Parajubaea torallyi care

[Chavy87]

I am new to this site. I just purchased Parajubaea Torallyi from a local nursery. I would be gratefull of any advice or instructions on caring for this palm. I live in the Sacramento area, where our summers are hot and dry,  several days over 100 degrees. Our winter get down into the 30, occasionally into the high 20s. I'll be planting the palm in amended clay soil as well as mounding to incecrease drainage.  Any advice would be appreciated. 

 

[Tyrone]

Yep. Plant it and step back. These get big quick. 

Great purchase. A tough palm too for areas that can get cool in winter. They do like a night cool down being from the Andes and all. If you stay above 20C (68F) at night for extended periods these can get upset and prone to rot away unexpectedly after doing great for so long. 

BTW, welcome to Palmtalk and our palmy craziness here. 

[Chavy87]

When should I water this palm during the summer? I've read mixed info, some say do not water it during the summer heat some say water it. The nursery told me to water it once a week.

[Tyrone]

It may be different in your climate to mine but I water mine 2 or 3 times a week in summer. Mine never dries out at all as I live on what is basically a peat swamp. In some winters I’ve had the edge of my lake submerge the base of my biggest 3 and they don’t seem to care. However I have cool nights year round.

In hotter than optimum climates where the night temps don’t drop enough for them in summer they will actually slow down in growth. If they get a heat wave they may actually grind to a halt. My theory is that too much water then does them in. In those climates people are much more careful in their summer watering with them. If the plant has stalled, it can’t use the water and the roots may get secondary fungal infections. Others may be able to comment on that more than me. 

[el-blanco]

17 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Yep. Plant it and step back. These get big quick. 

They do like a night cool down being from the Andes and all. If you stay above 20C (68F) at night for extended periods these can get upset and prone to rot away unexpectedly after doing great for so long. 

 

I agree.  These get big!  Mine is 30' plus with a 15' trunk.  Great palm but as stated they can rot for no reason.  Mine got pink rot out of no where.  I have got it under control with a Copper Fungicide/Daconil cocktail.  Enjoy and keep us updated!

 

[96720]

Very interesting!!! I have one in Phoenix I didn’t know of all these problems I just have it on normal drip it is very slow growing maybe it won’t live very long but I’ve had it for 10 + years!!!

[bruce Steele]

I bought a torallyi early this spring. I kept it potted and moved it inside when frost or freeze were a threat. I used vitamin B 12 when I put it in the ground because torallyi can be kinda sensitive. I have been deep watering to try and encourage deep roots . It has put out four spikes and seems happy so I went and bought another. I planted both palms in well drained , fairly rich potting mix.  Full sun. I plan to minimize watering in the late summer when we get our hottest weather but here in the Santa Ynez valley it usually cools off at night , even in the dog days of summer. 

 

[Chavy87]

Well it's in the the ground. I plan watering via drip system once a week as I have some poor really poor draining clay soil but hopefully I amended the soil well enough.

[ExperimentalGrower]

On 5/25/2022 at 3:49 PM, Tyrone said:

It may be different in your climate to mine but I water mine 2 or 3 times a week in summer. Mine never dries out at all as I live on what is basically a peat swamp. In some winters I’ve had the edge of my lake submerge the base of my biggest 3 and they don’t seem to care. However I have cool nights year round.

In hotter than optimum climates where the night temps don’t drop enough for them in summer they will actually slow down in growth. If they get a heat wave they may actually grind to a halt. My theory is that too much water then does them in. In those climates people are much more careful in their summer watering with them. If the plant has stalled, it can’t use the water and the roots may get secondary fungal infections. Others may be able to comment on that more than me. 

Also my theory regarding water during the heat of summer. When it’s hot during the day, I water my sunhka at night and it’s always been fine.

[ExperimentalGrower]

On 6/1/2022 at 8:13 PM, Chavy87 said:

Well it's in the the ground. I plan watering via drip system once a week as I have some poor really poor draining clay soil but hopefully I amended the soil well enough.

Hopefully it’s grown well for you. Just try to keep from watering it during the heat and it should be ok. The Parajubaea I have only gets water when it’s not super hot, and if it is, I’ll only water it at night. 

[JubaeaMan138]

I have 3 planted here got them from @DoomsDave these guys are slooooowww for me but then again I kicked up my water the last couple months and have noticed them start noticeably moving . Rarely watered these in the past due to being afraid of killing them . These were 15s when I got them . To me they look like they have hardly changed . Been in the ground for about 3 years 

[JubaeaMan138]

[JubaeaMan138]

Actually on second thought now that I look at them the bases are about the size of 15 gallon pots now . So I’m 3 years or so they have grown 😂

[DoomsDave]

Parajube tor tors can get big.

That's me in the middle, Parajube on the left.

[96720]

@DoomsDave what’s the palm on the right?

[JubaeaMan138]

39 minutes ago, DoomsDave said:

Parajube tor tors can get big.

That's me in the middle, Parajube on the left.

This is killer . Nothing better than a trunkless sabal that’s nice and fat with Corypha ish petioles just gorgeous . And not to mention the parajubaea 😍

[ExperimentalGrower]

2 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Parajube tor tors can get big.

That's me in the middle, Parajube on the left.

The one on your left is enormous. Sabal?

[Patrick]

12 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

Parajube tor tors can get big.

