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And this weeks plant fix is a doozy of a fix. As usual some great actually fantastic plants this week to add to the garden in a few years time. It never ends with so many new plants available now with the internet and online ordering if I could import live plants I would, it is possible to do so but very expensive and time consuming also iam not going to deal with the red tape involved the way customs have been with seed imports. So this week we have as follows a sonerila extra spotty purchased for a stock plant to take cuttings from. The packaging is exceptionally good you unbox them and it’s like you just picked them up from the nursery but better. A microsorium whiteheadii a sumatran fern that takes the cold I already have one that has survived three winters well. Next is a calytrocalyx tininum, alocasia equiloba aka spotted papua, licuala png dwarf, Areca song thonhensis, Calpytrocalyx julianettii, Ptychococcus species and a aroid sp hapaline benthamiana. Some good winners there for a zone push some proven some will need to carefully watched in winter to see how they go. Also on a good note I have booked a session with a psychologist to see if therapy is really needed for my addiction but I know what I will be telling them forget it I don’t won’t a cure just give me more plants to buy doc!

Just an update for everyone, I was able to prop roots with Kiki’s cloning paste and one of those prop balls with tree fern about 3.5’ from the base! I’ll try to remember to come back and update in a few months if it takes. 🤞🫶🏻

It most certainly is the best food a palm can get. That's what they eat in there natural habitat. I just chop my ones up when I get around to it if there green or desiccated either way chop them up it’s fantastic mulch. Your garden will love it. I don’t look at the botanical garden good look nice wood chip or super good looking mulch point of view I look at practically that works creating a natural environment in my garden. And any gardener will agree any mulch is better than no mulch be it a nice botanical garden or a paradise created at home if it works keep doing it!

Out of the fifty plus King palms in my garden, four have some cracking and it hasn’t harmed them in any way. Not sure exactly what causes it since all my Kings are watered heavily and three are growing right in stagnant water 365 days per year with no cracks.

Ended up with ~37F here and in the hourly reports at the airport. There was frost on the rooftops, ice on the cars, and the yards without trees had frost in the grass. Fortunately, the trees in the front and back are enough to keep my slice of paradise frost-free. The numbers for Florida's airports are in the attached zip file. Hopefully we'll get the warmer weather that is currently forecast for next week. I'm with @SubTropicRay - over it already and it we haven't had a freeze yet. 20241204_NWS.zip

@Debb nice to meet you! I have a palm jungle and no lawn and lots of palm leaves, and mixing dead plant stuff with wood ashes makes them rot a lot faster. To hack up royal palm fronds, get a machete. Great after a bad day at the plant, clinic or office to let off a little steam.

A nice understory palm iam looking forward to growing in the garden. It has survived winter in the greenhouse so in the ground it goes to see how it goes some palms I give extra special attention to when planting with good soil amendment and irrigation just to give them the best start in life considering how long they will live for for, it’s the best thing I can do for them for what they offer in return of plant harmony and beauty in the garden, Thermal mass will be used to protect this one from the cold with a huge rock right next to it which was part of the original landscaping I did 25 years ago so making good use of the old for the new, the established garden eats small palms for breakfast if I don’t give the correct attention to planting details. So another palm is added to the collection in the ground the future garden is looking good so far.

It appears to be a Coccothrinax hybrid with a little borhidiana (fiber type) in it. I have a couple community pots going of these borhidiana hybrids. Here's one of mine to compare. Anyways,that's my guess. Is that in a 1 gallon pot? aztropic Mesa, Arizona

The pods are actually edible but I have no interest in that. The seeds or beans are used to make chocolate. I doubt I will ever get to that point though. For me it’s just a thing to try to grow. The weird thing is that people eat the pod raw but the seed needs to be fermented to get the cocoa flavor.

That’s why I purchased 300 seeds from rps I absolutely love them I only have around 7 mature females and only 1 male plant. I do get the odd seed but nowhere near enough to plant a grove of 100 that I wish to have.

