Mule palm prices

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We're building a new house on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and wanted to add some mule palms for a quick tropical look. We found four at a local nursery. They are relatively large (4-5 ft tall in the pot) and look nice to my untrained eye, but seemed rather pricey ($160 US each). I have have absolutely no experience with mule palms.  Do these look like healthy specimens and is the price within reason? Many, many thanks! Glen

[Allen]

Reasonable as all palm prices are high now - Mules are rather elusive to find at times.

[96720]

A place in Phoenix has them for 495 maybe a little bigger than yours they are pricey!!

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41 minutes ago, 96720 said:

A place in Phoenix has them for 495 maybe a little bigger than yours they are pricey!!

Wow, that certainly puts the $160 price into perspective! What is it about mules that allows them to command such prices? The extra effort that goes into propagating them, I suppose...

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I guess I will go ahead and lock in the $160 price! I'll tell my wife that we will have to downgrade her countertops!

[D Palm]

Mules are some of the most expensive palms for sale, so yes that seems reasonable.

[96720]

They are a cross between 2 palms and it is a process to get it done as both palms are self fertile!!

[JLM]

That seems reasonable. Have you tried looking at Mule Palms of Mississippi? They have 15 gallon palms there for $300. But, these are bigger than the ones you found (6-7 ft tall from the soil). MPOM is just up the road from you in Ocean Springs.

Edit: While not listed on the website, its possible that they have slightly smaller sizes, but no guarantees. I know the seedlings and baby sized palms wont be available until 2023, i contacted them and thats what i was told back in Spring. I ended up buying a mule seedling from Moultrie Palms in St Augustine FL (it was shipped).

Edited October 8, 2022 by JLM

[Collectorpalms]

Just now, jpg said:

We're building a new house on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and wanted to add some mule palms for a quick tropical look. We found four at a local nursery. They are relatively large (4-5 ft tall in the pot) and look nice to my untrained eye, but seemed rather pricey ($160 US each). I have have absolutely no experience with mule palms.  Do these look like healthy specimens and is the price within reason? Many, many thanks! Glen

In the first picture, that is a Butia not a mule ( mother of the Mule Palm), the others on the other side of the fence that are more upright and greener are the mules. Butia are excellent for your area as well, but should be cheaper.... even though they are slower growing and more cold hardy than the Mule. The initial investment in seeds/seedlings is significant for Mules because they are hand pollinated hybrids.

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MPOM is very close to where we're building...  less than a km away in that tiny little band of 9a that hugs the Mississippi gulf coast. We stopped by about six months ago and met the proprietor, Michael Gautier, just as he was leaving on an errand. He said his mule stock was low at that time. The nursery is in a residential area and it was impossible to see anything behind the privacy fence. He sees customers by appointment only. Next time we go down to check on the construction (the foundation pilings are being driven next week) we will make an appointment to get behind that fence and see what is available. Hard to believe now that I was getting sticker shock from a $160 price tag!

JLM, may I ask what your experience with Moultrie was like? How big was the seedling, how much did it cost, and how is it doing? 

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4 hours ago, Collectorpalms said:

In the first picture, that is a Butia not a mule ( mother of the Mule Palm), the others on the other side of the fence that are more upright and greener are the mules. Butia are excellent for your area as well, but should be cheaper.... even though they are slower growing and more cold hardy than the Mule. The initial investment in seeds/seedlings is significant for Mules because they are hand pollinated hybrids.

Thank you so much for your feedback! I could see a difference between the first palm and the other three, but the attendant said all four were mules and I just assumed the first was just doing poorly! It sounds like the Butia might still be a good purchase for us. Would an offer of half the price of a mule palm be reasonable?

The economic proposition of mule palms makes sense: start with higher upfront costs, throw in desirable characteristics and a certain degree of rarity, and you have a recipe for high prices.

[RJ]

49 minutes ago, jpg said:

Thank you so much for your feedback! I could see a difference between the first palm and the other three, but the attendant said all four were mules and I just assumed the first was just doing poorly! It sounds like the Butia might still be a good purchase for us. Would an offer of half the price of a mule palm be reasonable?

The economic proposition of mule palms makes sense: start with higher upfront costs, throw in desirable characteristics and a certain degree of rarity, and you have a recipe for high prices.

Butia will do fine but are much slower growing than a mule. Mule cost is driven by the labor intensive process of making them. They’re all hand pollinated. But they’re rockets once in the ground with our summer heat. 

