Parajubaea sunkha in Florida

[tank]

I've had mine in the ground for three years now in a raised bed in probably the best micro-climate in my yard, especially for this species as it gets airflow from the nearby air handler, morning sun and benefits from being planted near the house. Its survival has certainly been helped by the relatively warm winters I've had over the past few years. Not sure if it would have made it without some serious help during the freeze of 2010. It is a double and the larger of the two is starting to put out split leaves and seems to be picking up speed (so far it has been a very slow grower).

This is my third try with this species and I suspect the previous failures were mostly due to driver error and just bad luck.

Was initially fairly fatalistic about its potential for survival but so far it really hasn't had any problems, not even leaf spotting, etc.

I'm starting to get attached to it (probably ensuring its swift demise).

Anyone else successfully growing this or any other parajubaeas in Florida? I know that Krishna has one just south of me in Ocala.

I'll try and post a picture today or tomorrow.

[tank]

Also, it never see's the sun after 2 or 3 in the afternoon as it is in the shade of the house by then, presumably keeping it from seeing the most brutal part of the day in the humid southeast.

[Tropicdoc]

Killing me with no pictures. I'm interested to see your palm for sure, Tank. No, I don't have one.... yet.

[Josh-O]

Tank, throw up a pic amigo

[_Keith]

Also, it never see's the sun after 2 or 3 in the afternoon as it is in the shade of the house by then, presumably keeping it from seeing the most brutal part of the day in the humid southeast.

'When I tried PJs I planted them under the outer canopy of oaks on the east side. That way that they got full morning sun until around noon, then high shade. It also protected them from frostt, and the oaks roots also kept the excess ground water under control as they sucked it up. The PJs made it through the 2010 freeze, and a total of 2 winters and 2 summers. Actually I lost them when we had our all time record drought when I did not keep them adequately watered. I will try them again under the same conditions, and barring another record drought I am confident they will do find.

[Phoenikakias]

Imo it is cold hardier than tvt and keeps active growth at lower temps than latter, though at hot temps it stops earlier growing. It seems to me slower than tvt.

[Kailua_Krish]

Here is mine on Xmas day of this past year

[Sandy Loam]

It has done fine for me in northern Florida, although I started out by erring too much on shade-planting it to avoid heat. It did not like that full shade location so has since been transplanted to a mixed sun and shade location.

It did not die despite three very shoddy transplantings, although it is a slow grower.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Sandy Loam

[Tropicdoc]

What do y'all think looks more like a coconut.... Sunkha or butia x pjc?

[Kailua_Krish]

Just a testament to how slow these are in my area, I just realized the palm I posted is roughly 7-8 years planted from a strap leaf seedling. Pretty slow here in Florida, though I can say Ive never had a single problem with it. Phoenikakias is right, they don't grow much between April to October as our heat is too high, but the past two "cool" winters it has loved.

[tank]

Here is my little guy(s)

[Mandrew968]

Isn't this species alleged to take the most heat? It's also the furry one, no? I have no experiences but would love to grow one, though I doubt I could...

[Kailua_Krish]

It tolerates heat but doesn't seem to love it. Like I mentioned, growth basically comes to a halt during the summer months. It loves the cooler North/Central Florida Fall, Winter, and Spring.

[Mandrew968]

It tolerates heat but doesn't seem to love it. Like I mentioned, growth basically comes to a halt during the summer months. It loves the cooler North/Central Florida Fall, Winter, and Spring.

I have spent A LOT of time up in Gainesville and Tallahasse and North Florida; I would say you guys get as hot or hotter than we do, down south, simply from the lack of breeze, up there--here we have that almost constant ocean breeze that seems to make our heat more bearable than the summers I have spent up north. When I am up there, in the summer, I am always seeking the rivers and springs which are so cool(in more ways than one).

As far as this palm, you guys have longer cool periods and much colder temps, but I think our heat is similar, albeit we endure it for longer. Can anyone agree with that?

[Kailua_Krish]

I live in Miami for school Andrew (and have for 4 years), I know both climates.

Yes we get hotter in Ocala during the summer (for the reasons you mentioned), but we cool off significantly at night and during the "off" months its much cooler there (the climate seems to transition around Orlando).