Harry, this palm is almost always available from Jeff at Floribunda. I have purchased "1-gallon" sized plants that had emergent stems and flowerstalks.

So far the coldest I have for the season, according to the two nearest weather stations, is 42.3 and 43.3, on 12/03

I work in technology and am regularly a part of AI initiatives designed to deploy to retail clients. ChatGPT is wild but most AI isn't as good as the public is led to believe - at least not yet.

Hovered at 40 all night last night. Ultimate low at or just below 33 on the tempest for two nights. No damage under trees on anything uncovered except ragged looking sanchezia. Three covered plants have damage from the sheet placed on them, the carpoxylon possibly due to afternoon sun on the cover i forgot to take off. Very much over it lol. Nothing more than cosmetic issues though.

Yes. It’s very weird. They also stick them in various other tight spaces around the house… between the gutter and wall, in crooks in trees and in palm boots. I was working outside one day, and one flew up and tried to hammer a peanut into one of those plastic clam rat traps that I tied to that gutter bend up there. He then got his foot caught in the trap. Luckily it’s a plastic trap without much tension, so the foot was actually ok. I freed him within seconds and checked him out and let him go. I watched him get caught, trying to put a peanut into the trap!

Fresh Clinostigma sp.

Hello and thank you for posting . I am in Santa Paula , about 10 miles east of you and a bit warmer . I water my Archontophoenix about every other day . I have wood chips as well , like you and that helps hold moisture . I have had some cracking on a couple palms before and it hasn’t hurt them . I guess my Kings and my Ravenna get the most water of all my palms and they are not cracked . I have heard that overwatering can cause problems like that but I have not had the issue from all the water I give the Kings. Harry

Instant gratification! Here is a Chatham Island R. salida 8' or 9' tall from the top of the container (15 gal). $225

Who knows where my label went as I have had this beauty before I switched to secure stainless steel and brother EZ tape labels. Your help much appreciated to find the correct genus and species as an online search just left me confused.

If you use blankets or sheets use thicker ones. I put some on my spindles that were thin sheets as precaution and made a mistake on the fronds. Two with the sheet resting on the surface transfered the cold and damaged a frond. The one sheet that fell off (no clips and i did it in the dark) had no visible dark spots on it this morning like the two others. The fronds were tucked in and not in their usual position, so the sheet on top of the flat frond (large surface area to conduct energy away) plus a tiny bit of frost to chill through the thin fabric, did some cosmetic damage. Thicker blankets were perfect on anything else, but damage will show later on with warmth (if there is any more damage) so crossing my fingers there. I do not use anything active like heat cables, since we dont get that low typically and a cover works, just have to use the right one the right way. Atypical but not unheard of for december, hopefully whatever warm up comes lasts into january and moderates the next cold front, but the Hudson bay vortex is stubborn in models so who knows?

I have the biggest problem with Raccoons. They dig out seedlings to eat the seeds, they eat all my fruit, they dig holes in my yard looking for grubs, and there was one with rabies a few years ago that was stumbling around my yard and Animal control wouldn't come check unless it had already bitten someone. Trapping them works for a while but they usually start becoming an issue again about 6 months after trapping. Squirrels are also an issue, but only with my orchids and air plants. I've had good luck protecting my epiphyte tree by just making sure the branches aren't touching any other structures to close off their access point and wrapping the lower trunk with spikes.

One of the most annoying things here is when blue jays hammer peanuts into bromeliad centers…. First they pick a bromeliad with a center hole that a shelled peanut will not quite fit into. They they fly off an get a shelled peanut. They hammer it in, like a woodpecker, wedging it deep in the hole. Often they will then go get a stone about the same size, and put that on top next, and hammer that in place, creating a secure locker to store their peanut that they will never come back for. It then ferments in the water in there if you don’t notice, rotting out your prized bromeliad. They always pick a super nice tubular bromeliad in a pot (especially hohenbergia or billbergia) to do this number on. I have to go around with long pickups and needle nose pliers to try to fish them out before the inevitable happens.

