To many palms, to few consumers

[redant]

I noticed Briancoconut's post about $50 for 18ft royals. I see many many give aways these days if you look in the right places. I gather to many people where growing for the new homes that are no longer being built causing a palm glut. A couple of years ago that same palm would easily get $350. How do growers make any money selling a 18ft royal for $50. ???

[aussiearoids]

Just a matter of cutting your loss's unless you have paID WAGES TO PEOPLE TO MANTAIN repot weed etc.. it will just cost more the longer you keep it ,, either sell cheep or chuck it out , esp. if you have to many .. amazing at how cheap palms are in the growing areas , like here in the tropics .. won't tell you the prices as you will go green with envy ..heheh

[Tad]

It's a market hiccup, if they are field  grown, you can leave them, if they are containerized you cut your losses and move on, alot of times in the nursery business you make a living, you dont always make alot of money but you can always make a living

[PalmGuyWC]

On my recent visit to S. Fla. I was told there is a gross oversupply of Royals. A few miles inland from the ocean where most of the growing grounds are, we saw acres and acres of field grown Royals with 6 to 10 feet of trunk, and lots of other nice palms too.

That might be the reason you can see so many new Royals poping up in Central Fla. They are dirt cheap right now, and people will take the risk with prices this low. It also helps that Florida hasn't had a bad freeze for some while.

Dick

[DoomsDave]

Same deal here in Cali in the early 1990s.  Real estate collapse, no one wanted to buy anymore, unless CHEAP.  

A LOT of palms sat for a few years, till later on.

dave

[Tad]

Dave it was the same thing here in Tx, huge queens selling for 5 dollars a trunk foot, and not skinny trash either big fat nice stuff, then the next boom comes along and all the good stuffs gone, ebb and flow, the whole idea is to have a diverse mix of material at the right size when the next boom hits!

[Palmateer]

Too

[palmislandRandy]

A lot of the "wholsale only" nurseries in western Palm Beach County are now open to the public. Gotta move the merchandise!   Randy

[palmmermaid]

I've found that if you wave cash for a number of plants in front of almost any wholesale nursery, anyone can buy from them.  You may pay slightly over wholesale but not much.

[Jeff Searle]

There is certainly a glut in the market today of rare and unusual palms. Plain and simple, more growers and more smaller palm enthusiast are growing more palms. There's more sales to the public during the year also. Next spring within a period of about 8 weeks, there will be about 5 palm sales (palms only sale) in Broward and Dade County alone.

Jeff

[Pivi]

bring that market to europe, you'll see consumers.

Negative side is that we don't have nurserires like you do.

We have a few "allround" nurseries that sell some palm species but that's no near what you have there...

[Jerry@TreeZoo]

[Jeff Searle]

Jerry,

    Besides the Spring sale at Montgomery Bot. Gardens, Fairchild is having a 2 day sale of their own, and will be also have guest speakers talking on palms all day. A Palm Symposium(??) No dates or name to this as of yet, but as you can see, sales will probably be SLOW.

Jeff

[PalmGuyWC]

I hate to be a nay sayer and a prophet of doom, but.....the US economy doesn't look good for awhile.  The ripple effect from the housing glut is not only affecting the nursery business, but it's trickling throughout the economy. There will be many construction workers out of work, less household goods sold, and it goes on and on.

I think we are headed for a recession, so buckle up. The figgures the goverment uses for inflation discounts food and energy costs. How the heck can they discount two of the most important expenses we have from day to day?

If it comes to gas or food or palms trees.....Guess which will come out on bottom? I could rant on an on, but I won't. Even Warren Buffet is somewhat pessimistic about the immediate future of our economy.

Buckle up, friends.

Dick

[Tad]

here's what you get for 50.00 then add freight were paying 85.00 dollars each delivered so that includes the brokers mark up and freight.

[Ken Johnson]

An old saying in my neck of the woods is "plant into a glut". That is to say that the palms that will be sold when the market recovers will be the ones planted today.

I am buying 100's of "special" palms, ones that most people don't even know how to pronounce. They have no common names but they are beautiful and in short supply. Some are 15 year investments like Copernicia. The bailiana and hospita I have now are 5 to 12 feet tall. These palms get top dollar and are used by people who are not affected by the housing market. In fact they are in the petrol market! Makes sence and money.

I have seen people plant royals like crazy every time the market jumps up. Problem is they are not in the market at the time, just growing a new crop. The result is that in a few years there is a flood..duhhhhhhhh.

Ever see a few thousand Copernicia hospita get planted?

[fastfeat]

(palmotrafficante @ Dec. 12 2007,17:33)

QUOTE

here's what you get for 50.00 then add freight were paying 85.00 dollars each delivered so that includes the brokers mark up and freight.

Damn...

From FL somewhere is presume??

[Palmateer]

What's so hard about putting your location in your signature - are we supposed to be mindreaders here?

[Jeff Searle]

(Palmateer @ Dec. 12 2007,20:08)

QUOTE

What's so hard about putting your location in your signature - are we supposed to be mindreaders here?

He's a Texas boy.

[Tad]

yeah these are out of the homestead area, like I said in another post for every palm I have in the field there is a whole nursery full in and around homestead. you get off on the west side of krome ave, and get into the dirt road areas and if you speak a lil espanol you can buy a whole semi for less than wholesale.  you catch someone hurting for some cash and it gets cutthroat quick.

soon enough in south fla. I predict sylvestris will get dirt cheap.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Thanks to a robust housing market in my area (TOO many buyers, not enough sellers) business is still good. There's the usual December holiday season slowdown but the landscape jobs for January and beyond are lining up. I wish we had palm sales like those in Florida here.

[Tad]

your ag dept prevents it which is a good thing if your a seller. cali has TIGHT restrictions to protect its growers.

[fastfeat]

(palmotrafficante @ Dec. 12 2007,20:38)

QUOTE

yeah these are out of the homestead area, like I said in another post for every palm I have in the field there is a whole nursery full in and around homestead. you get off on the west side of krome ave, and get into the dirt road areas and if you speak a lil espanol you can buy a whole semi for less than wholesale.  you catch someone hurting for some cash and it gets cutthroat quick.

soon enough in south fla. I predict sylvestris will get dirt cheap.

Lots of similar stuff in PB Co too, though that's really cheap...

[SubTropicRay]

It's a nice glut.

[Morabeza]

My heart goes out to the dedicated vendors (growers) of rare palm  who may take a hit.

[PalmGuyWC]

I can tell you there is no glut of palms in N. Calif.  All we get are Washingtonias, CIDP, Queens, Trachs, and chamaerops....and that's it. You think they would at least try Butias for awhile. We are swiming upstream in N. Calif.

Dick

[The Germinator]

I have some Jubes that will be perfect for the Palm shortage of 2110.