I just read that they extended the drought(1x irrigation a week) to oct 1st in my area. It has been very dry and 90-93F day time highs and 77-79F lows. No its not the desert I used to live in, more recently dew points are 73-77F, but sandy soil is a big problem compared with clauy here as it dries out fast. And that wouldn't be a problem so much if we hadn't been in this pattern since last october(80-90% less rain). The palms are adapted to being irrigated 2-3x a week depending on season and the system get shut off when it rains consistently every 3-4 days as it does in mid to late summer. I think we got more than the 0.88" totals reported from sarasota bradenton, possibly we are far enough north to get a little more. We have had about 1.5-2" in june based on my homemade gage. WE got most of it in 2 "downpours" so runoff was high. I am really glad that I put all my wet loves in back of the house on the south side protected from the hottest summer sun. Premature brown tipping on older leaves is very common but the buds are ok. Out front in the blazing sun the waxy drought resistant palms have sustained a little of that same dry tip. Having come from arizona, I already had a bit of palmcare PTSD but my garden now has more to lose, it has 3x the palms.

Palm winners in the drought, no particular order:

1) bismarckia nobillis(mature): very drought tolerant in full all day hot sun and looks unfazed. Th eonce a week irrigation might be needed as some in unirrigated public plantings don't look so good.

2) Copernicial Fallaensis:(mature) coming back from hurricane damage so the crown isnt full size but it is not losing any leaves and keeps growing. This one has a huge 15 year old root system from a 9' tall palm as planted with a 150 gallon size rootball. So I expect the big root system can supply the recovering smaller crown with water from deep down. My smaller juvenile in the ground for 2 years in august is a bit less resistant, some brown tipping on (3) older leaves.

3) Copernicia baileyana(mature): yes these are drought resistant and perhaps the best of the green(non blue) palms. If you want a vibrant green in dry florida conditions this one looks great. People need to plant these palms more in florida.

3) Sabal uresana: it dropped some leaves that were still hanging on from oct 2024 hurricane milton, but it looks unfazed. It also in an area where it doesnt get directly irrigated, the sprinklers are blocked.

4) serenoa repens silver(mature): these dont seem to be affected, they have the normal amount of dried out leaves the past three months. These are 15 years in the ground and monsters that grow laterally and shade their own roots which may be important to moisture persistence. I am going to look at partially shutting down irrigation for them, getting rid of a few sprinkler heads. Every couple years I use up a bunch of sawzall blades trimming back trunks that run along the ground.

5) Phoenix rupicola: perhaps the weakest of the drought resistant palms in this category, rupicolas dry dip in the drought on older leaves. This one is totally exposed to full sun and the hottest late day sun exposure. This is the first time I see any notable dry tipping in 15 years, but it is also a triple which is a big advantage in root shading. I love this triple, its spreading out and going to stay under 25' to provide a nice wide umbrella. I highly recommend these in florida. Yeah they are slow but they are still pretty close to the eye and a vibrant green color. Some of the prettiest leaves in my yard.

Most sensitive, losers that need shade/protection and brown tip anyway

1) chambeyronias((4) 2-15 year in the ground) hate this weather/soil, sun burn spots occur after water loss in transpiration which is an attempt by the palm to shed heat.

2) Satakentia luikiuensis(mature) hate this weather, they are dropping leaves faster than they are adding them and they are up over the house to the east but the roots are in full late day shade. Tie between chambys and satakentia, but dont put chambeyronia oliviformis in there, they are moderately drought resistant

3) archontophoenix sp(alexandre, maxima, myolensis, purpurea) These are bunched get little sun on roots and they are mostly in a raised bed with many pop ups, and not much sand. Still, they let me know they are not favoring the climate

4) Chrysalidocarpus Leptocheilos: Teddys really like water especially in hot late day sun. Not as thirsty as satakentia or chambys but the dry tip sets in fast.

In the middle:

1) chambeyronia oliviformis: planted near the archies and not in a raised bed show they are more drought resistant, might be the relatively waxy leaf(to archontophoenix).

2) Roystonea Regia(mature 40-45' with huge root systems)): a little bit of brown tipping on older leaves but it is pushing out new leaves faster than they are dropping. And they are growing fairly quickly still. But these are not juveniles and have some massive roots and pretty thick trunks.

