Coconut growth rate in Central FL

[pj_orlando_z9b]

March 2016 and Aug 2018. This year, it has put all its energy into rebuilding the crown. If not for that, I think the rate would be even better. Still very impressive. I'm pleased. 

[Dave-Vero]

Considering that they died in droves in Vero Beach in 2010-2011, I wouldn't encourage growing them in Orlando.

Of course Vero is now stuffed with coconuts, some getting pretty tall, and I drove through Cocoa Beach Thursday evening.  They're all over the place.  

[pj_orlando_z9b]

7 hours ago, Dave-Vero said:

Considering that they died in droves in Vero Beach in 2010-2011, I wouldn't encourage growing them in Orlando.

Of course Vero is now stuffed with coconuts, some getting pretty tall, and I drove through Cocoa Beach Thursday evening.  They're all over the place.  

I'm very well aware I'm out of range. I always have been a zone pusher which forces me to protect on the coldest nights. The barrier islands look so tropical. They're a whole half to full zone higher than inland.

[redant]

At $20 or so why not plant one. A tray of flowers will cost you that much and not last as long.  I geminate all mine so they are free and everywhere.

[sonoranfans]

If I push my zone, I will do it with a small palm, not a big one.  I don't want a 30' or 40' dead tree to take down after a 20 year cold snap.  This is also why I didn't buy a tahina spectabilis when they were available,one day it would flower and die as a huge palm.  I have a caryota mitis and am asking myself if I should cut it down as it seems to be growing a lot bigger than I thought it would as a 25' clumper and still growing 7 years after planting a 3 gallon.  I have watched that mitiis next to a 30' royal I have.  the mitis is keeping pace, I thought the royal would leave it behind by now.

 

[redant]

49 minutes ago, sonoranfans said:

If I push my zone, I will do it with a small palm, not a big one.  I don't want a 30' or 40' dead tree to take down after a 20 year cold snap.  This is also why I didn't buy a tahina spectabilis when they were available,one day it would flower and die as a huge palm.  I have a caryota mitis and am asking myself if I should cut it down as it seems to be growing a lot bigger than I thought it would as a 25' clumper and still growing 7 years after planting a 3 gallon.  I have watched that mitiis next to a 30' royal I have.  the mitis is keeping pace, I thought the royal would leave it behind by now.

Hade a huge C. No come down during Irma, what a beast to get rid of

 

 

 

[Dave-Vero]

Of course Leu Gardens has been the center for creative zone pushing.  Buy some seeds, let them grow.  When the inevitable freeze comes, the place will look bad, but there will have been years of enjoyment. 

At the beaches, everything, except more or less the live oaks, is temporary, and even the oaks can get badly bashed.  

I'm pretty well satisfied that I had only one fatality in 2010-11 and one more in Irma.  What did amaze me is that a Carpentaria seedling, left untended, is now as tall as its parent.  Zoom.  

Here's a Latania as a bedding plant at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania last year.  I'm sure it went to the big mulch pile.  This year, another Philly-area garden, Chanticleer, has Bizzies.

 

 

[Walt]

11 hours ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

March 2016 and Aug 2018. This year, it has put all its energy into rebuilding the crown. If not for that, I think the rate would be even better. Still very impressive. I'm pleased. 

Well, IMO, your coconut palm has put on some notable growth compared to how slow my green Malayan dwarf grew. My coconut only has around 7 feet of trunk after being in the ground for about 15 years. Again, as I've said before, with the proper trunk and meristem protection, you should be able to grow your palm indefinitely. These are the kind of heating cables I use (24 feet and 40 feet lengths). They are more supple than an extension cord, and have a lighted plug, so you can see it from inside the house -- knowing it's getting power and doing its job.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermwell-Products-HC18-Pipe-Cable/dp/B0041E953Y/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1535734499&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=easy+heat+pipe+heat+cable&psc=1

 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

4 hours ago, sonoranfans said:

If I push my zone, I will do it with a small palm, not a big one.  I don't want a 30' or 40' dead tree to take down after a 20 year cold snap.  This is also why I didn't buy a tahina spectabilis when they were available,one day it would flower and die as a huge palm.  I have a caryota mitis and am asking myself if I should cut it down as it seems to be growing a lot bigger than I thought it would as a 25' clumper and still growing 7 years after planting a 3 gallon.  I have watched that mitiis next to a 30' royal I have.  the mitis is keeping pace, I thought the royal would leave it behind by now.

