Should I do this?

coltrane · Post by **coltrane** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 1:47 pm

Half off sale at the nursery down the road from me, but I know its getting late in the year to be planting palms.
Its hard to pass up though cause for thirty bucks I can get a plant the same size as the one in the picture. I live in
zone 7b/8a and would protect it this winter. What are your thoughts? Should I or shouldnt I?

sidpook · Post by **sidpook** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 2:38 pm

Indeed you should ! Post Pics!

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Fri Oct 01, 2010 7:10 pm

This is certainly the right time of year to buy palms!
If it was me, I'd buy it now and plant it in April. Just my $0.02. --Erik

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 9:38 am

Hi! Welcome to the forum.

A palm that size for 30 bucks? Outstanding price ... wouldn't pass that up, ever!

Barb

coltrane · Post by **coltrane** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:13 am

Thanks for the welcome. I couldnt resist.....I went and got it. PLanted it this morning. Here it is.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 10:16 am

Looks great there. Good soil, too. --Erik

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 1:21 pm

Glad you went for it coltrane, it's beautiful.
We'd be fools to not grab a bargain like that.
And that Butia...wow

Great yard, great specimens.
Will look forward to hearing more, including what you do for winter protection.

You've been "at this" for some time (from the great results).
Gorgeous bamboo stand, spectacular banana.
Super dryland plants too!

Barb

coltrane · Post by **coltrane** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 2:22 pm

Thanks lucky1, Ive only been doin this stuff for a couple years and I'll be the first to tell you
that I dont really know what Im doing. Anything Ive learned has come from people on forums such
as this one.

As far as protection goes, just plywood, christmas lights and plastic sheeting arranged in various
combinations depending on what Im tryin to do. Basically ideas Ive borrowed (stole) from others.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Oct 02, 2010 3:48 pm

I dont really know what Im doing

we've all said that at one point

We'll look forward to seeing what you prepare for your palms and banana.
Barb

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:44 am

Coltrane, thats the beauty of this hobby, youll NEVER know everything, an learn constantly

Not an expert on planting palms...... but since its planted, put a good laer of multch around the roots, just to help them cope with winter. Then again, if you ( the states) have a winter like last year, the snow will do that for you:D

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 10:05 am

canadianplant wrote:Coltrane, thats the beauty of this hobby, youll NEVER know everything, an learn constantly
the snow will do that for you:D

No snow on the ground in winter where he lives,I believe south of Memphis Tennessee.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:01 am

damn...... i took a stab at it, his tag doesnt have a location

I heard the whole south east was covered in snow for some of last winter??

coltrane · Post by **coltrane** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:29 am

Jims right about the location and the snow. Not much snow here generally. And usually if we do get any, its gone in a day or two. Last year
was just one of those screwy years that brought more snow than usual to some places in the south, but somehow it went either north or south of us.
We got about an inch while an hour south of here got about 4-5 inches. Dallas got hammered if I remember right.

Oh yeah, Im not really a northerner

, I was just hoping to sneak in here all nonchalant but that didnt work out to well. Hope I dont get kicked outa here.

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 11:38 am

That happened to me this summer with rain. A hug elow pressure system comes, and splits before it hit, or went right by us.

Ya texas took a good hit last year, so did the NE. Canada, ya " the winter that never was" is what the weather network called it. We were as warm as Florida was, when it got the freeze last winter..... never thought id see the day ( night temps).

Its ok, Eric is from oklahoma... you guys are about level with eachother

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 1:32 pm

Coltrane,
canadianplant is right. We are at about the same latitude and have a similar climate. I might get a little colder in winter and a little hotter in summer, with a bit less humidity. But in general you and I can grow the same things.
As for northerners, well, I figure we're north of the topic of cancer so we're good!
Say, do any palms grow wild in Tennessee? --Erik

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:39 pm

forgot to say coltrane, your garden is pimp

coltrane · Post by **coltrane** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 2:45 pm

Not sure about Tennessee, I actually live about 100 miles south of the TN border, but down here in Mississippi we've got good sized stands of sabal minor, and the farther south you go the better the variety gets (sabal palmetto etc.). Ive seen a few good sized washingtonias in Jackson.... surprisingly, and I highly doubt they get protected. Havent been down to seem them in a while. As for other palms, trachys go unprotected here and do fine, although I'm still gonna protect mine for a couple years just in case.

Canadianplant, thanks eh!

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 4:35 pm

Try a Princeps,they seem to love the heat and would probably do well in the south.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:05 pm

Mississippi is sounding really good right now!
What about Butia? Do you have to protect those there?

--Erik

coltrane · Post by **coltrane** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:32 pm

Erik, Ive only got one butia and I do protect it. Did fine last winter. Dont get me wrong, it does get cold here, but daytime temps are usually pretty decent so basically I only worry about overnight protection on those really fridgid nights. Hopefully this winter wont suck as bad as last winter.
I think I saw a butia in some of your garden pics. How are you doing with those in Oklahoma?

Jim, I may try a princeps one of these days. Ive seen them but dont know much about them. Are they pretty hardy? Im guessing I'd have to mail order that one. Never seen one at any nursery.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 6:48 pm

coltrane,
if you check through some recent forums you'll see my pindo palm travails.
In brief, my avatar image photo was taken in August 2009. It is a little Butia I've grown up for several years. I cover it with a bucket each winter but it gets no electric heat. It is nearly defoliated each winter but comes back strong (seed source was in N.C.). It is now about twice the size of my avatar image, which I'll update soon.
Last year (April, 2009) I planted a 15 gallon Butia I bought at HD, from Acosta in Homestead, FLA. Kept it in a palm hut last winter with electric heat tape. It had a great Summer and doubled in size but is now actively dying from root rot.

So, if Butia like Mississippi, I'll check it out. My wife and hated this past winter in OK and so were looking at Texas, but if you like Mississippi we'll consider it as well.
Anyway, welcome! We'd like to see more photos. --Erik

coltrane · Post by **coltrane** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:17 pm

Erik, that sucks about the root rot. What causes that?

As for living in Miss., I enjoy it although its certainly not for everyone. If you like low poulation density, lack of malls, cypress swamps and giant insects, then it might be worth looking into.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Mon Oct 04, 2010 7:26 pm

I think the Butia root rot is from poorly draining soil. Check out this long thread for the speculation:
http://www.palmsnorth.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2923
It seems like a potential hazard in your climate.
As for low pop. density, well, rural OK has that. There is a mall up in Tulsa but I haven't been there in years. Cypress swamps? I'd have to drive to the extreme SE corner of OK to see one. Crazy as it might seem, I am designing a garden specifically to be a cypress swamp. I'll start a new thread over the winter with my mad scheme. Giant insects? Nothing my chickens couldn't eat....
--Erik

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Tue Oct 05, 2010 5:23 am

"As for living in Miss., I enjoy it although its certainly not for everyone. If you like low poulation density, lack of malls, cypress swamps and giant insects, then it might be worth looking into." *** starts rockin out to " my heads in mississippi" by ZZtop

Sounds like Canada, but warm

My area isnt "swamps" it is covered in muskag, which is where Canadian peat moss comes from. Early setlers almost couldt go threw my area, casue of all the muskags misquitoes, and black flies.

My friends neighbor in NC has a huge butia growing, not to mention theres some nice sized specimins around the lower mainland in BC ( zones 7 and 8, and even a few area on zone 9 on the west side of vancouver island).

That needle palm is gonna love it there