For those having trouble getting King Palms established in zone 10b+ after planting from a 3 gallon nursery pot into the ground please read here

March 5

I always had a very difficult time getting Kings (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) going here in 10b, and I finally figured out the issue. The issue has nothing to do with the fact that they are shade grown, although the fronds might burn if you plant in full sun, which I did plant in full sun area. The new growth will adjust and be perfect once again. And soil was not really a determining factor either. Also, this is really a 10b+ palm. You can try 10a, but I don't this it's feasible long term, if you want it to be vibrant year-round and no issues. You also have to look at your HEAT zone. Kings don't really prefer much over 85 degrees in full sun or super dry air. Your temps should range 40 to 85 year round, ideally. But that is a discussion for another time. Anyway, back on track. The problem is, I like to plant during the cooler rainy season so that the existing fronds don't burn up as much and look unsightly as it gets going. But when Kings are first planted from the pot into the ground, they do NOT like cool and super wet conditions as they first establish. Many on this forum state you cannot overwater a King palm, but that is false IN THIS CONTEXT. This is not a seed growing out of a pond. This is a small nursery pot going into the ground. The roots are not established, the soil temperature is probably too cold, and the oxygen content diminishes if it's too wet. Once the soil temperature warms up, you can water all day long. So as luck would have it, we had a very warm rainy season, with many highs in the 70s and even 80s throughout February and not the usual cool 60s and damp. And that was the key. - SOIL TEMP. I had no problem getting them going this time around, planted in the SAME place as last year's failures with root rot, in the same crappy soil (clay, slightly amended around the root ball). I had two new spears come out in January and February alone, on all five King palms. Water like crazy,. Every day for the first two weeks, if it's not cool and rainy already.. Then 3 times a week. Or even everyday if it's mid 80s+. Be mindful of your SOIL TEMPERATURE as that is the key here. Another secret. We had three cold nights dropping to 41, 43 and 46. In the morning, I watered with LUKEWARM water to warm up those roots which are still located around the original little root ball. OH YES, it works. And of course, once they are established, the following year they can handle those cooler wet rainy days of the rainy season. LOVE THE KINGS

March 5

This might be the most specific topic I've ever seen.

March 5

1 hour ago, MJSanDiego said:

Also, this is really a 10b+ palm. You can try 10a, but I don't this it's feasible long term

I'd better go and tell all of mine that they are breaking the rules here in my 9b climate...and in all the cool, high altitude, wet mountain valleys I've seen them in in habitat!

Be wary of blanket statements.

March 5

6 minutes ago, Jonathan said:

I'd better go and tell all of mine that they are breaking the rules here in my 9b climate...and in all the cool, high altitude, wet mountain valleys I've seen them in in habitat!

Be wary of blanket statements.

:greenthumb: ..Don't forget to chastise them ..for breaking the " rule "

Every single one of these look awful too, in this cool, 9b region ( South San Jose, CA ) . :floor:

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.2425446,-121.8620568,3a,75y,143.49h,89.82t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1s5vCEKqQWAzpOAQIb1fNrfQ!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D0.18075936427726447%26panoid%3D5vCEKqQWAzpOAQIb1fNrfQ%26yaw%3D143.48926197095352!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMwMi4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D

🤦🏽‍♂️= Such great, to the point info 🤣

March 5

Its so hard to discern whats true and what’s wrong. I live in 9/b/10a. Even people in my nurseries say they’re heat and cold sensitive. But then you have proven members here say that’s rubbish.

I guess im gonna start by planting a small 15 gallon kings in a shady area.

March 5

1 hour ago, Jonathan said:

I'd better go and tell all of mine that they are breaking the rules here in my 9b climate...and in all the cool, high altitude, wet mountain valleys I've seen them in in habitat!

Be wary of blanket statements.

Please read my original post again,. The last line I state: "And of course, once they are established, the following year they can handle those cooler wet rainy days of the rainy season. ". This topic was about getting them established first season. You can have success in 9b, but one night, it will happen. Might be 10 years, might be 15 years, but you will get a low of your zone 9b, which is 25 to 30, and they will burn, suffer, maybe die, maybe not. I clearly stated for non-cosmetic issues year-round, this is a 10b palm

March 5

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

..Don't forget to chastise them ..for breaking the " rule "

Every single one of these look awful too, in this cool, 9b region ( South San Jose, CA ) .

