Palms for the high desert

[Roadhawk]

Hello all,  I was wondering if anyone grew palms in the high desert zone 8b ish.  I'm about 4500 ft elevation, summer highs about 105f and winter lows to about 15f, but usually in the 30s.

I'm considering the following for starting a grove of palms for edible fruits:

Washingtonia filifera - california fan palm

Sabal Minor -palmetto

Serenoa Repens - saw palmetto

Phoenix canariensis - canary island date

Butia Capitata - jelly palm

 

Any critique about the assortment would be helpful.  The site would be a source facing slope with good drainage and sandy soil.

 

Thanks.

 

[Collectorpalms]

1 hour ago, Roadhawk said:

Hello all,  I was wondering if anyone grew palms in the high desert zone 8b ish.  I'm about 4500 ft elevation, summer highs about 105f and winter lows to about 15f, but usually in the 30s.

I'm considering the following for starting a grove of palms for edible fruits:

Washingtonia filifera - california fan palm

Sabal Minor -palmetto

Serenoa Repens - saw palmetto

Phoenix canariensis - canary island date

Butia Capitata - jelly palm

 

Any critique about the assortment would be helpful.  The site would be a source facing slope with good drainage and sandy soil.

 

Thanks.

 

Are there any palm already growing there. The only one on the list that is really "edible" is the Pindo Palm. And they require neutral to acidic sandy loam soil to make it. You can eat Canary seeds, but never tried. The obvious edible is the true date. But for fruit production they use pups from proven varieties. And just from Texas, those clones ( medjool etc..) seemed to uniformly die at 15F. Being clones of mother, there was no survivors in a normal setting. ( away from buildings). I even saw old seed grown dates dead in Laredo, and that's a Hot spot.

You really need to look at the last 50 years to see what your record cold is, that is better than going by zone average. Because it only takes one night to kill them all.

[Jubaea_James760]

Welcome to Palmtalk! I live in the High Desert as well in Hesperia. I'm growing quite a few palms here in my zone 8b. 

Of the 5 you posted I'm most concerned about Phoenix Canariensis. I think it's worth a shot still & you might as well try Phoenix Dactylifera while your at it if you want palm fruits. Both have about the same hardiness up in the High Desert. It seems like your planting location is spot on for the best chances so no critique there. 

I think you might be the only person that will be growing palm trees in your area. I haven't seen 1 everytime I have pass through, not even a Trachycarpus lol.

-James

[Roadhawk]

The closest palms I've seen are 45 minutes south of me in Ridgecrest and I'm considering doing a little sidewalk gardening and scavenge some seedlings.  I've got about 4 acres to play with and was going to interspace them with honey mesquite for additional wind protection and to help create a microclimate.  Water isn't an issue since I'm on a well.  It will be an interesting experiment at the very least. 

[Jubaea_James760]

@Collectorpalmsbrings up a few good points. On paper looking have your average high & low temperatures for winter it's pretty identical to mine but I feel like your alot colder than me. I remember driving through there a few times & it was low to mid 20's during the evening & not sure about the ultimate low of the night. How much colder is Bishop compared to you? 

[Jubaea_James760]

I still think you should try them 👍

[Roadhawk]

Bishop is about 10 degrees colder on average during the winter.  Not that I havent had a week of 20s at night.  I figure I'll do the same as my mesquite, plant in bulk and let the strongest survive.  Ran a batch of 40 mesquite in 1 gallon pots for 3 years with benign neglect and have the 14 of the strongest to plant out.

[Roadhawk]

40 year averages...

 

Average Temperature in Lone Pine 

The hot season lasts for 3.4 months, from June 6 to September 17, with an average daily high temperature above 87°F. The hottest month of the year in Lone Pine is July, with an average high of 95°F and low of 63°F.

The cold season lasts for 3.2 months, from November 20 to February 28, with an average daily high temperature below 60°F. The coldest month of the year in Lone Pine is December, with an average low of 30°F and high of 53°F.

Edited August 24, 2022 by Roadhawk
Clarity

[SailorBold]

Date palms should be good to go..  

[SailorBold]

On 8/23/2022 at 11:51 PM, Roadhawk said:

Hello all,  I was wondering if anyone grew palms in the high desert zone 8b ish.  I'm about 4500 ft elevation, summer highs about 105f and winter lows to about 15f, but usually in the 30s.

I'm considering the following for starting a grove of palms for edible fruits:

Washingtonia filifera - california fan palm

Sabal Minor -palmetto

Serenoa Repens - saw palmetto

Phoenix canariensis - canary island date

Butia Capitata - jelly palm

 

Any critique about the assortment would be helpful.  The site would be a source facing slope with good drainage and sandy soil.

 

Thanks.

 

I'd assume all the butia and jubaea hybrids are edible.. since both have edible fruits/nuts.. Those are really great hybrids that should do well for you..  Butia don't do well for me.. Ive tried 3 over the years.. whether it's a combination of freeze damage, poor tap water, and or alkaline soil.. they fizzle out over the course of a few years.. on one in particular I've observed.. it got spear pull and all the leaves are perfect.. and then the palm is ultimately dead..so the growing spear is less hardy than the grown out leaves..  I have a butiaxjubaeaxbutia.. and that spear is thick and tough.. much tougher than the non hybrid..  the same goes for the jubaea x butia hybrids..perhaps less so..but that observation may be due to the massive trunk its developing. I've never had a spear pull on either of those.

Albuquerque is prolly the coldest of the big high desert cities..so thats saying alot.. elevation ranges from 4900' to 6700'.. (highest large city in the us)...

Edited September 2, 2022 by SailorBold