Puerto Rico Plantings

[Cindy Adair]

I will show some seedlings now grown large enough to plant in an area devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. To start here is a view prior to Maria:

I had not lived on this farm long before the landscape changed dramatically.

You might notice that along with multiple landslides, some tree ferns fell on my power line and partially uprooted a concrete pole. There was no rush to repair the line/pole issues as my area was off the electric grid for 5 months.

The initial "repair" (after I climbed that slope and cut down the tree fern trunks) was to hire a retired electrician who tied the line to the leaning pole with a single nylon rope I had purchased for a hammock.

Well, more than three years later, I finally found the right person and decided to fix the issue properly, burying the line and removing the unneeded pole. Better late than never. I also have a big sturdy shade house as my bent $99 carport canopy (partial frame above in white) clearly was not the best long term option.

As expected, the digging to bury the line late last year created a muddy mess, but was well worth it.

My view is now better than before and I have new planting areas! 

I will add more individual photos over the next few days and some overall views with an idea of future posts documenting them as they grow up. 

Here is Geonoma sp. "Entire Leaf"

Licuala triphylla

Basselinia eriostachys

More to follow....

 

[Cindy Adair]

Above, the Geonoma and two Licuala triphylla palms are right to left in this former landslide area.

Next is Iguanura (which my computer prefers to autocorrect to Iguana) wallichiana,

followed by Iguanura geonomiformis.

My women's size 7 boot gives scale in many photos.

Pinanga disticha

Reinhardtia gracilis

 

 

[Cindy Adair]

I would like to blame lighting or my camera for the too light green appearance of most of my palm leaves. However it is likely insufficient nutrition. The decent dirt I have usually greens them up quickly.

The little Pinanga disticha is the only palm pictured below.

I have had good luck with Calyptrocalyx and have other C. hollrungii palms, hence my decision to go ahead and plant this little one.

There's a Johannesteijsmannia altifrons centered below. This is another one that likes my growing conditions but I wanted to add one closer to my house.

A tree that fell a year after Maria hitting my power line, but amazingly not pulling down the yellow rope holding it up.  After some chain sawing I planted on top of the logs which are slowly decomposing. Recently I added 5 more Dypsis minuta babies. This species flowers about this size here!

My previous Dypsis minuta pair are mostly hidden here. There is a Chamaedorea arenbergiana trio, a flowering Arenga hookeriana, a Rhapis multifida and a Licuala mattanensis 'mapu'.

[Cindy Adair]

After this post I'll stop for the day and add the newly planted palms on the other side another day.

One of my Dypsis maroansetra trio. Awaiting selections of other locations for the other two.

Areca tunku

The palm on the hill is Wallichia marianneae.

 

And the last for today is Dypsis heterophylla.

 

[Reeverse]

Awesome I was wondering how things were coming along since Maria. Looks great 

[Kim]

Looking good, Cindy! Tiny palms now, soon to get much bigger. 

[Cindy Adair]

Thanks Kim and Reeverse! I am beginning to learn how fast my jungle can grow...

[Cindy Adair]

This photo shows one of my little Heterospathe scitula palms. Since I have several I am OK with planting one out this small to see how it adapts. I like the new leaf color.

Below are a pair of Wettinia hirsuta. I look forward to seeing them form stilt roots and grow up in this spot along my long driveway.

I planted this Licuala grandis awhile back and the Strategus beetle attacked it. I thought it was a goner, but after treatment and time it grew a new spear and then a second head. Some of these palms are tough!

 

 

[Cindy Adair]

Drymophloeus sp. Irian Jaya. There are a couple more growing fine nearby, but can't have too many of pretty palms.

Next is Licuala bintulensis. 

Brassiophoenix drymophloeoides, adding to make a trio

Asterogyne martiana

When I was able to get my now useless concrete pole removed, there was a hole more than 4 feet deep and 2-3 feet wide. After weeks of digging to contain the mud from burying the power line I was not keen on hauling dirt to fill the dangerous new hole.

So on a whim I bought a little preformed pond and just made the hole wider but more shallow, dumping surrounding soil into the hole. Easy! A bag of sand to level it and some gifted water plants and now a new small water feature.

Of course ideal to be in more sun to allow the little solar fountain to work more consistently and a pond on the other side of my road so I can easily access electricity and have a waterfall, but for now this one is fine.

Three Chamaedorea frondosa and another Brassiophoenix in the photo.

Dypsis paludosa

Areca oxycarpa

Hydriastele flabellata nearby

 

Calyptrocalyx archboldianus

 

 

[Cindy Adair]

That's all the new palms for this area this week.

Many of these I have never seen in person bigger than mine!

So please post any photos of the ones I show here to give me a preview of what to expect.

It's not too late to move ones if I made a planting position error!

Thanks!

[Dartolution]

@Cindy Adair I always enjoy seeing what you've done to your little slice in paradise. 

Great, and beautiful job! 

[John hovancsek]

Nice choice in plantings. We always see the new so I guess I am requesting the old stuff as well. Your garden is amazing 

[Cindy Adair]

5 hours ago, Dartolution said:

@Cindy Adair I always enjoy seeing what you've done to your little slice in paradise. 

Great, and beautiful job! 

Thanks Dartolution!

 

9 minutes ago, John hovancsek said:

Nice choice in plantings. We always see the new so I guess I am requesting the old stuff as well. Your garden is amazing 

Thanks John.
 

Well my old stuff on my current (and forever) farm is less than 4 years in the ground.

My focus is to get everything but the tiniest seedlings in my shadehouse planted out ASAP and then go back and document the older palms better.

It is fun, but a lot of work to make trails to access all my sunny and shady microclimates. And then there is hauling the plants to the spots. I get as close as I can on my interior road in my car but then it is using a wheelbarrow where that is even feasible. Good exercise!

I want to explore personally to save the existing plants I like rather than hiring someone to machete or use a trimmer indiscriminately.

Just last week I discovered a big, nearly flat, sun to partial shade area of my own land that I had never seen!

I thought the area was very steep and some hurricane downed trees had blocked easy viewing. But between a chain saw and termites I now see a place for some big trees!
 

Maybe the last of my seed grown Copernicia baileyana and  Beccariophoenix alfredii plus some Copernicia rigida babies and Corypha could go there after some clearing beginning as soon as tomorrow.

However, I will try for some updates too as there is good growth on many palms and some are flowering.

[mike in kurtistown]

Nice looking seedling palms, Cindy. I am farther along in time than you, but I still have stuff in my shade houses that cry out for space in the ground. As a suggestion, I picture the following:

 

I had an ATV with baskets before this, but it got stolen.

 

[Looking Glass]

Great job with all of that!  You look like you are in a place where palms would be very happy campers.   

[Cindy Adair]

Yes Mike I would love some sort of really rugged vehicle.
 

My riding lawn mower (that they call a tractor here) can not handle the wet season slopes. 

And yes Looking Glass, I recommend western PR around 900 feet as a sweet spot for palms with quite affordable land.