Medjool in Mobile?

[Manalto]

In May, I put four date seeds in a pot that were left over from the end-of-the-semester pot-luck picnic I always have with my students. (I have a good percentage of students from the Middle East, who always bring the best food.) Three of the four seeds sprouted, the largest has two straps about 18" long. Today I planted the biggest one in a spot where I imagine (probably long after my demise) a stately date palm will stand and look fabulous. I was surprised at the length of the root. It's late December in Gulf-Coast 8B Alabama, meaning that we could be in for some chilly temperatures in January and February. (The three seedlings have already come through the high 20s (F) earlier this month.) I mulched with a good amount of pine straw. I have to leave in a week or two. Do you think it will make it? Any suggestions on something I can to to increase its chance of survival?

Edited December 29, 2019 by Manalto

[kinzyjr]

2 hours ago, Manalto said:

In May, I put four date seeds in a pot that were left over from the end-of-the-semester pot-luck picnic I always have with my students. (I have a good percentage of students from the Middle East, who always bring the best food.) Three of the four seeds sprouted, the largest has two straps about 18" long. Today I planted the biggest one in a spot where I imagine (probably long after my demise) a stately date palm will stand and look fabulous. I was surprised at the length of the root. It's late December in Gulf-Coast 8B Alabama, meaning that we could be in for some chilly temperatures in January and February. (The three seedlings have already come through the high 20s (F) earlier this month.) I mulched with a good amount of pine straw. I have to leave in a week or two. Do you think it will make it? Any suggestions on something I can to to increase its chance of survival?

I'm guilty of the "sin" of referring to palms grown from store-bought pits as Medjool, but pits from Medjool dates aren't really Medjool as they don't come true to type from seed. 

A factor in your favor is that you rarely get fatal temperatures for these in your location.  The offspring will hopefully carry on some of those damp-cold-tolerant traits.  Another trait you can expect is for some, if not most, of the seedlings to be suckering.  If one sucker survives, the clump will typically regenerate itself after a nasty freeze.  They sometimes even push up new stems from the clump after a total stem kill.

"Medjool" are moderately tolerant of humidity, and sometimes set fruit in humid subtropical climates.  The Zahidi variety is one of the more tolerant of our rainy and humid climates.  We have a few at Lake Wire in Lakeland, but it isn't large enough to flower or set fruit yet.  High 20s shouldn't bother a Phoenix dactylifera. 

Increase chance of survival?  If you have a spot under a very high canopy, that will help if you get a nasty radiational freeze.  If you can keep the wind off of them, particularly from the North and Northwest, that can help a lot during advective freezes.  If the soil is fast draining (cactus mix?) and you use elevated planting, that can help improve their hardiness.  High and dry is the order of the day for these.  Their long roots that you mentioned are meant to search for and secure a source of ground water in their native environment.

That said, I did exactly the same planting here.  These are mine.  All but one has been in the ground for 9.5 years from small seedlings.  All of the ones on the right side of the driveway are the typical suckering, feral types.  The large, solitary one carries mostly the Medjool traits, flowers, and sets fruit each year.

[Manalto]

Thanks, Kinzy. I really like the sturdy look of your Phoenix youngsters. I'd be thrilled with similar results. I'm hoping my seedlings can ignore the 20+ extra inches of rain we get here, compared to Lakeland.  If not, I'll keep an eye peeled for the 'Zahidi.' A car dealership not far from here has huge date palms (I'm not good at identifying variants yet) in their lot. All the cultural requirements you mention are met - they're on the south side of the building, planted high in the parking lot islands in full sun, and they look great.

[kinzyjr]

32 minutes ago, Manalto said:

Thanks, Kinzy. I really like the sturdy look of your Phoenix youngsters. I'd be thrilled with similar results. I'm hoping my seedlings can ignore the 20+ extra inches of rain we get here, compared to Lakeland.  If not, I'll keep an eye peeled for the 'Zahidi.' A car dealership not far from here has huge date palms (I'm not good at identifying variants yet) in their lot. All the cultural requirements you mention are met - they're on the south side of the building, planted high in the parking lot islands in full sun, and they look great.

I don't think that you'll have too much issue with the rain, so long as the palm doesn't sit in standing water.  In regard to the variety, most large date palms in landscapes are old date grove palms from AZ or CA.  They get past their optimal fruiting years and it's out to pasture - fetching a good price for the palm and the associated installation.  If the palms at the dealership you mentioned look like the ones in this link, they are likely old Medjools:

Phoenix dactylifera 'Medjool' - Downtown Lakeland

[Manalto]

On 12/29/2019 at 9:20 AM, kinzyjr said:

...most large date palms in landscapes are old date grove palms from AZ or CA.  They get past their optimal fruiting years and it's out to pasture - fetching a good price for the palm and the associated installation.  If the palms at the dealership you mentioned look like the ones in this link, they are likely old Medjools:

Phoenix dactylifera 'Medjool' - Downtown Lakeland

Those look like they could be the same, however I've only seen them going by at 40 mph. (You know what you're in for when you wander around at a car dealership!) I'll see if I can grab a photo in the next day or so.

Those date palms are big. I wish Phoenix roebelenii were a little more cold tolerant and would do well here.