Why Are Some Palms So S L O W?

[Adam from Oz]

I was just thinking about this when comparing a few palms I grow.

What is the advantage in a palm's being slow growing and slow to mature and fruit over a quick growing one's?

Also, what do you consider to be the slowest growing palm?

For me Arenga engleri is a bit of a joke.

Cheers,

Adam

[www.dadluvsu.com]

I think growth speed has something to do with adaptability to native environment...  I think Pseudophonix ekmanii is the slowest growing palm I grow...  It long journey to maturity surely must have something to do with harsh tropical storm, hurricanes, and horrific soil conditions or its native region... I can say with all certainty when you watch them daily they do seem to move much slower!

[palmmermaid]

I am constantly surprised at the published growth rater and the actual growth rate of some palms.

I have an Arenga pinata in the ground that just sat for almost 3 years.  But this year it has shown a very fast growth rate - 8 new leaves and the start of a trunk.  

I also was told that Bismarckias are slow.  Well, mine aren't!  From a small 3 gallon in 3 years to leaves 3+ feet across!  Not slow!  And my coconuts have been really fast, even after being blown over in 2 storms.

And I have a queen (I think) behind my barn that is fastest of all - not up necessarily but with a trunk at least a foot in diameter.

I just don't know any more.  I just put them in the ground and watch them grow - fast or slow - just so they grow!

[chris.oz]

Adam,

I think it may be a good thing in  a horticultural sense,  in that quite a few palms stay short for a long time.   really,  who wants a tassel on a long pole in 24 months !

Our area has no species of palms growing naturally.   They have not adapted to our area and I can only conclude that if they ever did grow here the conditions are no longer favorable for the species that did. Come back in a time machine in 100000 years and maybe there would be quite a few P, canariensis growing here  because they appear to be most suited to our climate.

But its still very frustrating to see a palm grow so slowly.  I have germinated abot 30 Arenga engleri,  and waited 4 years for them to go pinnate.  For me they are much  slower than jubaea.

[Dave-Vero]

In the plant world, slow growth is very, very common.  Perennial herbs that usually go dormant during the dry or cold season sometimes simply skip growing for a year or so (terrestrial orchids are notorious for this trick).  Others may do a burst of activity only after a fire (Serenoa repens is good at this).

Slow-growing seedlings are very common in nature.  What the crowds of little ones seem to be doing, is waiting for a tree to fall or something else to happen that allows an underling to shoot up and become an über-plant.

Lots of plants put up with short supplies of water and/or nutrients.  I'm still amazed that palms grow naturally on Big Pine Key in the Lower Florida Keys.  The substrate is limestone rock, the climate is surprisingly dry, and nutrients are an issue.  

In cultivation, we tend to see relatively fast growers and a few minis--think of those little Rhapis that live in pots.

[PalmGuyWC]

Adam,

I think one of the problems is....you and I live in a climate where there is practically no growth in the short day months. I've always felt that the great majority of palms cease growing when the night time temps fall below 50F (10 C). My night time temps, fell at or below 50 F. about 2 weeks ago, and I can't expect them above 50F until sometime in April. We will get brief spates of warmer temps. during the short days, sometimes up to two or three weeks, and I've notice the palms start to grow during those periods.

I agree Arenga engelri is one of the slowest for me. It survives my climate and low temps, but it only grows about one frond a year, even though I have hot summer days and cool nights. Two others, Arenga micrantha and Wallichia densiflora do the same. I've read where those living in warmer year round climates say A. engelri grows rather fast for them.

I also think it's a myth that Parajubaeas speed up growth in cool weather. Mine grew at a pretty good rate this summer, but have slowed considerably with cooler weather. I think another problems is....we watch our palms to closely.....like every day! That's the reason I grow other things besides palms, things that actually grow fast, like annuals.

Dick

[Walter John]

What is the advantage in a palm's being slow growing and slow to mature and fruit over a quick growing one's?

Here's my view on this Adam. You can admire the palms in all their beauty without looking up. You can see and photograph up close all the aspects of the palm, pre trunking and first trunking stages, crownshafts, leaves.  You can rearrange your garden planning with slower plants if you choose, I love slow growers here and there.

[Al in Kona]

I'd agree with Wal in that I like having some "slow growers" in the garden mixed in with the faster ones.  I don't want to be looking up in order to see every palm.  To me, a super mature palm garden is less interesting than a younger one as you can see more of it at eye level, especially if the garden is small in size.  Now a Botanical garden is a different story.

[osideterry]

My frustration is doing a thorough weeding, and 2 weeks later having a 3ft-tall weed, while the palm next to it take 3 months to open one spear.

[tim_brissy_13]

(chris.oz @ Oct. 17 2007,10:21)

QUOTE

But its still very frustrating to see a palm grow so slowly.  I have germinated abot 30 Arenga engleri,  and waited 4 years for them to go pinnate.  For me they are much  slower than jubaea.

Chris, the Arenga engleri you gave me, probably from the same batch, are three leaf seedlings, not even close to going pinnate.  I would actually consider pinnate in 4 years quite fast for most simple leaved seedlings.  Like Adam said, the growth of these do seem a bit of a joke, however my larger one in the ground is speeding up a bit.  

Easily the slowest palm I have is Ravenea xerophila.  It has growth 2 or 3 leaves of similar size to the last ones in about 4 years.  The palm looks the same as it did 4 years ago.  

The Melbourne climate has taught me to be extremely patient.  I don't consider Hedyscepe and Chambeyronia slow for growing 1 or 2 leaves per year.  I think my 4 year old 50cm Parajubaea is really fast, at least easily the fastest seedling I have grown.

[palman]

I must agree with Wal; it is nice to admire palms that have yet to trunk but are as tall as you are o.a. Admire the petioles, leaflets, perhaps new red fronds, etc...Also, I live in town on a standard size lot. I plant a faster grower, then I plant a slower one (sabal or pseudophoenix) about 1-2meters away. The taller palm towers above quickly so they do not crowds each other.

Hey osideterry, you mentioned weeds frustrations. We all share your greif and I have a solution.

When I create a new bed for mulch, I lay down a thick layer about 18cm thick of newspapers, cardboard (get boxes and just break them down. I call a local tree trimmer for free mulch (chips) and put down a layer of mulch  twice as thick over the paper products (plastic weed block/fabric does not work due to being thin, the weeds can poke through, and it does not decompose!).

The paper product breaks down over time and there is no weed problem for about 5 yrs; by then I have placed some type of groundcover that flanks the pathways and I remulch the pathways every few years.