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Pygmy Date Palm in Myrtle Beach


Pee Dee Palms

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Welp, I had to do it, this will be fun... Update pics soon...20230301_142650.thumb.jpg.767b4e6b2430c77eabb956b290c89157.jpg20230301_142714.thumb.jpg.aa4cb1e704b18585297e5f0ddcab95eb.jpg

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Nice, I lost a pygmy for no random reason, it decided to kick the bucket.

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3 minutes ago, DAVEinMB said:

@General Sylvester D. Palm they are very hard to keep alive here, good luck. 

Thanks, I'll definitely need it. It was relatively cheap so I decided that I'd pull the trigger. I'm definitely aware of what I'm getting myself into. I'd be happy if it survived at least one or two winters...

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4 minutes ago, DAVEinMB said:

@General Sylvester D. Palm i picked up a roebelenii dactylifera cross from mpom, looks like a pygmy but is way tougher

Nice, has it seen a winter yet?

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Pygmy dates seem to do well in containers.  I carried one around with me for 17 years while living in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina before finally putting it in the ground in Baytown, Texas back in 2005.  It even flowered in the container.  Instead of buying a pine to decorate at Christmas I just decorated the palm!  :)

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Jon Sunder

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4 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Pygmy dates seem to do well in containers.  I carried one around with me for 17 years while living in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina before finally putting it in the ground in Baytown, Texas back in 2005.  It even flowered in the container.  Instead of buying a pine to decorate at Christmas I just decorated the palm!  :)

I honestly am seriously considering putting it in a pot. I still want to at least try it in the ground here, I have no idea how well it'll do. I know it will require crazy amounts of protection.

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51 minutes ago, General Sylvester D. Palm said:

Thanks, I'll definitely need it. It was relatively cheap so I decided that I'd pull the trigger. I'm definitely aware of what I'm getting myself into. I'd be happy if it survived at least one or two winters...

So far my pygmy survived December 2022 with lows of 16,21,24,28.  Some leaf burn.  Put a trash can over it that's it. 

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Posted (edited)
6 minutes ago, MarcusH said:

So far my pygmy survived December 2022 with lows of 16,21,24,28.  Some leaf burn.  Put a trash can over it that's it. 

Nice, that gives me a bit of hope. I'm sure the kind of cold it is also makes a difference.

Edited by General Sylvester D. Palm
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It was a dry cold but the wind was brutal on the first day made it feel much colder than 16F . As long as you can protect it I don't see a problem growing it. 

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1 hour ago, General Sylvester D. Palm said:

I honestly am seriously considering putting it in a pot. I still want to at least try it in the ground here, I have no idea how well it'll do. I know it will require crazy amounts of protection.

They are similar to Livistona chinensis in the fact that they are not very leaf hardy but pretty bud hardy.  I think leaf damage occurs around 25°F but they can completely defoliate and come back.  Putting it in the ground in 9a depends on how much leaf damage you're willing to live with because it takes awhile for it to fully recover it's canopy.  Like you said you can always protect the foliage but be cautious of the needle-like spines that will make protection efforts more challenging!

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Jon Sunder

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3 minutes ago, Fusca said:

They are similar to Livistona chinensis in the fact that they are not very leaf hardy but pretty bud hardy.  I think leaf damage occurs around 25°F but they can completely defoliate and come back.  Putting it in the ground in 9a depends on how much leaf damage you're willing to live with because it takes awhile for it to fully recover it's canopy.  Like you said you can always protect the foliage but be cautious of the needle-like spines that will make protection efforts more challenging!

I have seen a few living in Jacksonville which is 9a. I'm in 8b so hopefully it'll still do okay. In December of last year we got down to 18 degrees. My two Queens both had a frost cloth with a heat light near the growing point. The one on the west side got damaged pretty badly and is all discolored yellow. The one on the south side is crispy on the ends of the fronds but the growing point and the lower portion of the fronds look like nothing ever happened. Good thing is neither of them had a spear pull. I'm planning to plant it pretty close to the Queen on the south side so it has the best chance of living.

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And here she is! 20230304_145026.thumb.jpg.ad5307bfeadeff643fdbda89c3405d40.jpg20230304_145039.thumb.jpg.9444f97bafa6c5602047f5119ac7a292.jpg20230304_145118.thumb.jpg.4ce9978f9a8ba00b895eb92d1fb56333.jpg

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Looks good.  There is a guy here who had one in ground with protection.  At least if you decide to protect it they are easy to wrap except the spikes.

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YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(7 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(4), etonia (1) louisiana(5), palmetto (1), riverside (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7), wagnerianus(1),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  15' Mule-Butia x Syagrus(1),  Blue Butia capitata(1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

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I digged mine out and planted it in a pot today.  Covered the small pygmy in leaves and a bucket over it and it's doing just fine after surviving lows of 16,21,24,28F.  You can protect it easily just watch for the spikes. It's recovering well in our 8b zone. 

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On 3/1/2023 at 4:01 PM, General Sylvester D. Palm said:

I have seen a few living in Jacksonville which is 9a. I'm in 8b so hopefully it'll still do okay. In December of last year we got down to 18 degrees. My two Queens both had a frost cloth with a heat light near the growing point. The one on the west side got damaged pretty badly and is all discolored yellow. The one on the south side is crispy on the ends of the fronds but the growing point and the lower portion of the fronds look like nothing ever happened. Good thing is neither of them had a spear pull. I'm planning to plant it pretty close to the Queen on the south side so it has the best chance of living.

Also one of my two queen palms . This one completely defoliated on the Northwest side . Barely established, bought it as a strap leaf palm in May last year.  They're hardier than you think just deep watered them before any freeze with extra layer of mulch around the trunk . Don't worry about the fronds they'll grow back.  

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16 hours ago, MarcusH said:

I digged mine out and planted it in a pot today.  Covered the small pygmy in leaves and a bucket over it and it's doing just fine after surviving lows of 16,21,24,28F.  You can protect it easily just watch for the spikes. It's recovering well in our 8b zone. 

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Marcus if it survived those low temperatures, then maybe it’s hardier than given credit for and could be left in ground. 

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55 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

Marcus if it survived those low temperatures, then maybe it’s hardier than given credit for and could be left in ground. 

It surivived because healthy fronts are pushing out on all 3 trunks.  The reason why I digged it out was simply because the Washingtonia was blocking the view .  I planted to put it in a pot before the freeze when I decided to plant 3 more palms in the backyard. I thought it would die in December but it made it . A lucky one .  Now I'm happy it's in a pot.  

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