Squirrels, Rats, even Possums and Racoons are always checking the pots and bromeliads and sometimes destroying stuff here. If you find lizard legs and half chewed up bodies around, it’s rats. Blue jays hammer peanuts into the bromeliad centers all the time. Mocking birds pluck seeds off of trees all the time. Raccoons do the most damage in a single night, but rats are insidious and very, very smart and cautious. You have to rotate trap types and baits, and still big old adults are hard to catch. Juveniles and youngsters mostly make mistakes getting trapped. Squirrels are pretty dumb and bold and easy to catch. Mice are the super-dumb dums. If you have a Wi-Fi security camera, detach it and bait it and you’ll see who stops by. At least possums clean up the dead. IMG_3508.MOV IMG_3509.MOV IMG_3510.MOV

I'm experimenting with several of these on Vancouver Island zone 8a/b.

Here are current pix of my Zantesdeschia aethiopica (striped Calla lily) at the start of winter here. Where I am it has a very brief dormant period then sends up new leaves fast! I grow it in a pot, under the shade of my pergola.

Pinanga caesia Lanonia dasyantha Basselinia eriostachys

I would like to emphasize what aztropic said about placing the palm in full shade if you take it outside. Palms accustomed to indoors can have all their fronds burnt off by direct sunlight in less than an hour, depending on the intensity of the sun.

If bringing it outside for the summer, you need to locate it in an area with FULL SHADE. (little to no direct sunlight) Otherwise,the existing fronds WILL sunburn,and the plant will be in worse shape than if you had just left it inside. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

It is a Parlor Palm, Chamaedorea elegans, and it is the tallest one I have ever seen... incredible. The fact that it has been saved and cared for all this time is a great achievement. Jim is correct, it is a male/female species so two plants are needed for seed production. Plants of this species have been known to live for a long time, but your specimen is exceptionally tall, and I don't know how that effects its lifespan. Some palms are affected by the height of their trunk/stem in regard to their lifespan; the taller the stem, the harder it gets to bring water and nutrients to the crown. Leave the fronds as is. As long as there is any green, the leaf is working. Brown old leaves usually fall away off on their own. It seems the upper half of the stem is keeping the brown leafbases persistent. I do not know why, unless they are just held in place by themselves. Usually, they fall off along with the leaves as they are shed. -- As is, the palm looks as it is supposed to be, an old, old plant. It could just be coming out of the winter and might look better with time. Is it definitely in a decline? It could look like that all the time and be healthy. Hard to say without a reference. I have seen very old specimens in containers look just like that (just not as tall). If you think the height is a health issue or an encumbrance to keeping the palm, there is a possible action: There is an advanced propagation technique known as air-layering that has been used on certain palms like Parlor Palms to shorten their stems. There are books and videos out there that explain the procedure in detail, but basically you are creating a new ball of roots at a node along the stem. Certain nodes will send out little roots on their own sometimes, just out into the air. The roots emerge from the node and grow into a medium such as damp sphagnum moss held in place by tightly wrapped aluminum foil. After the roots fill the moss inside the foil, the stem is cut below the air-layer. Then the upper plant, with new roots, is planted in a new pot (minus the foil). Air-layering can take time, it can be tricky and does not always work. I also do not know how it would work indoors, with air conditioning i.e. a dry environment. But I have seen it done on old Parlor Palms. Unlike traditional air-layering, you do not need to cut into the stem or remove bark on a Parlor Palm. During the pandemic, I rescued a Parlor Palm (decades old, again not as tall) and when I went to pot it up, I noticed it originated as an air-layer. I still have him in a pot. Ryan

