Mystery Palm is a Licuala grandis

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Jan 17, 2008 8:04 pm

After many guesses from many people (thank you all!) it has now been positively identified as L. grandis.

My dream of owning this palm has come true.

Time this little fella has the high humidity he needs.
I was told L.grandis MIGHT make it indoors, but only in a kitchen or bathroom and never below 70 F.

Thank goodness for dry cleaner bags!

I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it... ha ha

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:09 am

Barb - nice find. just a word of caution - in your excitement never, ever put the dry cleaner bag over your head. you could suffocate in there. Play it safe.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 8:16 am

just a word of caution - in your excitement

would never fit anyway

Gonna be hard to display it in my house...no that's not an oxygen tent in my livingroom...it's a microclimate

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 4:21 pm

Barb, It amazes me you found one at the retail level, great find

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:51 pm

Me too, Steve.
It's one of those rare instances where NO label is a good thing.

I had hoped it was a Licuala, but thought it was unlikely one would make it to Canada.
And if it did...that I'd get it

This thing's so precious to me..,.

NOW I need a GH

Barb

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 7:54 am

You really DO need a greenhouse. This morning we are at -2 outside, and my greenhouse somehow got unplugged last night, I woke up this morning and saw the temp in the GH was still at 35. I know that is bad, but considering it was -2 outside, I lucked out.
Having a greenhouse has really been helpfull with having room in the house instead of having plants everywhere. It also has helped as last year with everything inside, we had those pesky Knats everywhere. Not this year!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:23 am

I know..I know.

especially if someone rings the front doorbell (as tho' they can't see the foyer is FULL of plants

), I have
to yell through the door to come around garage-side entrance!
And about the same number of plants (but larger) at the barely-heated building.

GH is last on list...downstairs reno finished! upstairs next: new windows, 2 new bathrooms,
new floors ($ouch)

Wonderful that your GH kept that temp with the cord unplugged.

Fungus gnats? Here's the trick: pour 2 drops of cooking oil into every drain (kitchen, laundry sink, etc.)
If that doesn't do it, then repeat and include toilets too (although that is an unlikely spot for them because of the "airlock").

The only time I see gnats is when I bring a new plant home! Just repeat process.
It works.
Barb

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:30 pm

Again,sory to stray off topic, but my personal findings and advice... spend the extra $$$ and get triple pane windows. When my neighbors complain of $200 & $300 heating bills, I still have $100 heating bills. When I touch my windows on the inside, they are still warm. The $$$ you save will pay for the windows in just one Winter.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 4:59 pm

Wes, thanks for the advice.
Already ordered...just delayed 'coz can't touch vinyl siding at low temps.
No point in having them arrive only to store them in the basement.

We're not getting the super duper low e and all that stuff.
Just regular vinyl clad Energy Smart double pane (sealed) units.

Did our main floor already...it's wonderful to pass by a window and not feel a draft.
I was "supervising" when they were installed. And just as well, too.
I had a roll of that pink styrofoam sill gasket ready.
They installed the first window, I looked at the sill gasket package, it's still in the wrap.
So, out the window goes again (until they got it right!

)

Years ago Hydro came in through a sponsored reno program and did an air test.
He said we had the equivalent of a hole the size of half a sheet of plywood missing from the house!
The main floor reno replaced all the 1977 metal windows...yup the ones that ICE UP when it's 10 below and water ruins the windowsill. I bet there's still 1/4 sheet equiv. missing when we're done (gaps in plywood under vinyl).

Glad you're saving that much, Wes.
There's no natural gas on our rural street, we're on electric!
Hence the basement woodstove which keeps floors, walls warm.

If I were building a NEW place, I'm sure we'd go triple.
We'd also see that other stuff was done right too.

Barb

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 8:21 pm

We bought a handyman's special in 2002. We redid the yard first with a bobcat to keep water from draining into the basement. That involved breaking up all of the sidewalks and removing a 20' x 20' busted up patio and 40' of rotten falling down fence. The yard is about 75% done. Then we started on the main floor. All of the aluminum sliders and the leaky picture window were ripped out together with the rotten frames. We put in triple glazed, low E, maintenance free crank out windows. The house has bee re-stuccoed and the wood doors were replaced with insulated steel doors. That made a big dent in the utilities. We have started on the kitchen, replacing the R7 insulation with R12 and 1" styrofoam. I have built all new cabinets, no faces or doors installed yet, and installed a granite and porcelain tile counter top. The flooring is now ceramic tile. When my wife stands in front of the sink she looks out the bay window into the flower bed that houses the little pond and will house the bananas. In the next month I hope to finish the cabinet faces and install the doors. Then all that remains is the trim and silvered ceiling.

So far I am about 2 years behind. I hope to rip out the bathroom and get the new fixtures installed before starting on the yard in the spring. That will have the toughest of the renos done. Then it is just new flooring, a few new walls, new insulation and drywall.

