Small Fayetteville , NC Washy questions :

[WSimpson]

Below are 2 pictures of the same palms that  I took  a couple of days ago  of  Knikfar's Fayetteville , NC Washys that he sent me    .

I'm not used to dealing with small palm sprouts like these and was wondering if the pot size , soil ,  fertilizer , etc  , is right for these 3 plants , and generally what is the best way of getting them to a more stable size and to the summer heat without dying . I plan on putting them outside on sunny days and putting them on a warm router during nights . Is there anything obvious I need to be doing ? Should I fertilize a little now or wait till summer ?

Thanks ,

Will

 

 

Edited March 7, 2022 by Will Simpson

[knikfar]

19 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

Below are 2 pictures of the same palms that  I took  a couple of days ago  of  Knikfar's Fayetteville , NC Washys that he sent me    .

I'm not used to dealing with small palm sprouts like these and was wondering if the pot size , soil ,  fertilizer , etc  , is right for these 3 plants , and generally what is the best way of getting them to a more stable size and to the summer heat without dying . I plan on putting them outside on sunny days and putting them on a warm router during nights . Is there anything obvious I need to be doing ? Should I fertilize a little now or wait till summer ?

Thanks ,

Will

 

 

Hi Will! 

     This is the first time I'm growing Washingtonia from seed but I've grown hundreds of sabals from seed and I'm hoping Washy's aren't much different. If you used fresh potting soil, that usually comes with fertilizer already in it. That's what I use for my palm babies and I don't fertilize them for the first year. You can let these three share the pot until they get a little bigger, maybe 8". As I'm sure you know, palms have deep roots. So these guys will push their roots downward, they'll hit the bottom of the container and then they'll turn and get all tangled with the roots of their siblings. After these guys get to be about 8", I'd consider repotting each into their own containers. These guys grow a lot faster than sabals so I anticipate that will happen much more quickly than a year. Try to plant them in a container that is as deep as possible. I keep my small size sabals in red solo cups with holes cut into the bottom. Once they start pushing out segmented fronds, you'll want to make sure they have a good about of space to themselves, probably a 3 gallon pot. 

     I've already planted three of these in my yard, just to see how they do as seedlings. But aside from those, I'm going to grow them for a minimum of a year before I put them into the ground. If they grow especially fast, I might put them in at a year. But it's probably more likely I'll plant them in the ground at 2 years. I'll just have to see. I hope you find this helpful. 

 

 

[knikfar]

1 minute ago, knikfar said:

Hi Will! 

     This is the first time I'm growing Washingtonia from seed but I've grown hundreds of sabals from seed and I'm hoping Washy's aren't much different. If you used fresh potting soil, that usually comes with fertilizer already in it. That's what I use for my palm babies and I don't fertilize them for the first year. You can let these three share the pot until they get a little bigger, maybe 8". As I'm sure you know, palms have deep roots. So these guys will push their roots downward, they'll hit the bottom of the container and then they'll turn and get all tangled with the roots of their siblings. After these guys get to be about 8", I'd consider repotting each into their own containers. These guys grow a lot faster than sabals so I anticipate that will happen much more quickly than a year. Try to plant them in a container that is as deep as possible. I keep my small size sabals in red solo cups with holes cut into the bottom. Once they start pushing out segmented fronds, you'll want to make sure they have a good about of space to themselves, probably a 3 gallon pot. 

     I've already planted three of these in my yard, just to see how they do as seedlings. But aside from those, I'm going to grow them for a minimum of a year before I put them into the ground. If they grow especially fast, I might put them in at a year. But it's probably more likely I'll plant them in the ground at 2 years. I'll just have to see. I hope you find this helpful. 

 

 

 

19 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

Below are 2 pictures of the same palms that  I took  a couple of days ago  of  Knikfar's Fayetteville , NC Washys that he sent me    .

I'm not used to dealing with small palm sprouts like these and was wondering if the pot size , soil ,  fertilizer , etc  , is right for these 3 plants , and generally what is the best way of getting them to a more stable size and to the summer heat without dying . I plan on putting them outside on sunny days and putting them on a warm router during nights . Is there anything obvious I need to be doing ? Should I fertilize a little now or wait till summer ?

Thanks ,

Will

 

 

In addition to my other response, regarding fertilizing, I don't fertilize my palms until I put them into the ground. I've heard fertilizing pushes plants and can make them weaker against the elements when they're finally planted. I know that's not an issue with plants that are 100% hardy in a specific zone but considering these are marginal at best, I figure let the babies take their time so they can be as strong as possible. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

22 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

... I plan on putting them outside on sunny days and putting them on a warm router during nights . Is there anything obvious I need to be doing ?...

The sooner the better to acclimate them before the scorching summer sun arrives. Just keep them frost free during this stage of development.

[WSimpson]

21 hours ago, knikfar said:

 

In addition to my other response, regarding fertilizing, I don't fertilize my palms until I put them into the ground. I've heard fertilizing pushes plants and can make them weaker against the elements when they're finally planted. I know that's not an issue with plants that are 100% hardy in a specific zone but considering these are marginal at best, I figure let the babies take their time so they can be as strong as possible. 

Thanks for the info . I also wanted to make sure my pot wasn't  too big for the three which might allow for the soil to get putrid before the soil dries out enough .

Will

[WSimpson]

18 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

The sooner the better to acclimate them before the scorching summer sun arrives. Just keep them frost free during this stage of development.

Thanks , I'll try and keep them warm and outside on sunny days .

Will

[GoatLockerGuns]

Washingtonia sps. are notoriously troublesome when transplanting/disturbing roots as young palms.  Are you going for a "triple" planting?  I ask because, if you are just putting three in there to save space, and are then planning on separating them in the near future, then I would advice against that.  In that case, you would probably be better off putting them in separate pots now, before the roots starting getting tangled up with each other.  However, if you are looking for three to grow tall in a clump formation, then belay my last.

[WSimpson]

I guess I'll separate them soon because I'm planning on having three separate plants . 

Thanks ,

Will

Edited March 9, 2022 by Will Simpson