Washingtonia Filibusta - Fayetteville NC

[knikfar]

I posted about this particular Washingtonia, which I believe is filibusta, in early February. I collected a bunch of seeds from the ground at the base of this palm, located at 944 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville NC, and sowed them in a shallow Taco Bell take away container. I placed the container on a warming mat and two weeks later, I have a ton of baby washies. The parent palm has been in its currently location since at least 2007, based on the oldest streetview images available on Google. Since then, this parent plant has experienced multiple single digit temps, and multiple freezing precipitation events, with seemingly no protection or care at all. I'm hoping the offspring from this plant will be equally as hardy. I'll be trialing these in my Raleigh, NC garden. 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

Man what a stunner, looks like its taken a little freeze damage as of late, but only a little.   I really want to see this palm grow and not get removed, sigh....   

[knikfar]

1 minute ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

Man what a stunner, looks like its taken a little freeze damage as of late, but only a little.   I really want to see this palm grow and not get removed, sigh....   

Yeah, Fayetteville had two frozen precipitation events this winter, including one that was freezing rain. So not looking too bad considering that. And I hope the same as you, that it's allowed to stay there and grow for many more years! 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

3 minutes ago, knikfar said:

Yeah, Fayetteville had two frozen precipitation events this winter, including one that was freezing rain. So not looking too bad considering that. And I hope the same as you, that it's allowed to stay there and grow for many more years! 

If only there was a way to make the owners aware of that palms importance

[Las Palmas Norte]

I have 160 of those from @ZPalms started so far with more germinating every day. I sent him some fresh T. fortunei in exchange, and the US Customs destroyed them and sent him the empty box. It seems now that regulations are being closely adhered to, and phytosanitary certificates (& associated costs) are mandatory. Did not seem to be an issue for seeds being shipped here into Canada from the US.

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

Man what a stunner, looks like its taken a little freeze damage as of late, but only a little.   I really want to see this palm grow and not get removed, sigh....   

Hang a sign off the trunk that states, NO NOT REMOVE - ENDANGERED SPECIES

[knikfar]

6 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

I have 160 of those from @ZPalms started so far with more germinating every day. I sent him some fresh T. fortunei in exchange, and the US Customs destroyed them and sent him the empty box. It seems now that regulations are being closely adhered to, and phytosanitary certificates (& associated costs) are mandatory. Did not seem to be an issue for seeds being shipped here into Canada from the US.

 

Well, on the bright side, there are plenty of T.fortunei here in NC so I'm sure he has plenty of places to collect seed from. Many of our City parks have them in them. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

1 hour ago, knikfar said:

Well, on the bright side, there are plenty of T.fortunei here in NC so I'm sure he has plenty of places to collect seed from. Many of our City parks have them in them. 

True, however not very likely any grown from a Canadian source. He's claimed that he is over run with seeds right now and is scrambling for pots and places to put the starts.

[ZPalms]

6 hours ago, knikfar said:

Well, on the bright side, there are plenty of T.fortunei here in NC so I'm sure he has plenty of places to collect seed from. Many of our City parks have them in them. 

I’ve seen some trachy flower but I’ve never been lucky enough to find any publicly or when the seeds are ripening 

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, ZPalms said:

I’ve seen some trachy flower but I’ve never been lucky enough to find any publicly or when the seeds are ripening 

Dylan. If you find a female T. fortunei (Windmill palm) there should be ripe seeds right now, assuming of course it was pollenated last season.

Edited March 1, 2022 by Las Palmas Norte

[knikfar]

13 hours ago, ZPalms said:

I’ve seen some trachy flower but I’ve never been lucky enough to find any publicly or when the seeds are ripening 

Come to Raleigh. I see them frequently, mostly in our parks. Though I beleive you'll find more if you visit during the fall. 

[WSimpson]

Are you planning to sell any of those seedlings ? I might make a trip to Gary's Nursery this spring and would like one or two . They seem more frond hardy than mine , and more hardy overall probably since mine seems to be heavily Robusta . 

