travelers palm progress

[DTS]

[Manalto]

Well done! Traveler's palm definitely has a presence. I clearly remember the first one I saw in Puerto Rico 40 years ago.

[Than]

Aaawww they look like mine. The seeds sprouted about 3 months ago and here they are today. They have proven to be surprisingly hardy so far. They have seen night temperatures of 13C (55F) and they seem fine and growing. I have 7 of them. I'll put them indoors when the weather gets colder. Unfortunately they get no direct sun cos my patio is north facing. 

How old are yours?

 

[DTS]

2 hours ago, ego said:

Aaawww they look like mine. The seeds sprouted about 3 months ago and here they are today. They have proven to be surprisingly hardy so far. They have seen night temperatures of 13C (55F) and they seem fine and growing. I have 7 of them. I'll put them indoors when the weather gets colder. Unfortunately they get no direct sun cos my patio is north facing. 

How old are yours?

 

wow! Your 2 look nice! mine will be 2 months old by november 2

[Than]

12 minutes ago, DTS1 said:

wow! Your 2 look nice! mine will be 2 months old by november 2

oh a bit younger than mine. I have 7 as I told you and I showed you the two oldest ones. The other ones sprouted later.  Lately the leaf edges have turned brown as you can see. Not sure why.

[Zach K]

Happy I found this thread. I started growing my TP in early 2019 and took a couple pics along the way.

It's been an exciting journey watching him grow outdoors in the summer, and in the office in the winter here in Portland Oregon. 

In Feb of 2023 it will be 4 years since I got him as a sprouting baby.

 

[Than]

On 11/15/2022 at 12:32 AM, Zach K said:

Happy I found this thread. I started growing my TP in early 2019 and took a couple pics along the way.

It's been an exciting journey watching him grow outdoors in the summer, and in the office in the winter here in Portland Oregon. 

In Feb of 2023 it will be 4 years since I got him as a sprouting baby.

 

They look healthy and stunning! Please share more about their winter routine. What are the conditions indoors, temperature and humidity-wise? Do you use grow lights or heat mats? 

Mine are still outdoors, some of them day and night and some only during the day. They all seem fine although growth is slow fand perhaps stopped for those that spend the nights outdoors. I will put them inside when temperatures fall below 53F at night or 58F in the afternoon.

[DTS]

update

[Zach K]

On 11/16/2022 at 11:30 AM, ego said:

They look healthy and stunning! Please share more about their winter routine. What are the conditions indoors, temperature and humidity-wise? Do you use grow lights or heat mats? 

Mine are still outdoors, some of them day and night and some only during the day. They all seem fine although growth is slow fand perhaps stopped for those that spend the nights outdoors. I will put them inside when temperatures fall below 53F at night or 58F in the afternoon.

Thanks! I have to agree it is stunning. By the way, all of those pictures are of the same Travelers Palm. I just took pictures of it during its juvenile stages. 

Indoor Temp: Office ranges from 70-77°F. No heat mats.

Humidity: 20-30% (not the best so I mist everyday)

Light: No grow lights, just lives by an east facing window

Water: Not really sure if I have a scheduled time or date, just kinda when I feel like its been a while. Same goes for feeding.

Misc.: I'll make sure to clean the leaves with water and a paper towel every so often but other than that... pretty usual house plant stuff.

 

Unfortunately its going to get too big for the office eventually so hopefully I can sell it to someone with tall ceilings. I'd hate to watch him die after all of the years. In the meantime... I love it.

 

Edited November 17, 2022 by Zach K

[Than]

8 hours ago, Zach K said:

Thanks! I have to agree it is stunning. By the way, all of those pictures are of the same Travelers Palm. I just took pictures of it during its juvenile stages. 

Indoor Temp: Office ranges from 70-77°F. No heat mats.

Humidity: 20-30% (not the best so I mist everyday)

Light: No grow lights, just lives by an east facing window

Water: Not really sure if I have a scheduled time or date, just kinda when I feel like its been a while. Same goes for feeding.

