PALM TREE SHIPPING TO THE USA--BY COCONUTMIKE

[coconutmike]

HELLO EVERYONE. IN MID-DECEMBER I CONTACTED A US CUSTOMS BROKER AND -AGRICULTURE CANADA AS WELL AS THE USDA. ACCORDING TO
http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export ... anting.pdf
MOST PALMS ARE NOT ALLOWED FROM CANADA TO THE USA. SO FAR THE NEEDLE PALM SEEMS TO BE OK BUT --TRACHYCARPUS-SABAL-BUTIA-COCOS NUCIFERA AND MANY OTHERS ARE NOT ALLOWED BACK. BECAUSE COLD HARDY PALMS HAVE NEVER BEEN SOLD IN THE USA BEFORE AND THIS IS SOMETHING NEW THE USDA OFFICE -CUSTOMS BROKER AND AGRICULTURE CANADA IS CONFUSED AND ARE LOKKING INTO IT. SO THE NEXT QUESTION IS THE PHYTO. ALL PLANTS COMING IN OR OUT OF CANADA OR THE US --REQUIRE A PHYTO- CERTIFICATE-USUALLY COSTING A $100. MY US CUSTOMS BROKER FOUND AN ACT INSIDE THE USDA MANUAL ALLOWING PLANTS FROM AMERICAN ORIGIN BACK INTO THE US FROM CANADA WITH ORIGINAL US PHYTO COPY---- PROVIDING THE TURN-AROUND IS FAST. THE LAWS SEEM TO CONTRADICT EACH OTHER IN THE MANUAL

US CUSTOMERS -PLEASE BE PATIENT WHILE I GET ANSWERS TO ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS- I WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE US ORDERS UNTIL I KNOW MORE. I DO NOT WANT TO SMEAR MY BUS. REPUTATION FOR A FEW PLANTS EVEN THOUGH WE ARE SO CLOSE AND I'D LOVE TO GET THEM TO YOU. IF YOU NEED A PHYTO SMALL PALMS MAY NOT BE WORTH THE EFFORT FOR EITHER PARTY. I JUST WANTED IT TO BE CLEAR I DON'T WANT CONFUSION BECAUSE IT IS MORE OF A HOBBY FOR ME AND MY PRICES SHOW THIS.

I WILL KEEP YOU POSTED.

THANKS

COCONUTMIKE

[coconutmike]

YOU CAN CONTACT ME AT MIKEJJPAGE@YAHOO.CA
COCONUTMIKE

[coconutmike]

Hey Scott I used the Canada Postal Service to calculate your package ( 1 gal needle ) to Omaha and it works out to between $25-$35 dollars depending on how fast we send it and $35-45 for the 3 gal needle. I will have to get a pytosanitary cetificate and that will cost $20. -- Us border and USDA tell me you have a $200 exemption and will not pay duties on this item. I would go with the bigger palm 3g-7g if I were you. Let me know
Mike-for all other palms I will send them directly from my supplier to you you will save the border issue and you will even get your palm with My Montreal Palms tag on it and I will see the products before they leave the farms and take care of all the transport, loading and paper work. see pic 1 gal needle and 7 gal needle
mike-call or e-mail me for quote

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Mike that`s great news that you are able to ship palms south and the 200.00 exemption on duty. That should be good for your business this spring and summer. Good prices on your palms for sale. I might be looking for some more Needle palms myself. A very rare palm on the west coast.


John

[coconutmike]

Hey John -so far only the Needle Palm can go into the USA. I do speak regularly to the USDA and Agriculture Canada. In 2009 there was an infestation of insects in many US palms so the banned all palms coming in 2010 and passed a law. After getting many complaints fromBC garden centers and now 1-2 of us here in the east they are looking at laws to change this law. As for your needle palms John I will give you a 5 % discount even if you pass feb 15 by a couple days and I can ship Canada Post for small palms and courrier for large palms. We did organize 7 orders to BC last year.
Cheers
Mike

[lucky1]

they banned all palms coming in 2010

Just curious, but was that because of the palmetto weevil?
Doubt that bugger would survive one of our winters, especially this winter in the west!

Glad to see the industry is pressuring government for some sensible laws.
Especially stuff coming from the USA to Canada.

