Dypsis decipiens

[ahosey01]

If I want to grow one of these, what is the important stuff I need to know?

[doubravsky]

They’re pretty temperamental. I lost 3-4 before finally getting one established. Really slow at first but they pick up steam as they get older. 
 

I always thought they needed full sun but the one that took was in 1/2 day shade… go figure . Of course it took 15 years to get to where it had trunk…  

[Palm Tree Jim]

I have ignored mine and they don’t miss a beat.

 

[96720]

Wasting your money in Wickenburg

[ahosey01]

1 hour ago, 96720 said:

Wasting your money in Wickenburg

How do you figure?

[96720]

Won’t grow in Wickenburg I’ve tried more than I like to admit in Phoenix they don’t even survive in my greenhouse one of my favorite palms but no luck

[ahosey01]

What do you think the problem is?  Heat? Soil? Lack of moisture?

[Gonzer]

Do not waste your time and money.

 

[ahosey01]

Still waiting for someone to give me a specific reason so I can understand why the discouragement.

[96720]

Won’t grow in Wickenburg I’ve tried more than I like to admit in Phoenix they don’t even survive in my greenhouse one of my favorite palms but no luck

[necturus]

Just try it. It’ll die, and then you can decide how many times you want to repeat the cycle. I don’t think any Dypsis have done well in z9/10 Arizona. 

I have one in a 5 gallon pot that has apparently survived several years in Houston. I say apparently because I got it from @Meangreen94z who had it here for at least a year before then. Before that I probably killed five in the ground. The best ones were from Floribunda, but both died when a critter damaged the emerging spear.

[aztropic]

2 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Still waiting for someone to give me a specific reason so I can understand why the discouragement.

Just TOO HOT and dry in the desert for most Dypsis species. I've killed 4 of them,planted in 4 different areas of my yard. Only Dypsis to survive long term in our area is going to be the triangle palm.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

[NorCalWill]

3 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

Still waiting for someone to give me a specific reason so I can understand why the discouragement.

What I heard from a palm grower is that they are just very susceptible to anything that comes their way, and will eventually succumb to something.

[96720]

Agree 100% with @aztropic the only Dypsis I’ve had any luck with is the triangle . I keep trying different Dypsis and all kinds of other palms because my job is to kill plants you never know until you have killed a few I try and try generally first in pretty dense shade and if they make it there then I plant more in different amounts of sun 

[Meangreen94z]

6 hours ago, necturus said:

Just try it. It’ll die, and then you can decide how many times you want to repeat the cycle. I don’t think any Dypsis have done well in z9/10 Arizona. 

I have one in a 5 gallon pot that has apparently survived several years in Houston. I say apparently because I got it from @Meangreen94z who had it here for at least a year before then. Before that I probably killed five in the ground. The best ones were from Floribunda, but both died when a critter damaged the emerging spear.

How is it doing? Has it put on any growth? 

[Jim in Los Altos]

Try one in 100% shade in well draining soil but keep very well watered. You have cool nights even after hot daytime temperatures which D. decipiens needs (the cool temps at night). I’ve been growing a couple of them for up to 17 years and the shaded one is much more vigorous. With your kind of heat, the only way you might succeeed with one would be to plant it in full all day shade. 

Edited July 18, 2021 by Jim in Los Altos

[96720]

I don’t know about Wickenburg but in Phoenix I don’t consider 90 or higher cool nights 

[ahosey01]

31 minutes ago, 96720 said:

I don’t know about Wickenburg but in Phoenix I don’t consider 90 or higher cool nights 

We cool WAY further off than you at night.  We’re down in the Hassayampa river valley and probably 1500ft higher in elevation too.  My immediate neighborhood also sits just above the Hassayampa ground water and is full of large, green trees like Ashes, Mulberries, Pecans and Cottonwoods, and none of them are on irrigation, which help keep it cooler as well (more humid, too!).  We’ve been down in the upper 60s to mid 70s range every night, even during the heat wave a few weeks ago.

Edited July 18, 2021 by ahosey01

[ahosey01]

4 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Try one in 100% shade in well draining soil but keep very well watered. You have cool nights even after hot daytime temperatures which D. decipiens needs (the cool temps at night). I’ve been growing a couple of them for up to 17 years and the shaded one is much more vigorous. With your kind of heat, the only way you might succeeed with one would be to plant it in full all day shade. 

I have a spot that fits this description perfectly. I was up in Show Low in the mountains in February or early March and stopped by a nursery there… they had a 1G blue spruce for $10.  I thought of the spot I have in all day shade with really good soil in the coolest part of the yard and decided to take it home and put a dripper on it and see what happened.  In 5 months it’s already put on a foot and grown like 7 branches.  If I could get it to grow, I imagine I’d be the only guy on earth with D decipiens and a blue spruce planted close together in the middle of the desert.

Edited July 18, 2021 by ahosey01

[necturus]

16 hours ago, Meangreen94z said:

How is it doing? Has it put on any growth? 

It's put out a few leaves. I had it in deep shade for a while then moved to more sun - got burned but grew through it.

[96720]

Jim is in the upper 50s but you are cooler than we are you could try one but I couldn’t even keep them alive in my greenhouse 

[Meangreen94z]

45 minutes ago, necturus said:

It's put out a few leaves. I had it in deep shade for a while then moved to more sun - got burned but grew through it.

That’s good. I have a few other small palms you can have if you want them. I won’t have room in my garage for everything this winter. I’ll contact you later in the summer 

[Jim in Los Altos]

On 7/18/2021 at 6:03 AM, 96720 said:

I don’t know about Wickenburg but in Phoenix I don’t consider 90 or higher cool nights 

Much cooler nights than in Phoenix. 