Great looking palm , especially when it get a nice new crown of fronds during the summer . 

Will

[knikfar]

4 minutes ago, Will Simpson said:

Are you planning to sell any of those seedlings ? I might make a trip to Gary's Nursery this spring and would like one or two . They seem more frond hardy than mine , and more hardy overall probably since mine seems to be heavily Robusta . 

Great looking palm , especially when it get a nice new crown of fronds during the summer . 

Will

I sure am. Here they are on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1173806048/hardy-washingtonia-filibusta-seedlings?click_key=b83298d44bcbf05384bb7a17684ed7a29e13e5d9%3A1173806048&click_sum=8ff3de5b&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=filibusta&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1

[ZPalms]

On 2/28/2022 at 1:28 PM, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

If only there was a way to make the owners aware of that palms importance

I'm sure the sale of the lot is more important to that company than anything to do with that tree even if I called 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

On 2/28/2022 at 3:54 PM, Las Palmas Norte said:

Hang a sign off the trunk that states, NO NOT REMOVE - ENDANGERED SPECIES

Maybe a sign on the ground, but that would probaly work, though I could see it backfire if say they found out it was Robusta, and saw it was "invasive" on the florida plant database or something...  Maybe just Rare palm species, or rare ornamental palm, etc

[knikfar]

I think the best option is for as many people as possible to collect seeds from it and grow babies. The seeds are all over the ground and sidewalk around the base of the plant. There are thousands of them. That's where I collected mine from and they sprouted just fine. 

[WSimpson]

On 3/1/2022 at 3:30 PM, knikfar said:

I sure am. Here they are on Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1173806048/hardy-washingtonia-filibusta-seedlings?click_key=b83298d44bcbf05384bb7a17684ed7a29e13e5d9%3A1173806048&click_sum=8ff3de5b&ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=filibusta&ref=sr_gallery-1-1&organic_search_click=1

I just bought one . Thanks 

In a few years I'll have to do something about my large Washy , being that it is getting crazy tall and harder and harder to protect on winters below 15F ,  and this palm will replace it . 

Sorry about buying only one ,  but that's all I need since even that palm from you will need protection on some winters , and I'm trying to keep the number of plants I protect to a minimum .

Edited March 3, 2022 by Will Simpson

[knikfar]

22 minutes ago, Will Simpson said:

I just bought one . Thanks 

In a few years I'll have to do something about my large Washy , being that it is getting crazy tall and harder and harder to protect on winters below 15F ,  and this palm will replace it . 

Awesome. I just dropped them in the mail to you. I'm sending you three, no extra charge, because you're a plam friend and its always nice to have a backup in case something happens to one of them. 

[WSimpson]

On 2/28/2022 at 11:29 AM, knikfar said:

I posted about this particular Washingtonia, which I believe is filibusta, in early February. I collected a bunch of seeds from the ground at the base of this palm, located at 944 Bragg Blvd, Fayetteville NC, and sowed them in a shallow Taco Bell take away container. I placed the container on a warming mat and two weeks later, I have a ton of baby washies. The parent palm has been in its currently location since at least 2007, based on the oldest streetview images available on Google. Since then, this parent plant has experienced multiple single digit temps, and multiple freezing precipitation events, with seemingly no protection or care at all. I'm hoping the offspring from this plant will be equally as hardy. I'll be trialing these in my Raleigh, NC garden. 

I think you should charge more for them . That is a really hardy palm and if I lived anywhere in the Southeast from southeast NC to southeast SC and Georgia , and even  more interior SC and Georgia that's the Washy you want . I'll have to protect mine some winters but they might be pretty bulletproof a little further southeast than me . 

[knikfar]

1 hour ago, Will Simpson said:

I think you should charge more for them . That is a really hardy palm and if I lived anywhere in the Southeast from southeast NC to southeast SC and Georgia , and even  more interior SC and Georgia that's the Washy you want . I'll have to protect mine some winters but they might be pretty bulletproof a little further southeast than me . 