🤦🏽‍♂️= Such great, to the point info 🤣

You can have success in 9b. But it's still zone 9b. It will happen one night. Could be 10 years, could be 15 years. In the case of the FL freeze last month for example, areas received a temperature they have not seen in 15 years, but still within the zone, it was central FL, zone 9b. And even the pygmy date palms (Phoenix Roebellini) got all bunt, even the spear. They may make recover, they may not. I stated this is really a zone 10b palm if you want a vibrant palm with no cosmetic issues ever. They don't tolerate 25 to 30 degrees without severe damage

March 5

3 minutes ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

Its so hard to discern whats true and what’s wrong. I live in 9/b/10a. Even people in my nurseries say....

If i had a dollar for all the bad advise i have heard from " supposed " " plant experts " at X Y and Z nurseries through the years, i'd own he Americas, Top to bottom, lol...

Years ago, back in San Jose, i'd decided to think beyond the mold and plant a type of tree i knew would survive up there, based upon lots of depth -y research that it seems many people are too lazy to do.

When i went to order it from a nursery whose owner was a ...supposed... expert, he jeered that the tree i was after would be killed in a.. ..what would equate to a minor frost... in my part of town. I casually rolled my eyes while laughing under breath as i walked out after being sure my tree was ordered

Tree has been in the ground, doing it's thing w/out ANY issues, INC laughing off even the more moderate cold events it has seen since planting it, since i planted it back in ....2012.

More recently, a nursery person, ..one whose thoughts on many things i place a reasonable deg of basic trust in, expressed that another tree i'd discussed was too frost sensitive for them to regularly stock / bring in < for specific request > ..yet, ..i have a -constantly expanding- list of every specimen of that same tree sp. that i have observed, with my own eyes, growing locally since i moved here ( 2016 ) Many other folks locally have been growing that same tree in other parts of town, w/out major issue, for a longer time period than that.

On my end, ..took that a step further and planted a specimen of a sister species ( ..of that tree ) which ..is assumed.. to be sensitive to cold here. Hasn't flinched since i planted it a few years ago.

Point is ..while some information shared here and elsewhere in the plant world can be more valuable than gold, other info ..even if it sounds " confident "/ legit? Is as trustworthy as trying to pet a Wolverine.

When it comes to plants ..and pretty much everything else... doesn't matter what someone might tell me, no matter how good it might sound, i'm always doing my own homework behind the scenes.. the kind that logs many hours of laser focused, careful study, rather than going the the lazy / easy route: AI generated info? / thoughts on things from a living person whose views are squarely conservatively hemmed in / shaped?.. highly suspect and to be critically analyzed before putting any faith in.

Some info, that is so blatantly bad, like this " advise " ?.. Trash. Instant " toss in the dumpster and ignite" material.

You really admire Kings? figure out where they might do best for you on your property, esp. with any extra TLC you might have to provide at times, ..if you even have to at all... and give them a try..

Pretty sure i saw what looked like a couple kings peeking up from someone's property off in the distance when filling up at a gas station near Magic Mtn. during our trip up to San Jose back in Dec.

If you can ever find one, Foxtail / Veitchia X " Foxy Lady " might be something to do some diligent detective work on.

March 5

4 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

If i had a dollar for all the bad advise i have heard from " supposed " " plant experts " at X Y and Z nurseries through the years, i'd own he Americas, Top to bottom, lol...

Years ago, back in San Jose, i'd decided to think beyond the mold and plant a type of tree i knew would survive up there, based upon lots of depth -y research that it seems many people are too lazy to do.

When i went to order it from a nursery whose owner was a ...supposed... expert, he jeered that the tree i was after would be killed in a.. ..what would equate to a minor frost... in my part of town. I casually rolled my eyes while laughing under breath as i walked out after being sure my tree was ordered

Tree has been in the ground, doing it's thing w/out ANY issues, INC laughing off even the more moderate cold events it has seen since planting it, since i planted it back in ....2012.

More recently, a nursery person, ..one whose thoughts on many things i place a reasonable deg of basic trust in, expressed that another tree i'd discussed was too frost sensitive for them to regularly stock / bring in < for specific request > ..yet, ..i have a -constantly expanding- list of every specimen of that same tree sp. that i have observed, with my own eyes, growing locally since i moved here ( 2016 ) Many other folks locally have been growing that same tree in other parts of town, w/out major issue, for a longer time period than that.

On my end, ..took that a step further and planted a specimen of a sister species ( ..of that tree ) which ..is assumed.. to be sensitive to cold here. Hasn't flinched since i planted it a few years ago.

