Details about areca catechu dwarf... help

[Gottagrowemall]

I have two Christmas palms on opposite sides of my garage that I got from Walmart for like 14-20$ 4 years ago and they've grown fantastic against the stone wall. I have protected them probably 4-5 times over the last 4 years by tying up the fronds and putting something out to prop up a covering that doesn't touch them. This year in Palm Coast we haven't really been under 40 much or seen frost at all so they still look solid. They're already starting to go over the roofline and by next winter will be too large to protect. Soooooo I'm saying all of this because I'm expecting them to not be a long term solution in that spot. (I'll add pics later).

 

Tell me about areca catechu dwarf. Is it hard to acquire seed? How slowly does it grow from seed? I'm thinking this a very expensive / rare palm so how fussy is it? Let me know your experiences and thank you. My assumption is they grow similar to a bottle palm/spindle palm.

[Hurricanepalms]

Areca Catechu dwarfs don’t yield only dwarf seed. They are more cold sensitive than Christmas palms. I find they start to show leaf damage in the low 40s. They can survive that temperature, but they will look ratty until the warm rainy season returns. The standard Areca catechu is a zone 11 palm or warm 10b min. They also don’t like extended cool weather. Based on your profile location, you would need to protect them for a decent chunk of your winter. If you really like their look, I would keep them in decorative pots or you could get Areca Triandra not the exact same look, but tropical looking, unique, and cold hardy to your area. 

Edited February 13, 2024 by Hurricanepalms

[Gottagrowemall]

37 minutes ago, Hurricanepalms said:

Areca Catechu dwarfs don’t yield only dwarf seed. They are more cold sensitive than Christmas palms. I find they start to show leaf damage in the low 40s. They can survive that temperature, but they will look ratty until the warm rainy season returns. The standard Areca catechu is a zone 11 palm or warm 10b min. They also don’t like extended cool weather. Based on your profile location, you would need to protect them for a decent chunk of your winter. If you really like their look, I would keep them in decorative pots or you could get Areca Triandra not the exact same look, but tropical looking, unique, and cold hardy to your area. 

Thanks man, I was assuming they were close to bottle palm cold hardiness but that makes because you don't see any of them in this area. I'll look up Areca Triandra

[Hurricanepalms]

Here is another Florida thread showing some pictures of Areca Triandra: 

 

They look even nicer if you trim a couple of the stems out or even make them singles depending on the look you are trying to achieve.

[Merlyn]

I'd generally put Areca Triandra in the >30F category.  Kinzyjr's sheet has a lot of death in the upper 20s, but not much damage in the mid 30s.  I planted a couple of 1-2' tall clumps in the ground as tests.  One clump died at 25F with frost (not a surprise) but the other took 28F under canopy with minimal damage.  I like the wide leaves, and hope it'll be a survivor here long-term.

Catechu Dwarf might be a good potted plant long-term, as long as you plan on taking it inside a lot of times in the winter.  They are pretty unusual to find at a nursery, though I saw some $200-ish ones at Lukas in Oviedo a while back. 

Some other dwarf types you might like are a bunch of Chamadorea like Metallica, Geonomiformis, Ernesti-Augustii, Frondosa, Tenella, and probably a few others.  Many of those are hardy to the upper 20s.  Another neat clustering tough palm is Chuniophoenix Nana.  Also Dypsis Forficifolia and Reinhardtia Latisecta have done well for me in pots.

If you want a hardier Spindle-ish palm, check out Cyphophoenix Alba, Elegans, and Nucele.  I bought some from Floribunda and they are doing great so far...

[Gottagrowemall]

2 hours ago, Merlyn said:

I'd generally put Areca Triandra in the >30F category.  Kinzyjr's sheet has a lot of death in the upper 20s, but not much damage in the mid 30s.  I planted a couple of 1-2' tall clumps in the ground as tests.  One clump died at 25F with frost (not a surprise) but the other took 28F under canopy with minimal damage.  I like the wide leaves, and hope it'll be a survivor here long-term.

Catechu Dwarf might be a good potted plant long-term, as long as you plan on taking it inside a lot of times in the winter.  They are pretty unusual to find at a nursery, though I saw some $200-ish ones at Lukas in Oviedo a while back. 

Some other dwarf types you might like are a bunch of Chamadorea like Metallica, Geonomiformis, Ernesti-Augustii, Frondosa, Tenella, and probably a few others.  Many of those are hardy to the upper 20s.  Another neat clustering tough palm is Chuniophoenix Nana.  Also Dypsis Forficifolia and Reinhardtia Latisecta have done well for me in pots.

If you want a hardier Spindle-ish palm, check out Cyphophoenix Alba, Elegans, and Nucele.  I bought some from Floribunda and they are doing great so far...

you're awesome and have given me plenty to research. I'd prefer to have more of a spindle ish bottle ish slower vertically growing palm next to the garage in the future. These Christmas palms grew faster than I expected.

[Little Tex]

43 minutes ago, Gottagrowemall said:

These Christmas palms grew faster than I expected.

can we see them? 

[Gottagrowemall]

11 hours ago, Little Tex said:

can we see them? 

Preview attachment IMG_3838.jpg

The double is partially under an oak tree so slower growing, the one on the right is moving quick.

 

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[Merlyn]

11 hours ago, Gottagrowemall said:

you're awesome and have given me plenty to research. I'd prefer to have more of a spindle ish bottle ish slower vertically growing palm next to the garage in the future. These Christmas palms grew faster than I expected.

Always glad to help people get more obsessed with palms!    For a bottle/spindle-ish palm I like the Cyphophoenix Nucele or Gaussia Princeps. 

https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Cyphophoenix_nucele

https://palmpedia.net/wiki/Gaussia_princeps

Both are hardier than bottle/spindle in my limited experience.  I like the Nucele frond shape better than Princeps.  But honestly if you can keep Adonidia alive, you can pick up a Bottle or Spindle cheap and it'll probably live.  I still have 5 Bottles and 7 Spindles alive here, even with routine defoliation.  I lose one or two per year, but the ones up near the house have done fairly well.

[Gottagrowemall]

9 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Always glad to help people get more obsessed with palms!    For a bottle/spindle-ish palm I like the Cyphophoenix Nucele or Gaussia Princeps. 

https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Cyphophoenix_nucele

https://palmpedia.net/wiki/Gaussia_princeps

Both are hardier than bottle/spindle in my limited experience.  I like the Nucele frond shape better than Princeps.  But honestly if you can keep Adonidia alive, you can pick up a Bottle or Spindle cheap and it'll probably live.  I still have 5 Bottles and 7 Spindles alive here, even with routine defoliation.  I lose one or two per year, but the ones up near the house have done fairly well.

That first one cyphophoenix looks awesome.  The gaussia is pretty odd looking lol! I need to post some pictures of the huge bottles I saw near my house today. They were probably totally defoliated last year we saw like 26 degrees

[Merlyn]

@Gottagrowemall I remembered that MB Palms had Areca Catechu "Dwarf" at the Leu Gardens sale and at their open house.  I found last year's price list, it was 3G for $50, 7G for $125, and 15G for $225.  They'll probably be at the Leu Gardens sale again March 9-10, and are doing an open house again in April...I forget the date.