Allen

Barrie · Post by **Barrie** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 9:18 pm

Hey Barb ... I just ID'd one for a guy on the UBC botanical garden forum web-site (a great forum btw). What a coincidence!

http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/forum ... hp?t=34785

Cheers, Barrie.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Jan 19, 2008 10:29 pm

Allen, You build cabinets?

My husband is a good man, but gets dizzy when he picks up a hammer!
So handyman is out!

You've done a lot in a short time...plus all the outside work.
Re your stucco job (I remember when you were waiting for it to be done)...I'd like to rip all our vinyl siding
off and go to stucco. But the goal is to patch all the plywood pieces that I know are missing, broken, not caulked, etc.
I might end up doing all that caulking and patching myself, so I'd better shut up.
Vinyl siding--although we've got that fuzzy board insulation behind each piece--is so drafty, the wind just follows along all the channels if a corner piece is an inch too short, etc.

You've already done well in equity with all that sweat. Good for you.

Barrie, how cool.
Maybe let the fellow know L.grandis likes EXTREMELY HIGH HUMIDITY, otherwise big brown edges on leaves.
Now that I know what it is, I take it in the BR when I shower, put it in the kitchen when the dishwasher's airing, etc. etc.
and a plastic cleaner's bag over it at night...mist regularly. It's like having a new baby in the house

I didn't recognize where he lived, where is THAT?
You're right, UBC is a great forum, Daniel's a super guy.
Barb

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 5:04 pm

That is why I like stucco. It is a solid almost draft free way of finishing the house.

I didn't plan to build the cabinets but ended up doing it anyway when my wife,Chris, got fired from her job. They brought her in from Grande Prairie to fix up one hell of a mess. Once the clean-up was finished they fired her and replaced her with someone with less knowledge but who worked cheap. In the end they had to bring in an accounting firm to clean up the mess that their cheap employees made. That cost them a fortune. We decided that Chris didn't need the bullshit that comes in Management and she got a lower stress and lower paying job that she likes. Less cash flow meant doing more ourselves.

Kitchen cabinets are just melamine boxes. I found a bargain on doors and drawer fronts that she liked, $5 each-new, but had to take all of them. I couldn't build them for that cost. In the end I will have a few left over after the built-in entertainment centre and the built-in dining room sideboard. But with custom building the cabinets, Chris got what she wanted where she wanted it. Doing it ourselves has allowed us to build better quality and still building some sweat equity.

Patching and caulking is honorable work. My wife does most of the caulking as I am not much good at it.

Allen

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 8:11 pm

Allen,
That's why it'll be stucco one day for this casa.

Raw deal your wife got. It's amazing...but there are still employers like that out there.
What goes around, comes around

Those cabinets = great deal. Great you could take advantage of that whole lot.
We redid our kitchen two years ago, took out two walls, main floor new windows and floors, new trim and paint.
Took 6 months...yup...6 mos.
Love it...but upstairs? don't ask...

Patching and caulking is indeed honourable work!
I wish insulation had been in 1977!
Barb

Alchris · Post by **Alchris** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 10:25 pm

6 months isn't bad. I started the kitchen 2 years ago and Chris had mac-tac covered OSB for counters for a year.

Sounds like we are in similar situations. Our renovations are determined by my health, Chris's time and of course $$$. We have been lucky living in Edmonton where we have been able to find some real bargains if we have the time, patience, storage space and ability to haul things. Bargains have become harder to find over the past few years as more and more people are renovating their homes.

Keep slugging away at it.

Allen

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Wed May 29, 2013 2:01 pm

Barb,

How has your Pritchardia grandis done so far? is it still alive? I have one coming.

Scott

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed May 29, 2013 2:04 pm

I had a Licuala grandis; didn't make it.

Tried some Pritchardia hillebrandii (I think that was the name) seeds a couple of years ago.
None germinated.

Will look forward to seeing a pic of yours, Scott.

Barb

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Wed May 29, 2013 2:22 pm

Will keep you posted.

Have that and a 16"-24" Red Sealing Wax palm coming.

Of all the seedlings I had growing I have two left alive. I think I may have done them in with too much care keeping them in warm humid portable greenhouse with no air circulation inside and the leaves got mold on them.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed May 29, 2013 3:38 pm

Oooh, a sealing wax palm that size will have some color already

Yeah, air circulation is critical.
They're used to typhoons.

I have one red sealing wax palm seedling, the only one that germinated.
So far so good.
But it's early yet.

Barb

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Wed May 29, 2013 4:24 pm

I knew you had some seeds.....how long did it take to germinate? and how big is it so far?

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed May 29, 2013 5:19 pm

Took a couple of months, I think.

It's all of 8 inches tall now.

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Wed May 29, 2013 5:23 pm

Great! Taller than the two I have left.