After trimming some tall fan palms day before yesterday I was greeted with a boom late last night as the rain came down. Its more like w whumpff! One of my mature royals decided to release a leaf with a wet crownshaft. The leaf stem and leaflets were completely dry, but the massive crownshaft was quite wet and heavy.

Seeing it there on the ground I was grateful I didn't have to trim that sucker from below!

So I went out to see it in the morning and took a pic with Adirondack chair for scale

The palm is a fattie for a royal and is approaching full recovery from hurricane Milton in oct 2024.

The older these royals get the more I appreciate the self shedding, saves me being on a ladder underneath. These royals cost me $160 each with delivery and 90 for planting (each) with a bobcat. They had 3-4' trunk in late 2011 as delivered.

We are aware when a leaf dries out or even looks half dried out and avoid being under them at that time. Credit florida weather and a popup automatic irrigation system for its appearance, I don't really put too much care into them! Its nice to have something bullet proof and low maintenance. Most of the time they dont drop with a heavy wet crownshaft but when they do its like what I imagine a big dinosaur sound like with the heavy footfall. I have two large royals, this is the smaller of the two and they are enough for me.

Warning! You should be able to see why you should not have these in a place where you walk (or sit) regularly like a front yard path to the front door. And if you park a car under one like this, expect a big body shop repair bill as it is about 50-60 lbs falling frm 25+ feet.

Edited Wednesday at 04:29 PM4 days by sonoranfans
english correction, punctuation

Very nice !! Those fronds can be dangerous if they fall at the wrong time. They can also wipe out understory plants. Harry

Beautiful royal, well done! The big crownshaft makes me think of some of my big Chyrsalidocarpus (Dypsis) but the bases of the fronds are hard, like wood. I move them out of sight, then let them dry up for a while before I can drag them away to the compost heap.

Being so dry in Arizona,falling fronds are not a concern. I've purposely weighed several of them and they are always only 5-6 pounds total. Don't think I've ever seen one fall off 'wet' around here. Location, location, location. 🤷‍♂️

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona.

Agree with Scott no problem in Phoenix they are very dry when they fall!! The one reason I like them so much is because the fronds fall off!! You can see the crown shaft is pretty dry and still hasn’t released!!

9 hours ago, aztropic said:

Being so dry in Arizona,falling fronds are not a concern. I've purposely weighed several of them and they are always only 5-6 pounds total. Don't think I've ever seen one fall off 'wet' around here. Location, location, location. 🤷‍♂️

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona.

One more time location! Even invasive spp in one location may act as sterile in another.

13 hours ago, aztropic said:

Being so dry in Arizona,falling fronds are not a concern. I've purposely weighed several of them and they are always only 5-6 pounds total. Don't think I've ever seen one fall off 'wet' around here. Location, location, location. 🤷‍♂️

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona.

I remember growing palms in Gilbert, Arizona! You guys are under a different set of challenges for sure. I remember the leafbases on most of my palms being very persistent but the leaves were very light when I cut them off. I grew (4) bismarckias there and (2) here. The petiole heaviness here on a brown leaf was notable, a surprise. They do not grow bigger leaves here they just don't dry out as fast. I just removed a bunch(10?) of hurricane damaged leaves off my bismarckia with 20'+ of 90% clean trunk, all brown leaves but heavy petioles. Im not going to do that again myself. The drying potential with the heat and that inland desert sun has its advantages with those leaves.

One of these wet crownshafts falls about once every two years for my (2) royals. I knew when I planted them they would drop big leaves so I planted just 2. The leaves are also much more likely to fall in windy events. At hurricane winds the stems snap readily and leave the crownshafts on. So I dont walk around much under them if the winds are up. We had a nice rain going with some 20-25 mph gusts when this one came down. They do mostly fall pretty dry, but hurricane damage had snapped a bunch of leaf stems and left the crownshafts on. So arranged, this one didnt dry out as it was "inside" a few others that did fall mostly dry this spring. I count on one a year to fall this way, but the risk of damage can be severe so I treat it accordingly. This leaf was deflected by the satakentia next to it as you can see in the first pic its stem was entangled in the satakentia crown, though the crownshaft hit the ground. A couple years ago that same satakentia caught one and prevented it from landing on the ground. I was pretty surprised the satakentia wasnt really damaged, seemed to march on in growth.

