C. tepejilote in the sun 🤷🏼‍♂️

[Rivera]

Everything I've read says to keep this one in the shade, but I'm looking at this photo in Hodel's book. The photo caption reads "Clump in full sun on limestone rocks, Tikal, Guatemala."

Anyone growing it in part to full sun? How say you?

[Billy]

My uncle who lives nearby has one growing in his front yard with a Howea belmoreana just to the east of it and a Burretiokentia hapala just to the west but it still sees a good amount of sun here in coastal Southern California and is doing really well. I'll have to see if I have a photo of it.....

[BayAndroid]

A humid climate would probably help. My climate would probably fry this in the summer. 

[Patrick]

In the East Bay, CA, I have this specific situation. One is in the sun and one is in the shade, with a little sun. These two are planted maybe 6' from each other. The one in the sun is beat up, and the one with more shade looks noticeably better. I'm guessing you must have the humidity if you want to pull off full sun. 

[tim_brissy_13]

In my climate they are one of the least sun-tolerant species I’ve come across. Even less so than other Chamaedoreas with similar reputations (klotzschiana, woodsoniana and others). Apparently statistically, Melbourne gets the least sunshine of any Australian capital, but our summer sun is often accompanied by low humidity, high temperatures and wind, so I’m sure they don’t like that combination. They look great in the shade though. 

[Rivera]

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

In the East Bay, CA, I have this specific situation. One is in the sun and one is in the shade, with a little sun. These two are planted maybe 6' from each other. The one in the sun is beat up, and the one with more shade looks noticeably better. I'm guessing you must have the humidity if you want to pull off full sun. 

I'm in coastal San Francisco, so I have plenty of humidity. Summer sun is often diffused by fog and cooler temps prevail. I previously wrote C. tepejilote off as an impossibility because I have no canopy available to provide shade where I might have space to grow it. All my taller growing species are quite young and squat and seems like they'd be quickly outgrown by this chamaedorea.

 

[Rivera]

6 minutes ago, tim_brissy_13 said:

In my climate they are one of the least sun-tolerant species I’ve come across. Even less so than other Chamaedoreas with similar reputations (klotzschiana, woodsoniana and others). Apparently statistically, Melbourne gets the least sunshine of any Australian capital, but our summer sun is often accompanied by low humidity, high temperatures and wind, so I’m sure they don’t like that combination. They look great in the shade though. 

Thanks Tim, I've often heard our climates compared to each other. Sure, not the same, but with many similarities. It's a cooler more humid summer here, but I do have lots of wind throughout the year... salty wind. My C. plumosa take it in the sun, but it seems like they'd prefer a little shelter.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Is C. Tepejilote a good indoor palm?

[BayAndroid]

1 hour ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Is C. Tepejilote a good indoor palm?

There are better ones out there for indoor settings. This palm wants to get bigger and taller than your average house plant. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

This is a photo from today and mine are somewhat beat up from winter but they are in full blazing sun in the spring through fall for most of the day and seem to tolerate it pretty well. They are in exceptionally fertile soil and are kept well watered during our long dry summers. 
 

[Jim in Los Altos]

2 hours ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Is C. Tepejilote a good indoor palm?

They grow slowly indoors but otherwise are good. You’d be able to enjoy them many years inside and longer if you have a high ceiling placement as they mature. They take up less room than a Kentia palm which are very popular indoors. 

Edited February 12, 2023 by Jim in Los Altos

[Patrick]

2 hours ago, Rivera said:

I'm in coastal San Francisco, so I have plenty of humidity. Summer sun is often diffused by fog and cooler temps prevail. I previously wrote C. tepejilote off as an impossibility because I have no canopy available to provide shade where I might have space to grow it. All my taller growing species are quite young and squat and seems like they'd be quickly outgrown by this chamaedorea.

 

I bet in San Francisco you could get several years out of a plant if you start at like a 1 gallon size. The cooler weather will probably make it grow slower- look more like Jim's. His has got what, 2" between trunk segmrnts. Mine probably has 3" between segments. That's gotta be the heat out here because Im not treating mine special.... You would get at least 10 good years growing one up, and probably more because the SF sun is not nearly as harsh as the sun out here in the valley.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

24 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

They grow slowly indoors but otherwise are good. You’d be able to enjoy them many years inside and longer if you have a high ceiling placement as they mature. They take up less room than a Kentia palm which are very popular indoors. 

Well then. I will try to get one from sellers in Veracruz or Oaxaca.

[Jim in Los Altos]

1 hour ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Well then. I will try to get one from sellers in Veracruz or Oaxaca.

 

1 hour ago, Patrick said:

I bet in San Francisco you could get several years out of a plant if you start at like a 1 gallon size. The cooler weather will probably make it grow slower- look more like Jim's. His has got what, 2" between trunk segmrnts. Mine probably has 3" between segments. That's gotta be the heat out here because Im not treating mine special.... You would get at least 10 good years growing one up, and probably more because the SF sun is not nearly as harsh as the sun out here in the valley.