Point is ..while some information shared here and elsewhere in the plant world can be more valuable than gold, other info ..even if it sounds " confident "/ legit? Is as trustworthy as trying to pet a Wolverine.

When it comes to plants ..and pretty much everything else... doesn't matter what someone might tell me, no matter how good it might sound, i'm always doing my own homework behind the scenes.. the kind that logs many hours of laser focused, careful study, rather than going the the lazy / easy route: AI generated info? / thoughts on things from a living person whose views are squarely conservatively hemmed in / shaped?.. highly suspect and to be critically analyzed before putting any faith in.

Some info, that is so blatantly bad, like this " advise " ?.. Trash. Instant " toss in the dumpster and ignite" material.

You really admire Kings? figure out where they might do best for you on your property, esp. with any extra TLC you might have to provide at times, ..if you even have to at all... and give them a try..

Pretty sure i saw what looked like a couple kings peeking up from someone's property off in the distance when filling up at a gas station near Magic Mtn. during our trip up to San Jose back in Dec.

If you can ever find one, Foxtail / Veitchia X " Foxy Lady " might be something to do some diligent detective work on.

My gardener said a few of his clients have them in full sun. There’s a mature royal palm in San Jose.

Here’s a mature coconut in palm desert that I believe was cut down. But I get the sense everyone thinks you can only grow palms on the coast.

March 5

1 hour ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

Its so hard to discern whats true and what’s wrong. I live in 9/b/10a. Even people in my nurseries say they’re heat and cold sensitive. But then you have proven members here say that’s rubbish.

I guess im gonna start by planting a small 15 gallon kings in a shady area.

You can grow King palms in full sun, they do adjust. They just need more water if temps are above 80 especially. I find King's difficult to get started which is why I thought my experience would be useful to others. Once they get going, they usually thrive. Personally, I am not a zone pusher. I won't plant a zone 11 palm in zone 10b because I know one night, it's gonna be toast. Been there, done that. I can't handle years of diligent care just to have it destroyed or severely damaged throughout the next season. But probably most in this forum are enthusiasts who are zone pushers beyond the natural habitat, but it's good to know what you are getting into. Many nurseries do spec this palm at a low of 30, which is quite low, and that is zone 10a. That means it can survive, but it will sustain damage. The problem is, you can have frost starting at 36 degrees, so it depends on many factors. Wind, elevation, humidity, etc.. Obviously heavy frost can exist at 30 to 32 degrees. It's not ideal at a true 9b zone. These palms are native to the rain forest areas of Australia

March 5

I'm on the east coast of Florida just below Daytona Beach - so borderline 9a-9b, right?

I have a wide array of palms here and just want to say out of all my crown shaft palms, my Kings (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) held up better in the freeze than all others that were affected.

Every single one has already put out a new green frond already and some don't really have much browning.

Some were planted as 7 gallons and a few were in 15's.

Here is a triangular configuration I planted to create a theme that started in 7's and now are in the 25' height range.

March 5

9 minutes ago, MJSanDiego said:

You can have success in 9b. But it's still zone 9b. It will happen one night. Could be 10 years, could be 15 years. In the case of the FL freeze last month for example, areas received a temperature they have not seen in 15 years, but still within the zone, it was central FL, zone 9b. And even the pygmy date palms (Phoenix Roebellini) got all bunt, even the spear. They may make recover, they may not. I stated this is really a zone 10b palm if you want a vibrant palm with no cosmetic issues ever. They don't tolerate 25 to 30 degrees without severe damage

Ohh dear, Clutch them peach toned pearls.. a frond burning frost or freeze ....Might... happen ...some day.... <-- = fear tactic.

..I hear an city sized Asteroid might fall from the sky into my neighborhood at 10 tonight / Biggest n' baddest Volcano erupts to bury us all ..Tomorrow at noon.. Don't go steppin on cracks , or touchin the neighbor's Black Cat.. 😱 🤦🏽‍♂️ :floor:

Gonna go talk to the manager about a refund if that Asteroid doesn't come, lol

Numerous King Palms around the Bay Area that both survived and continue to thrive ..cue the big, overly dramatic Gasp, ..since the last big freeze back in ......1989... ..And they look GREAT too. < More gasping >

Could there be another big freeze like that out there ..sometime... in the future? sure.. ..Kings ..and the Royal that has been growing since -at least- 2013 in my old neighborhood out there.. will likely survive it ..when ever... ( if ever ) it happens.

