Old Trachy shooting skyward

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Jul 21, 2011 5:33 pm

Finally taller than me...

I credit this growth with emptying out the bottom of my compost bin all around its base.
Brown slime, probably 5 pounds of it.
The nice thing about old compost/slime is that it'll NEVER burn, so no need to worry about quantity.

We bombed on the pollination this year...not one seed took! damn!

But I'm happy with fronds racing to be tallest

(ta da)

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5962213801/" title="DSC04843 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6131/596 ... 362cdf.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="DSC04843"></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5962213819/" title="DSC04845 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6001/596 ... bffc4b.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04845"></a>

Furry little devil, isn't it?

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5962213823/" title="DSC04847 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6008/596 ... 85d1c2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04847"></a>

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 7:34 am

Looking good Barb, it seems happy with the care you have been giving it

Steve

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:28 am

Looks a little bit bigger since you planted it!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:45 am

Thanks Ken and Jim.
Wow, your temps!

We've had a cool/overcast/rainy stretch.
Think Trachy prefers miserable weather to the blistering heat of a normal summer.

Barb

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:24 pm

looks great Barb......getting big now..........just think.............your winter protection will be even taller now!!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 12:30 pm

Thanks Tim!
Good point...I hope this beggar will fit inside for a few more years.
Nice problem to have in a few years, I suppose

Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:10 pm

Yea thats the problem with being successful at this hobby!
You will eventually need skyscrapers!

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:25 pm

Barb,
that is one of the best looking windmills I've seen. Do you think being on the East of the house explains the stretched petioles?
Mine are in full sun and grow short petioles, even if they had long ones when planted. --Erik

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 3:40 pm

Skyscrapers

H would go nuts if I needed a "real dome"...oh, be still, my heart.

Erik,
thanks! appreciate that!
I'm convinced the stretched petioles are a combination of FINALLY getting into the ground 2 yrs ago (after the 30+ yrs bonsai treatment

).
Roots could finally expand, plus the big dose of compost slime this spring. Plus of course being on the East side of house.

I can't guess which of those 3 factors had the most impact.

Barb

Cameron_z6a_N.S. · Post by **Cameron_z6a_N.S.** » Fri Jul 22, 2011 9:16 pm

Your palm looks great, Barb! It seems to have put on a lot of height since being first planted out!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Jul 23, 2011 8:48 am

Thanks Cameron!

Wow, you folks are getting quite the heat wave!
Bet you're watering those seedlings a lot.

macario · Post by **macario** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 5:52 am

Hello barb looks like your palms trying to make up for lost time and grow extra extra extra fast.
Looks like its stretching out as much as possible. Cant wait to see it next year!

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 6:27 am

Looks great. Does it get a lot of sun? Weird that its growing long petioles. Mine gets about 3-4 hours sun a day and has much shorter petioles.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Jul 26, 2011 9:01 am

Thanks you guys!

Mike (macario) might be onto something

looks like your palms trying to make up for lost time

Unrestricted root area probably allowed the roots to finally grow without curling around the inside of a big pot.

Tim, the Trachy only gets morning sun (east side of house).
We have such hot dry winds (normally) that it didn't do well all these summers in a pot out in the sun all day.

So for a couple of years before I planted it in the ground, I put the pot where it got only morning sun.
Did much better, with less shredding of the leaves from wind too.

Barb

Okanagan desert-palms · Tue Jul 26, 2011 4:07 pm

Barb that bonsai Trachy is rewarding you for planting it .It is making up for lost time "big time"!!! That specialty palm fertilizer seems to be rocket fuel for it. The palm hut will be going skyward now that it has gotten past the creep stage. Great pics.

John

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 9:50 am

Thanks John....30+ years of creeping, the poor beggar!

Hey, maybe we should go into the "retail palm hut" business, huh?

Barb

Okanagan desert-palms · Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:28 pm

Barb with more and more people planting palms around these parts. It would be a great idea to sell the palm huts as well!

John

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:17 pm

a great idea to sell the palm huts as well!

You first, John.

Not a bad idea, actually.

Barb

Wollemi25 · Post by **Wollemi25** » Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:24 pm

How tall has it grown since you put the compost in the soil?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Aug 12, 2011 7:53 pm

I'll take a photo of it tomorrow...it's really going gangbusters.

Barb

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 12:38 pm

Here's today's photo:

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/6038817765/" title="DSC04868 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6075/603 ... a32b3c.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04868"></a>

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 1:38 pm

Beautiful!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 2:18 pm

Thanks buddy.

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Sat Aug 13, 2011 6:31 pm

It's really growing!

Okanagan desert-palms · Sun Aug 14, 2011 4:32 pm

Barb your Trachy is doing awesome! It looks like a new palm hut in order soon. Very nice to see it doing so well after so many years in a pot. How often are you fertilizing?

John

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Sun Aug 14, 2011 6:33 pm

How many fronds this summer?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Aug 14, 2011 7:24 pm

a new palm hut in order soon

Sheesh, hope not

As to how often I'm fertilizing?
You'll laugh...just 2 apps.
One very weak palm special fert in spring (after the toxic fertilizer application of indoor plants in winter, I'm a little gun-shy using that stuff).
And one very heavy application (about 5 pound bucket) of slimy gooey sludge from the bottom of very old compost bin (that had plugged and couldn't drain).
It didn't even smell, but then compost never does if it's good stuff. There are still a few eggshell bits laying around, LOL.
Leaves are sure nice and dark green.
Oh...and maybe I gave it some epsom salts/potassium in spring? can't remember.

Re how many fronds?
I don't even think there are five new ones, just that their petioles are sooooooo darn long.
And when I look at last year's pic, I was already looking at the spears starting of the ones that are now open.
The long petioles have added the height.

I'm gonna go and start saving my pennies for a new palm hut.
Crap! The last one cost me $700 plus the winter heating bills

Barb

CTPalm · Post by **CTPalm** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:05 pm

Nice Barb, making up for all those years.
Paul

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 3:24 pm

@Barb,

Palm Hut? AKA Green House?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Aug 31, 2011 5:25 pm

It's a palm hut for one plant only (unfortunately).

I'd love a greenhouse, but that's not in the works

Barb

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Fri Sep 02, 2011 12:39 am

Hi Barb,

your Trachy is looking great. I can't believe it's already September.....where did the summer go?

PalmsNorth.com

Old Trachy shooting skyward

Old Trachy shooting skyward

Nice palm