I never said it was impossible with a sophisticated shelter. I am merely stressing the extent that you will have to go to in order to get a CIDP through winter in a wet-cold 7b, especially once it starts gaining size. Look at that big, heated shelter the guy in Poland is putting up each winter (complete with an underground heating radiator system). That is a huge undertaking, both physically and financially! But where there is a will, there is obviously a way, if you are prepared to go to those lengths. For many people such a setup will just not be practical. And once it becomes too big to protect and too inconvenient (assuming they manage to grow it to that point), it is gong to get taken out by the winters there. A CIDP in Poland or NYC is ultimately going to be on borrowed time either way. You will only have it for as long as you can protect it. And that protection has to be on point. Something nobody in NYC appears to have been able to do, as of yet (hence why there isn't any there). But as I have previously said, I would love to see someone in NYC get a CIDP to a half decent size! I could fire back at you and keep the heated exchange going between us, but it will not be constructive in any way for the OP. Some people will want to see us get in a back and forth, for entertainment, but others will be getting annoyed by it, so I will try to keep things civil now. As I said, the OP doesn't gain anything from us arguing. I certainly don't get anything out of it and I doubt you do either. So I will heed Jonathans advice and chill. I have certainly not taken anything out on the OP either, which you suggest. I have tried to provide relevant input in my previous comments, as have some members from the PNW. Both the UK and the PNW have areas which are the upper limits for where CIDP can be grown anywhere, so our input is invaluable on what factors take out CIDP's in relation to temperatures and the wet-cold. We know what parts they will grow in exactly, and what parts they won't, even with limited protection. The bottom line is that you will need an exceptional and sophisticated shelter to get small CIDP's to grow on in NYC. Maybe the OP will be able to step up his protection a bit this year with better heating and airflow? I am also aware that New York has just had the driest November on record, hence the drought issue currently. That means very little however against climatology. We only had 0.2 inches of rainfall here in June, but now everywhere is a soaking wet boggy mess after a very wet September and October. Likewise, the 9 month period from November 2021 to August 2022 was record dry, however the 6 month period from October 2023 - March 2024 was the wettest 6 month period on record here. So it will always flip between wet and dry periods. That doesn't change the fact that NYC averages 50 inches of rain a year however. So it is quite wet there. As for your comment about me supposedly being angry about someone growing palms in NYC, I can assure you that is not the case. Myself and those in the PNW are probably sceptical about the prospects for something like CIDP, given our experiences, but I think most of us (myself included) would love to see a zone pushed CIDP flourishing in NYC with adequate protection. Do I think that is impossible? No. But I do think it is unlikely. I hope the OP can prove me wrong on this. Anyway, this is what the Polish guy's protection looked like during the first winter his CIDP was in the ground and I believe he planted it at a bigger size than the OP's. You can see that his drainage is very good there as well with lots of gravel. You may need to construct something akin to this setup for winter... @Nomad NYC Compared to now... He heats it with a radiator that is connected via underground pipes directly from the house and keeps it at about 50F during a proper freeze event when it could be almost 0F outside. So that's 50F of heating on the coldest of nights. He also heats the ground to 70F in spring as well once the shelter has come off, to help with it's growth. His annual precipitation is only 24 inches as well, which is less than half of NYC. Just saying. So a few factors to consider here with this zone pushed CIDP.