[Collectorpalms]

1 hour ago, jpg said:

Thank you so much for your feedback! I could see a difference between the first palm and the other three, but the attendant said all four were mules and I just assumed the first was just doing poorly! It sounds like the Butia might still be a good purchase for us. Would an offer of half the price of a mule palm be reasonable?

The economic proposition of mule palms makes sense: start with higher upfront costs, throw in desirable characteristics and a certain degree of rarity, and you have a recipe for high prices.

Actually for comparison in Texas, $150 would be a great price for a Butia that size nowadays. It looks like it is in a large pot. 
15 gallon $150

25 Gallon $250

etc… for palms. 

[JLM]

1 hour ago, jpg said:

JLM, may I ask what your experience with Moultrie was like? How big was the seedling, how much did it cost, and how is it doing? 

The experience was great! The seedling was just starting to go pinnate, so not too big. This seedling is in the ground and has not put out a whole lot of top growth, but it does not move around in the ground so i suppose it has been working on roots. If you want the instant tropical look, this is probably not the way to go. However, i also bought a super mule as well, which is a BxJxBxS cross. (Butia x Jubaea x Butia x Syagrus). I have the super mule in a pot right now and it has grown at a decent pace. This one was also small. In total these came out to be $110 with shipping included, each seedling was $40 so not too bad imo

You can also call them and see if they are open, and you can go over there and check things out and see what the prices are for their larger palms that cant be shipped. They have a website which includes their phone number and address, as well as information about their mules and super mules. If you do go there, just call and let them you know want to visit. 

[96720]

Here are some pictures of the two palms pindomule

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12 hours ago, 96720 said:

They are a cross between 2 palms and it is a process to get it done as both palms are self fertile!!

I did not realize both parents were self-fertile. I am sure that adds a another level of difficulty to an already tricky process! 

And Don, thank you for the photos.  Are these your trees? Mule palms are certainly lovely. Well worth the effort and expense, in my opinion!

Edited October 8, 2022 by jpg
Added a related thought after the original posting.

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2 hours ago, JLM said:

The experience was great! The seedling was just starting to go pinnate, so not too big. This seedling is in the ground and has not put out a whole lot of top growth, but it does not move around in the ground so i suppose it has been working on roots. If you want the instant tropical look, this is probably not the way to go. However, i also bought a super mule as well, which is a BxJxBxS cross. (Butia x Jubaea x Butia x Syagrus). I have the super mule in a pot right now and it has grown at a decent pace. This one was also small. In total these came out to be $110 with shipping included, each seedling was $40 so not too bad imo

You can also call them and see if they are open, and you can go over there and check things out and see what the prices are for their larger palms that cant be shipped. They have a website which includes their phone number and address, as well as information about their mules and super mules. If you do go there, just call and let them you know want to visit. 

Thank you for sharing your experience.  $80 sounds pretty good for a pair of exotic palms. I will look into Moultrie. I love walking around nurseries. A road trip may be in order!

As for the question of instant vs. deferred gratification, I guess we are trying to strike a balance. The lot is large (nearly two acres), but it has only one little palm: a W. robusta (on the positive side, this tree really seems to have shot up over the summer). We would like to get a few larger trees to take the edge off the raw newness of the place, if you know what I mean.  Also, we're in our early 60's, so deferring gratification can be a risky strategy! Still, most of the fun is in the process, not the having, for me at least. Experiencing the lifecycle of plants and helping it along is just so... gratifying!

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3 hours ago, Collectorpalms said:

Actually for comparison in Texas, $150 would be a great price for a Butia that size nowadays. It looks like it is in a large pot. 
15 gallon $150

25 Gallon $250

etc… for palms. 

This sobering splash of reality on prices has been good for me, I think! If nothing else it will prevent me from making an insulting lowball offer for something!

[JLM]

4 minutes ago, jpg said:

Thank you for sharing your experience.  $80 sounds pretty good for a pair of exotic palms. I will look into Moultrie. I love walking around nurseries. A road trip may be in order!

As for the question of instant vs. deferred gratification, I guess we are trying to strike a balance. The lot is large (nearly two acres), but it has only one little palm: a W. robusta (on the positive side, this tree really seems to have shot up over the summer). We would like to get a few larger trees to take the edge off the raw newness of the place, if you know what I mean.  Also, we're in our early 60's, so deferring gratification can be a risky strategy! Still, most of the fun is in the process, not the having, for me at least. Experiencing the lifecycle of plants and helping it along is just so... gratifying!

