Sabal birmingham

[ahosey01]

Any growth reports on these?  I’ve heard they’re slow, but how slow?

Got a 2G this past year and planted it in just about the perfect spot - my flood irrigated lawn with eastern exposure.  Damn thing put out 1 leaf the whole year!!  It looks just fine… but one leaf!? I’m gonna be 90 by the time it forms even the start of a trunk!

[Allen]

Should grow 2-3 fronds/yr when established.  Fronds will grow noticeably longer and 'bigger'  each year around double the size of previous year.  Hard to see when they are small and not established.

[Josue Diaz]

I planted one maybe 3 years ago. It hasn't moved much. I'd say I get MAYBE 2 fronds a year. In a zone 9b, summer dry climate in Fresno, CA. 

[teddytn]

If all looks healthy, guaranteed it doubled its root mass this year and next year will start to push more fronds. Birmingham’s are definitely slow for sure though. I planted 2 in 2014 and neither have any trunk yet.

[Steve in Florida]

If you can provide seasonal heat, ample fertilizer of the right ratio and regular irrigation are required for good growth.  I saw one grow several feet of clear trunk after 13 years from a three gallon. It was planted in clay soil and had full western exposure.  I am growing seedlings from this tree and they are very robust.

Edited November 30, 2021 by Steve in Florida

[ahosey01]

14 hours ago, Steve in Florida said:

If you can provide seasonal heat, ample fertilizer of the right ratio and regular irrigation are required for good growth.  I saw one grow several feet of clear trunk after 13 years from a three gallon. It was planted in clay soil and had full western exposure.  I am growing seedlings from this tree and they are very robust.

Yeah I mean I’ve got most of that… summers are generally like 100-110 during the day and it’s in a flood irrigated lawn that gets flooded 3x per week.  The soil is more sand than clay which is obviously not preferable but that thing gets a TON of water.

As for the fertilizer, I’d need to know what my soil lacked so I could feed it properly.  I’ve also got fruit trees planted in the lawn so I’d have to make sure it was safe to put down in the dirt you’ll be eating out of.

[Collectorpalms]

Sabal Louisiana and Sabal Brazoria are rockets compared to Birmingham.  Maybe even regular minor is faster for me, although we have sabal minor growing locally.

[Las Palmas Norte]

I had 'Birmingham' at my last house which we sold 2½ years ago. It was planted as a 4 strap leaf seedling and 8 years later it was flowering annually.

 

[ShadyDan]

11 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

I had 'Birmingham' at my last house which we sold 2½ years ago. It was planted as a 4 strap leaf seedling and 8 years later it was flowering annually.

 

Did it ever set viable seeds? You were in Lantzville before, correct? I hope the new owners of your old place kept all the stuff you had growing there, Lantzville has a nice climate.

Side note, I'm beginning to suspect the old adage of "Sabals need infinity heat to grow fast" isn't quite true. I live in a cooler part of already heat-starved Vancouver Island and my Sabals do very well for me. My S. minor put out 4 and a bit fronds last year, while my S. palmetto (transplanted, first year in the ground) put out close to 3. This all seems comparable to you folks in much hotter climates (albeit drier: Arizona, Cali). I do water them during our dry summers often and they get lots of organic fertilizer throughout the growing season. I can't imitate the hot/humid growing conditions like their native SE (where their growth speed is going to be the best), but I can irrigate and fertilize as much as possible.

[WSimpson]

Here's my first picture of mine on February 16th , 2010 . I'm guessing I planted it  in the summer of 2009 because I went down to Gary'sNursery and got it that previous summer . The picture below that was last summer . It is 12 feet to the tip of the highest frond . One thing to think about is how much I watered and fertilized it for years . That should speed them up  a lot .

Will

 

 

 

 

 

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[teddytn]

@Will Simpson You’ve got everyone drooling everytime you post a pic of that monster! What fertilizer do you use and what’s your fertilization schedule look like?

[Chester B]

6 hours ago, ShadyDan said:

Did it ever set viable seeds? You were in Lantzville before, correct? I hope the new owners of your old place kept all the stuff you had growing there, Lantzville has a nice climate.