You not really making any sense? If a CIDP were covered - how would in “not get through winter”? How do people in Canada, Russia, Poland…etc. get palms through winter? How do they get cactus and other dry climate plants through the wet, cloudy winters of the UK? Additionally, I think we covered the fact that in lower latitude climates (40 latitude south), with long hot summers and intense sun angles for several months… rainfall and humidity have less of an impact on CIDP. We KNOW this because CIDP grow by the thousands in the hot and wet subtropical southeastern USA from Houston to Charleston, SC with daily summer tropical downpours(I think we covered this already - LOL) As to the climate of NYC (and again, not trying to be mean, here, I mean that truly) …you seem to lack the basic understanding of world climatology. NYC is not wet and humid year -round. In fact, very dry continental and modified polar air is frequently present for several months from Dec – March. This air is NOT humid…dew points in the teens occur frequently (dew points in the teens are common in the desert, for example). Winter air in NYC is often very dry (skin cracks). Moreover, like many climates between 30 and 40 latitudes, NYC can have periodic episodes of long rainless periods. I’m not up in NYC now - but from what I’ve read, they have had very little rain since September 1st (2 inches/5 cm in the last 3 months). Right now portions on NYC down through the mid-Atlantic states are DROUGHT (and they were in 2021 as well): Another factor to consider (and again I’m not trying to mean here – I know the English are sensitive about their climate, just trying to educate), living at the high latitude you live at (52 north), I don’t think you fully appreciate how fast moisture evaporates in lower latitude climates.: In a high latitude climate like the UK, moisture is slow to evaporate. Not only is sunshine intensity relatively weak - but the modestly cool summer average high temperatures also slow evaporation. In lower latitude, hot summer climates the situation is the reverse - the sun is so strong and temp as so hot, that moisture is quickly evaporated. Consider that locations on the Atlantic coast from Miami to NYC have heavy summer thundershowers almost daily, when the rain pours down like a monsoon in India (lol), yet with an hour the ground is nearly dry as steam rises from the pavement (and the temp moves toward 29 – 34 C again). A CIDP in NYC would have no problem with too much moisture in NYC in summer, for the same reason they don’t in Orlando, New Orleans, or Charleston, SC. Finally, that is up to the OP if he/she is or wants to construct a structure and what type. However, my guess is (at least in NYC), one would not have to heat a shelter with anything more than C9 Christmas lights (about $15 at most local stores - lol). I do this for mangos in Florida and my Robusta in CT, and it works fine. The financial costs involved would be minimal…since any palm shelter in NYC would only be used about 90 days a year. If people in Canada in zone 5 can enjoy Washingtonia and Windmill palms for many years, I don’t know why someone down in zone 7b couldn’t do the same. For some strange reason...you seem super angry that someone is growing palms in NYC. Anyone can see that. I suppose that is a result of living at 52 N...less than a 1000 miles from the arctic circle. I know you are heading into a tough time of year up there (the gloomy climate makes angry people.)...but don't take it out on the OP or the rest of us "mate".

It's a bit complicated ha, ha, ha. Suffice to say that I prefer planting there only spp of the genus Sabal, which loves sandy soil (which I have not), and that I use black tarp on surface.

Good evening. My uncle is moving and gave me a palm that was from my grandfather’s wake in 1991. I believe it to be a parlor palm but not 100% sure and from what I’ve researched, I’m unable to propagate it. Is it in fact a parlor palm? Is there anything I can do to save it? How long can they live? There’s about 3 good fronds left, the fourth is turning brown. Should I cut the browning one back? Thank you for any help! at my uncle’s house: Day I brought it home in my horse trailer:

Chamaedorea metallica can be air layered also.

Impressive, I didn’t know that was possible!

Thought I’d post this but understand it may not be useful to everyone depending on personal circumstances. I had my travel insurance claim approved for the difference not refunded by IPS so I’m effectively not out of pocket. I’m sure globally there are a range of different insurance products which may not have accepted a claim in this situation but for reference I had an Australian credit card complimentary insurance for which I don’t pay a cent. Funnily enough I’ve never had an insurance claim rejected with complimentary credit card insurance whereas I’ve never had a single claim accepted when I’ve purchased travel insurance (which I no longer do). I understand the email from IPS may not have been well received by everyone but I do understand some of the struggle with recouping costs. I’d imagine the IPS would rely on biennials as a significant source of funds so I also personally understand the option thrown out there to donate a portion of the refund (although I can see how this request would not have been well received by some given the circumstances). I won’t have any hesitation in the future in joining IPS travel and I hope on the whole this unfortunate event won’t deter too many. I’ve still never had the chance to join a biennial and look forward to meeting everyone one day.

These are native to regions in China that routinely receive winter snow.

It is a seed/plant from a hybrid washingtonia located in Fayetteville NC. As mentioned, there is a topic in the cold hardy section of Palmtalk. I think collecting seeds now at the washie at Taco Bell in Roswell or in Carlsbad would accomplish the same goal. You will have true leaves before fall if planted in place next spring. They are that fast.

