Before Palmagaeddon: Austin TX Edition

[DreaminAboutPalms]

Wanted to make this to show what is possible in 8B Austin TX after going a few decades without single digits. Also when I got into palms was curious to see pics before the 80's blasts and was unable to find any, so thought this would be cool to have

Edited September 29, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[DreaminAboutPalms]

[DreaminAboutPalms]

[DreaminAboutPalms]

[SailorBold]

Beautiful..  I know it was a horrible experience but I'd replant.. 

[Collectorpalms]

Replanting is going to be painful. Prices are sky high… it’s just out of peoples range really. No cheapo nurseries like 20 - 30 years ago when you could pick up $5 palms. 

$2500 and $800 for Bxj and braheas in Austin. Looking at the “Filifera” not Filifera enough. 
CIDP $170 for something that was $29.99 before Covid.

[NBTX11]

Same thing in New Braunfels.  We had a lot of sky scraping W. Robusta.  Almost all perished.  Some thin hybrids survived.

This is the best way to rectify the situation.  I did this about 10-15 years ago and I have probably 50 palms around town that I planted.  It will take 20 years to work, but it will work.  Find the best looking hybrid you can find.  I'd stay clear from purish Robusta in case this type of freeze happens again.  Literally grab hundreds/thousands of seeds from the base after they fall off tree.  Then go around town where you want to see palms.  Throw seeds in every public flower bed and public planting area you can find.  Mini malls, fast food restaurants, etc.  In two or three years you will see small palms popping up everywhere.  I did this at a McDonalds once and there was literally like 50 palms popping up (sadly they cut them all down when they remodeled).  I have large seeding Filifera in NB that I planted this way.  It will work.  Do that every year and it 20 years you will have palms everywhere.  Even if the owners of the establishments cut some of them down.  I probably planted 100 palms this way, of which there are still around 40 or 50 left.  Some very large by now.  I did it and anyone can do it.

   

Edited October 2, 2022 by NBTX11

[DreaminAboutPalms]

12 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

Same thing in New Braunfels.  We had a lot of sky scraping W. Robusta.  Almost all perished.  Some thin hybrids survived.

This is the best way to rectify the situation.  I did this about 10-15 years ago and I have probably 50 palms around town that I planted.  It will take 20 years to work, but it will work.  Find the best looking hybrid you can find.  I'd stay clear from purish Robusta in case this type of freeze happens again.  Literally grab hundreds/thousands of seeds from the base after they fall off tree.  Then go around town where you want to see palms.  Throw seeds in every public flower bed and public planting area you can find.  Mini malls, fast food restaurants, etc.  In two or three years you will see small palms popping up everywhere.  I did this at a McDonalds once and there was literally like 50 palms popping up (sadly they cut them all down when they remodeled).  I have large seeding Filifera in NB that I planted this way.  It will work.  Do that every year and it 20 years you will have palms everywhere.  Even if the owners of the establishments cut some of them down.  I probably planted 100 palms this way, of which there are still around 40 or 50 left.  Some very large by now.  I did it and anyone can do it.

   

I have been doing this all year with various species. Early this year I spread about 5000 Sabal Louisiana seeds along a quarter mile stretch of a creek in Austin, and have distributed tons of sabal Mexicana and filifera seeds all over North Dallas and will continue to do so when I collect seeds soon.

I have been throwing seeds in public gardens that get watered, but also I have been trying to disperse some in natural areas close to a creek or in an area that will get plenty of water and where nobody will notice it 

I've said this before but it's like a snowball effect, when the majority of palms are planted in peoples yards the volunteers just get weed whipped and naturalization is slow, but eventually a volunteer pops up in an area where nobody notices it for 10 years and then it starts producing seeds, and then slowly they are everywhere. 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[DreaminAboutPalms]

On 9/29/2022 at 11:53 PM, Collectorpalms said:

Replanting is going to be painful. Prices are sky high… it’s just out of peoples range really. No cheapo nurseries like 20 - 30 years ago when you could pick up $5 palms. 

$2500 and $800 for Bxj and braheas in Austin. Looking at the “Filifera” not Filifera enough. 
CIDP $170 for something that was $29.99 before Covid.

It's pretty sad. Nobody to really serve the Texas market but I get why - it's more profitable to sell one year old robusta hybrid mutts and majesty palms that need to be replaced annually

And when I lived in Austin I noticed that once you get out of the city every Washingtonia that has been planted in last few decades all look like a robusta dominant hybrid from Home Depot, and so of course you get pretty much 100% wipeout and now people are apprehensive about growing palms.

Someone needs to start a plantation in Texas and grow stuff that will actually survive here, and I wish I had the money to do so. But for now will have to stick with tossing seeds out windows 

[NBTX11]

11 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

I have been doing this all year with various species. Early this year I spread about 5000 Sabal Louisiana seeds along a quarter mile stretch of a creek in Austin, and have distributed tons of sabal Mexicana and filifera seeds all over North Dallas and will continue to do so when I collect seeds soon.