I would if I could. But I've had them posted for a few days now and you're the first person to purchase one. I've been selling super hardy sabal palms for a year and its still very slow to sell them. 

[ZPalms]

haha, I thought about buying one for the head start even though I have the seeds but I only have 11$ in my account 

[Cevven]

Great photos bro. Yeah, I'm from Fayetteville and I would say it's a solid subtropical humid climate, despite the high cool season variability to due to the continental nature of the Eastern US (random severe cold shots that make things seem frigid for it's lower, subtropical latitude - I don't even think East China gets it this bad as they are notorious for having very chilly winters at subtropical latitudes). Fayetteville has a record low of -1'F while only around an hour north Raleigh (at least at the main airport) has a record low of -9'F. When I peep the forecasts, Fayetteville is always coming up 3 to 5 degrees warmer than Raleigh.  Being around the sandhill region, Fayetteville and Columbia are quite similar in climate, with Columbia being like 1 to 3 degrees warmer on average in the winter - and both have hotter summers than many places in the piedmont and coastal plain Carolinas. Columbia does have a slight edge in growing palms as from what I seen, hasn't hit single digits since the 80's. I think Fayetteville has hit single digits since then. 

I seen an earlier photo of these same palms off Bragg Blvd, as I can see, they demolished the building on that property. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

@knikfar how do you ship them?  I've never had a problem with USPS when ordering palms/plants during winter, I know they don't keep boxes outside or in trucks outside of normal business hours.  But last week UPS delivered a box of frozen Asiatic jasmine to me.  It was 3pm, in the forties, but the plants felt like they had been sitting in the freezer for hours.  The plants are all dead now, and the seller won't reply, so I'm wary of ordering during winter now. 

Edited March 5, 2022 by Jesse PNW

[RJ]

On 3/3/2022 at 3:41 PM, knikfar said:

I would if I could. But I've had them posted for a few days now and you're the first person to purchase one. I've been selling super hardy sabal palms for a year and its still very slow to sell them. 

Heck I’ll buy a couple off you to help get you going. PM me your email and I can PayPal you if that works. I’ve got no idea how to use Etsy 

Edited March 5, 2022 by RJ

[knikfar]

6 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

@knikfar how do you ship them?  I've never had a problem with USPS when ordering palms/plants during winter, I know they don't keep boxes outside or in trucks outside of normal business hours.  But last week UPS delivered a box of frozen Asiatic jasmine to me.  It was 3pm, in the forties, but the plants felt like they had been sitting in the freezer for hours.  The plants are all dead now, and the seller won't reply, so I'm wary of ordering during winter now. 

I use usps. To be honest, I haven’t given any thought to cold damage. I’ve not had anyone tell me their plants arrived frozen or dead. I use the USPS priority mail boxes. I wrap my palms, bare root, in a moistened paper towel and place that in a ziplock bag. Here in NC, one of my packages would have to be left outside for days, on the coldest days of the year, to cause any damage. If you have any suggestions, I’m certainly open. 

[BeyondTheGarden]

Cool.  As long as it's going USPS priorty or first class, I'll order some.  Thanks. 

[Geoff58]

It is interesting to me that this washingtonian survived single digit temperatures.  Some washingtonians were planted in different locations in metro Jackson, MS, (on the border of 8A and 8B). They were fairly large specimens, over 15 feet tall.  About a half dozen were at a Mexican restaurant, and another in a home garden near me. None of them survived freezes in the low teens.  They were killed outright, not merely damaged.  Perhaps it is a new and hardier variety. 

[knikfar]

19 minutes ago, Geoff58 said:

It is interesting to me that this washingtonian survived single digit temperatures.  Some washingtonians were planted in different locations in metro Jackson, MS, (on the border of 8A and 8B). They were fairly large specimens, over 15 feet tall.  About a half dozen were at a Mexican restaurant, and another in a home garden near me. None of them survived freezes in the low teens.  They were killed outright, not merely damaged.  Perhaps it is a new and hardier variety. 

I guess just the right mix of filifera and robusta? 

[BeyondTheGarden]

@knikfar Is it supposed to apply $9.68 to each seedling if ordering more than one? 

