PalmsNorth.com

Hey everyone,
I was just wondering if there was any way to tell by looking at the fronds on a trachy if
it's male or female. Also can they change sexes? I have three as you all know and I
would like to get some seeds next year. My old one is a male. One of my new ones seems
to have fatter fronds, maybe it's my imagination!

Thanks
Bill

Bill,

I would probably start by buying it a few drinks, but be ready to get out if you need too!!!

Ouch, Ouch, Ouch, you Guys are killing me! I'm serious though "I WANT MY OWN PALM SEEDS NEXT YEAR!"
So is that a no for my Question? Wouldn't real Ma seeds be nice though?

Bill

You know me Bill... I have no clue! I'm the guy always asking the questions!!

There most likely isen't a way but if there is I want to know now so I don't have to go hunting in Florida this spring
for a female.

Bill

Haha, if you do I've got shotgun! I would just have to find a way to smuggle them over the boarder...

I was a bit worried my self when I totally ignored the Florida Agricultural signs. Everything about my vehicle said stop
but there was no way. I felt like a criminal going through the Mexican border but all I had was plants. That 17' penske
truck was a full boar though I'll tell you that . I wouldn't hesitate to do it again for the prices I got. The truck was 320
bucks after taxes (SCORE!!!) 1800 miles by the time I was done driving around Fla to here pretty cheap!

Bill

Would you even have to go as far south as Florida? Is it cheeper or do they have a better selection? I know that when my wife and I were in SC this summer I visited about 8 nurserys there. I would have visited more but she wasn't really loving it! haha.. The best nurserys I saw were on that highway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston. I forget what it's called. It's the one where people sell those baskets on it. Anyways some amazing selection there I thought. It was so funny when I would walk into a centre and someone would ask where are you going to plant this. And I would reply Ontario. They would reply, is it snowing there right now. I'm like, man it's july!! The they would say, oh that won't grow there! I took the one lady's email and told her I would prove her wrong! The people are so nice in SC!

Rubtherock lives in N Carolina and his prices seem pretty cheap. I won't quote him but I think his huge washys were
under 100 bucks? Florida is cheaper!

Bill

There is no way to tell until they flower. Yours are a little small to flower yet. Most in this area have about 6-8 ft of clear trunk before they start to flower. I have one with over 9 ft of trunk that still hasn't flowered.

Thanks Todd I guess I'll just have to be patient. I really didn't think you could tell but it was worth asking anyways.
My big one flower last year seven or eight spikes, it's was about the same size as the other two now, probably smaller
actually. I'll keep my fingers crossed. So a male is a male then and it won't ever change? I'm not sure how I got that
in my head that they could change.

Bill

Bill, I dug around and found an old Male Female flower/cone topic, and Barrie says you can tell by whether it's pale or bright yellow. Wes (from West Vancouver who used to participate a lot and also has fabulous big Trachies that flowered) said basically the same thing.

Here's the discussion, even though it was on a flowering Nainital, oddly enough with both colours.

viewtopic.php?t=1923&highlight=trachy+female+male

So a male is a male then and it won't ever change

You haven't been to Vancouver, have you?

Thank Barb for the updated post. I don't care what anyone say's my trachy is a super trachy! My others are going to be the same! I find it hard to believe that trachys flower at only nine feet of trunk since mine flowered in Ma last year at 2.5 ft trunk! Todd I really respect everything you say and I mean no disrespect but even in my freezing climate I have seen trachys flower at short trunks! All males as I have obseved in huge pots! Do you think a tree is a tree or they are female from the start?

Thanks,
Bill

As Todd (Laaz) has pointed out, there's no way to tell until they flower.
Males have pale yellow, drooping inforesence (and dusty pollen when touched or disturbed)
Females have a much more greener color and are more erect (no pollen evident)
Very rare instances have produced both on the same tree.
No telling just when they'll begin to flower. I've had small (less than 3' of trunk) produce infloresence. Others are much more established without any sign of flowering.

Cheers, Barrie.

Thanks Barrie! I guess will see in March whe the enclosers are super happy!

Bill

Im really hopeing for some flowering on my windmill, Barrie thats good news mine has about 3 foot of trunk also. I find it fasinating that they will all flower at different times maybe fertilizer or the amount of sun they get might speed up the procces. Who knows...

PS. Barrie you wouldn't happen to have a picture of the 3 footer that flowerd would you?

Over my 30 nearly years of growing these palms, here's "my" text book photo from about 1996 when I lived on the mainland.
Male on the left (pale yellow drooping infloresence), female (much more erect and greener flowers) in the right photo.

Cheers, Barrie.

Great pictures Barrie, thanks! This gives me hopes of flowers yet, I just hope I have a female. If my newer two are both males I'm going to buy a female when it's flowering next time. LOL

Thanks again,
Bill

Barrie,
Any idea's what might cause a windmill to get black tips? Close to a half inch down the leave.

Im thinking over watering. I'll take some pictures.