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Winter update
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 10:49 am
by Mark
Hi everyone.
Sorry I haven't been on in quite some time. Here's a few pics of some of my palms (the big ones) over wintering in the house.
My two monster queens are doing quite well now after they took a terrible beating in the spring. They are coming back strong. All the rest of my palms are doing good as well with the exception of my inevitable spider mite issue.
Spindle
coconut , phoenix, foxtail and 5 large queens
I will take some more pics and share
Mark
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 11:43 am
by Mark
Here's some more.
Spindle & Washy
Adonidia
Queen
Coconut
Phoenix R's
2nd largest Queen
Adonidia
Phoenix R
Adonidia
Phoenix R & Adonidia
Trachy
Phoenix R
9 Adonidia (I think) seedlings, Triangle
Adonidia, seedlings, Phoenix R, Trachy
Phoenix R's
Keeps me busy... how many more days till spring 62?
Mark
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 12:17 pm
by hardyjim
Everything looks very healthy-quite a jungle in there!
I am guessing your not married
What do you have in the cages ?
Monkeys

Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 2:33 pm
by Mark
Jim,
Thanks!
No. Not married. Divorced 2 years now. Cages are for the bunnies. I had 2 bunnies but lost one back in Dec. Now I just have one but will probably adopt another.
Mark
Posted: Sun Jan 16, 2011 2:52 pm
by lucky1
Oh for heaven's sake NOW I remember who had the Queen palm leaning on the sofa because it was too tall!!!!! (actually I think there were two leaning).
It was you, Mark.
...Now I've forgotten WHO it was that asked about it.
Fabulous specimens, Mark.
Those Queens have grown so much since we last saw them.
And the Christmas palms are new...good looking specimens.
You've got ALL THAT for
one bunny?
That's one spoiled wabbit.
Thanks for the updated photos.
Barb
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:19 pm
by TimMAz6
That's my kind of living room!! Great palms.
Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2011 8:00 pm
by TerdalFarm
Barb,
it was I who asked--I wanted Mike (sidpook) to see these. Hopefully it will save him from spray-painting his next year.
Don (tropicman) might also be interested.
And I have to admit, I am, too. Winder if W would let me get away with that....
--Erik
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 3:04 pm
by sidpook
Very nice stuff! great plants! hey does anyone else ever have the problem of their tall queen palms getting dry at the end of their fronds in the house in winter???
Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2011 10:12 pm
by tropicman
Very nice looking palms!
Looks like next year,your gonna have to lay them down to overwinter,or cut hole in ceiling,and put a light in the attic!!!!
Or do what I did plant them in the ground.
Right now I have a coconut,2,Majesty and a Triangle palm all over 10 ft,and my tallest greenhouse is only 12 ft,also a big bird of paradise well over 10ft too!
If my 15ft queen makes it,I might try some others in the ground over winter.
I got several Cuban Royals coming along as well,and some Xmas palms,will be huge in a couple years,and I don't have any more room to add on!
Are you composting any of the rabbit pellets?
Posted: Wed Jan 19, 2011 7:55 pm
by Mark
Thanks for the nice comments everyone.
Barb,
Yep. I'm the crazy one managing two unmanageable palm to big to bring/ Stand inside. Yes there were two but the one can actually stand with the fronds all against the the 12 foot ceiling.
Christmas palms.. One I've had about 7 years the other 2. They really did good outside over the summer. Everything did.
Spoiled wabbit. That's an understatement!
Eric,
Thanks for PM-ing me to get an update. I missed this site.
Sidpook,
I only have issue with mine drying out when I spray for mites with water alcohol and dishsoap mix. Otherwise they do good. Bugs it my big problem. I guess you have that when you have 40 palms in the house.
tropicman,
I'd love to plant in the ground but I just know I'd lose them. They are way too large to protect and I feel safer know they're safe. (except from bugs)
I need something like the atrium at Navy Pier! That would be nice.
Mark
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 7:13 am
by lucky1
Mark,
Those atrium pics are stunning...OMG!
You've got
40 palms indoors?
What I'd give for a 12 foot ceiling! I could buy 13 foot palms.
Adorable bunny...good that he eats cardboard and not palms.
Barb
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 3:44 pm
by hardyjim
Looks like a nice little buddy to have.
Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 5:24 pm
by DesertZone
Nice palms.