Pygmy Dates can have their fronds torched by the sun / heat here during the summer, just as easily as getting singed during any rare frost /freeze events we might see. Should we never grow them? ..i think not.

..Oh and ..perfectionism -any thing? is an deeply, OCD - altered state of mind ..Not reality. :greenthumb:

March 5

11 minutes ago, Bazza said:

I'm on the east coast of Florida just below Daytona Beach - so borderline 9a-9b, right?

I have a wide array of palms here and just want to say out of all my crown shaft palms, my Kings (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) held up better in the freeze than all others that were affected.

Every single one has already put out a new green frond already and some don't really have much browning.

Some were planted as 7 gallons and a few were in 15's.

Here is a triangular configuration I planted to create a theme that started in 7's and now are in the 25' height range.

How low did the temperatures go? The lowest recorded temperature where I live was 28 degrees about 19 years ago in a historic freeze that hit LA. That was in 2007, that year even Santa Monica hit 32, which is zone 10b.

March 5

30 minutes ago, MJSanDiego said:

You can grow King palms in full sun, they do adjust. They just need more water if temps are above 80 especially. I find King's difficult to get started which is why I thought my experience would be useful to others. Once they get going, they usually thrive. Personally, I am not a zone pusher. I won't plant a zone 11 palm in zone 10b because I know one night, it's gonna be toast. Been there, done that. I can't handle years of diligent care just to have it destroyed or severely damaged throughout the next season. But probably most in this forum are enthusiasts who are zone pushers beyond the natural habitat, but it's good to know what you are getting into. Many nurseries do spec this palm at a low of 30, which is quite low, and that is zone 10a. That means it can survive, but it will sustain damage. The problem is, you can have frost starting at 36 degrees, so it depends on many factors. Wind, elevation, humidity, etc.. Obviously heavy frost can exist at 30 to 32 degrees. It's not ideal at a true 9b zone. These palms are native to the rain forest areas of Australia

I do get what you’re saying. I would hate to devote time and money to see it ruined in one cold snap. But how do you know the hardiness of a plant unless you test it. Boundaries were meant to be pushed. Seeing a tropical garden in Hawaii, nice, but not impressive. Seeing a tropical garden in a zone where its “not possible” is impressive. There’s a guy on YouTube called Jeff the tropical garden guy, he has all kinds of tropicals in modesto. Im hesitant myself because im a complete novice. Not an experienced palm grower.

March 6

3 minutes ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

I'm hesitant myself because im a complete novice. Not an experienced palm grower.

Yes, there is truth in the " a person repeatedly doing something doomed to fail each time = you may be legit crazy " idea but, Perfectly acceptable to be a bit nervous about pulling the trigger on an unknown, esp. if the experience with is new / you're just starting off.

That said, like you mentioned, how do you know, for yourself, -for sure- < emphasize: For Sure > just how far you can push your own plant / climate -related boundaries if you don't push a bit / here and there??. Can't do that if you always play it safe / are too afraid to think outside a box.

Kings grow so fast that you could start from seed and have decent sized specimen(s) moving along in a few years. No need to start off with something huge.. Doing that ...is a few shades of crazy, *** My Own Opinion on that only.. lol.

Never been too impatient to start from seed, or on the smaller / cheaper side. Better lessons gained in going that route, anyway.

March 6

My climate here is a solid 10a with no frost in almost 29 years I’ve lived in this house . Up on a south facing hill , 20 miles from the beach . The Archontophoenix seem to do well here . I have Cunninghamiana , Alexandrea , Maxima , and Purpurae . They are fine here even planting smaller ones . I would agree that they take a bit to settle in sometimes but mostly good to go right out of the container. I grew some from seeds from my mature A. Cunninghamiana , just for fun . They respond to copious watering here . I have very warm summers and we can get gnarly heat waves but they seem ok with it as long as they get watered. Harry

Archontophoenix Alexandrea , about 25 years from a 10” container( small ) . Planted in the warmest part of my yard. Mid day sun here is very warm. . There was nothing around it that was tall when it was planted . It got full sun immediately and within a few months hardened off well. Harry

March 6

4 hours ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

How low did the temperatures go? The lowest recorded temperature where I live was 28 degrees about 19 years ago in a historic freeze that hit LA. That was in 2007, that year even Santa Monica hit 32, which is zone 10b.