I love helping palms along, i can safely get seedlings and plant them in the ground, i have plenty of time left if everything goes right lol (16 yrs old)

All the palms i have planted will hopefully get real big and stick around for a while for my parents to enjoy when i move out. Im not sure what im going to do with my 28 potted palms/tropicals whenever that time comes though.

Luckily if you do end up getting a mule or super mule, they have a medium-fast growth rate. Something i love about these hybrids is that they have a decently fast growth rate and are more cold hardy than a Queen. The super mule hardiness is unknown but since it has Jubaea in it, im sure it can tolerate at least the mid teens with no troubles.

[Chester B]

$300 for a mule a bit bigger than the ones you’ve shown in my neck of the woods. $160 is quite reasonable.   

[NWpalms@206]

On 10/8/2022 at 5:01 AM, jpg said:

may I ask what your experience with Moultrie was like? How big was the seedling, how much did it cost, and how is it doing? 

Frank and Elaine at Moultrie are great! Ive bought from them a few times. There is some interesting history behind their trees. As their genetics are from a very highly renowned grower that is no longer with us (Merril Wilcox), the genetics line from his F3 Jubaea/butia are the topic of many conversations on this website (referring to the super mule)( also B/J x B/S not most accurate abbreviation, but J/B f3 x S) . And Moultrie is one of only two hybridizers still using using his trees to produce hybrids. The other being Rich Lindberg. If you have any interest in the history associated to some of these hybrids, a Moutlrie Super Mule is a must!

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On 10/8/2022 at 1:25 PM, JLM said:

I love helping palms along, i can safely get seedlings and plant them in the ground, i have plenty of time left if everything goes right lol (16 yrs old)

All the palms i have planted will hopefully get real big and stick around for a while for my parents to enjoy when i move out. Im not sure what im going to do with my 28 potted palms/tropicals whenever that time comes though.

Luckily if you do end up getting a mule or super mule, they have a medium-fast growth rate. Something i love about these hybrids is that they have a decently fast growth rate and are more cold hardy than a Queen. The super mule hardiness is unknown but since it has Jubaea in it, im sure it can tolerate at least the mid teens with no troubles.

What a noble sentiment! I wish my kids shared my love of plants!

28, that's very impressive! Maybe you could plant them until the day you have a place of your own. I am going to have to research the super mules. They sound nice.

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On 10/9/2022 at 7:22 PM, Chester B said:

$300 for a mule a bit bigger than the ones you’ve shown in my neck of the woods. $160 is quite reasonable.   

I went ahead and bought them all! Four mules and the Butia. Our lonely little Washingtonia robusta will soon have some company! The nursery owner agreed to keep the until the house is ready for landscaping. In addition to the palms I also  bought two lime trees, two grapefruit trees, and two Satsuma orange trees at about $60/tree. They are all dwarf varieties, and already have fruit.

Things seem to grow well down on the Mississippi coast. The Washingtonia robusta almost doubled in size over the past six months!

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On 10/10/2022 at 1:38 PM, NWpalms@206 said:

Frank and Elaine at Moultrie are great! Ive bought from them a few times. There is some interesting history behind their trees. As their genetics are from a very highly renowned grower that is no longer with us (Merril Wilcox), the genetics line from his F3 Jubaea/butia are the topic of many conversations on this website (referring to the super mule)( also B/J x B/S not most accurate abbreviation, but J/B f3 x S) . And Moultrie is one of only two hybridizers still using using his trees to produce hybrids. The other being Rich Lindberg. If you have any interest in the history associated to some of these hybrids, a Moutlrie Super Mule is a must!

I think a road trip is definitely in order. I like the super mule photos I've seen here and the idea of having a plant - or plants - that are part of a special lineage is appealing. Besides, with a name like that, it's gotta be tough!

[Allen]

14 minutes ago, jpg said:

I went ahead and bought them all! Four mules and the Butia. Our lonely little Washingtonia robusta will soon have some company! The nursery owner agreed to keep the until the house is ready for landscaping. In addition to the palms I also  bought two lime trees, two grapefruit trees, and two Satsuma orange trees at about $60/tree. They are all dwarf varieties, and already have fruit.

Things seem to grow well down on the Mississippi coast. The Washingtonia robusta almost doubled in size over the past six months!

Good call mules are awesome