I have been throwing seeds in public gardens that get watered, but also I have been trying to disperse some in natural areas close to a creek or in an area that will get plenty of water and where nobody will notice it 

I've said this before but it's like a snowball effect, when the majority of palms are planted in peoples yards the volunteers just get weed whipped and naturalization is slow, but eventually a volunteer pops up in an area where nobody notices it for 10 years and then it starts producing seeds, and then slowly they are everywhere. 

 

That's a good start, but you need to plant Washingtonias seeds, not Sabal Louisianas and such.  Sabals grow too slow, you may be dead before you see any real progress.

Do what I did with strictly Washingtonia Filifera and hybrids and in 10 years you will have medium sized palms all over town that you can enjoy looking at.  I'm not getting any younger, I don't have time to wait for a Sabal to get large.

Edit:  I see you planted Filifera seeds, that's a great start. 

Edited October 2, 2022 by NBTX11

[DreaminAboutPalms]

15 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

That's a good start, but you need to plant Washingtonias seeds, not Sabal Louisianas and such.  Sabals grow too slow, you may be dead before you see any real progress.

Do what I did with strictly Washingtonia Filifera and hybrids and in 10 years you will have medium sized palms all over town that you can enjoy looking at.  I'm not getting any younger, I don't have time to wait for a Sabal to get large.

Yes I know, Washingtonia seeds were a bit harder to find in Austin last season, couldn't find any in Dallas, and didn't manage to make it down to SA so I had to be more selective with where I dispersed the filifera seeds I did have. I'm going to check a spot today for some and hopefully will come home with a bucket full and be able to start dispersing around town.

The thinner trunked hybrids aren't long term hardy so I like to disperse a lot of those around where I live because they grow so quick and with filifera and sabal more trying to disperse in areas a bit more out of site where they can grow uninterrupted and hopefully kickstart naturalization.

Dallas has a ton of parks and creeks and woods all you need is a few mature filifera hidden from sight and then all of the sudden there will be volunteers popping up everywhere around the area. 

 

Edited October 2, 2022 by DreaminAboutPalms

[NBTX11]

4 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said:

Yes I know, Washingtonia seeds were a bit harder to find in Austin last season, couldn't find any in Dallas, and didn't manage to make it down to SA so I had to be more selective with where I dispersed the filifera seeds I did have. I'm going to check a spot today for some and hopefully will come home with a bucket full and be able to start dispersing around town.

The thinner trunked hybrids aren't long term hardy so I like to disperse a lot of those around where I live because they grow so quick and with filifera and sabal more trying to disperse in areas a bit more out of site where they can grow uninterrupted and hopefully kickstart naturalization.

Dallas has a ton of parks and creeks and woods all you need is a few mature filifera hidden from sight and then all of the sudden there will be volunteers popping up everywhere around the area. 

 

Come to SA and go to any palm tree in the city right now and you can get all the seeds you want.

Heck, if you're in the New Braunfels area you can grab some off my front yard Filifera right now.  

[DreaminAboutPalms]

1 minute ago, NBTX11 said:

Come to SA and go to any palm tree in the city right now and you can get all the seeds you want.

Heck, if you're in the New Braunfels area you can grab some off my front yard Filifera right now.  

I live in Dallas now otherwise would do so in a heartbeat. I think I might be overstimulated coming down there and seeing all the Washingtonia survivors, I'm getting accustomed to Dallas and seeing a few per month if I am lucky 

[NBTX11]

Just now, DreaminAboutPalms said:

I live in Dallas now otherwise would do so in a heartbeat. I think I might be overstimulated coming down there and seeing all the Washingtonia survivors, I'm getting accustomed to Dallas and seeing a few per month if I am lucky 

We have survivors literally everywhere.  Yeah we lost a lot of thin Washingtonias, but there are still tons of palms everywhere, mainly Filifera, washy hybrids, Sabals and canary dates, as well as tracycarpus and med fans.  Offer stands if you're in the NB area come get some off my tree if you want.  I posted a picture of it in another thread, it's a very attractive palm.

[DreaminAboutPalms]

17 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

We have survivors literally everywhere.  Yeah we lost a lot of thin Washingtonias, but there are still tons of palms everywhere, mainly Filifera, washy hybrids, Sabals and canary dates, as well as tracycarpus and med fans.  Offer stands if you're in the NB area come get some off my tree if you want.  I posted a picture of it in another thread, it's a very attractive palm.

I definitely take you up on that offer next time I’m down there. Always been amazed at number of palms in NB compared to a bit north in austin.
It’s amazing what a few degrees will do

[jwitt]

DreaminAboutPalms-

There was a time(about the time p. Dact. was being tried-mid 90's) that queen palms had been grown and we're attaining some size in Austin.  Just throwing that out there.

Meaning, queen palms were also there for some time until an event (2011? or was it earlier) took them out. 

Quite a palmy time!