 

This did cross my mind. Lol. Once I saw how much trunk emerged this year I was like crap, now removing this is going to be a chore. But oh well...I am enjoying it now and wont worry about tomorrow too much. I'm all about enjoying life!

[pj_orlando_z9b]

2 hours ago, Dave-Vero said:

Of course Leu Gardens has been the center for creative zone pushing.  Buy some seeds, let them grow.  When the inevitable freeze comes, the place will look bad, but there will have been years of enjoyment. 

At the beaches, everything, except more or less the live oaks, is temporary, and even the oaks can get badly bashed.  

I'm pretty well satisfied that I had only one fatality in 2010-11 and one more in Irma.  What did amaze me is that a Carpentaria seedling, left untended, is now as tall as its parent.  Zoom.  

Here's a Latania as a bedding plant at Longwood Gardens in Pennsylvania last year.  I'm sure it went to the big mulch pile.  This year, another Philly-area garden, Chanticleer, has Bizzies.

 

 

Why is everything but live oaks temporary? Hurricanes?

[pj_orlando_z9b]

2 hours ago, Walt said:

Well, IMO, your coconut palm has put on some notable growth compared to how slow my green Malayan dwarf grew. My coconut only has around 7 feet of trunk after being in the ground for about 15 years. Again, as I've said before, with the proper trunk and meristem protection, you should be able to grow your palm indefinitely. These are the kind of heating cables I use (24 feet and 40 feet lengths). They are more supple than an extension cord, and have a lighted plug, so you can see it from inside the house -- knowing it's getting power and doing its job.

https://www.amazon.com/Thermwell-Products-HC18-Pipe-Cable/dp/B0041E953Y/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1535734499&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=easy+heat+pipe+heat+cable&psc=1

 

I'm still working to identify the variety of this coconut palm. It is a blazing fast grower for sure. Thanks for the link. I always appreciate your advice.

[Walt]

1 hour ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

I'm still working to identify the variety of this coconut palm. It is a blazing fast grower for sure. Thanks for the link. I always appreciate your advice.

I was just out inspecting my coconut palm, and I measured it standing with my outstretched arm, and I estimate it has 8 feet of trunk, not 7 feet as I stated above. Still, that's maybe just over a half foot of trunk growth per year average. Also, so far this year my coconut hasn't put out one flower spike. I'm puzzled by that. I remember the first time my coconut flowered and produced some small nuts that eventually aborted. But then it went several years, if not more, before it ever flowered again. This is my coconut palm as it looks today. It's slowly replacing its frost burned winter fronds. I figure it should produce a few more fronds before winter sets in. I just hope I don't have to use my heating cables and insulation this winter. I haven't used them for the past 4-5 winters.

[RedRabbit]

I discovered on around here last year with at least 12' of clear trunk. I figured it surely must have been planted before 2010, but it wasn't! I was very impressed a coconut could grow that much and be well under 10yrs old. 

[Dave-Vero]

That's very much the case in Brevard County.  Most of Cocoa Beach's are young, and so are about 50% of the ones in my mainland Vero neighborhood.  A certain number of coconuts, mostly well protected by oak canopy or water, survived the cold.

 

[Jason-Palm king]

On 8/31/2018 at 10:41 PM, Dave-Vero said:

That's very much the case in Brevard County.  Most of Cocoa Beach's are young, and so are about 50% of the ones in my mainland Vero neighborhood.  A certain number of coconuts, mostly well protected by oak canopy or water, survived the cold.

 

My in-laws live on Merritt Island near cocoa beach . I remember prior to the 2010 winter , their entire neighborhood had coconut Palms on nearly every other house . Those were mostly planted shortly after the neighborhood was built back in 1990. Some of the coconut palms were 40 feet in height . ALL of them died during that winter . The neighborhood across the street which dates back to the 1950’s , all of them survived that winter and they all stand to this day . I guess microclimates can really help 

[ruskinPalms]

There are coconuts that survived 2010 in somewhat inland Sarasota and  manatee counties (like just east of I75). I do remember that year and watched many coconuts beachside die in Venice in Sarasota county. Of course some survived. It was interesting, lots of cold sea fog that year. I think that nuked some of the beachside palms while some just a bit inland made it because of better heat.