palms.  Happy with it now.  Leaf 15 is opening right now.   

[Visgoth]

9 hours 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.   

Your property is SO aspirational.  Just gorgeous.

[sonoranfans]

18 hours ago, Cape Garrett said:

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.  

Seems about right 14-15.  I tried counting them once earlier this year, and got lost at about that number so that could be it,  Definitely more than 12, but its hard to see up into the newest leaves from underneath.  These palms are harder to count than my other crownshafts as they are a dense shady crown. 

[sonoranfans]

Just to clarify mine are on the east, and southeast side of my house and each is within 5' of a popup sprinkler getting 3x a week for 30 mins from the irrigation system.  They probably see max 4-5 hrs of direct sun early in the day starting with sunrise.  As they grew taller they saw more early afternoon western sun.  They are probably the most water loving palms I have.  They are not in sandy soil, close enough to the house to get 1-2'+ of construction clay on top with a sandy soil layer 2' thick under.  In the dry spring, these, the nearby archies, royals, and chambys get extra rainbird sprinkling.  When the summer rains hit I shut down irrigation if it rains consistently.  It rained a light drizzle most of the day yesterday when these pics were taken.  I treat them like my archies, feed 2x a year with florikan 180 day osmotic release, water liberally.