palmfriend Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Hi, just a short documentation about the growth rate of one of my L. chinensis. As you may know, one of our local (native) heros - so, completely bullet proof to grow - but why not to have one or two in the garden. If everything else falls apart during a typhoon, these ones hold their ground mostly unharmed and are almost immune to beetle attacks and diseases. With these thoughts in mind I collected some seeds here and there on our island a couple years ago, I had no problems to get them sprouted and this is where this story starts... Please be invited to join my little tour. February 2015 - still potted - maybe a year old at that time. October, same year - planted out and getting confronted with our *real* alcaline soil. Excactly one year later - definitely got *connected* and started to grow significantly. (October 2016) Now fasten your seat belts, please - the same one four years later... and... Filling out the space behind the house completely, obviously getting along very well... (September 2020) Finally today's status (February 2023) and the reason for this report... A bit difficult to get it into the frame - its top already reaching the roof line - while... ...the trunk is three/four feet max. (I had to cut some leaves from time to time to be able to get access the backside of the house...😅) I glanced at the trunk for a moment to check for possible beetle attacks first, then I started to look up and... "What the ...??" ... ... and I counted six spathes but I am sure there are more. Now with being aware of this new development I will give this one a closer look from now on. Even if it is a very common palm over here, I am glad that it does so well! Thank you for your time! Lars 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel Amsterdam Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 (edited) Thank you very much, a joy to see these pictures over the years. I have found them to be really slow around the mediterranean sea in France. Would you say they need high humidity and loads of rain to speed up in the heat? Edited February 14 by Axel Amsterdam 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Wow, in 8 years that's pretty good growth! The only thing I have to compare it to is mine at my house in a zone 9 Mediterranean climate, and it took mine maybe 12 years to get that big; and I suspect even that's fast for my area. My plant found a french drain so it's been 'mainlining' water over the years. My neighbor around the corner has one that's been putting along for probably 8 years now with not much love, and it's not much bigger than your October '15 size. You have a beautiful palm and it looks that you will have a pile of seeds soon as well! 1 Oakley, California 55 Miles E-NE of San Francisco, CA Solid zone 9, I can expect at least one night in the mid to low twenties every year. Hot, dry summers. Cold, wet winters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 43 minutes ago, Axel Amsterdam said: Thank you very much, a joy to see these pictures over the years. I have found them to be really slow around the mediterranean sea in France. Would you say they need high humidity and loads of rain to speed up in the heat? I think the biggest thing is water. Mine likes water, my neighbor doesn't take the time to let the water really soak down into the clay that his is growing in. it's been small for MANY years. Mine has grown fast, and the difference is the water availability to the roots.. 1 1 Oakley, California 55 Miles E-NE of San Francisco, CA Solid zone 9, I can expect at least one night in the mid to low twenties every year. Hot, dry summers. Cold, wet winters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim in Los Altos Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 They are definitely variable in growth speed. I have several and one is a rocket compared to the others and is 20 feet tall with massive leaves. The next closest one is about 14 feet tall and the third biggest is roughly 11 feet. All get exactly the same water, light, and fertilizer. The rest of mine are considerably smaller. 1 Jim in Los Altos, CA SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level zone 10a/9b sunset zone 16 300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground Las Palmas Design Facebook Page Las Palmas Design & Associates Elegant Homes and Gardens Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
palmfriend Posted February 18 Author Report Share Posted February 18 Hi, Thank you for your comments and sry for the late response -I was pretty busy during the last week. I think @Jim in Los Altos's reply is correct when he states that their growth speed varies - sometimes enormously. Please forgive me for have shown only the fastest one - another one has almost the same size but is not maturing yet and a third one (in deep shade) has barely formed a trunk. There is a row of them along a coastal road I use almost every day when driving to my place of work and I am pretty sure that they haven't gained any size at all during the last ten years. I really do not kow what the reason is for their different speed of growth, my advice would be to try more than one when purchasing a plant or buying/collecting seeds of this species. Lars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Little Tex Posted February 18 Report Share Posted February 18 growth speed varies - sometimes enormously. Yeah, I have one that grew from a fallen seed from a bigger plant, then in 2021 both the bigger ones died, so I cut them down, but this one is growing like crazy, its already trunking and throws up to 2-3 spears at a time, the crown always looks like its going to burst! 1 Inground- 1x Syagrus romanzoffiana 2x Livingstona Chinensis 5x Phoenix Robelleni In Pots- 3x Sabal Mexicana 5x Phoenix dactylifera 4x Sabal Palmetto 3x Livingstona Chinensis 3x Ravenea Rivularis 6x Cycas Revoluta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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