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oppalm

Kansas (Wes) - good point. I reread my post and I have to agree that less is better. I should point out that I never drench my seedlings to the point that water is coming out the bottom. I use the 16oz Silo plastic cups for seedlings. I have experimented with the amount of watering I do and know jus...

oppalm

Hey Wes - you got that greenhouse up yet? The temps for the next week don't look so good for contruction work. Did you read all the information on garden web about the contruction. I think you can go online at Harbor Freight an dget updated building plans, which will help.

oppalm

Barrie - very nice. It is a vacation inside a greenhouse. In wintertime I head to two nurseries here in Kansas City that have nice stuff. Its great to walk around and smell the humidity.

oppalm

Estiva - you might try misting the seedlings a little more and running fan 8-10 hours every day in the room they are in. A fan creates air movement so stagnant air is not a problem. Don't get carried away in misting so much the water drips off the plant, but a light misting seems to help my palms al...

oppalm

With our lows in the teens the next few night, springtime seems like a long way away my Kansas friends. If we can get through to mid february our temps should start to moderate a bit. I had to use the spot lights in my palm hut last night and kept the temp over 20F. Did not want to take any chances ...

oppalm

the temp of the medium is 80-85F (27-30C) . Very consistent temps. I use the smaller mini-lights because they are not quite as hot and I have this thing inside in my basement and I feel more comfortable using these smaller lights. Quite honestly my intentions were to add another strand of mini-light...

oppalm

Those are not the containers for meat, although I do use those too. the containers in the picture are regular disposable containers you buy at the store. I don't dipose of them though. I ususally have the left side covered with seed starting containers (larger rubber made conatiners with lids). I to...

oppalm

I meant to put this under "Germination" heading. My bad.

oppalm

following is a picture of a seed starting rig I built this year. I needed something that would provide bottom heat on the cheap. I put 2 X 4 lumber on edge, screwed it all together, put a strand of 300 christmas lights inside the 2X4 box, put a wire shelf on top , put my seed starting containers on ...

oppalm

Great pictures Laaz. You apparently are quite talented with a camera. either that or your subjects really show it off. Nice work. Feel free to post pictures anytime.

oppalm

thanks for the information. it is amazing what I learn when I'm supposed to be working. The beauty of sitting in front of a computer for most of the day.

oppalm

Shade cloth = a good thing. I made small shade structures out of 1" X 2" lumber, pounded them into the ground and they worked great. Steve - my outdoor stuff is looking pretty good. I do have some concerns that my palm hut is getting to warm on sunny days, even with open sides. My Trachy T...

oppalm

Steve - read your thread about your Rhap Hystrix (needle Palm). I planted a needle and a couple of T Firtuneis early last summer and covered them with shade cloth. I bought the shade cloth at Home Depot , it's 6' wide and I think I bought 10' long, so I had a lot of it. Back to my point - the needle...

oppalm

I have had great success in breaking apart my Neanthe Belle and planting 1-4 stems in a pot. Have not lost any and they look great as indoor palms. That's interesting that they adapt to water. How long has the one in the picture been in the water. Do you expect it to survive long term in the water? ...

oppalm

Congratulations. Dam I want one of those things so bad. You probably know this, but gardenweb has a greenhouse forum where people discuss the HFGH in depth. They have lots of advice and pictures to help with construction. check it out. I think the directions that come with the GH are screwed up. The...

oppalm

My palm hut had it's first real winter test last night in Kansas City. The high temp yesterday was about 20F (-6C). When I got home last night from work I threw and old winter blanket over the palm hut to retain some heat. kept on my eye on the min/max thermometer (inside the hut) and turned the spo...

oppalm

alchris - thanks for the information. Just goes to show you why we have lived on this earth for millions of years. we can adapt to everything. hot, cold, etc. sorry to get so philosophical.

oppalm

I am reading this thread , all is going well and then Alchris posts that it gets down to -30F where he lives and I'm wondering just how does one survive that kind of cold. I mean , can you breathe in that kind of cold? does your car start? can you let the dog out to go the bathroom? How cold are the...

oppalm

I agree with palmettoman , don't plant it outside. That is the kiss of death right now. Treat it like a sick palm, but, don't over water it or mist it too much. Keep it away from drafts and keep the roots warm (sounds easy). Keep it in the critical care unit of your palm paradise and hope for the be...

