Copernicia alba Root Sensitivity & Water Requirements

[ahosey01]

Finally!! I have sourced Copernicia alba.  In fact - I bought three - from @FishEyeAquaculture, my go to for palms I want but can’t find anywhere else.  I plan to plant them in a triple planting.

Two questions to those who have them -

1.) How root sensitive are they?  I would like to take them out of the pot, shake off a bunch of dirt and cram them together in the planting hole to make a nice triple.  Any risk to this like Sabal or Bismarckia?

2.) What are their water requirements like?  I know they’re native to a relatively dry area of the Chaco, if I remember correctly.  Do I need to water them more like a Sabal, or more like a Washingtonia?

Edited September 8, 2021 by ahosey01

[aztropic]

I have grown this species and it is a bullet proof grow in Arizona. What size are you starting out with? No need to shake any dirt off the pot size as even 3 gallon pot rootballs touching each other is too close together... Plant them 4 feet apart from each other and you are still going to end up with a giant bush. They are not root sensitive,and are very drought tolerant,once established.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

imo those are huge palms for a triple planting. Are you going for thr curved away from each other look ? @ahosey01

T J 

[ahosey01]

Yeah, I found this photo online and wanted to replicate it in my yard:

[JubaeaMan138]

1 hour ago, aztropic said:

I have grown this species and it is a bullet proof grow in Arizona. What size are you starting out with? No need to shake any dirt off the pot size as even 3 gallon pot rootballs touching each other is too close together... Plant them 4 feet apart from each other and you are still going to end up with a giant bush. They are not root sensitive,and are very drought tolerant,once established.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

Agree . Ive got one planted that has been planted out for 2 years or so From a large 1 gallon. Always looks good . Scott is right bullet proof . And also not exactly the slowest . 

[sonoranfans]

even that one is not the same hole.  I have a blue single with 9-10' clear trunk.  It's an easy grow palm for me, and has now begun to self shed to a relatively smooth trunk.  The triple in the pic has a short one and two taller ones of slightly different height.  To my eye they appear to have been planted about 3' apart given an 8-10" thick trunk with leafbases on.  The one in front is half height or so, not an accidental planting.  They will fit well that close if the crowns are of different heights.  You might plant 1-2 now and hold one back(it ill be the shorter one.  I would go with the 4' recommended.  These are NOT huge palms, mine is fruiting and has a crown barely more than 10' wide.  

[Josue Diaz]

I agree with them being bullet proof in a dry climate (Fresno). I have two - one of which is in a desert bed with very little water and lots of sun (surrounded by cacti). 

[WaianaeCrider]

I have one HUGE one planted about 20 years ago here on O`ahu's west side where we get less than 20" of rain a year.  It's still on the same irrigation set up that it had at planting.  Yea I"m bad about trying to keep up w/growth.

[Fusca]

Here is my blue variety - one of my favorites for sure!  It's been a fast grower for me and I rarely water it.  It's got sharp thorns on petioles and saw-like teeth along the edge of the leaves so it's always grabbing at my shirt when I walk past! 

Had anyone tried to transplant one?  I'm assuming that they aren't like the Cuban Copernicias that are difficult.

[aztropic]

Easy to dig and move! Remove 2/3 of the fronds as they are just going to grab and stab anyway. Tie the remaining fronds into a bunch. I sold 2 of these out of my landscape about twice the size of yours,and both transplanted successfully. I grow a lot of cacti,but found this particular palm species to be too spiny,even for me.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

[Fusca]

41 minutes ago, aztropic said:

Easy to dig and move! Remove 2/3 of the fronds as they are just going to grab and stab anyway. Tie the remaining fronds into a bunch. I sold 2 of these out of my landscape about twice the size of yours,and both transplanted successfully. I grow a lot of cacti,but found this particular palm species to be too spiny,even for me.

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona

Thanks Scott - that's what I thought.  Not looking forward to digging it out but I was planning to do as you suggested.  It is quite a spiny guy, but I don't have any cactus.