Misc.: I'll make sure to clean the leaves with water and a paper towel every so often but other than that... pretty usual house plant stuff.

 

Unfortunately its going to get too big for the office eventually so hopefully I can sell it to someone with tall ceilings. I'd hate to watch him die after all of the years. In the meantime... I love it.

 

Sounds like a pretty forgiving plant. I am amazed at how sturdy the seedlings are. Mine have seen 54F at nights and they haven't shown any damage. I would expect them to be more sensitive in their first months of life, given that they are supposedly purely tropical. 

In Crete there is one on the ground. Only one and in southern Greece but still.. gives me a glimpse of hope.

Edited November 18, 2022 by ego

[mnorell]

Ravenala is not nearly as "tropical" in its requirements as many have thought over the years. It is now grown occasionally in coastal and inland Southern California without much issue, though I haven't personally seen any really large specimens in the cool coastal zone (but I know there is a nice one growing in the ground for years in a protected suntrap location at Disneyland, which is a few miles inland). The Huntington Botanical Gardens (inland Los Angeles/Pasadena area) had one for years planted under heavy tree canopy and it struggled and looked awful., and barely grew. It may still be there...but it had terrible appearance, and this was due to the perception that it had to be heavily protected. Many years ago I convinced a friend to plant one just a few blocks from there at his house in full sun, south-facing, and it thrived. And others over the years have figured out that it was not as sensitive as the general perception suggested.

The main complaint is probably that it really wants a certain amount of heat to grow quickly enough to maintain a good appearance. It will withstand cool/chilly nights (probably best kept on the dry side) but will grow quite slowly in the absence of warmth, and does much better in areas that have at least a section of the year with consistently warm nights. (I have seen images of it in Madagascar, in vast stands, as I remember it also grows alongside Bismarckia.) It is grown to a small extent here in the hot, hot desert of the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area) in full sun, and keeps a good appearance. What I have noticed is that the somewhat similar relative Strelitzia nicolai really struggles and burns in the desert (thus requiring heavy shading, which is difficult to provide beyond a certain height), while Ravenala maintains a generally good appearance. But it is not used enough because few people (or growers) know the plant in California.

If you have a mostly frost-free spot there in Greece with high heat in the summer, you may want to try it in the ground. Once it has size, it could no doubt come back via pups if it freezes back. I had a large one in the ground in the Florida Keys that was killed back to the ground in Hurricane Irma due to extreme and prolonged saltwater inundation, and it came right back and today, five years later, is a beautiful large plant, about 20 feet in height. So it is resilient on several fronts.

[DTS]

too bad the Phenakospermum Guyannense doesnt get noticed by a lot of people

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakospermum

[subsonicdrone]

so cool to see them grow from seed

thanks for posting

i tried and failed to germinate Phenakospermum Guyannense seed

some time after that i was gifted a small twin traveller in slightly rough shape when a friend of mine was making a palm purchase

as soon as i got it home i separated the two

i would assume they are from seed because they look slightly different from one another

they have grown quite a bit since i first got them

the one which is a little behind the other in terms of growth just put out the biggest leaf yet for either of them

i was trying to find a pic from when i first got them to show a before and after but couldnt track it down

they are in the back against the wall

[Than]

On 11/18/2022 at 5:15 PM, mnorell said:

Ravenala is not nearly as "tropical" in its requirements as many have thought over the years. It is now grown occasionally in coastal and inland Southern California without much issue, though I haven't personally seen any really large specimens in the cool coastal zone (but I know there is a nice one growing in the ground for years in a protected suntrap location at Disneyland, which is a few miles inland). The Huntington Botanical Gardens (inland Los Angeles/Pasadena area) had one for years planted under heavy tree canopy and it struggled and looked awful., and barely grew. It may still be there...but it had terrible appearance, and this was due to the perception that it had to be heavily protected. Many years ago I convinced a friend to plant one just a few blocks from there at his house in full sun, south-facing, and it thrived. And others over the years have figured out that it was not as sensitive as the general perception suggested.