[DreaminAboutPalms]

21 hours ago, jwitt said:

DreaminAboutPalms-

There was a time(about the time p. Dact. was being tried-mid 90's) that queen palms had been grown and we're attaining some size in Austin.  Just throwing that out there.

Meaning, queen palms were also there for some time until an event (2011? or was it earlier) took them out. 

Quite a palmy time!

There was one on 6th street that lasted up until last year. Farther south in NB and SA you start to see them and they look pretty good 

[fr8train]

On 10/2/2022 at 12:54 PM, NBTX11 said:

Same thing in New Braunfels.  We had a lot of sky scraping W. Robusta.  Almost all perished.  Some thin hybrids survived.

This is the best way to rectify the situation.  I did this about 10-15 years ago and I have probably 50 palms around town that I planted.  It will take 20 years to work, but it will work.  Find the best looking hybrid you can find.  I'd stay clear from purish Robusta in case this type of freeze happens again.  Literally grab hundreds/thousands of seeds from the base after they fall off tree.  Then go around town where you want to see palms.  Throw seeds in every public flower bed and public planting area you can find.  Mini malls, fast food restaurants, etc.  In two or three years you will see small palms popping up everywhere.  I did this at a McDonalds once and there was literally like 50 palms popping up (sadly they cut them all down when they remodeled).  I have large seeding Filifera in NB that I planted this way.  It will work.  Do that every year and it 20 years you will have palms everywhere.  Even if the owners of the establishments cut some of them down.  I probably planted 100 palms this way, of which there are still around 40 or 50 left.  Some very large by now.  I did it and anyone can do it.

   

 

On 10/2/2022 at 1:06 PM, DreaminAboutPalms said:

I have been doing this all year with various species. Early this year I spread about 5000 Sabal Louisiana seeds along a quarter mile stretch of a creek in Austin, and have distributed tons of sabal Mexicana and filifera seeds all over North Dallas and will continue to do so when I collect seeds soon.

I have been throwing seeds in public gardens that get watered, but also I have been trying to disperse some in natural areas close to a creek or in an area that will get plenty of water and where nobody will notice it 

I've said this before but it's like a snowball effect, when the majority of palms are planted in peoples yards the volunteers just get weed whipped and naturalization is slow, but eventually a volunteer pops up in an area where nobody notices it for 10 years and then it starts producing seeds, and then slowly they are everywhere. 

 

Doing God's work 🫡

[fr8train]

On 9/29/2022 at 11:53 PM, Collectorpalms said:

Replanting is going to be painful. Prices are sky high… it’s just out of peoples range really. No cheapo nurseries like 20 - 30 years ago when you could pick up $5 palms. 

$2500 and $800 for Bxj and braheas in Austin. Looking at the “Filifera” not Filifera enough. 
CIDP $170 for something that was $29.99 before Covid.

Yeah it's crazy how expensive everything is here, and how bad the selection is at big box stores, that almost exclusively sell palms that can't grow here. I've shopped around Arizona, Nevada, and California and the selection is so much better, and the prices are way way lower than here. 

[Z4Devil]

On 9/30/2022 at 6:53 AM, Collectorpalms said:

Replanting is going to be painful. Prices are sky high… it’s just out of peoples range really. No cheapo nurseries like 20 - 30 years ago when you could pick up $5 palms. 

$2500 and $800 for Bxj and braheas in Austin. Looking at the “Filifera” not Filifera enough. 
CIDP $170 for something that was $29.99 before Covid.

+1, in Germany the same. Prices have at least doubled, often even tripled. No logical explanation for it, besides the fact that many dealers and shops are fighting for survival after 2 years of lockdowns and probably try to restart their business with the more of money they have lost.

[DreaminAboutPalms]

[NBTX11]

3 or 4 days took out 30 plus years of palm growth.

[MarcusH]

8 hours ago, NBTX11 said:

3 or 4 days took out 30 plus years of palm growth.

We should be good for another 30 plus years. 

[DreaminAboutPalms]

10 hours ago, NBTX11 said:

3 or 4 days took out 30 plus years of palm growth.

That’s what’s so crazy about this climate. If it wasn’t for a dozen days a decade you’d have Washingtonia everywhere

[jwitt]

Smaller washies out front for sale here yesterday.  Not sure prices. 

Texas Home & Garden
(972) 703-0587
https://maps.app.goo.gl/BK5bPx4tmiUQhksZ7

[Yunder Wækraus]

What's the status of palms in Austin today?

[RFun]

On 4/1/2023 at 1:25 AM, NBTX11 said:

3 or 4 days took out 30 plus years of palm growth.

These things are always possible.  30 plus years of palm growth is pretty darn good I'd say.  Plus, now you can identify the hardy survivors.  I see it more as a positive learning experience.

[Swolte]

On 9/29/2022 at 11:53 PM, Collectorpalms said:

CIDP $170 for something that was $29.99 before Covid.

Hard to find these anymore in nurseries (can't blame them, though). Had to resort to purchasing online. 

Edited November 18, 2023 by Swolte