Most insane palm growth... post your contenders...?

[UK_Palms]

I can only speak for the UK personally, so starting off in the Isle of Wight, England...

First photo showing two smallish CIDP's back in July 2009...

 

Second photo showing August 2024, so 15 years later...

[DoomsDave]

Hmmm

Gonna have to riffle through my dank dusty archives…..

[UK_Palms]

Southeast London Washingtonia may have something to say about the growth rate of those Ventnor CIDP's...

Quite far outside of the main London UHI as well... 2008 vs 2024...

 

 

2024....

 

[Tracy]

17 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

I can only speak for the UK personally, so starting off in the Isle of Wight, England...

First photo showing two smallish CIDP's back in July 2009...

 

Second photo showing August 2024, so 15 years later...

The first photo I can only hardly see foliage that even matches a CIDP on the right.  I see some fsn.palm that looks like s Trachycarpus and a non palm species with something behind it.  The left side has another Trachycarpus  with CIDP behind it.

Without seeing the full enchilada, it is more difficult to assess the trunk growth.  Many palms gain height faster once they gain some trunk.  The slowest growth is getting any exposed trunks.   

Chrysalidocarpus leptocheilos is speedy once it gains trunk here.  Ring space is a good indicator of speed on many species to compare in a given climate zone.  Our friends in Hawaii can share real speed.  Clinostigmas in Hawaii come to mind as speedy.  It is all climate specific. 

[tim_brissy_13]

Chamaedorea elatior. Germinated April 2018

17th October 2023 just beginning climbing phase. About 1-1-2m (3-4’ tall)

Today (less than 17 months later). About 3-3.5m / 10-12’ tall. 

[Kim]

🫠 It won't be fair for Hawaii growers to add to this thread. 🌴

[happypalms]

7 hours ago, Kim said:

🫠 It won't be fair for Hawaii growers to add to this thread. 🌴

🌱🌴

[Mazat]

12 hours ago, UK_Palms said:

Ich kann nur persönlich für das Vereinigte Königreich sprechen, also beginnen wir auf der Isle of Wight in England …

Das erste Foto zeigt zwei kleinere CIDPs im Juli 2009 ...

 

Das zweite Foto zeigt August 2024, also 15 Jahre später …

yes, Ben. the gulf stream combined with mild winters with few frost days and absolute low temperatures that rarely really fall below -5 °C, constant mild temperatures outside the winter months including sufficient rainfall throughout the year are a good growth promoter even without the urban heat island effect like London, you can definitely say that this is impressive, at least in our opinion here on the small swabian sea.

[Fusca]

This is my candidate - not so much in growth speed alone but because it's a typically slow palm.  Butia odorata planted as a 7-gal in 2020 showing the original container.  In less than 5 years its trunk girth and overall height have more than doubled.  First pic in 2024:

Palm in 2020:

[5am]

This mule is still small and unimpressive, but the 11-month transformation from a dried up seedling to what it is today amazes me. 

[Fusca]

10 minutes ago, 5am said:

This mule is still small and unimpressive, but the 11-month transformation from a dried up seedling to what it is today amazes me. 

Once it's in the ground buckle your seatbelt for the blast off!

[Bkue]

While not crazy nor my best growers here are a couple royals. 

[Bkue]

March ‘23 to now

[5am]

Sabal minor in the yellow pot, 2023 Aug - 2024 Sep

[sonoranfans]

Hit by 2 hurricanes since 2021 this bismarckia keeps putting on height.   It is my 2nd fastest fan palm to sabal causiarum.  First pic is Dec 2017 about 3' trunk. I miss being able to look into the crown from this angle.

 

second in august 2021

 

and then this august still recovering from MIltons 110mph winds,  Hurricane damaged leaves on the lower part of the crown are still wilted and dull looking but plenty of new growth in 11 months.

.

Frankly I wish it grew half as fast. 

[JohnAndSancho]

On 3/24/2025 at 2:12 PM, 5am said:

Sabal minor in the yellow pot, 2023 Aug - 2024 Sep

That's insane for a Sabal Minor in a year. What are you feeding that thing? 