[Cevven]

1 hour ago, Geoff58 said:

It is interesting to me that this washingtonian survived single digit temperatures.  Some washingtonians were planted in different locations in metro Jackson, MS, (on the border of 8A and 8B). They were fairly large specimens, over 15 feet tall.  About a half dozen were at a Mexican restaurant, and another in a home garden near me. None of them survived freezes in the low teens.  They were killed outright, not merely damaged.  Perhaps it is a new and hardier variety. 

Sounds like they Robusta to me - Robustas are the least hardy of the Washingtonias. In the Carolinas, they don't seem reliable until you're east of I-95 and south of Wilmington. They have plenty in Myrtle Beach. Wilmington had a couple I seen but I heard most of them were killed in the 2018 freeze. I know the Outer Banks is zone 9A in hardiness but I don't know if Washingtonia's (Robustas) are hardy out there, I did read people saying palmettoes don't do too good there (some are in OBX, but not as much as you would see in places like Topsail or Kure Beach in NC) apparently because of wind and salt spray. 

Edited March 6, 2022 by Cevven

[ZPalms]

Imagine this washie offspring has a perfect mix for north carolina and they become a staple tree to grow here, would be so cool

If theirs one palm I'd expect to take over the planet it would be a washie 

Edited March 6, 2022 by ZPalms

[ZPalms]

@knikfar When you sprouted your seeds did you just put them directly in a community pot?

[knikfar]

49 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

@knikfar When you sprouted your seeds did you just put them directly in a community pot?

I placed them in about an inch of seed starting mix inside a shallow take home container from Taco Bell. The top of their take home containers are clear so it functions like a tiny green house. I then placed the container on a warming mat. I think the soil heated up quickly because it was so shallow. And that made the seeds happy. The shallow soil also helps to easily remove the seedlings without damaging the roots. They don’t have deep soil to bury themselves into. Then it’s easy to pluck them out and separate them. 

[knikfar]

56 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

Imagine this washie offspring has a perfect mix for north carolina and they become a staple tree to grow here, would be so cool

If theirs one palm I'd expect to take over the planet it would be a washie 

That would be really cool but I’m not going to hold my breath for that. 

[ZPalms]

Just now, knikfar said:

I placed them in about an inch of seed starting mix inside a shallow take home container from Taco Bell. The top of their take home containers are clear so it functions like a tiny green house. I then placed the container on a warming mat. I think the soil heated up quickly because it was so shallow. And that made the seeds happy. The shallow soil also helps to easily remove the seedlings without damaging the roots. They don’t have deep soil to bury themselves into. Then it’s easy to pluck them out and separate them. 

I really need to get a heating mat, I struggle with having a warm place to germinate seeds that isn't a router or water heater cause my water heater isn't accessible and my router isn't flat. thanks!

[knikfar]

1 hour ago, Jesse PNW said:

@knikfar Is it supposed to apply $9.68 to each seedling if ordering more than one? 

It shows up that way for some people but I think I can correct it on my end if you submit your order. You can order as many as you like and I ship them in a single box. So you only pay shipping once. Not for each plant you order

[ZPalms]

3 hours ago, knikfar said:

It shows up that way for some people but I think I can correct it on my end if you submit your order. You can order as many as you like and I ship them in a single box. So you only pay shipping once. Not for each plant you order

I saw with each you add the shipping goes up by 2 dollars

[knikfar]

6 hours ago, ZPalms said:

I saw with each you add the shipping goes up by 2 dollars

I just changed it to fixed price shipping. So it’s a flat $10 no matter how many are ordered. I previously had it set for Etsy to calculate shipping but that function charges a shipping cost for each item rather than shipping them in a single package together 

[WSimpson]

Thanks for the plants Knikfar . I appreciate the 2 extra you gave me . 

Here's a picture of them .

Will

 

[Las Palmas Norte]

@ZPalms Dylan. I started the Fayetteville Washingtonia you sent using the baggie method. There's still more in need of potting up than seen here.