Patrick, the trunk segments on mine are between 2.5” and 4” as you can see in the photo. These things grow fast here but it’s a lot warmer here than in SF. 
 

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Jim in Los Altos

[Jim in Los Altos]

4 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

 

Patrick, the trunk segments on mine are between 2.5” and 4” as you can see in the photo. These things grow fast here but it’s a lot warmer here than in SF. 
 

 

It appears your temps., Patrick, aren’t much hotter than mine in the summer. My winter temps are milder.

[iDesign]

I’m not an expert, but own several chamaedorea types, and did some sun testing while in pots (because torturing palms for science is apparently part of my mission in life, lol).. It’s possible they could acclimate over time, but here’s my personal rankings from sun tolerant to shade lover (based on two years of backyard testing)...

• Plumosa = has sat in hottest spot in the yard (next to driveway in full sun) for two years with no damage. FULL SUN
• Radicalis = has been tortured in full sun on a hilltop for two years, and still doing great. FULL SUN
• Costaricana = doing better than expected, in a mostly sunny area. But I wouldn’t recommend full sun without breaks (started to see some stem burn when I left a pot in the sun too long). PART SUN
• Microspadix = showed a little leaf and stem burn after a week in the sun, so has been moved to half sun / half shade. Still did pretty well overall. PART SUN
• Tepejelote = paper-thin leaves disintegrate with the slightest ray of sun. Mine absolutely hate sun, but have been happy for two years now in deep shade. Least sun tolerant of the group for me (not even close). SHADE

Sounds like others have had different results... that’s just what I’m seeing in my area. Hope that helps!

[DoomsDave]

8 hours ago, Patrick said:

In the East Bay, CA, I have this specific situation. One is in the sun and one is in the shade, with a little sun. These two are planted maybe 6' from each other. The one in the sun is beat up, and the one with more shade looks noticeably better. I'm guessing you must have the humidity if you want to pull off full sun. 

Yes

Or at least more water, a lot more 

[DoomsDave]

52 minutes ago, iDesign said:

I’m not an expert, but own several chamaedorea types, and did some sun testing while in pots (because torturing palms for science is apparently part of my mission in life, lol).. It’s possible they could acclimate over time, but here’s my personal rankings from sun tolerant to shade lover (based on two years of backyard testing)...

• Plumosa = has sat in hottest spot in the yard (next to driveway in full sun) for two years with no damage. FULL SUN
• Radicalis = has been tortured in full sun on a hilltop for two years, and still doing great. FULL SUN
• Costaricana = doing better than expected, in a mostly sunny area. But I wouldn’t recommend full sun without breaks (started to see some stem burn when I left a pot in the sun too long). PART SUN
• Microspadix = showed a little leaf and stem burn after a week in the sun, so has been moved to half sun / half shade. Still did pretty well overall. PART SUN
• Tepejelote = paper-thin leaves disintegrate with the slightest ray of sun. Mine absolutely hate sun, but have been happy for two years now in deep shade. Least sun tolerant of the group for me (not even close). SHADE

Sounds like others have had different results... that’s just what I’m seeing in my area. Hope that helps!

FWIW your torture tests comport, more or less, with mine.

Dave the Torturer at the Death Cam

6 hours ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Is C. Tepejilote a good indoor palm?

Hell yeah!

[Patrick]

15 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

 

Patrick, the trunk segments on mine are between 2.5” and 4” as you can see in the photo. These things grow fast here but it’s a lot warmer here than in SF. 
 

 

Wow Jim, that thing is beefy, then! The trunk diameter makes the segments look shorter than they actually are, at least in the picture. Mine are a bit more slender...

 

Edited February 13, 2023 by Patrick

[Patrick]

Here's mine. Good luck differentiating them from the scrub! I consider my gardening style Hawaiian in nature. "Ehhhh, why boddah? It just going to grow back!" The first 2 are the mostly shade plant, the second is mostly sun- 6' away. It has no leaves because they all got burnt to heck- but that's because of dry central valley summer conditions plus wind because we are on the river and it's basically a wind tunnel and the condiut for the fog getting sucked into the bay area- but we don't get the fog. Hot air rises, we are a couple feet above sea level and the air getting sucked into the valley from the ocean comes through our river. We are a colder air wind straw for the valley. The third are some seedlings because now I know how they grow here and I'm always after seeds  The last is a big view of one part of my jungle with my feet kicked up and a 'soda pop'- theyre all in there somewhere, plus a mule, Howea, Linospadix's, C. Metallicas, C microspadix, C seifrezii (sp.?), C radicalis, Brahea nitida, Brahea clara, an Everglades, Livistona decora, and I don't know I guess some weeds as well. Upvote if you're currently wearing the Costco socks, too lol!