[tank]

It tolerates heat but doesn't seem to love it. Like I mentioned, growth basically comes to a halt during the summer months. It loves the cooler North/Central Florida Fall, Winter, and Spring.

I have spent A LOT of time up in Gainesville and Tallahasse and North Florida; I would say you guys get as hot or hotter than we do, down south, simply from the lack of breeze, up there--here we have that almost constant ocean breeze that seems to make our heat more bearable than the summers I have spent up north. When I am up there, in the summer, I am always seeking the rivers and springs which are so cool(in more ways than one).

As far as this palm, you guys have longer cool periods and much colder temps, but I think our heat is similar, albeit we endure it for longer. Can anyone agree with that?

I would generally agree with that. Afternoon sea breeze really helps moderate temps. Although, on the off day that the sea breeze doesn't kick in, the southwest coast (and I'm assuming the southeast coast as well) gets pretty unbearable. Over the past couple years, because I was actually paying attention to it, Atlanta seemed to be the hottest area in the southeast. When we were at 96F, they always seemed to be a couple/few degrees warmer.

[Tropicdoc]

Man that's hot. Sounds like Shreveport or Dallas. It rains about 80% of afternoons in the summer here, so we stay a little cooler, albeit humid.

[Phoenikakias]

Both sunkha and tvt growing side by side. They are of exactly the same age. The sunkha is the smaller of the two, but it does seem to be less vigorous. It's just that it falls almost dormant during hot weather.

[JasonD]

Tropicdoc, Parajubaea sunkha looks in some ways (curvature of adolescent leaves, especially) more coconutty than P. cocoides, though in other respects like width of leaflets and persistence of juvenile, unsplit leaves, P. cocoides looks more coconutty. Photos of old Pj cocoides in Ecuador make it look very much like a coconut, but I've never seen one that tall.

I don't find the Pj coco x Butia hybrid to look more like a coconut than any of the three species. Parajubaea torallyi var. torallyi in youth can resemble one of those extra robust coconuts, while P. sunkha can look a bit like a Malayan Dwarf. They're all gawky compared to Cocos nucifera, IMHO, as much as I like them.

Mandrew, all three species have hairy leafbases that hang on for a while. I don't know which species has the most persistent.

[Kailua_Krish]

So I am completely convinced that cooler night temperatures and some cooler winter temps are the key to growing this species in Florida.

I was able to visit Leu gardens yesterday and went to see their plant of P. sunkha, while older than my plant it still is fairly small.

This is compared with my P. sunkha which after this mild (but cool) winter now has leaves that are taller than me (5'10)

(This photo is from this past fall, I foolishly forgot to take another photo while I was back in Central FL this weekend)

[Alicehunter2000]

Yes, really need to give this one a shot. My heat is not as extreme as inland (night or day) so it should in theory do better in North Florida on the coast than inland.

[Danilopez89]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

[Kailua_Krish]

I think anywhere in the SE that is North of Orlando should give this palm a try. It survives and even looks good in Orlando, just doesn't grow all that fast.

David, do you have warmer night temps during the year since you're next to the coast?

Dani, its not that it isn't head tolerant. Just in the SE US it doesn't seem to grow when temps are high. In all honesty I know nothing about growing palms in California.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

Pedro, sunka will take all kinds of heat but grows better with cool nights. It's why these grow so fast in CA since, even during hot weather our nights cool off due in part to lower humidity levels. All my Parajubaea (cocoides, torallyi, and sunkha) are fast growers and continue robust growth during the summer too. A 90 degree afternoon will drop to 60 degrees by the following morning.

I think you guys in central and north FL should all be trying this genus palm even if it's a bit slow when juvenile. They may pick up speed when some trunk eventually forms.

[Kailua_Krish]

Id like to try a Ptvt but can't find any small seedlings of it. I got my Sunkha off of eBay.

[Danilopez89]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

Pedro, sunka will take all kinds of heat but grows better with cool nights. It's why these grow so fast in CA since, even during hot weather our nights cool off due in part to lower humidity levels. All my Parajubaea (cocoides, torallyi, and sunkha) are fast growers and continue robust growth during the summer too. A 90 degree afternoon will drop to 60 degrees by the following morning.

I think you guys in central and north FL should all be trying this genus palm even if it's a bit slow when juvenile. They may pick up speed when some trunk eventually forms.