If Santa Monica hit 32 degrees in 2007, then Santa Monica would now be zone 10a. The data on a zone factors in 30 years of history.. Perhaps only parts of Santa Monica hit 32 degrees as there are microclimates. This is why a King palm in 9b is futile. These palms are native to the rain forests of Australia and are not frost hardy palms so 10b+ is safe, with the potential for 10a temps. 10a is risky with potential for 9b temps. I know this is a zone pusher enthusiasts forum. but it's good to know what the risks are before committing to all that time and care

March 6

6 hours ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

How low did the temperatures go? The lowest recorded temperature where I live was 28 degrees about 19 years ago in a historic freeze that hit LA. That was in 2007, that year even Santa Monica hit 32, which is zone 10b.

25 degrees for 10 hours......then down to 31 the next night for 8 hours.......

March 6

My Tuckeri fared well too and guess what I'm doing now with seeds from her......😛

March 6

8 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

My climate here is a solid 10a with no frost in almost 29 years I’ve lived in this house . Up on a south facing hill , 20 miles from the beach . The Archontophoenix seem to do well here . I have Cunninghamiana , Alexandrea , Maxima , and Purpurae . They are fine here even planting smaller ones . I would agree that they take a bit to settle in sometimes but mostly good to go right out of the container. I grew some from seeds from my mature A. Cunninghamiana , just for fun . They respond to copious watering here . I have very warm summers and we can get gnarly heat waves but they seem ok with it as long as they get watered. Harry

Archontophoenix Alexandrea , about 25 years from a 10” container( small ) . Planted in the warmest part of my yard. Mid day sun here is very warm. . There was nothing around it that was tall when it was planted . It got full sun immediately and within a few months hardened off well. Harry

A. alexandrea is such an elegant palm. Where I used to live my neighbor has a huge one, I tried to pick some seeds from it but months later they’ve not grown. But i’ve been hesitant to consider buying one after this hell of a 9b winter.

March 6

@TropicsEnjoyer The seeds I germinated( Cunninghamiana) took several months to pop up. I don’t have a heat mat or any greenhouse , just containers under the palms with 2-3 seeds per container (4”) . After well over 6 months I was ready to give up when I saw the first sprout. I ended up with about 90% yield ! Hang in there , hopefully you can get some to germinate. The Alexandrea is a faster growing palm here than Cunninghamiana . Just my experience . My climate is listed as 9b but up here on the hill 38f is the coldest I’ve seen . I am also growing Roystonia Oleracae up here . Harry

March 6

8 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

If Santa Monica hit 32 degrees in 2007, then Santa Monica would now be zone 10a. The data on a zone factors in 30 years of history.. Perhaps only parts of Santa Monica hit 32 degrees as there are microclimates. This is why a King palm in 9b is futile. These palms are native to the rain forests of Australia and are not frost hardy palms so 10b+ is safe, with the potential for 10a temps. 10a is risky with potential for 9b temps. I know this is a zone pusher enthusiasts forum. but it's good to know what the risks are before committing to all that time and care

My old house that I bought in 1990 was down in the city below . We got frost every year down there . I planted two 10” King palms and never had any issues with them . There are some sky scraper A. Cunninghamiana in our city that are very healthy , they have to be very old palms , probably planted at least 40-50 years ago . I think they are pretty hardy palms . King palms are very common in this area even with non collectors , most look pretty healthy . As long as they are watered regularly , they should thrive. Harry

March 6

9 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

If Santa Monica hit 32 degrees in 2007, then Santa Monica would now be zone 10a. The data on a zone factors in 30 years of history.. Perhaps only parts of Santa Monica hit 32 degrees as there are microclimates. This is why a King palm in 9b is futile. These palms are native to the rain forests of Australia and are not frost hardy palms so 10b+ is safe, with the potential for 10a temps. 10a is risky with potential for 9b temps. I know this is a zone pusher enthusiasts forum. but it's good to know what the risks are before committing to all that time and care

I wouldn’t say futile, the poster from Florida showed it took 25 degrees and still survived. Some damage sure, but it survived. I guess the caveat could be that Florida’s 9b is different than California 9b. That’s why they can grow cocos. Perhaps that matters more than temperature lows.

