Bizzy for OK

Discuss palms you grow inside.

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TerdalFarm
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Bizzy for OK

Post by TerdalFarm » Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:56 pm

I went back to the roadside palm stand this afternoon -- the one where my W bought me the cabbage palm.
I got to talk to the owner. He grew up in Tulsa, but moved as a young man to Homestead, Florida. He lived there 41 years until he retired. He moved back to Tulsa to be with the grandkids. But once he got here he missed the palms. So, his retirement involves this business. Every year on March 1 he goes to Homestead and selects plants from local growers in the Homestead area. Then he arranges for a truck to bring them to Tulsa. He rents a parking lot and sells them. He makes a little money, has something to do, and gets to meet palm nuts.
This is what I bought today--for US$40!

<a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/71 ... site"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_r-MvN4jW1sE/TAXFV ... GP1431.JPG" /></a>


He says it is a Bismarckia. He loves them. He knows you can't grow them here. My plan is to pot it and treat it like W's Washy: outdoors all summer, indoors near a window all winter.
--Erik



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Knnn
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Post by Knnn » Wed Jun 02, 2010 7:25 am

Nice one Erik!
(I keep mine in a 20 gallon laundry tub :D

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hardyjim
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Post by hardyjim » Wed Jun 02, 2010 9:55 am

Needs max warmth/sun to avoid decline in winter.

Nice score!
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lucky1
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Post by lucky1 » Thu Jun 03, 2010 11:47 am

Erik
Bet you enjoyed talking to that vendor.
40 bucks?????
Add a zero if that were Canada.

What a score.

Yup that'll need very high light (south windows) from Fall to patio time outside again.

Barb
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TerdalFarm
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Post by TerdalFarm » Thu Jun 03, 2010 12:45 pm

It was a blast talking to that old man.
He doesn't use the internet or telephone but we traded postal addresses.
I asked if I could put in special requests for large palms for him to buy for me and put on the truck next March. He said sure.
So, there is a chance I'll have a large trunked something from Florida next year. Feel free to offer suggestions.
The Bizzy price was much lower than I would have expected. I gather he takes the price he pays in Florida and adds "a few dollars" for his trouble. I also think the only reason he brought one up in the truck is that he fondly remembers the one in his old backyard down there. He seemed really happy to find someone up here who knew what it was. (It was semi-hidden behind some standard Gardeniais.)
As for winter care, I'll be asking on behalf of W in October (knowing her, September).
Rough plan is by the west window in the dining room, by the Washy who winters there. We have a fluorescent plant grow light on a timer in that spot for the winter. It is close to the wood stove we heat with, but also close the the sliding glass door we use a lot so it would get regular if brief cold air blasts all winter. Washy doesn't care (grows a little all winter) but Bizzy might. Maybe an electric space heater? --Erik

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Update

Post by TerdalFarm » Fri Sep 24, 2010 6:59 pm

I have an unexpectedly free evening so I am updating a bunch of my old threads. Feel free to ignore them!

The potted Bismarckia has grown well. It is on the "beach" where it gets maximal heat and sun. August should have done it in; even Washingtonia robusta asked what the heck I was doing putting a plant out there. Bizzie loved it. Two new leaves, a third will open soon, and another spear is coming up.
I watered and fertilized it. It also got some of the IBA as I put it into a rather large pot for its size. I did that as I had read that they don't like re-potting and I figured that with a large pot I could put that off a few years. I wanted it to grow into the large soil volume.

Anyway, my $0.02 is that Bismarckia thrive in heat and sun.

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lucky1
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Post by lucky1 » Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:24 pm

Hey Erik,
IBA is indobu....?!? acid?? (no time to look it up).
You're right they don't like root disturbance; you could have potted it 3, 4 inches higher (to top of pot), giving more root room (tall skinny pots are best for palms). Looks good, was perhaps grown in less light than you believe, full sun brings out the blue even more than yours is showing.

It won't like the cold blasts from the door in winter, but it does need as much light as you can give it, including artificial.

Humidity with a space heater is critical.
Barb
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TerdalFarm
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Post by TerdalFarm » Sun Sep 26, 2010 4:39 am

Thanks, Barb.
Yes, IBA is short for indole-3-butyric acid. Traditionally thought of as promoting root growth. I recently stumbled on some research suggesting that stressed plants synthesize an enzyme that converts IBA to a different form that modifies leaf morphology, which I want to track down in case it explains Jim's Trachy leaf question (another thread).
As for color, I guess I'm not the only one with camera color representation challenges :lol:
I took this with my cell phone, which is not a great camera anyways. Also, I shot this as the sun was hitting the western horizon in what real photographers call the "golden hour" for the warm hue it imparts. So, take my word for it: the two new leaves are very blue. The old leaves, on the stretched petioles from the Florida greenhouse, are green. I'll cut them off when before I take it in, so it will overwinter just on its new blue leaves.
As for the pot, well, the first photo shows how small it was.. So, this was already a major potting up. I can't use tall skinny pots here as they tip over in the wind. This pot has smooth sides with an angle. The potting up plan is to wait a few years until it is getting pot bound. Then, I'll gently lift Bizzie up while W puts fresh potting soil under and to the sides of the root mass. Then it will be to the top of this large pot. If all goes well, that will keep us good until we can move someplace where Bizzie can go in the ground....
--Erik

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Post by lucky1 » Tue Sep 28, 2010 5:22 pm

IBA is I believe a different rooting hormone than, say, Thrive or SuperThrive (can't find mine right now to read the label).
I think the latter two have a lot of B vitamins (if memory serves). :|

Yes, Golden Hour...that's why the Bizzie looked more pale.
Look better at Happy Hour.

