Ravenea glauca

[Mike in Nelson]

There are a couple of these for sale at my local garden centre. What's the growing requirements for this palm?

Regards

Mike

[Miccles]

G'day Mike,

Grab them !

They are a more dainty version of the common Majestic.

They don't have such a constant demand for water as their bigger cousin, are hardier (to both heat and cold in my opinion) and also not so demanding for nutrients.

They won't yellow up on you if things aren't perfect with the soil.

One of my favorites.

Regards

Michael

[Adam from Oz]

Abuse them!

I had one growing from seed in a soft drink bottle behind a blind in a bathroom. It almost died about three times through drying out. So, I put a jar under it and filled it with water and forgot about it again......

Months later, I pulled up the blind to see a half dead glauca pushing out a deformed frond, covered in dust and with all its roots out of the bottle growing in algae filled water. I had to actually pot it up with the bottom of the plastic bottle and it's now doing great.

I think I'll go kick it.

Take home message - they look dainty but ain't! Tough!

Cheers,

Adam

[Walter John]

great palm, great plant, buy them out, do it..

[Nigel]

Take home message - they look dainty but ain't! Tough!

Cheers,

Adam

Well, if its passed the Adam trash test its one tough palm.

[Mike in Nelson]

Thanks for the replys. Adam, I'll be sure to give a good beating when I get it home.

[Adam from Oz]

Thanks for the replys. Adam, I'll be sure to give a good beating when I get it home.

That's the stuff! Treat it mean, keep it keen!

[peachy]

Well as I am a gentle soul and not a brutish sadist like people whose name begins with an A, I have to agree with Miccles and the A person about this palm. Have I killed one ? Well...um...yes but....I forgot it was there and a climbing bauhinia galpinii buried it alive. However they generally survive anything my climate throws at them, plus they usually look pretty too.

Peachy

[Nigel]

Well as I am a gentle soul and not a brutish sadist like people whose name begins with an A, I have to agree with Miccles and the A person about this palm. Have I killed one ? Well...um...yes but

Peachy !!! You killed a palm that passed the Adam trash test ... you have a hidden dark side

[Adam from Oz]

Well as I am a gentle soul and not a brutish sadist like people whose name begins with an A, I have to agree with Miccles and the A person about this palm. Have I killed one ? Well...um...yes but

Peachy !!! You killed a palm that passed the Adam trash test ... you have a hidden dark side

She's never hidden that side very well, Nigel!

[DoomsDave]

Mike

THey're tough, but well,

They like full fun

Fast Drainage

regular water

Plenty of heat

[richnorm]

Mike, you can't go wrong with this palm, they do really well here. I love 'em. Quite large ones come up on Trademe every now and then for ludicrously low prices. I've seen habitat shots of them growing on cliff faces at quite high altitude so they surely are one of the toughest Madagascans.

cheers

Richard

[Mike in Nelson]

Wasn't aware they were for sale on Trademe, Rich. Probably cheaper than the DIYs too!

[Gary]

Mike I think it maybe Planted Earth selling them on trade me and they arent that hard toget

[Alberto]

Mike

THey're tough, but well,

They like full fun

Fast Drainage

regular water

Plenty of heat

Mine grow well below light canopy,with good drainage,regular water and cannot say plenty of heat because our ´´normal´´ summer days are around 25°C sometimes reaching 31°C.

[J. australis]

Is that enough enthusiasm for you? Also one of my, very favourite small palms, soooooooo tough, wildly under-utilised in temperate gardens. Here is my trio after 8 years in-ground.

Particularly graceful shadows.

[TimHopper]

Very nice Jo. They look healthy. I had a small one a few years ago that didn't make it. Your photos have inspired me to have another go et Glauca.

[tim_brissy_13]

Looking good Jo. Is one of those the little one I got from Bob's years ago? R. glaucas are great for our climate, much more reliable and better looking than R. rivularis.

[J. australis]

Hi Tims!

Tim H, they put up with anything, here. But your 'anything' and my 'anything' may be different!

Tim B, the littlest one is the palm you swapped me for a Lepi - good spotting. The only drawback is slow growth - I wonder if they're as slow in habitat? If they grow faster in the subtropics, then perhaps this is the perfect species for growing up North and selling as 'established' palms down here.

[peachy]

Hi Tims!

Tim H, they put up with anything, here. But your 'anything' and my 'anything' may be different!

Tim B, the littlest one is the palm you swapped me for a Lepi - good spotting. The only drawback is slow growth - I wonder if they're as slow in habitat? If they grow faster in the subtropics, then perhaps this is the perfect species for growing up North and selling as 'established' palms down here.

Could I be sensing a business opportunity here ??

[Mike in Nelson]

Is that enough enthusiasm for you? Also one of my, very favourite small palms, soooooooo tough, wildly under-utilised in temperate gardens. Here is my trio after 8 years in-ground.

And to top it off, a good crop of Manadarins and Lemons too, Jo.

[Tyrone]

I remember getting my first R glauca's in from Rosebud Farm around 04 as one leafers. They had about 30cm of roots and about 5cm above ground so I had to put them in 200mm pots on a bit of a sideways angle to fit the roots under the soil. It felt weird planting such a young plant in such a huge pot and I expected losses. Not one single loss resulted and I left them in those pots until around 2010. By then the soil was total goo, but the plants were anywhere from 60cm tall to 1.5m tall. Once repotted they never looked back. This beautiful species can take considerable neglect and they reward you for such lack of effort with some of the daintiest neatest leaves around.

I have planted 3 in the ground in close proximity to each other in the hope that one day they'll seed (need male and female). Fresh seed would be a bonus as seed out of Madagascar is generally too old to germinate well. Unfortunately the ones I planted are in a bit of shade so it may be a while before they flower, but they look great. This species also has the right dimensions for modern suburbia. Combined with it's easy care the only thing holding it back from becoming the next big mass produced palm IMO, is the low viability of wild collected seed.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Hillizard]

Ravenea glauca is one tough/hardy palm, as noted in this thread! I'm relieved that my in-ground R. glauca is just now leafing out after our difficult winter. It does appreciate some midday shade where I live, but otherwise seems to do well here in NorCal.