3) Copernicia Alba blue(mature): This one is borderline, not quite as drought resistant as the cuban copernicias but better than the C. oliviformis for sure. The skinny trunk probably doesnt hold much water as compared with the thicker cubans. This one appears to be browning leaves a little faster than growing them.

4) livistona saribus(Mature) in the middle

5) livistona decipiens(mature) int he middle

6) livistona chinensis(mature quadriple): seemingly less drought resistant than the other livistonas but it has more of the hottest sun, thought he quad protects the roots. There is some notably brown hanging around and not self shedding. I will not trim till it cools off a bit and I can cut them up and put them at the curb.

7) my juvenile copernicia hospitas(3 in a triple): These are still 2-6' tall and have small root systems. 3 years in the ground and started off slow, got a little hurricane damage a good grow year and then this drought year. Jury is out as to whether are going to be in the first group or this one due them not being established. I am hoping that as mature palms they will be in the most drought resistant group. Brown tipping on older leaves is there. These have the hottest western summer sun and not shade from it.

Anybody else have interesting drought or moisture sensitivities that you notice in your climate? My observations are for a cool 10a west coast florida with sandy soil and a drought year since last oct. I have grown palms in arizona but there are others who have much more experience with different species that are possible to obtain these days in arizona so I leave it to those more knowledgeable than I. I was thinking we each have a climate and soil type and that new growers can use this kind of information to select and locate palms in their yard. After 25 years of growing palms, 10 in the arizona desert and 15+ here in mid west coast florida I have learned to select the right palm for the right spot looking at sun movements and soil in the area. And perhaps the biggest lesson I have learned is to bunch palms for watering efficiency but also for cold tolerance, and I try to select at least half the palms that you know will weather the climate once established without ER help. You don't want too much long term ER duty. We all lose a few palms int he extremes but it really hurts to lose 3/4ths of your palms in one season. Recommendations for different regions of austrailia, southern europe asia etc can help future palm talkers limit the cost of learning and same some time in establishing the garden. To make your observations mose useful to others describe your soil, palm placement/sun exposure, sloped ground if present, etc.,

I know how you feel, black sandy soil I have that drains faster than the kitchen sink, mulch mulch mulch!

I have had losses mainly during the hot , dry Santa Ana winds we get . Back in about 2018 we had an extreme hot spell and I was away . I was unable to water or soak the palms and I lost a Howea F. which normally grow well here . I have a few in my garden and the others burned a bit but the large one out front got cooked . I tried to revive it but , no go. Same with a Rhopalostylus Sapida in the courtyard . That was hard as both palms had been with me for over 20 years . I have good draining soil here that is amended yearly . Both palms were in full sun , about 20 miles from the beach . Harry

2 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

I have had losses mainly during the hot , dry Santa Ana winds we get . Back in about 2018 we had an extreme hot spell and I was away . I was unable to water or soak the palms and I lost a Howea F. which normally grow well here . I have a few in my garden and the others burned a bit but the large one out front got cooked . I tried to revive it but , no go. Same with a Rhopalostylus Sapida in the courtyard . That was hard as both palms had been with me for over 20 years . I have good draining soil here that is amended yearly . Both palms were in full sun , about 20 miles from the beach . Harry

Santa anas are devastating in causing water loss. Its one thing to be hot and dry but add strong wind and plants are desiccated even more rapidly. Wind is often underestimated as a drying force. I remember some santa ana winds from my time in orange county CA, my patio plants looked nice then the winds came and they just crisped up. Coastal humidity kept them happy till the desert winds came, then dead in a few days. That was my first exposure to santa anas. You really cant address santa anas with windbreak, they bring the desert with them.

4 hours ago, happypalms said:

I know how you feel, black sandy soil I have that drains faster than the kitchen sink, mulch mulch mulch!

IN high humidity environments mulch breaks down fast. In a drought environment it dries out and blows away. Add torrential rain, and it gets washed away too. So yes I have mulched about 50-60 cubic yards on 2000+ square feet(200 square meters) of garden space every two years. I started with grey white sand in half of my yard to 2-3' deep. No rain changes everything. When I first moved here from growing palms in arizona I killed a number of palms by not understanding how dry the soil becomes in just 3-4 days. I couldnt put palms under 5 gallons in the ground unless its a heavily amended raised bed or a clayish soil mix spot.