The main complaint is probably that it really wants a certain amount of heat to grow quickly enough to maintain a good appearance. It will withstand cool/chilly nights (probably best kept on the dry side) but will grow quite slowly in the absence of warmth, and does much better in areas that have at least a section of the year with consistently warm nights. (I have seen images of it in Madagascar, in vast stands, as I remember it also grows alongside Bismarckia.) It is grown to a small extent here in the hot, hot desert of the Coachella Valley (Palm Springs area) in full sun, and keeps a good appearance. What I have noticed is that the somewhat similar relative Strelitzia nicolai really struggles and burns in the desert (thus requiring heavy shading, which is difficult to provide beyond a certain height), while Ravenala maintains a generally good appearance. But it is not used enough because few people (or growers) know the plant in California.

If you have a mostly frost-free spot there in Greece with high heat in the summer, you may want to try it in the ground. Once it has size, it could no doubt come back via pups if it freezes back. I had a large one in the ground in the Florida Keys that was killed back to the ground in Hurricane Irma due to extreme and prolonged saltwater inundation, and it came right back and today, five years later, is a beautiful large plant, about 20 feet in height. So it is resilient on several fronts.

That gives me even more hope. The weather here should be fine from April to end of November (72F outside right now, evening time) but from December to March we do get cold spells that can last a few days and temperature does not go above 45F for few days. The lowest is 33F which is not bad; the problem is the maxima are not high enough. That's what kills tropical plants here.  Not sure a Ravenala could take a week of 35-45F.  I have seven seedlings though and I will definitely try it.

Edited November 20, 2022 by ego

[mnorell]

9 hours ago, ego said:

That gives me even more hope. The weather here should be fine from April to end of November (72F outside right now, evening time) but from December to March we do get cold spells that can last a few days and temperature does not go above 45F for few days. The lowest is 33F which is not bad; the problem is the maxima are not high enough. That's what kills tropical plants here.  Not sure a Ravenala could take a week of 35-45F.  I have seven seedlings though and I will definitely try it.

Perhaps, since you have a number of seedlings, you could try a multi-location trial and see what does well under what situation. But my guess would be that a south/southwest-facing suntrap position (under the crown of a tall canopy tree, or against  a building wall) would give you the best chances. Still, I think they might be able to tolerate those cold periods, as long as you have some alternating warm periods throughout the winter and if the roots don't get waterlogged. I have a feeling there is not too much difference between R. madagascariensis and Strelitzia nicolai in terms of cool-hardiness, perhaps just a few degrees. They will both be leaf-damaged in a frost, but I think they can tolerate cool/chilly temperatures pretty well., perhaps you should just plant them out in fast-draining gravelly soil and on a slight mound, maybe with a surface-covering of black lava-rock for heat retention, and on the dry side during winter to prevent those fleshy roots from breaking down and rotting. Just avoid too much shade, as they will stretch out and just slow down intolerably, with a very poor appearance. They want a lot of warmth during the warmer periods of the year. Most of us here are experimenters at heart and I'm sure you are no different...your trials would contribute a valuable bit of knowledge to help all of us figure out the limitations of this species in cultivation.

[DTS]

not much of a change since i last updated it

[DTS]

I almost forgot about this thread lol

[Than]

10 hours ago, DTS1 said:

I almost forgot about this thread lol

Have you ever had an issue with petioles being too short? I have this problem with some of my baby Ravenalas right now.

[DTS]

2 hours ago, ego said:

Have you ever had an issue with petioles being too short? I have this problem with some of my baby Ravenalas right now.

yeah, the second newest leaf kinda just stopped growing, idk if you can tell though.

[Than]

20 minutes ago, DTS1 said:

yeah, the second newest leaf kinda just stopped growing, idk if you can tell though.

I wonder if it's some deficiency...

[DTS]

It’s officially been a year and 7 days since it popped up from seed!