Posted: Thu Jan 20, 2011 10:51 pm
by damir
nice palms, i agree. what is lowest temp in that room? since coconut is not cold tender.
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 6:15 am
by Mark
Yes. 42 palms inside. 9 are seedlings.
Isn't that atrium awesome.
Actually Sambuca (bunny) will and has eaten palm the palms. They are mostly bunny proved. The big ones in the great room are all fenced in.
Keep the house at 72 though it may drop to 70 in there at night and on sunny winter day it gets up to 76. I've heard that coconut's are very hard to keep indoors but I've had very good luck now for 2 years. I think it mostly due to the light I get in my house. Many large windows and its quite open.
Mark
Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2011 8:40 am
by lucky1
Mark, that atrium takes my breath away, so beautiful.
...naturally you weren't taking pics of the cute girls
Sambuca the bunny, cute name.
Fortunate for your palms they're not related to beavers
The big things for Cocos are light and humidity so you're doing something right.
Misting frequently is a pain with wood floors...I've got drop sheets under my Foxtail, Bottle, 3 Triangles and BoP to protect the floor.
All palms go outside for the summer, I presume.
Barb
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 8:25 am
by Mark
Barb,
I wish I had the time to mist all mine but they're too big and there's too many. I do it when I see the mites taking over which is right about now.
Yes. They all go out in late spring/ summer. A bit over 3 moths to go. Fighting the f'in spider mites till then. Many went out for a hose blast on 12/31/10 when it was 50 deg. but I'm noticing the mites on my queens now.

Hopefully we'll have a warm spell again so I can take them out and blast them again.
Come on spring 57 days!!
Here's some pics from spring:
This Phoenix has grown a lot since this pic
You see my battered queen in the back
Couple others. Everything looks so small in these. It was late spring
Mark
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:09 am
by lucky1
Anybody else having trouble opening Mark's links?
His photohost might be down?
noticing the mites on my queens now
John gave me a good tip the other day.
Says to push a garlic clove or two, point down, completely into the soil.
My big Foxtail's got spider mites too so I'll try garlic.
Barb
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 11:11 am
by TerdalFarm
His links work for me.
No mites this year (knock on wood). I used neem oil last year, but not yet this year after reading Jim's posts.
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 3:12 pm
by sidpook
so putting garlic into the soil will help keep them away???
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:05 pm
by Mark
Garlic? Really?
Can't imagine it would work on really large palms but I guess its worth a try.
Posted: Sat Jan 22, 2011 5:21 pm
by lucky1
I bought a whack of garlic today, the house'll smell like a sausage...a very big sausage
And I love garlic, H hates it.
John swears by it, maybe it'll keep scale and mealybugs away too.
Just plant the point DOWN, or else you'll have a garlic farm...hmmmm (why not?!?)
Might keep Erik's cat from peeing on his palm too!
Anyway, the links work great (my wireless mouse batteries were dying)
Ah, Mark, those pictures!!!!
That pool photo I remember well, with queens on each side of the stairs.
The battered queen didn't look too bad Mark, the odd bent frond was probably removed anyway.
Oh that gorgeous Phoenix!
I'm off to plant garlic under the big Foxtail...
Barb
Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:24 pm
by sidpook
I'm trying the garlic thing.....If teh palms die, at least Ill have fresh garlic for free...

Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:54 pm
by lucky1
So you're planting it point up, Mike?
Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 4:10 am
by sidpook
lucky1 wrote:So you're planting it point up, Mike?
I'll do both for good measure!