The way to keep tall skinny pots from tipping over is to group together 5 or 6 of them.
I put a 4 inch layer of large rocks in the bottom.
move someplace where Bizzie can go in the ground..
Bizzie and Belize just seem to go together!

Barb
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update

Post by TerdalFarm » Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:05 pm

Bizzie spent the winter in the dining room, by a west-facing window and under a fluorescent grow light on 24/0. She did not grow, but looked fine.
I moved her outdoors in March when we had a string of warm weather.
she was too heavy for me to move in on my own for the cold snaps, down to about 27 F or so--briefly.
Well, not good. Bismarckia sometimes shows up on lists of "cold hardy palms" but I assume they mean the colder parts of San Diego. :lol:
The three open leaves (all new from 2010; I cut off the long-petiole leaves it came with so she would fit) turned purple. Then, the older two died. I have not cut them off yet but will soon.
The spear has grown quickly in the recent heat and is opening; a new spear is coming on fast. This palm grows faster than Washy for me :D

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/W ... site"><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_r-Mv ... AG0641.jpg" height="640" width="383" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/terdalfarm ... ite">April 2011</a></td></tr></table>

lucky1
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Post by lucky1 » Tue Apr 19, 2011 7:18 pm

You make a good point, Erik, about colder parts of San Diego.
Nobody ever expected we'd try to grow them further north, with protection. :lol:

Needs the heat you're getting.
That'll do it good.

Barb
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Post by sashaeffer » Mon Jan 20, 2014 12:17 pm

Curious how the Bizzy has done since last post? Phil at JM wrote that they will turn a purple color when subjected to cooler temps but usually recovers.
Scott/Omaha
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Post by TerdalFarm » Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:55 pm

It is doing great! I'll have to take a photo.

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Post by sashaeffer » Mon Jan 20, 2014 2:58 pm

Good to know. Have been sowing some from seed I bought and have been easy to germinate. Have one that really took off and I think I will just let it get used to being inside and see how it does. I don't think many people try these inside to see how they will do.
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Post by TerdalFarm » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:04 pm

I had forgotten this thread. Funny to see how small it was, and to read how excited I was by it. Frankly, it is easy to grow in a pot. Yes, does discolor from chill but I take care to keep it above freezing. Has only seen a bit of frost over the years.

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Post by sashaeffer » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:11 pm

So, it's in a pot...but outside not planted in the ground?

Yes, Pics when you can :)
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Post by TerdalFarm » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:17 pm

Not in the ground! Never. If I lived in Dallas? Probably not there, either. Well, Houston? Sure, I'd plant it there and protect it.

Was in McAllen, Texas, last month and saw that the city planted them as ornamental street trees! Hmmm...wonder If I canget a job down there....

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Post by sashaeffer » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:18 pm

So was yours ever in the house for a length of time? if so, how did it do?
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Post by TerdalFarm » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:31 pm

It is indoors all winter. Does fine. Doesn't grow much in winter, but always healthy.

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Post by sashaeffer » Mon Jan 20, 2014 3:34 pm

Had been keeping mine in a green house for the winter. While it does have a small ceramic heater to keep it from getting below 50 deg, we've had some brutal cold where the heater couldn't keep up..so fronds turn light purple(like Phil at JM told me it would do)

Just brought it inside for the balance of the winter and will keep in room where it stays 72+ and lots of light.

Glad I stumbled onto this post.
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Post by TerdalFarm » Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:46 pm

I'm glad you did, too!

Yes, inside is best.

I had a Brahea palm I in a greenhouse but it died when it got too cold even in there. I can't remember if you have one of those, but I think they are nearly as nice at Bizzie and you get a zone more cold tolerance. Silver Chammie, too.

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Post by sashaeffer » Tue Jan 21, 2014 3:18 am

I do have one, and it's in a 15? gallon tub and over winters in garage which never goes below say 40deg F
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Snapshot of Bizzie in pot Jan 2014

Post by TerdalFarm » Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:58 am

OK, took a snapshot for you last night. It is in a foam pot by an East facing window, next to the fireplace.
Much bigger than when new. Also, very short petioles. Short trunk, but thick for the size.

<iframe src="http://www.flickr.com/photos/drterdal/1 ... 95/player/" width="640" height="514" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen oallowfullscreen msallowfullscreen></iframe>

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Post by sashaeffer » Thu Jan 23, 2014 12:02 pm

Very cool! Nice to see it look so good inside the house since there really isn't a lot of info about that species and how it does inside the home.

Great Job.
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lucky1
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Post by lucky1 » Thu Jan 23, 2014 9:23 pm

Bizzie's gotten really lovely in a couple of short years.
Congrats.
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