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Brachychiton discolor in the Cold

ahosey01

By ahosey01
in TROPICAL LOOKING PLANTS - Other Than Palms

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Silas_Sancona Grand Master

Silas_Sancona

Posted
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2 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Good cold hardiness info for Brachychiton discolor is difficult to find.

Anyone?

https://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?plant_id=4550

Suggested cold hardiness is about what i'd expect here also.. Biggest challenge for this species, and A. bidwillii, may be our heat. Lost my A. discolor to it last summer.  If you try either, would white wash the trunk, or start in noon-afternoon shade/ allow it to grow into more sun. Of the two, A. bidwillii is harder to find.

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necturus Experienced

necturus

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Haven't tried discolor but bet its pretty tough. It's been trialed in north Florida - http://southeastgarden.com/brachychiton.html

Bidwillii froze here when still small. Bad freeze, down to twenty. Didn't come back, so not too optimistic about this one. Might be a winner if better established.

Populneus has been unfazed the last two mild years here. 

Rupestris is a must for you. Mine froze to the base in a pot after two nights at 20 but came back vigorously. I planted it the next year, and we had an even more severe freeze (longer duration, similar lows) that it came through without damage. Now it's a big tree.

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Silas_Sancona Grand Master

Silas_Sancona

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Here's a thread ( about B. bidwillii, ) from 2008
 

 

Edited by Silas_Sancona
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ahosey01 Grand Master

ahosey01

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49 minutes ago, necturus said:

Haven't tried discolor but bet its pretty tough. It's been trialed in north Florida - http://southeastgarden.com/brachychiton.html

Bidwillii froze here when still small. Bad freeze, down to twenty. Didn't come back, so not too optimistic about this one. Might be a winner if better established.

Populneus has been unfazed the last two mild years here. 

Rupestris is a must for you. Mine froze to the base in a pot after two nights at 20 but came back vigorously. I planted it the next year, and we had an even more severe freeze (longer duration, similar lows) that it came through without damage. Now it's a big tree.

I want to plant Rupestris, Populneus and Discolor in my jungle.

Had a theme I called "palms & pines" going (really more like palms and conifers).  Would like to extend that theme to include bottle trees.  There's a populneus a quarter mile from my house that's doing great, and San Marcos says rupestris can take 15.  So my only question is just the discolor.  We'll find out!

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Silas_Sancona Grand Master

Silas_Sancona

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7 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

I want to plant Rupestris, Populneus and Discolor in my jungle.

Had a theme I called "palms & pines" going (really more like palms and conifers).  Would like to extend that theme to include bottle trees.  There's a populneus a quarter mile from my house that's doing great, and San Marcos says rupestris can take 15.  So my only question is just the discolor.  We'll find out!

Would be weary of B. populneus.. Not sure if it was heat related, some new issue, or both but watched numerous specimens drop dead this summer all over this side of town.. 

This specimen looked perfect last Spring.  What it looked like by August.  1 of probably 2 dozen of every size that did the same thing around the neighborhood.
 

DSC09575.JPG

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Hillizard Grand Master

Hillizard

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For comparison, here are two of mine in pictures taken today. The first image below is my Brachychiton discolor that's scarcely dropped a leaf despite quite a few nights this month in the low 30s where I am in interior NorCal. It bloomed for the first time this past summer. The second image is my Brachychiton acerifolius that also has stayed green despite the low temps. It's not yet bloomed for me. I'm 'using' both trees as quick shade/shelter for more tender palms and other plants below them.

Brachychiton_discolor2020.png

Brachychiton_acerifolius2020.png

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Silas_Sancona Grand Master

Silas_Sancona

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1 minute ago, Hillizard said:

For comparison, here are two of mine in pictures taken today. The first image below is my Brachychiton discolor that's scarcely dropped a leaf despite quite a few nights this month in the low 30s where I am in central NorCal. It bloomed for the first time this past summer. The second image is my Brachychiton acerifolius that also has stayed green despite the low temps. It's not yet bloomed for me. I'm 'using' both trees as quick shade/shelter for more tender palms and other plants below them.

Brachychiton_discolor2020.png

Brachychiton_acerifolius2020.png

:greenthumb: That things getting huge!

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Hillizard Grand Master

Hillizard

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3 minutes ago, Silas_Sancona said:

:greenthumb: That things getting huge!