Still don't like the bare-root rule though...too stressful on palms.

Barb

[coconutmike]

Hey Barb they had multiple infestations. At least 40 palms mentioned sabal-trachtcarpus butia chamaerops etc.. I spoke to a lady named Heather who seems to be one of the most well-informed people at the USDA. She will be working directly with the Canadian Agriculture department to re-issue a compliance agreement to help our trading . My exact argument, I don't think any of those critters would make it here it was -21C last night I thonk. We also had 100km/h winds the night before. I do not get or send out anything bare-root I always leave a little soil I think BananaJoe is in agreement with me there must safer for the plant during transport and less stress.

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Mike I will PM you when I`m ready to order the Needles. Thanks for the info. on palm shipments "interesting".


John

[coconutmike]

OK JOHN WHENEVER YOU ARE READY-HERE ARE A FEW PICS

[coconutmike]

Hello everyone the COMPLIANCE AGREEMENT fell through and will not happen maybe until next year so I am only allowed to send the Needle Palm all other palms can be shipped from one of the us farms I deal with and the price will even be cheaper than my website prices because of the whole border-transport -tax duty thing. Just keeping everyone up to date
mike

[wheelman1976]

Name prices Mike!

Just so I understand correctly, you're talking about drop shipping direct from the farm in the USA, and avoiding taking it into canada at all? correct?

I'm getting married in April and somewhat focused on other things, but I'm still considering some larger windmills and anything that I could overwinter with protection. tell me what a five foot trunk windmill will run me shipped to 49426 or 49321 (have a loading dock there).

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Mike you are very lucky to have that bull Needle palm that size in the first pic. I have ordered six three gal. shipped in pots from a nursery in southern Ont.4 years ago "VERY EXPENSIVE". They originated from somewhere in Fla. I have planted three over the last four years. Each of these have all lost the main spear every winter. I have dug up each of these Needle palms growing in the same enclosure as the T. fortunei that have survived the same temps untouched -17 c. . I replaced them with S. minors and S. louisiana. The Minors haven`t missed a beat through similar cold temps over the last 2 years. I have my last and best 7 gal. Needle palm growing beside my 15 gal W.filifera that is getting extra heating this winter. So far so good -12 c coldest recorded. The R. hystrix pictured is the same you have planted from your nursery? What temps have your Needle palms experienced? Merci beacoup.


John

[coconutmike]

Hey Wheelman 1976 give me your tel # contact me by e-mail mikejjpage@yahoo.ca I will give you a call with your quote but have a few questions

Hey John. Needle Palms can be quite difficult to start. It usually takes 2-3 years for it to establosh itself. A 15 gal needle palm might look like a 7 gal sometimes after its first winter but once its taken it will be the most reliable palm. What I do is wrap the needle palm with arbotex -white cotton frost cloth- then I use silver bubble wrap insulation and burlap. Cover with flower pot or rose cone.. Also they are very slow to grow so start with a bigger one . I was convinced at one time that sabal minor -waggie-windmill wer tougher but not . Last year the needle palms experienced cold temps of -28.9C with the windchill it was -40C and -40F wind doesn't count though LOL. If you need to try a bigger one contact me -my e-mail is above I will see what I can do on pricing and I will teach you how to keep it looking the same from year to year with a little help. I have some with zero heat and minimal protection and a few with some help.
Cheers
Mike

[igor.glukhovtsev]

I will teach you how to keep it looking the same from year to year with a little help. I have some with zero heat and minimal protection and a few with some help.

Mike don't you share tricks with the others ?

[coconutmike]

Fore sure Igor. Every location is different. It is just too much info to type . B.C has wet winters and temperate summers . Here in Montreal it is very hot in the summer and the palm gathers all this heat to go into the winter so my protection method here would be different to his. But really quickly B.C method would be a dome or box with 1 screw in 23 w energy saver light bulb. 2-3 inch styrofoam best . Elevated bed with amended black soil -sand and gravel. Mulch heavy. Tie up fronds and cover with arbotex so that if palm sweats the cotton will absorb this. The steps and soil will change for every location
Cheers
mike

[igor.glukhovtsev]

[seedscanada]

John,
You are not the only one to lose a decent looking needle palm to -17c minimums. Mine succombed to two years of my lack of protection expertise.
After the first year, losing the spear, the plant had zero growth year two and in spring it was done.
Adam

[lucky1]

Mike thanks for elaborating on needle culture/protection for all of us to read.
I look forward to getting my 3 gal needle from you and will follow your instructions.

