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Young Sabal Mexicana


MarcusH

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Hi everyone, 

Today I've planted a texas sabal mexicana in the front yard.  According to the internet they're very slow growing . Since this little fellow isn't growing in the wild would the growth rate be faster?  Don't really want to wait 10 to 15 years for the trunk to be visible but if that's the case I'll planted it in the wild.  

20221127_151903.jpg

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Marcus--
When I was living in Natchez, Mississippi, I planted a number of Sabal species...notable performers were S. palmetto and S. causiarum, which grew from one-gallons to an overall height of about 27' after roughly 14 years. S. mexicana, which I planted in our semi-shaded courtyard, grew to about half that height in the same time from five-gallon containers. But the shade makes a big difference with Sabal so perhaps you will get faster growth. (The several S. palmetto I planted north-facing in shade in that courtyard grew to about 8' in the same time-period.) I think starting small is the best recipe for pretty much all palm species unless they are climate-challenged, and I certainly noticed it with Sabal; so I think you're starting the right way for the strongest, fastest growth. But you may want to plant some quick-growing and easily removable plants like bananas or similar around your babies, as you will be twiddling your thumbs for a few years before you see something of size rather than blades of grass. Or you could plant something like Wodyetia next to it and bank on the fact that they will be dead just about the time the Sabal look like something 🙂

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Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

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One suggestion for fast growth in sabals is to never let the soil dry out. I have 2 species of sabal, I never let the soil dry out and they grow kind of fast, all of them are already pushing a second leaf (They are seedlings I germinated in july/august). Keeping them shaded is also a good idea.

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That little palm by itself looks like rabbit food.  You might want to put some wire around it.

I bet it will take 10-15 years to get a trunk.

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21 hours ago, Chester B said:

That little palm by itself looks like rabbit food.  You might want to put some wire around it.

I bet it will take 10-15 years to get a trunk.

Agree. Also, clear away grasses & weeds & lay some mulch.

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Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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On 11/28/2022 at 12:45 PM, Chester B said:

That little palm by itself looks like rabbit food.  You might want to put some wire around it.

I bet it will take 10-15 years to get a trunk.

I agree about protecting it at this size from herbivores.

And while it may certainly take a long time in the cool PNW to make a trunk, my experience from memory was more like five years in the deep south for the trunk to form from a one-gallon (trunking in Sabal is something of a guessing game due to the presence of the boot-jacks). Then they grew pretty much like rockets in sun, heat and rain in the rich loess soil of Natchez.

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Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

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Sorry guys for the late reply . Okay I've made some changes . I replanted the little sabal in the backyard in a partly shady area .  A friendly forum member gave me some washingtonia filifera seeds . Most of them already germinated and growing well in pots . So far we have one California fan,  Mexican fan , Queen , Sago ( quite a few ) and a pygmy palm planted in the yard. My boss (my wife) and I had a few talks about the increasing amount of palms trees growing in the yard lol.  She loves her plants and bushes . So after negotiation we keep the queen in the front yard . I'll replant it closer to the house because right now it's only a few feet away from the sidewalk.  The mexican fan in the front yard will find a new spot in the backyard . Trunk is already above a foot tall.  I'll buy another California fan palm on the weekend. I know a guy here in San Antonio who sells pure filiferas in 5g pots for $35 . Nursery wants almost twice the amount of money for it.  So that new one goes to the front.  I will also grow two filiferas from seeds in a big pot to have a backup plan if the queen and mexican fan palm not going to make it in future.  I know a lot of rearranging . I'll enjoy our fast growing palms while the sabal can take its time to grow . Thanks for the information guys. 

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