Edited Thursday at 01:11 PM3 days by sonoranfans
clarity

My Roystonia Oleracae drops its fronds on occasion . I try to cut the fronds from the base prior to it happening to reduce the risk of any damage to my other palms. The Oleracae isn’t nearly as heavy as Regia ( also a bit more tender to grow) . I chose it because it is not as massive as the Regia . The tree is getting to the point of being too tall to reach though. Harry

This was a couple of winters ago after a trimming of the Syagrus on the left . I was told that it would not survive in my area so I planted it under the Queen Palm for a bit of protection.

Whenever I'm in SWFL I always keep an eye on those Royals. A falling frond can kill someone in worst case, causing property damage is the least concern . That's why they always encourage people not to plant Royals close to public sidewalks or buildings. That advice didn't reach the main audience, apparently.

I wish I had a Roystonea falling leaf problem. Iv got one plant that I intend to zone push with. I miss my Roystoneas from my Perth garden. They were just getting big when I had to leave them behind. I think the new owners removed them, along with 80% of the rest of the palms. Sigggghhhhhh.

@Tyrone i hope you have success , they are lovely palms . The R. Regia has proven to be quite resilient here in Southern California . I just didn’t have room at the time .

It had to be tough to have your prior collection removed by the new owners. My old house still has a lot of the palms I planted 30 years ago. Every time I pass by on my way home , I get a smile . I was only there 7 years so a lot of my collection was still potted and got planted here . I don’t know if the greenhouse is still in the backyard , I really miss that feature. Harry

22 hours ago, MarcusH said:

Whenever I'm in SWFL I always keep an eye on those Royals. A falling frond can kill someone in worst case, causing property damage is the least concern . That's why they always encourage people not to plant Royals close to public sidewalks or buildings. That advice didn't reach the main audience, apparently.

After living here and growing these for 15 years you understand that normally the oldest green stems snap off and leave the crownshafts on the tree in gale force wind which has been is a every year event. Those crownshafts dont come down wet as there is no leverage from the stem to pry them off. If a crownshaft is in place the leaf above wont come off without big wind. If I had small children, I probably wouldnt plant these at least not inside the fenced in part of the yard where they are planted. I think other palms are more dangerous to be under while trimming them. I have also planted other palms around my royals to :catch" a falling leaf. This one has satakentia and livistona saribus on either side. It is open towards the camera so that direction would be an angular risk area to be avoided if the stems of the oldest leaves were over it. My other royal has a large B alfredii we walk under. That BA will catch a falling royal leaf and will not break. In bradenton we have tons of publicly planted royals. I think the city is proactive in leaf removal as I have not seen a dead royal leaf on the street in 15 years. I don't even see the leaflets turning half brown on the public ones. I cant speak for other areas in SW FL and how they maintain their landscaping.

When I lived in CA everyone talked about earthquakes and what to do in the event of one. California also had scary fires. We lived in the bay area during the santa rosa fires in 2018(?). The fires were the most scary danger to me. IN Florida, its hurricanes and gators. I see gators often, a few times a week when I daily walk my dog. But I never get closer than 30-40 feet away as I know they wont chase at that distance. My yard is fenced(aluminum) in a design that makes it extra tough to climb, nothing to grab onto for the buggers, so I don't have to worry about gators cruising through it at night when they tend to travel over land. they did try to dig under the fence 2x and I just buried pavers there to stop them. You learn to mitigate risk wherever you live. Part of that is learning what not to do. I see my royals every day so I am watching them dry out. I expected that leaf to come down, just didnt think the crownshaft would be so wet.

13 hours ago, Tyrone said:

I wish I had a Roystonea falling leaf problem. Iv got one plant that I intend to zone push with. I miss my Roystoneas from my Perth garden. They were just getting big when I had to leave them behind. I think the new owners removed them, along with 80% of the rest of the palms. Sigggghhhhhh.

I would really miss mine if I had to move as they stand tall and regal creating my top canopy for understory. Much like tall ceilings in a room make a room feel bigger, tall canopy makes a yard space feel more expansive. Then there is the much appreciated shade these palms bring, makes the outdoors tolerable for an extra month or two a year.

Tyrone how are your B. Alfrediis doing? I remember you had several in a grove? Those should create a great ambience.

