All Activity

American Robins eat Chamaedorea seeds once they start changing color.

It's another mystery hybrid palm. No one knows what it is.

Too cold for straight sunkha I would say. But @matthedlund has a B x PJS I think, or it may be B x PJT which has been growing for a few years now. I think it gets help on the coldest nights.

Sick Sprouts Soil Sancho Science

Hi, To answer the original question: Washingtonia robusta performs well in sandy soil and coastal locations. The ones I have seen, show little to no damage from salty winds. In Spain, you can often find these palms growing directly on the beach. Sometimes, so close to the sea that during strong storms their roots may be exposed for weeks or even months until the beach is regenerated again (the council or local authorities bringing more sand). Often, the area is filled first with a different type of soil, but that doesn't seem to be a requirement. Phoenix canariensis tends to show salt and wind damage much faster. For example, many specimens in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are small and have severely scorched leaves. As others have mentioned, Phoenix dactylifera also does well near the sea and in sand. The leaves are tough. For anyone curious, the picture OP posted it was taken at a windsurfing and kitesurfing centre next to the Melià Paradisus Hotel in Playa de Sotavento de Jandía, Fuerteventura (Canary Islands). See location here. The original image, actually a TikTok video, was recorded during high tide. Alongside the Washingtonia palms, they’ve also planted coconut trees and Phoenix canariensis, which look surprisingly healthy given their closeness to the sea. Sorry for the quality of the photo but to give an idea of how this place looks like when the tide is low.

Good Day NatureGirl. Arrived alive and taking a dive. Thank you for little ones make they sprout freely by Springtime. ZenMan 1

Haha OK @Jonathan, I will get one of Darold's plants! I may put it in the front yard to complement the neighbors'. We have a couple of spots that have opened up since our proteas keep outgrowing their spaces and/or falling over.

Get 'em in NOW!!

Yeah, everything is kinda messed up down here now. I do have plenty and more than I could ever use, the palmettos too. Palmettos have been in the freezer for a while so it's safe to assume anything that isn't a seed is dead. I don't know if it makes a difference to customs that I've been inspected and my license is pending?

Wow... I would also take the frost anytime but this madness.. I am worried about my plants when the wind is 50km/h, I cannot even begin to imagine 150 or 200! So sorry for the devastation.

TM sent!

Winter??? ....Is there even such a thing?

@Foggy Paul, check my listing in the "For sale" section,

I know! Our neighbors across the street have two, and despite being somewhat neglected both look pretty good. When I met @JasonD and told him where I live, he asked me if I was the one with the Howeas. Sadly no.

You should, cause they're beautiful!

Oh, a Brahea armata that looks really nice in there. I've seen a few pictures of this garden with those Jubaea and, well, the best time to plant a Jubaea is 25 years ago. The second best time is today, obvs...

Has anyone up there tried Parajubaea sunkha? They tolerate humidity better than cocoides or torallyi and prefer cool night temps. I had one in San Antonio a couple of years that survived Palmageddon but carked after a couple of rainy days during summer. Maybe it's not doable there though in areas with lots of rain in summer but if temps aren't that high in summer...

Haha yes, hence my interest in optimal siting. If I can keep it alive I will have 3 of the 4 LHI species, only missing the most obvious one. Maybe I can fit a forsteriana in somewhere…

Updated

Yeah, that's the trouble - heat. I even live on an island in the Salish Sea nowadays. I'm trying to open base-50 degree Growing Degree Day geospatial data from the National Phenology Network, but - like so many things that interact with federal websites like NOAA - a lot of it seems to be broken. Anyhow, yeah. Anacortes - ~1,400 GDD at base 50; Portland area is more like 2,400 (this is 2025 GDD data). I think this is the problem that I had with my Sabal palm; it was just too cool and wet to really thrive, especially as a baby.

My property contained several mature deciduous trees such as ash and mesquite which are constantly shedding. I burn almost weekly particularly after windy events of 30+ mph wind gusts like we had on Saturday with a cold front dropping our high temperature from 85°F to barely 60°F. Good time to have a fire after the winds die down and the cold remains! There's also a mature Washingtonia hybrid that drops spent fronds and inflorescences. I usually use one as a starter and save one for later in case I need to get it going again. Dried Livistona chinensis fronds are a bit larger and burn equally fast but other frond trimmings burn well too. I scatter the ashes around the yard and add to mulch around palms.

They’re not the best indoor palms. It can be done but you’ll need to pay attention to its watering , indoor humidity, and very likely provide strong supplemental lighting. Watering: water a bit less in winter when active growth slows but I would not let it dry fully out. If possible keep it outdoors in partial to full direct sun and they are used to direct sun. You’ll need to possibly acclimate it to that slowly most likely. they can and will be ok if leaving in a gill tray of water for extended periods as well especially when kept on the warmer side. But I wouldn’t let it sit like that for more than several days. Humidity: i wouldn’t allow your indoor humidity to drop below 55-60% for very long. They’re from very humid tropical climates and that is what they prefer. Lighting: indoors in winter or longer it would be very beneficial to provide enough supplemental light to mimic full sun daylight hours. They will handle some shade even deeper shade outdoors but indoors they will very likely prefer and do better with a good amount of supplemental lighting. Good luck with it! I hope it will thrive for you ! Photo of one of mine that lives outdoors in Florida zone 10b for interest. I’ve had this one since Feb 2018 when it has less than 12” of clear trunk. They can be relatively faster growers for sure esp given the right conditions.

The 2007 freeze in California proved these don't take much below 25F - and then many of them did not make it. There are a few old, mature kings in my area (Fresno) that survived the 23F we got to that January, but they are permanently scarred (constrictions/hollow spots in the trunks). This is one of those pre-07 kings. Keep in mind we don't dip much below 30F on any given year, so these palms haven't seen anything below 30 since then except for a a handful of times to 28/29F.

the strain from Parana tableland would probably fit to your climate perfectly!