oppalm

Welcome Laaz. Good luck on your search for the Trachy seeds and plants. You are right, there is alot of suspect stuff out there and it takes years before you know what you got. I would think in your part of the country you could come across these palms easier. From what I understand, there are alot ...

oppalm

My cable modem box is about the size of a CD, so that's no good. Wish it was 1984 then my cable modem box would be the size of a volkswagen. ooops - maybe Al Gore had not yet invented the internet in 1984. I have a flat -panel monitor so I can't use it either. I'll have to come up with something soo...

oppalm

No doubt thats good quick results. I have my seed's in a furnace room, but the weathers been so darn nice that the furnace isn't running enough to keep the room warm. I am going to try the cable box method. My wife will no longer let me use the top of the refrigerator to germinate seeds.

oppalm

Wes - After I saw your original post on 12/19/2006, I went out and bought 5 medjools and 2 coconuts at the local organic market and planted the stuff within just a few days. Don't have any germination yet with my medjools but hopefully soon. I don't know what I 'll do if I get 5 more date palms, but...

oppalm

2007 is gonna be great.

oppalm

Barrie is right about zoning restrictions. I live in a neighborhood with a Homes Associateion and free standing structures of any kind are not allowed in yards, i.e storage sheds, greenhouses, etc. You have to get board approval to put up a swing set or basketball goal (you have to submit plans and ...

oppalm

never used vermiculite. I use perlite, which is white fluffy stuff about the size of a small kernel of corn. The stuff makes very good draining soil. I use a combo of perlite, coarse sand, pine bark mulch and a good brand of potting soil to make most of my potting medium. good stuff.

oppalm

you probably know this but there is a greenhouse forum on gardenweb that discusses in depth the Harbor Freight greenhouses. I personally think those are very good greenhouses for the money but you will have to do a few things to properly secure and shore up the greenhouse (for not alot of money). Mo...

oppalm

I too am a little surprised at their temps. Did some research on weather.com and came up with the following. Average high for Dec and Jan in Vegas is 60F or 16C Average low for Dec and Jan in Vegas is 28F or -2C Record low for Dec is 8F or 13C (1968) Record low for Jan is 0F or -17C (1963) For my Ca...

oppalm

following is a picture of one of my medjool date palms. sprouted in 5 weeks. I palnted it is a somewhat sandy soil and provided full sun over summer (probably 8 hours of sun each day) and provided lots of water. http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l20/kentp_2006/DSC00534.jpg Heres a couple of pictures...

oppalm

got it. I'll post pictures for you here tomorrow.

oppalm

I think we here in Kansas have a good start on growing some nice sized palms. With a little help from mother nature and some continued mild winters, maybe just maybe in 2-4 years we can start showing off our specimen sized palms. It appears we have a nice cross section of Kansas covered. Somebody sh...

oppalm

I did this last year and had 3 for 3 germinate. I soaked them in water for a copule of days, planted them in individual pots, kept them warm and they germinated in 5 weeks. I'll post pictures tomorrow (wednesday) of my medjool date palms. I kept them in the sun this past summer and they grew maybe 8...

oppalm

Wes - maybe your drowned them.
Steve- you are the master. Everytime you post pictures I am more impressed with you operation. I thought (and my wife and kids thought) I took this hobby seriously but I bow to you.
Someday I will be worthy. Keep up the good work.

oppalm

Let me know when you two head to Arnolds. If possible, I'd like to meet you there and work over their tropical inventory.

oppalm

I think it will straighten itself out given time. It may look alittle strange at first, but it will grow upright.

oppalm

I have to find a way to get a coconut. I've heard they are difficult to keep (finicky) but there is nothing that says palm tree like a coconut. I think come spring time, I am going to begin my search for a coconut. FYI - There is a thread on the IPS board about a guy that sprouted a grocery store bo...

oppalm

Steve - you apparently have the favor when it comes to germinating seeds. Your seedlings look great. There is nothing quite like babying the seedlings along over the winter months in anticipation of springtime and warmer temps.

oppalm

I thought I would provide an update on my palm hut temperatures. Last night was cold in Kansas City. My outdoor thermometer said 10F was the low in my back yard. I tuned on the 2 spot lights in my palm hut at about 10:00 PM, it was 18F in the hut when I turned on the lights. This was the first time ...

oppalm

Barrie that is an impressive stand of plams. They look great. During that cold snap, what were your low temps (and duration) and what is back to normal temps for you?

THANKS for the pics.

oppalm

I just received about 10 Butia Capitata seeds in the mail the other day - whats the best way to germinate and how long?

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