Yeah my last place in arizona got dug up and "sterilized". Lots of palm removals and the brahea armatas sabal bermudana, and livistona are "hurricane cut" to 5 to 6 stunted leaves. The word "idiot" comes to mind. The palms and shrubs have been given the banzai treatment and look terrible. Pencil pointiung from overtrimming of a livistona rigida and its only 3-4' tall(doubled in height) after 15 years. No palm that still exists has grown notably in a vertical direction after 15 years. They "pineapple palmed" the bismarckias too, which look stunted. Cutting lots of viable leaves on every palm, maybe 3/4 of the crowns are gone. Everything looks like its a few years from death in that difficult climate. The queens were robust, 25' tall carrying 8-10 leaves each now carry 3-4 leaves that look dried out, and they have abnormally thin trunks, ughhh! I hadnt looked in at least 5 years. I am done looking back, it feels terrible to know that the majority of what I grew is either ripped out or living a tortured existence underwatered.

Interesting reading about everyone's experiences in different locales, and also the differences between the species. Here in San Diego, I have a couple of borinquenas that are glorious. Although they're big palms, the base's don't seem to get those massive proportions that I've seen on regia. On the other hand my neighbor & I got a couple of princeps from Floribunda years ago because we'd heard that they have more slender proportions. Ah, no; at least assuming that they are the real deal. They're much thicker palms from top to bottom.

11 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

After living here and growing these for 15 years you understand that normally the oldest green stems snap off and leave the crownshafts on the tree in gale force wind which has been is a every year event. Those crownshafts dont come down wet as there is no leverage from the stem to pry them off. If a crownshaft is in place the leaf above wont come off without big wind. If I had small children, I probably wouldnt plant these at least not inside the fenced in part of the yard where they are planted. I think other palms are more dangerous to be under while trimming them. I have also planted other palms around my royals to :catch" a falling leaf. This one has satakentia and livistona saribus on either side. It is open towards the camera so that direction would be an angular risk area to be avoided if the stems of the oldest leaves were over it. My other royal has a large B alfredii we walk under. That BA will catch a falling royal leaf and will not break. In bradenton we have tons of publicly planted royals. I think the city is proactive in leaf removal as I have not seen a dead royal leaf on the street in 15 years. I don't even see the leaflets turning half brown on the public ones. I cant speak for other areas in SW FL and how they maintain their landscaping.

When I lived in CA everyone talked about earthquakes and what to do in the event of one. California also had scary fires. We lived in the bay area during the santa rosa fires in 2018(?). The fires were the most scary danger to me. IN Florida, its hurricanes and gators. I see gators often, a few times a week when I daily walk my dog. But I never get closer than 30-40 feet away as I know they wont chase at that distance. My yard is fenced(aluminum) in a design that makes it extra tough to climb, nothing to grab onto for the buggers, so I don't have to worry about gators cruising through it at night when they tend to travel over land. they did try to dig under the fence 2x and I just buried pavers there to stop them. You learn to mitigate risk wherever you live. Part of that is learning what not to do. I see my royals every day so I am watching them dry out. I expected that leaf to come down, just didnt think the crownshaft would be so wet.

I would really miss mine if I had to move as they stand tall and regal creating my top canopy for understory. Much like tall ceilings in a room make a room feel bigger, tall canopy makes a yard space feel more expansive. Then there is the much appreciated shade these palms bring, makes the outdoors tolerable for an extra month or two a year.

Tyrone how are your B. Alfrediis doing? I remember you had several in a grove? Those should create a great ambience.

Yeah my last place in arizona got dug up and "sterilized". Lots of palm removals and the brahea armatas sabal bermudana, and livistona are "hurricane cut" to 5 to 6 stunted leaves. The word "idiot" comes to mind. The palms and shrubs have been given the banzai treatment and look terrible. Pencil pointiung from overtrimming of a livistona rigida and its only 3-4' tall(doubled in height) after 15 years. No palm that still exists has grown notably in a vertical direction after 15 years. They "pineapple palmed" the bismarckias too, which look stunted. Cutting lots of viable leaves on every palm, maybe 3/4 of the crowns are gone. Everything looks like its a few years from death in that difficult climate. The queens were robust, 25' tall carrying 8-10 leaves each now carry 3-4 leaves that look dried out, and they have abnormally thin trunks, ughhh! I hadnt looked in at least 5 years. I am done looking back, it feels terrible to know that the majority of what I grew is either ripped out or living a tortured existence underwatered.

Yeah. Never go back to your old property I reckon. It’s torture.

On a brighter note by Beccariophoenix alfredii are doing well. They’re a great species for down here. I’ve got plans to plant more. I’ve got some bursting out of 45L pots waiting for me to get the soil levels right in new areas.

I hope I can get my Roystonea regia to take. Maybe I’ll put rocks around the base to soak up the summer heat and radiate back at night to try and keep soil temps high.