Side note, I'm beginning to suspect the old adage of "Sabals need infinity heat to grow fast" isn't quite true. I live in a cooler part of already heat-starved Vancouver Island and my Sabals do very well for me. My S. minor put out 4 and a bit fronds last year, while my S. palmetto (transplanted, first year in the ground) put out close to 3. This all seems comparable to you folks in much hotter climates (albeit drier: Arizona, Cali). I do water them during our dry summers often and they get lots of organic fertilizer throughout the growing season. I can't imitate the hot/humid growing conditions like their native SE (where their growth speed is going to be the best), but I can irrigate and fertilize as much as possible.

For my established Sabals I get on average 3 fronds, but these are in my backyard that doesn't get the full sun.  I have some in my hottest spots now but they're just starting to settle in, it seems they take at least 2 years to do so.

Sabal uresana is by the far the slowest.  I have two and each one only pushed one frond this year.  Next year will be the third summer for one of them in the ground so I hope it starts to move finally.

I have a birmingham still in a pot that will be planted in April.  In the pot it seems quite slow, has pushed half a frond in 4 months.

[Hutch]

Same here ....about 3 fronds a year ...its a slow one mines been in the ground from a seedling about 6 years now...they do pick up speed and trunk gerth 3 or 4 years in...

[WSimpson]

5 hours ago, teddytn said:

@Will Simpson You’ve got everyone drooling everytime you post a pic of that monster! What fertilizer do you use and what’s your fertilization schedule look like?

I fertilized it twice a year with a palm fertilizer from Site One .  I would fertilize it in May and then again in  July  ,  but I haven't fertilized it in 2 years . I used to water it 3 times a week during warm weather  too , which I don't anymore . I was nuts about watering a couple years back and before  , and it loved every bit of it . 

Will

[WSimpson]

last year Shaylen modeled  my Birmingham . It's obviously bigger now . It's 10 yers from a small pot below . 

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[Chester B]

That palm is crazy.  Really spectacular.

[Ben G.]

On 11/29/2021 at 10:16 AM, ahosey01 said:

Any growth reports on these?  I’ve heard they’re slow, but how slow?

Got a 2G this past year and planted it in just about the perfect spot - my flood irrigated lawn with eastern exposure.  Damn thing put out 1 leaf the whole year!!  It looks just fine… but one leaf!? I’m gonna be 90 by the time it forms even the start of a trunk!

I checked on mine this morning. I have two that have been in the ground about 2.5 years. (About 3.5 anf 4 ft in height respecively) we hit somewhere in the -12F to -14F range during last year's terrible deep freeze. So it is pretty easy to distinguish this year's growth from any older fronds. Looks like one pushed out 3.5 fronds while the other managed 4.5. I am in zone 7 Oklahoma for reference. I hope that helps.

[ahosey01]

1 hour ago, Ben OK said:

I checked on mine this morning. I have two that have been in the ground about 2.5 years. (About 3.5 anf 4 ft in height respecively) we hit somewhere in the -12F to -14F range during last year's terrible deep freeze. So it is pretty easy to distinguish this year's growth from any older fronds. Looks like one pushed out 3.5 fronds while the other managed 4.5. I am in zone 7 Oklahoma for reference. I hope that helps.

-12F to -14F is crazy!

I will never get that cold.  Maybe I'll get 5 a year then... hahaha

12 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

last year Shaylen modeled  my Birmingham . It's obviously bigger now . It's 10 yers from a small pot below . 

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This is both bonkers and precisely what I'm crossing my fingers mine will look like in 10 years.

[Matt N- Dallas]

Birmingham is nearly the slowest palm I’ve grown.  After 19 years it has 18” of trunk in Dallas.  

[WSimpson]

13 hours ago, Chester B said:

That palm is crazy.  Really spectacular.

Thanks , it's one of my favorites .

[WSimpson]

45 minutes ago, Matt N- Dallas said:

Birmingham is nearly the slowest palm I’ve grown.  After 19 years it has 18” of trunk in Dallas.  

Try fertilizer and soak it in the warm season . It can take all the water you can throw at it . 

Will

[Allen]

1 hour ago, Will Simpson said:

Thanks , it's one of my favorites .

Did you have to protect your Birmingham's in that 2018 record winter?  if so what temps did they take and did it do any damage?

[ahosey01]

11 hours ago, Allen said:

Did you have to protect your Birmingham's in that 2018 record winter?  if so what temps did they take and did it do any damage?

Watch him tell us that photo was taken like a month after the record lows! Lol

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 11/30/2021 at 8:00 AM, ShadyDan said:

Did it ever set viable seeds? You were in Lantzville before, correct? I hope the new owners of your old place kept all the stuff you had growing there, Lantzville has a nice climate.
 