True that!! The B. discolor is still inside the fence line and below the telephone lines, but will be easy to prune to keep it in bounds. The biggest complaint I have about it is the late summer leaf drop but it's never gone completely leafless, unlike in other areas of California. I think I water it too much in the summer! Ha ha!

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Silas_Sancona Grand Master

Silas_Sancona

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8 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

True that!! The B. discolor is still inside the fence line and below the telephone lines, but will be easy to prune to keep it in bounds. The biggest complaint I have about it is the late summer leaf drop but it's never gone completely leafless, unlike in other areas of California. I think I water it too much in the summer! Ha ha!

Huh, didn't realize this sp. shed leaves that late..  Like how the leaves on it resemble Platanus ( Sycamore ) but w/ out the fuzzy fruit drop/ rust issues.. 

Btw.. where the heck have you been hiding all fall, lol.

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Hillizard Grand Master

Hillizard

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4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Huh, didn't realize this sp. shed leaves that late..  Like how the leaves on it resemble Platanus ( Sycamore ) but w/ out the fuzzy fruit drop/ rust issues.. 

Btw.. where the heck have you been hiding all fall, lol.

Nathan: There isn't a lot of growth in my garden right now so fewer pictures. My treasured, lone Hydriastele ramsayi is growing sooooo slowly indoors, on a heat mat next to a south-facing window. None of the new seeds have sprouted yet. A fair number of my subtropicals are overwintering in my sunroom. I have enjoyed attending the past two IPS webinars. Great pictures and stories by the speakers! :greenthumb:

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Hillizard Grand Master

Hillizard

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On 12/23/2020 at 11:51 AM, Hillizard said:

For comparison, here is one of mine. My Brachychiton discolor that's scarcely dropped a leaf despite quite a few nights this month in the low 30s where I am in interior NorCal. It bloomed for the first time this past summer.

Brachychiton_discolor2020.png

 

Winter storm "Orlena" here in NorCal had a major impact on my backyard last night. Lost this Brachychiton discolor from the high winds.  The wood was so soft I was able to cut it up with just a little handsaw. I think part of the problem was it'd spent too many years in a pot and the main roots were wrapped around each other when I planted it. At least my B. acerifolius is ok, so far, but the storm isn't over yet. The only good thing about this is space has now opened up to plant more palms!  :rolleyes: My palms handled the wind well, except for a Parajubaea torallyi torallyi that leaned a bit.

MyTree_RIP.png

 

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Silas_Sancona Grand Master

Silas_Sancona

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3 minutes ago, Hillizard said:

Winter storm "Orlena" here in NorCal had a major impact on my backyard last night. Lost this Brachychiton discolor from the high winds.  The wood was so soft I was able to cut it up with just a little handsaw. I think part of the problem was it'd spent too many years in a pot and the main roots were wrapped around each other when I planted it. At least my B. acerifolius is ok, so far, but the storm isn't over yet. The only good thing about this is space has now opened up to plant more palms!  :rolleyes:

MyTree_RIP.png

:o Bummer!!  That was a really nice specimen too! :rant:

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Hillizard Grand Master

Hillizard

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1 minute ago, Silas_Sancona said:

:o Bummer!!  That was a really nice specimen too! :rant:

Yes, and an Australian tree I don't think is too common here in interior NorCal. At least it bloomed for me this past summer, so I could enjoy that. I advise anyone thinking about planting one to start small before the main roots become compacted.

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Hillizard Grand Master

Hillizard

Posted
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On 1/27/2021 at 5:02 PM, Hillizard said:

Yes, and an Australian tree I don't think is too common here in interior NorCal. At least it bloomed for me this past summer, so I could enjoy that. I advise anyone thinking about planting one to start small before the main roots become compacted.

Friday, April 9... 'Bye 'bye Brachychiton!

I have disposed of the remains of my Brachychiton discolor that fell during a recent wind storm. A somewhat arduous, time-consuming task to accomplish with hand tools, but I managed to chop up all the branches and dig out the trunk of this +15yr-old tree. Really sorry to see it go (it was a 2-in. seedling when I bought it), but I already have a replacement to plant in that spot to create overstory shade for the adjacent palms, incl. Dypis onilahensis (L) and Kentiopsis oliviformis (R). My soil is a layer of soft clay over dense hardpan.

Brachychiton3.png

Brachychiton4.png

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Than Veteran

Than

Posted
Posted
On 12/23/2020 at 8:21 PM, ahosey01 said:

I want to plant Rupestris, Populneus and Discolor in my jungle.

 

how did it go?

previously known as ego

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