I originally bought this copernicia alba from Ken Johnson. It had 3'+ of trunk in mid august 2011, with a tiny crown due to sitting in 90 gal pot for years. Ken said nobody wanted it and he recommended it to me. It was delivered with a few other specimen palms(C oliviformis).

Over the years I notice that each year a bunch of spears(~10 or more) at the same height rose up and pushed the previous years leaves down towards the horizontal. The new leaves open pretty quickly when the palm is ready. They can be seen separated against the sky fromt he old ones in a cluster. It reminds me of a new flush of flowers. SO I use the term "flush" when a good number of leaves open is quick succession( a couple weeks). A couple days ago against a story sky but some sun peeking through at my back I took a pic to show the "flush". The only other palm I have that does this is P, rupicola. The rest take a week or more between the opening of spears. This palm was hit by Hurricane Milton and lost some was as leaflets were bent. It was one of the better performers of the well exposed palms in my yard. Here it is with the dead leaves from Milton still hanging on. You can see this years flush is separated from last years by angle to the horizontal. As you can see its in sandy soil and has a little clay underneath at 2'.

Its not in a wet spot irrigation or soil wise, and it did suffer in this drought but looks ready to go after the recent rains. The leaves are now self shedding to a smooth trunk the latest 3' of trunk(out of view here). Does anyone else out there have an alba story or a newly planted alba?

Tom,

I never planted one, but I grew one from a 1 gallon to a 15 gallon, over maybe 2-3 years. I remember packing a bunch of thick clay in the 15 gallon pot - Only clay. Watered it relentlessly and it loved it. Eventually sold it.

For me, that’s the secret out here. Heavy clay soil and heavy water in the summer.

12 hours ago, Sabal Steve said:

Tom,

I never planted one, but I grew one from a 1 gallon to a 15 gallon, over maybe 2-3 years. I remember packing a bunch of thick clay in the 15 gallon pot - Only clay. Watered it relentlessly and it loved it. Eventually sold it.

For me, that’s the secret out here. Heavy clay soil and heavy water in the summer.

Steve, I had never planned to buy this palm, it was a suggestion and it was super cheap, cheapest 90 gal ever and delivered for that price. Clay under sand is like magic for some palms as long as the clay is draining. Some clay will not drain and I suspect is the death of many palms. High sodic and calcereous clays are going to be very tough for many palms as they can cause nutrient deficiency. This palm may tolerate alkalinity kind of like a bismarckia, its not dependent on fertilization. Ive seen a few green ones in arizona that looked great in a well draining clay. I usually don't pot with clay due to drainage and our rain. We have construction clay here up near( within 10') houses, its designed to repel water so foundations don't wash away. Away from house is a different clay, used to elevate the land over swamp. This clay often has some sand in it and can be useful from growing but with over 50" of rain a year it better drain. I believe a decently draining clay in an arid or semi arid low rain environment is just the ticket for gardening as it limits irrigation needs and salt buildup due to irrigating. Most clay is loaded with cation exchange and good water retention. Cation exchange by organics dissolves and washes away, needing to be replaced frequently. But a good draining clay with sand near the surface keeps that cation exchange forever. When I dig a hole I go deep and mix the sand and clay under a palm and add some organics(10%) for the backfill. I did not always do that and some of my results were not so good early on. My raised beds which have much less clay content need the mulch more than the more substantial clay mix areas. I do have a couple spots where the clay predominates(80-90%) and things get stunted as water does not drain well. Drainage easements have the clay on top to direct water. The area that got my #2 bizzie killed by weevils from oversaturation in standing water was almost all clay. I got the pick axe out ripped up that ground to 4' deep(sand), and amended it with sand, turface MVP, and organics and replanted more of a water lover there (C, Hospita). I found growing out the in 9" rain a year hot desert very different from here in florida. I killed a number of palms not understanding the varied composition of soil in the yard and how different it was growing in a sandy soil high rain environment. I give this alba credit, I have neglected it compared with 3/4ths of my palms and it still shines in a full sun position.

Thanks, Tom

It’s a nice palm.

You make a lot of good points about clay; I agree, not a one size fits all approach. I describe it as “fill dirt” here, which is a brownish clay type that is typically interspersed with river rock. Maybe it’s better draining that I realize - I’m guilty of making some assumptions, here. I do small amendments, when planting, typically. For what it’s worth, I’ve also had good luck with Copernicia species in straight pumice.

Years ago I got some free seeds with an order from the defunct seller Ortanique. One of the plants I germinated got planted near a (then) small umbrella tree. Things have grown a lot since then and its petioles are crazy long looking for sun. But it’s a trouble free palm that doesn’t ask for much..