I don't think they where viable seed, at least the two years it did flower before we moved. I met the new owner ahead of him taking possession. He seemed interested in what he was about to acquire, but really had no idea of the extent. As far as climate in Lantzville goes, probably best near the beach a mile away from me, but nearly always windy and cooler on hot days. In that nasty winter of '08 - '09, we had one night that bottomed out at -14°C / 7°F ! The one and only time we dipped into zone 8a range.

 

[ShadyDan]

5 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

I don't think they where viable seed, at least the two years it did flower before we moved. I met the new owner ahead of him taking possession. He seemed interested in what he was about to acquire, but really had no idea of the extent. As far as climate in Lantzville goes, probably best near the beach a mile away from me, but nearly always windy and cooler on hot days. In that nasty winter of '08 - '09, we had one night that bottomed out at -14°C / 7°F ! The one and only time we dipped into zone 8a range.

 

Brrr! I was still living in Thunder Bay during that time, would have been a warm winter day for us there! Did you lose many of your exotics during that winter?

Lowest I've seen here so far is -5.5C, but I've only been here a few years. I'm in the Beachcomber area (if you are familiar with Nanoose), so its pretty cool here in the summer but definitely moderated for the winter. 

I'll have to keep an eye out for your old place next time I'm cruising through Lantzville. Maybe the new owner would be OK with a stranger knocking on his door for the opportunity to collect seed haha.

[Las Palmas Norte]

I'm somewhat familiar with Nanoose Bay ... Schooners Cove, Dolphin Beach, Pacific Shores, Fairwinds, Rocking Horse. Haven't heard of Beachcomber. What's it near to?

That cold in '08/'09 was island wide and nasty. Thankfully that is quite rare. 

I routinely had people stopping by my place in Lantzville. Id imagine folks might still do the same. I could never do that. I'd seem too weird. 

 

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by Las Palmas Norte

[Josue Diaz]

Here's my Birmingham. As mentioned above, a slow palm for me. It's pretty though 

[WSimpson]

On 12/1/2021 at 12:44 PM, Allen said:

Did you have to protect your Birmingham's in that 2018 record winter?  if so what temps did they take and did it do any damage?

No I didn't protect it and it did take some frond damage , mainly to older fronds . It got to 7F a couple of times and highs were low 20'sF to about 30F during that 8 day period . 

Edited December 4, 2021 by Will Simpson

[WSimpson]

On 12/1/2021 at 11:59 PM, ahosey01 said:

Watch him tell us that photo was taken like a month after the record lows! Lol

That 100 year event of 8 days below 32F ( according to Gary Hollar is was a 100 year event  ) was 1.5 growing seasons  before this picture which was taken in the summer of 2020 . You can see the damage from 2018  to the oldest  lower fronds in the picture .

Edited December 4, 2021 by Will Simpson

[ahosey01]

2 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

That 100 year event of 8 days below 32F ( according to Gary Hollar is was a 100 year event  ) was 1.5 growing seasons  before this picture which was taken in the summer of 2020 . You can see the damage from 2018  to the oldest  lower fronds in the picture .

Savage.  What a cool palm.

I will likely not see a daytime high below 32F in my lifetime where I live and will also likely not hit 7F.  Still grow this palm because I respect the toughness.  Plus it just looks good.

Edited December 4, 2021 by ahosey01

[Matt N- Dallas]

On 12/1/2021 at 10:39 AM, Will Simpson said:

Try fertilizer and soak it in the warm season . It can take all the water you can throw at it . 

Will

It’s been on irrigation 3x to 4x a week + fertilized for the last 15 years- still a slug. 

[WattsZ]

I know sabals can handle in the teens.. however when is good to add protection whether wrapping trunk and or lights? In oklahoma days are still oddly mild but nights are cold in the 30s and had a night the other night that was 18*. I have a large sabal 4' trunk and a smaller one about 4' with 1' of trunk

[Allen]

It probably depends on exact variety but my minor have been to 0F with little spotting, Birmingham and Louisiana to around 5F with little damage and I let the Palmetto go to 10F or so.  But you can expect a little frond damage at those temps.  Add 5F to those recommendations if you want to play safe.

[WSimpson]

My Birminghams handled the 2018 record 8 days below 32F  and  a 5F in 2014 and  4F in 2015 , so it survived extended cold and individual one night quick hits of cold . 

Will