That's me in the middle, Parajube on the left.

You mad, bro?

[DoomsDave]

2 hours ago, Patrick said:

You mad, bro?

ALWAYS! About palms, anyway . . . .

[DoomsDave]

12 hours ago, ExperimentalGrower said:

The one on your left is enormous. Sabal?

Sabal! Masgrandeensis . . . .

[Chavy87]

One year and three months later.

[bruce Steele]

One year three months later

[96720]

Here’s a picture of mine that made it through this HOT HOT summer and doesn’t look too bad 

Edited September 3, 2023 by 96720
Addition

[Tom in Tucson]

5 hours ago, 96720 said:

Here’s a picture of mine that made it through this HOT HOT summer and doesn’t look too bad 

I bought a Parajubaea sunkha from Jungle Music in '14. I've followed P. Schaffer's advice, and treatied it as (he says) a "desert palm". I have not watered it through our brutal summer. It doesn't look much different from yours. I hope it survives to blooming size.

Hi 102˚, Lo 72˚

[96720]

That’s probably about when I bought mine also from jungle music but mine is on drip so it gets regular water!

[bruce Steele]

[bruce Steele]

I have a artisan weep that I plumbed to water about one foot below the soil surface of these palms. . So the date and the  parajubaea torralyi get water year round. My intent was to model a Wadi. The cattails volunteered which is an indication of how wet I keep the root zone. At the same time I avoid getting the soil surface wet unless it rains. For us rains occur during  the winter and summers are long and dry. 
 People recommend Parajubaea to be kept dry during the summer heat but with water to their roots they seem to grow year round and fairly quickly.  This one doubled from 4.5 feet to 9 feet in two years. 
 I have been getting good germination for Parajubaea Cocoides seeds and will try them on the same artisan water when they get a little size. Hope to get some Sunka Seed someday. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

I keep all of mine well watered in the summer including during hot weather. Soil is always moist. They’ve grown to huge proportions as a result. 
 

[bruce Steele]

Jim, There is conflicting advice on watering Parajubaea in the heat of summer. Tyrone isn’t in Calif. but he keeps them wet year round and they look happy. I hope that by watering below the soil surface I might avoid disease issues. 
The water is artesian , runs year round , and the wetland effect is interesting. Frogs, duckweed, cat tails and birds that water there. 
Thanks for the opportunity to fix my spelling error. 

[Hillizard]

I water this P. tor tor of mine generously during the hot summer months in the Sacramento suburbs. It's on a berm that drains well. Typically there are Delta breezes that cool this area down on summer nights. Some of its fronds get scalded during the most intense summer sun. I took this picture today, in-between rain showers. It's got a big flush of new leaves coming out. I've had it in this spot for almost 8 years now. I also have a P. microcarpa with fronds that look greener than this one.

[Jim in Los Altos]

3 hours ago, bruce Steele said:

Jim, There is conflicting advice on watering Parajubaea in the heat of summer. Tyrone isn’t in Calif. but he keeps them wet year round and they look happy. I hope that by watering below the soil surface I might avoid disease issues. 
The water is artesian , runs year round , and the wetland effect is interesting. Frogs, duckweed, cat tails and birds that water there. 
Thanks for the opportunity to fix my spelling error. 

Bruce, That’s just my method. There are other Parajubaea in my neighborhood and the ones with very little summer irrigation are WAY smaller than the ones that get ample water. I’ve watered mine in 100° plus degree heat. One is growing right at the street where the asphalt get super hot at times. All of mine were planted as single leaf seedlings. Rarely a car parked there but here’s a photo of the palm. Neighbor’s irrigation would flood my Parajubaea’s area daily in summer. That went on for a few years until it was repaired. 
 

[Aloha Palms]

4 hours ago, Hillizard said:

I water this P. tor tor of mine generously during the hot summer months in the Sacramento suburbs. It's on a berm that drains well. Typically there are Delta breezes that cool this area down on summer nights. Some of its fronds get scalded during the most intense summer sun. I took this picture today, in-between rain showers. It's got a big flush of new leaves coming out. I've had it in this spot for almost 8 years now. I also have a P. microcarpa with fronds that look greener than this one.

Looks great! I have a P. Microcarpa as well that I continuously water. Grows much faster that way I’ve noticed. Do you have a picture of yours?

[knell]

2 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

All of mine were planted as single leaf seedlings.

Wow, that is a bold strategy but definitely paid off, gorgeous palms. I’m sure they weren’t in a hurry for your neighbor’s irrigation to get fixed 

[Hillizard]

18 hours ago, Aloha Palms said:

Looks great! I have a P. Microcarpa as well that I continuously water. Grows much faster that way I’ve noticed. Do you have a picture of yours?

Here's a growth comparison of what I believe to be P. microcarpa (lost the label on it years ago) from 2017 to 2024. Hasn't been as vigorous as P. torallyi torallyi, but the leaves appear to stay greener during the summer. It's planted in unamended clay soil at ground level (not on a berm).

By the way, a horticulturist at the San Francisco arboretum told me that even though their garden is uniformly cool and moist, they water their Parajubaea palms throughout the year and their growth rate is excellent.

[bruce Steele]

I have had two in the ground for four years. I usually keep the root zone wet but we are having lots of rain so I turned the water off for awhile. 
 

[DoomsDave]

@ASHCVS show us your awesome tor tor!