Jim thank for clearing that up a bit. I just bought one and was told Sunkha would take the most heat. My summers don't really cool down during the night, actually on some mornings it can be 90 degrees before sunrise. So I'm not sure how it will do here during summer? Do you guys think Sunkha can be compared to a Butia? As in how much heat and sun they can take.

[Mandrew968]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

Pedro, sunka will take all kinds of heat but grows better with cool nights.

Jim, I don't know, but wouldn't think this palm could or would grow for me. Despite maybe two months a year, we don't have any 'cool' weather and I have never seen one; most good growing California palms are not really candidates for me in my heat, much like you guys usually tend to stay away from Licualas, Pinangas and Calyptrocalyx?..

[Jim in Los Altos]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

Pedro, sunka will take all kinds of heat but grows better with cool nights.

Jim, I don't know, but wouldn't think this palm could or would grow for me. Despite maybe two months a year, we don't have any 'cool' weather and I have never seen one; most good growing California palms are not really candidates for me in my heat, much like you guys usually tend to stay away from Licualas, Pinangas and Calyptrocalyx?..

Hmm. I've got Pinanga and several Licuala in my garden and know that there are lots of SoCal people growing them too. I'm not sure about Calyptrocalyx but I'm trying some this spring.

Andrew, I'd still give a P. sunkha a try. They're not expensive and are available on eBay. It would likely be a slow grower but, in a cooler, afternoon shaded area of your yard, it probably would work.

[Mandrew968]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

Pedro, sunka will take all kinds of heat but grows better with cool nights.

Jim, I don't know, but wouldn't think this palm could or would grow for me. Despite maybe two months a year, we don't have any 'cool' weather and I have never seen one; most good growing California palms are not really candidates for me in my heat, much like you guys usually tend to stay away from Licualas, Pinangas and Calyptrocalyx?..

Hmm. I've got Pinanga and several Licuala in my garden and know that there are lots of SoCal people growing them too. I'm not sure about Calyptrocalyx but I'm trying some this spring.

Andrew, I'd still give a P. sunkha a try. They're not expensive and are available on eBay. It would likely be a slow grower but, in a cooler, afternoon shaded area of your yard, it probably would work.

That sounds very tempting... ok--now you have to give me the names of the palms you mentioned above!

(I am guessing ramsayi and coronata or dicksonii--anything else would be a surprise)

[Jim in Los Altos]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

Pedro, sunka will take all kinds of heat but grows better with cool nights.

Jim, I don't know, but wouldn't think this palm could or would grow for me. Despite maybe two months a year, we don't have any 'cool' weather and I have never seen one; most good growing California palms are not really candidates for me in my heat, much like you guys usually tend to stay away from Licualas, Pinangas and Calyptrocalyx?..

Hmm. I've got Pinanga and several Licuala in my garden and know that there are lots of SoCal people growing them too. I'm not sure about Calyptrocalyx but I'm trying some this spring.

Andrew, I'd still give a P. sunkha a try. They're not expensive and are available on eBay. It would likely be a slow grower but, in a cooler, afternoon shaded area of your yard, it probably would work.

That sounds very tempting... ok--now you have to give me the names of the palms you mentioned above!

(I am guessing ramsayi and coronata or dicksonii)

I've got several L.peltata 'sumawongii', L. ramsayi, and P. coronata all several years old. Here's one of my Licuala.

[Mandrew968]

Very nice! Sorry for taking us off topic, but Licuala is always a good excuse IMO...

[Jim in Los Altos]

Very nice! Sorry for taking us off topic, but Licuala is always a good excuse IMO...

Agree.

[Kailua_Krish]

Are you guys saying that Sunkha takes less heat than tvt? I just bought a Sunkha and was wondering how much heat it will take.

Pedro, sunka will take all kinds of heat but grows better with cool nights.

Jim, I don't know, but wouldn't think this palm could or would grow for me. Despite maybe two months a year, we don't have any 'cool' weather and I have never seen one; most good growing California palms are not really candidates for me in my heat, much like you guys usually tend to stay away from Licualas, Pinangas and Calyptrocalyx?..

Andrew, considering the fact it is so slow in Orlando compared to just slightly north in Ocala I would imagine Sunkha would be slower than a snail in your climate. It seems to survive just fine in Orlando but it doesn't really seem to get any bigger.