March 6

@SCVpalmenthusiast I agree . The original post says that they are having problems in San Diego which is better climate than up here in Ventura County , for the most part . I have had a bit of burn on shade grown ones but that gets corrected quickly with new growth. I’ve been growing them in 9b - 10a zones without losing any for over 35 years. Even further north , they grow. Easy palm to grow , just add water . Harry

March 6

I dont find archies(kings) difficult to grow at all and I am in a cool 10a right on the 9B border. I also dont plant any palm in cool soil, the developing roots will have to see more aggressive fungus behavior at lower temps. Microbes that assist in nutrient uptake are 20x less active at 55F than at 70F so many palms will not feed well and face favorable conditions for root fungus infection(wet with stagnant drainage, low oxygen, cool temp soils). There is a lot of experience growing various archontophoenix species here and we have the Aussie members who are quite familiar with them. My Archontophoenix alexandre and myolensis are from 25 to over 30' in 14 years and have been over 20' for 8 years. They have seen 30F cold snaps 2x and mostly defoliuated. They have also seen 3 hurricanes. They are pretty tough though I know they can die as small palms at 30F. I bunch mine together to improved coldhardiness

a fruiting triple of alexandre

and a myolensis, also currently fruiting

March 6

13 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

I dont find archies(kings) difficult to grow at all and I am in a cool 10a right on the 9B border. I also dont plant any palm in cool soil, the developing roots will have to see more aggressive fungus behavior at lower temps. Microbes that assist in nutrient uptake are 20x less active at 55F than at 70F so many palms will not feed well and face favorable conditions for root fungus infection(wet with stagnant drainage, low oxygen, cool temp soils). There is a lot of experience growing various archontophoenix species here and we have the Aussie members who are quite familiar with them. My Archontophoenix alexandre and myolensis are from 25 to over 30' in 14 years and have been over 20' for 8 years. They have seen 30F cold snaps 2x and mostly defoliuated. They have also seen 3 hurricanes. They are pretty tough though I know they can die as small palms at 30F. I bunch mine together to improved coldhardiness

a fruiting triple of alexandre

and a myolensis, also currently fruiting

We’re in the same climate zone 9b/10a. Those are some healthy looking kings, they look healthier than the ones I saw in Coronado last month.

March 6

In my area up here in the Bay Area, king palms are all over the neighborhood. My own personal experience with them is that they are the easiest and fastest growing palms in the garden, sun or shade. I have groves of them as well as ones growing singularly. Seeds pop up by the thousands just as much in the winter as summer. Some of those volunteers are aver twenty feet tall. I have all the other Archontophoenix species doing well too. The first ones I planted in 2001 sailed through the 2007 freeze (26°F) with barely a scratch. Just some light bronzing on horizontal fronds and they replaced those leaves by summer’s end.

March 6

6 hours ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

I wouldn’t say futile, the poster from Florida showed it took 25 degrees and still survived. Some damage sure, but it survived. I guess the caveat could be that Florida’s 9b is different than California 9b. That’s why they can grow cocos. Perhaps that matters more than temperature lows.

This is a good point I was thinking about this also. Even a 10b in San Diego is far different from a 10b in Miami. Mediterranean vs subtripical. I don't recall seeing any King palms in Central FL (Groveland area), 9b. You also have to factor in your heat index, the humidity and the % of cloud cover and what time of day or what season is cloudy. But I think most will agree that planting in cool damp weather can be problematic for getting the roots going. And that is about the only time overwatering could result in root rot. Once they get going, they need massive amounts of water to thrive I find they grow great in our clay soil too once they get going and shoot out the first new spear after transplanting

March 7

2 hours ago, MJSanDiego said:

This is a good point I was thinking about this also. Even a 10b in San Diego is far different from a 10b in Miami. Mediterranean vs subtripical. I don't recall seeing any King palms in Central FL (Groveland area), 9b. You also have to factor in your heat index, the humidity and the % of cloud cover and what time of day or what season is cloudy. But I think most will agree that planting in cool damp weather can be problematic for getting the roots going. And that is about the only time overwatering could result in root rot. Once they get going, they need massive amounts of water to thrive I find they grow great in our clay soil too once they get going and shoot out the first new spear after transplanting

Martin, My own experience is quite different up here. I don’t hesitate to plant nearly any palm in the winter despite our often copious amounts of rain except for very marginal species. I’ve planted A. purpurea, myolensis, and alexandrae as well as cunninghamiana in the coolest wettest part of winter and have never had a loss. Perhaps my amended soil drains a bit better than yours but this valley is almost all yellow or black sticky clay and my garden is no exception. I once had an A. Cunninghamiana “Illawara” completely bare rooted and sitting in a cold five gallon bucket of water for nearly a month in January ‘25. I finally got around to planting it in early February of that year. It opened a new leaf by the end of March and has done well since. You certainly are right about them needing lots of water after they establish too!

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