Re your comment

B.C has wet winters and temperate summers

, that's not John's and my area.
Wet winters and summers are only along the Coast...Vancouver etc.

We're at the northern tip of the desert, in a rain shadow between two mountain ranges, and have very dry and brutally hot summers (30C is normal although my back yard hit 42C one day), with very dry and cold winters usually. This year my low has been -21.6C on Jan. 18, versus John's -12C.
Our annual precip (snow and rain) amounts to about 12 or 13 inches...compared to Vancouver's 50 or 60 inches a year.

John's in a sheltered Kelowna area lakeside (Okanagan Lake), great microclimate.
I'm 35 miles north in Vernon on a south hill acreage, and we get so much wind...have to tie the dog down so he doesn't blow away (kidding!)

Barb

[coconutmike]

Your protection will look like mine -if you had not seen the steps on a previous post I will elaborate and John's palms will--- given his temps will have a different method than ours and a different watering and fertilizing regime.
mike

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Thanks Mike for the heads up on not giving up on Needles yet. I guess with a little extra care for the first couple of years I`ll have success. I think each Needle palm has it`s own cold hardy lineage. Here`s hoping yours are of the cold hardier variety. Our warm springs and super hot summers should give them the amunition to be bullet proof here. Adam I feel your pain. It`s kind of embarassing that I tell people buying my palms the Needle palm is the most cold hardy palm in the world. The next spring they look like crap. Tough sell! Barb the hottest it has been in my yard has been 41.3c no humidex. You hold the hot temperature crown.


John

[coconutmike]

Hey John. Yeah the needle palm is a great little palm. I might plant a 7 footer this year in my yard. A good trick is to remove soil at the base of the palm and put hay and dry kilm sand and then put soil back. Remove in spring. Use the siver insulation and wrap arbotex and then silver insulation and then burlap. Don't mess with them to early in the spring just cut off the dead stuff. If you plan on heat source just put 1 flourescent twisty light bulb 23 w into a work light and stick that through the lid of your styrofoam box 2 inch glue or tape all sides and lid -cord around box. Use a GFFI plug if you can or the propper extension cord this method will cost very little consumption. The summer heat will make you have to water often so plant needle palm on elevated bed 1/2 composted soil other 1/2 sand and gravel. Use large pine Nuggets at the base over winter. Happy palming
mike

[lucky1]

Thanks for description Mike.

Here's the promo on Arbotex http://www.texel.ca/html/en/horticultur ... rbotex.php

Barb

[coconutmike]

Yup that's the stuff -won't do everything they claim but it sure helps.
mike

[Okanagan desert-palms]

I have this years 7 gal. Needle palm planted in with my W.filifera palm hut with 10" of dry leaf mulch. It is doing great that it hasn`t had to deal with the really cold temps everything else had to during our cold snap a month ago. Good tip on the Arbotex.


John

[coconutmike]

Often the needle palm will go through the winter and all the leaves will stay very green and then spring will come and the needle palm will turn brown. Don't despair it will often green up again a few weeks later and stop doing that after the 4th year.
mike

[bananieru]

I found arbotex at Home Hardware
http://www.homehardware.ca/en/rec/index ... R-I5094444
or if you need more it's cheaper at Costco:
http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.asp ... lang=en-CA
Anywhere else?

Tavi

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Thanks for the link Tavi. Mike I was refering to the "main spear" rotting on all three I had planted. The suckers were all growing and green as well as the fronds left on the main trunk. These were all 5 gal. R. hystrix. None of my Trachy`s lost there spear planted right next to them? Here is one I dug up and repotted. Pretty sad looking. http://www.flickr.com/photos/67364497@N07/6883635961/ . The next pic is a comparison of what it should look like.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67364497@N07/6883635981/ . Final pics are the Needle I planted last May.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67364497@N07/6883635985/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/67364497@N07/6883636005/. I`m thinking I should have used fungicide? I`ll be watching the newest one like a hawk for spear rot.

John