[ahosey01]

We also tend toward more humid, although in the desert “more humid” may be splitting hairs.

@Jim in Los Altos Do you know if they have a preference for acid or alkaline soil?

[JubaeaMan138]

I’ve tried to grow dypsis decipiens several times. Every time I’ve put one in the ground it dies . Container growing for these I’ve never had a problem . I’ve got 2 good size 15 gallon plants I’m sitting on and a large 5 gallon. Afraid to pull the trigger and plant . @doubravsky has a gorgeous one he has had in the ground for years . Seeing his made Me want to try again so I went and found some . Probably Going to wait till next year to Plant them out. But then again I’ve learned a lot about growing sensitive palms since the last time I tried one in the ground . If your looking for a good size One at a hell of a price come on by I’ll point you in the direction.

[JubaeaMan138]

This ones going in the ground soon 

[Turtlesteve]

Y'all don't talk too loud, I don't want mine to hear that it's supposed to be dead.  It's been in the ground since about March 2020 and seems happy.  I got it rather unexpectedly from @JLeVert and if I'd bothered to read up on how delicate they are, I wouldn't have planted one.  So I guess it's good I didn't do my homework.

[JubaeaMan138]

[JubaeaMan138]

4 minutes ago, Turtlesteve said:

Y'all don't talk too loud, I don't want mine to hear that it's supposed to be dead.  It's been in the ground since about March 2020 and seems happy.  I got it rather unexpectedly from @JLeVert and if I'd bothered to read up on how delicate they are, I wouldn't have planted one.  So I guess it's good I didn't do my homework.

Pictures !!!

[Turtlesteve]

3 minutes ago, JubaeaMan138 said:

Pictures !!!

[JubaeaMan138]

Just now, Turtlesteve said:

Sweet!!!!   

[Jim in Los Altos]

25 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

We also tend toward more humid, although in the desert “more humid” may be splitting hairs.

@Jim in Los Altos Do you know if they have a preference for acid or alkaline soil?

Mine are in neutral to slightly acitic soil. 

 

[doubravsky]

@JubaeaMan138 that's a great looking Decipiens! It looks for sure ready to go in the ground. I lost 4-5 before finding this one... they were all smaller when they went in. The one that lived was a 20 gallon pot and really grown out when I planted it. Not sure if that made the difference.... 

 

[freakypalmguy]

I’ve killed many here in Temecula, we get pretty hot in the summer, 90’s to low 100’s and some freezing temps in the winter. This is my sole surviving plant, been in the ground for probably 12 years planted as a seedling. Just started doing better last year after a gopher attack, go figure, maybe the gopher increased the drainage? It used to be a double but one side died. It’s in full all day sun.
 

look at how far it’s walked from the heel, I think it’s trying to make it’s way out of Temecula

Edited July 26, 2021 by freakypalmguy

[Billeb]

On 7/26/2021 at 8:47 AM, freakypalmguy said:

This is my sole surviving plant, been in the ground for probably 12 years planted as a seedling. Just started doing better last year after a gopher attack, go figure, maybe the gopher increased the drainage? 

 

Wow! 12yrs is a long time for that amount of growth. Talk about slooooooooow. 

[freakypalmguy]

2 minutes ago, Billeb said:

Wow! 12yrs is a long time for that amount of growth. Talk about slooooooooow. 

That and a lot of neglect on my part

[Tracy]

On 7/22/2021 at 6:22 PM, Jim in Los Altos said:

Mine are in neutral to slightly acitic soil. 

 

 

12 minutes ago, freakypalmguy said:

That and a lot of neglect on my part

Jim, that specimen or clump is getting big now; the one trunk looks like it will be exposing your first ring soon.  I wanted to add to the discussion that despite neglect or attention and the same conditions, some specimens just grow faster than others.  I put in two in my front yard, planting the second about 5 years after the first.  As you can see there is a discrepancy in their size, but the older one is not the larger one.   The smaller also has split into 4 growth points while the larger is only 2.

So back to the original question posed by ahosey01 , if you are willing to experiment with an anticipation that it may not work, try more than one, to expand the probability of success.  I'm assuming now that you are willing to make the investment in something that may turn out to have zero return in the way of enjoyment, and only be a guideline for others in similar climates to yours.  On the other hand, you might set a great example of success.

[The Germinator]

On 7/22/2021 at 6:22 PM, Jim in Los Altos said:

Mine are in neutral to slightly acitic soil. 

 

Jim you are an inspiration. I just picked up some super Dave decipiens and want to  plant a triple on my pool deck. From what I have read they do not want full sun all day.  I can not promise them full shade., but I did find a spot with partial shade all day. 

[mike in kurtistown]

OMG! Move to Hawaii!

Here are a couple raised from seeds, planted out from 2-gal pots in July 2015. Orange bucket is 5-gal. The larger ones are doubles (common for this species). Full sun (cloudy, humid east Hawaii Island version). Acidic, clayey, volcanic soil with a lot of broken rock of various sizes. Over 100 inches of rain each year. Summer temps 69 to 80 deg F, winter temps 60 to 72 deg F. I just planted them and forgot about them, no problem.

 

[Alberto]

I remember how doubtfull I was , any of my seed grown D.decipiens would survive here. Everybody on Palmtakk told they were tricky, how they need excelent drainage, how they don't like too much watering, etc. The facts: I planted out 11 and they all survived and grew well. My place is located at 1030 m altitude. Fresh to cold nights. Very hot days in summer are around 31- 32°C, but generally around 27°C. One of the palms I planted at my parents house and receives more rain water from a polycarbonate roof nearby, has already a trunk and flowered last year.