[5am]

3 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

That's insane for a Sabal Minor in a year. What are you feeding that thing? 

Nothing special. It was in Kelogg potting soil, which I think ranks pretty low in a video you linked yesterday. Probably had a whole bunch of Osmocote pellets mixed in and I was also watering with the blue Miracle Grow crystals. Early this year I was out of town too long and those two largest minors plus 2 similar sized causiarums lost all/most of their leaves. They did survive but the minors are still sad to look at, for now.

Here is April, 2025. You can really see all the wood chips that the soil video mentions as being a hallmark of a cheap mix. It sure didn't slow this thing down but I guess it didn't hold enough moisture for my trip.

 

The truth is I'm starting to wonder if they're not pure minor but I'll post about that later.

[SeanK]

On 3/14/2025 at 10:58 PM, UK_Palms said:

I can only speak for the UK personally, so starting off in the Isle of Wight, England...

First photo showing two smallish CIDP's back in July 2009...

 

Second photo showing August 2024, so 15 years later...

What's that hand sign from the person mowing the grass?

[JohnAndSancho]

6 hours ago, 5am said:

Nothing special. It was in Kelogg potting soil, which I think ranks pretty low in a video you linked yesterday. Probably had a whole bunch of Osmocote pellets mixed in and I was also watering with the blue Miracle Grow crystals. Early this year I was out of town too long and those two largest minors plus 2 similar sized causiarums lost all/most of their leaves. They did survive but the minors are still sad to look at, for now.

Here is April, 2025. You can really see all the wood chips that the soil video mentions as being a hallmark of a cheap mix. 

Ha! Yes! I'm having to use the cheap stuff right now and I found a chunk of wood maybe 2" x 4" that looks like a piece of a door frame. It still has white paint on it too. Top tier right there. 

[UK_Palms]

It seems Juania Australis is a bit of a rocket here in southern England too. These photos show just 7 years of growth in a garden near Portsmouth in Hampshire at 50N! That thing must have added at least 10-12 feet of height in those 7 years!

July 2018...

 

July 2025...

 

The only non-tropical / cold-hardy palm that grows as fast as that would be Washingtonia Robusta/Filibusta maybe and also Trachycarpus. Although I have seen Robusta leave Trachycarpus for dead in London, growing side by side. So Robusta is definitely faster than anything, but Trachycarpus is still already a pretty fast grower too here. Juania likely 3rd fastest growing out of the cold-hardy types. Canariensis 4th and yes, CIDP are pretty damn quick, as in within a decade you can have a pretty large, voluminous palm.

[5am]

2 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

It seems Juania Australis is a bit of a rocket here in southern England too. These photos show just 7 years of growth in a garden near Portsmouth in Hampshire at 50N! That thing must have added at least 10-12 feet of height in those 7 years!

July 2018...

 

July 2025...

It looks great ! In the last picture, what is that stick at lower right that looks like its growing tiny upright water melons?

[UK_Palms]

On 9/15/2025 at 1:24 AM, 5am said:

It looks great ! In the last picture, what is that stick at lower right that looks like its growing tiny upright water melons?

I'm not really sure what it is to be honest, but I have seen it growing before over here n the UK. Someone else on here must recognise what species it is exactly...? Maybe try searching it on Google?

 

Back to the subject of palm growth, I found another CIDP yesterday in West Sussex, which is a rocket. Here it is photographed yesterday in Worthing. Slightly over-pruned but with a good 10 foot or so of trunk on it there.

 

This is what it looked like back in July 2012... very small...

 

If anyone can find a quicker growing CIDP anywhere, by all means post it... but this has to be up there amongst the fastest...

I have been looking at growth rates in their natural range in the Canary Islands. The island of La Gomera is a CIDP hotspot, however they do not appear to grow as quickly as they do in London or the south coast of England. Here are some from 2011 and again in 2025. They are slower growing there.

 

It can only be down to less water/rainfall and the hotter summers slowing there, slowing them down. They seem to prefer milder climates with generous amount of rainfall, permitting no harsh freezes and a somewhat warm-dry summer.