The local government councils put large cable ties on the ones in public parks and gardens, too avoid any law suits and for public safety.

4 hours ago, happypalms said:

The local government councils put large cable ties on the ones in public parks and gardens, too avoid any law suits and for public safety.

The Roystonia Oleracae is a better alternative to the Regia , in areas that can grow them . The fronds are no more deadly than a large Archontophoenix. True , not quite the statement as a Regia , but very nice looking palm with a more slender trunk . They are , as our friend @DoomsDave says , “swamp things” . Meaning they love tons of water . Harry

17 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Yeah. Never go back to your old property I reckon. It’s torture.

On a brighter note by Beccariophoenix alfredii are doing well. They’re a great species for down here. I’ve got plans to plant more. I’ve got some bursting out of 45L pots waiting for me to get the soil levels right in new areas.

I hope I can get my Roystonea regia to take. Maybe I’ll put rocks around the base to soak up the summer heat and radiate back at night to try and keep soil temps high.

wow its cool weather down under in albany! Interesting that the alfredii do well there. Royals are heat lovers, alfredii seem to be very adaptable as they reportedly grow in the hottest deserts here and in your cool climate.

Hanging leaf base leftover from a hurricane snapped frond. Also growing out of a little frost/freeze damage from this winter. Probably one of my favorite palms for sure. Photo taken this evening.

What size was it when you bought it? I would imagine it would have been 36-42 box if you needed a bobcat. I would have so many palms if I lived in Florida. I paid $150 for a 15 gallon flame thrower. Prices are so expensive in California.

8 hours ago, SCVpalmenthusiast said:

What size was it when you bought it? I would imagine it would have been 36-42 box if you needed a bobcat. I would have so many palms if I lived in Florida. I paid $150 for a 15 gallon flame thrower. Prices are so expensive in California.

2011 is long ago and prices have changed a lot. I paid $3 each for my archontophoenix alexandre my cheapest purchase. But A. Myolensis was more rare in nurseries and there were only 2 available which I purchased for $30 each for a 5 gallon. I bought a copernicia baileyana 5 gallon for $40 from a small grower. Those royals were 36 inch box trees and the planting fee was $150 each till they started digging and found almost all sand. Then they dropped the planting price to $90 each because it was a fast dig. The 2010 cold(28F) killed 3 of my small royals(7-15g) that were planted 3 months prior. I looked around the neighborhood and saw the larger royals only had burn on older leaves as the cold air was warmer at height. So I decided to get some insurance on another 30 year cold snap just in case and I bought these royals with 4-5' trunk. I cant find pics with the strap stakes on them right after planting in late spring 2011. They grew quickly right off the bat, they loved the rainy season that kicked in a couple weeks after planting.

Today the market is different, the aftermath of the housing market collapse of 2008, many small specialty nurseries went out of business in the next 5-6 years, while most home owners went to big box stores, >90% of my palms came from specialty palm nurseries. The royals were from a local nursery that had a lot of field grown palms that supplied the housing market wholesale. As they sold off their stock to sell the land, they opened up to private buyers. They were 2 miles from my house so delivery was easy for them. What I saw in the local market was when the smaller businesses went out, box stores raised their prices which were already mostly higher than the small nurseries. It was sad to see all those small specialty nurseries go under and the local selection was depleted. I planted out 65-70 palms that I'm sure today they would cost 3x more at least and I cant get them locally. If I want palms now, I mail order them from a nursery down in Homestead. These prices are not bad if you order small ones. Availability varies this is the current list

https://www.redlandnursery.com/availability-list/

@sonoranfans About the same story around here , in SoCal. We had a few small , independent nurseries that were so cool . I would visit them regularly and they knew that I liked palms . They would sell me old stock , that needed to be planted out or potted up , at reduced prices . The big box used to have many varieties of palms for reasonable prices . The whole nursery business has changed so now I go to private growers that I met here on Palm Talk. We still have one nursery that sells some interesting palm species but they are not cheap , reasonable , but no deals. I did buy a neglected Livistona Australis there for $100 in a large pot , marked down from $140 . That being said , I just last week bought a couple of Ravenea Rivularis in 10” pots that were on the clearance rack for $3 each . They were healthy , just needed to be potted up. Reminded me of years gone by. Harry

This was from the nursery that sells unique palms …..for a price! A Syagrus Schizophylla for $45 . Not a killer deal but given how slow these grow , fair.