@Las Palmas Norte@Scott W@Dwarf Fan@CascadiaPalms@SailorBold@kinzyjr@Fusca Thanks to all for such kind words and thoughts. To be honest I had no idea what I was doing 40 years ago when after buying small plot of land here on the Harbor Bench, that two sprouted Jubaea would ever grow into trees and produce seed nuts. I was told that when the seedlings went into the ground to be sure and give them plenty of room because when they get older they take up space. I planted both seedlings in their own 20 by 20 foot space, and they used every inch of it. The Palms were fertilized twice a year for the first 20 years, after that I stopped fertilizing as the palms were getting bigger and fertilizing them was getting expensive. Without doubt of all the trees, plants, fruit and gardening my wife and I have done, these two Jubaea are the most precious of all. There is never a day that goes by that we don't look and enjoy these two beloved Palms, and that is something all Palm lovers understand.

Thank you Ryan! I have never had a palm so I thought this guy looked sad with just a few fronds, so I’m very excited it’s healthy for its age!!! Will it harm it to try the air-layering since you don’t have to cut into the stem? Luckily I do have tall enough ceilings but only that little half circle window for it, no skylights. 🤣

C. montanus. I didn't have much hope that these would actually turn out to be the real thing, but the flowers are a good match.

One weeks growth + pic of parent tree, no red yet, fingers crossed. Roots already at bottom of cup. i have another seedling next to it from a different parent tree that has turned purple and i have grow light right on top of both. We’ll see

Most Albuquerque palmers will know exactly what I am saying about our local weather station called Double Eagle. In fact, if one were to look up ABQ westside/Rio Rancho this is what is referenced. But in truth, Double Eagle is a cold 6b with corresponding temperatures. Yet our yards are a cold zone 8 or warm 7b Double Eagle is no where at all representative of our palm growing areas Well back to T or C. Their temperatures are referenced from their airport. The problem lies in the fact, that airport is over 500' higher than T or C(more than DE to my yard) and further away than Double Eagle is. So is it really representative? I won't even mention the body of water nearby. I will say the -6f in T or C is probably very close due to that event being with wind as opposed to radiational. Multiple zero events? Maybe not as many as the records indicate. So the "official" temperatures are questionable in my mind. That's not the bad news I was referring to. The bad news is that when standing, facing, the famous pure(you know when you know-look at the night shot. The bad news is the view when you turn around... Now you know a little more about T or C

I have a problem, some may call it an obsession...maybe even a disease My curverd filifera infection begins Moved to NM as a 6th grader. Went to southern NM/El Paso at that age and continued throughout my life. I was into weather records(climate) and population. Along the way I always saw these palm trees. Was infatuated with the massive ones I saw that were green in the winter. I just knew in my gut that if something like that could be grown on a Northside down there, it could happen on a Southside in ABQ the climate is not that much different. And the weather records proved it. -8f 1962 El Paso(what filifera can live thru that) Enter my go to eatery as a kid and teenager....Elmer's/El Paso Curved caught my eye and stuck through the years, aggravating my disease. They even survived the 2011 0f in El Paso(we won't mention 1962). Sadly Elmer's is no more. But the curve sticks and the disease progresses. Back to the story on miracle and root damage in due time.....

I exaggerated a bit when I claim my palms are a mile high. The base is at 5273'. The top of the leaves are greater than seven feet tall(including the trachy). The base of my fence is exactly 5280'. So.... The pic is from February 10. Seven degrees happened three nights earlier. The filifera to the left pretty much ended up dying back to the spear(took about a month). My curved miracle filifera can slightly be seen behind the trachy. The deformed, mini leaves can be seen. In spring of 2021(last year) the curved filifera we're more full with leaves than the filifera to the left. So while I was not much concerned about this winter relating to the cold, they were so weak entering winter, my concern was how long can a filifera truly "hibernate". They truly only saw 2 months of uninterrupted growth last year. So what happened? To be continued....

Here's what my order of this Calla cultivar looks like after an arduous journey across the country in a hot, dark box. They're recovering nicely. I apparently received more than one corm which is nice.