Palm spacing

[Jerrrod]

Hi guys, just wanted to know what you think about spacing palms? I've seen some CIDP planted close and the trunks were curved. Is this normal or just a fluke?

[RJ]

25 minutes ago, Jerrrod said:

Hi guys, just wanted to know what you think about spacing palms? I've seen some CIDP planted close and the trunks were curved. Is this normal or just a fluke?

As with most solitary palms, when planted together closely the will curve away from each other. Some do this to give the palm a double or triple , etc… look. Some spaced further apart will simply grow curved away from each other trying to maximize the sun. 

[Jerrrod]

Thanks, that is so cool. I'm still planning how to plant mine in a couple of years.

[Collectorpalms]

41 minutes ago, Jerrrod said:

Thanks, that is so cool. I'm still planning how to plant mine in a couple of years.

Most important things starting out, are seed/plant source ( the real deal), growing them in sun, spacing, well watered and fertilized in spring/summer, and out of the north wind.

You can plant certain palms in doubles or triples but the girth of the palms will be smaller, and that lowers their cold hardiness. I would only plant sabal minors in triples. Since needle palms naturally make several trunks, space them apart as well. It is important to get pure Washingtonia ( Filifera) and Phoenix ( Canary) because they hybridize easily and that will significantly lower their cold hardiness.

If considering Trachycarpus, Texas Sabal, Sabal Palmetto, Canaries ( easy to spot hybrids), green Mediterranean Fan, Yucca Rostrata I would buy them from Texas already big. But palms grown in fields may suffer a little in the girth department cause they cram them in to save on space, so starting them from seed, and putting them out as 5 gallons they probably will be more cold hardy in the long run.

Washingtonia Filifera right now is one that you will have to grow from seed ( which I collected myself and sell), also I have seedlings that I sprouted this spring from both Native Stand and Texas Survivors, and so far they both look identical. 

[SeanK]

Generally, thin-trunked palms look good in tripled while thick-trunked palms look better alone. Why cram 3 Butias or 3 CIDP together, considering the cost?

I've used triple T.fortuneis and they look nice. However they're much different from a single Chamaerops humilis with multiple trunks. The advantage is that fortuneis are more cold-hardy and grow faster.

 

Consider your yard as a palette. Go to a few nurseries and look at BLE plants. Consider

1. adult size

2. groupings

3. borders

4. colours

5. focus plants

Then draw a map of your property and lay out your plan. I see many photos on BBs where people focus on a few scraggly palms w/o effort put into the landscape as a whole.

Edited October 14, 2022 by SeanK
more info added

[Collectorpalms]

A group planting of Trachycarpus Fortunei at Dallas Arboretum. 

They did no get a curve to them, and the weakest just flat out died. A fail in my book. 

 

 

[Collectorpalms]

3 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

A group planting of Trachycarpus Fortunei at Dallas Arboretum. 

They did no get a curve to them, and the weakest just flat out died. A fail in my book. 

 

 

2020 Spring. Better off spacing them 4 corners of a box about 10 feet apart , with a multi-trunking Mediterranean fan palm in the middle. 

 

[Collectorpalms]

Washingtonia Filifera is another that is not meant to lean. That far left one is not necessary. One on each side of entry would look better. Makes you think the left side was an accident, or one the right side one died.

[Collectorpalms]

If you have ever had to trim a Canary Island Date palm, they have 7inch Daggers. They do seem to lean some, but imagine having to remove those dead fronds every year in Oklahoma when it hits 20F, then you have to deal with another trying to kill you as you prune the other. 

[Jerrrod]

Thanks for the heads up, exactly what does 5 gallon mean? I keep seeing trees described by gallons and I have an idea but is a really small plant in a 5 gallon pot still considered a 5 gallon? Is the gallon thing the same across the board for all plants? I'm new at this.

[Jerrrod]

BTW, I am starting Yucca Rigida seeds.

[NBTX11]

3 hours ago, Collectorpalms said:

If you have ever had to trim a Canary Island Date palm, they have 7inch Daggers. They do seem to lean some, but imagine having to remove those dead fronds every year in Oklahoma when it hits 20F, then you have to deal with another trying to kill you as you prune the other. 

One time I stabbed myself with a CIDP frond in my thumb and my thumb hurt for 6 months. 

[GregDFW]

On 10/14/2022 at 11:29 AM, NBTX11 said:

One time I stabbed myself with a CIDP frond in my thumb and my thumb hurt for 6 months. 

I took a spike right into a vein while dragging my medi through the gate to plant.  Didn't bleed much but almost the whole underside of my forearm turned purple.  Got on antibiotics and a tetanus shot the next day but took a while for it to look normal.  Yours must have been a deep wound to hurt for that long!  I haven't completely learned my lesson after getting scraped up pretty good trying to save my sotol yesterday...

[SeanK]

On 10/14/2022 at 8:10 AM, Collectorpalms said:

A group planting of Trachycarpus Fortunei at Dallas Arboretum. 

They did no get a curve to them, and the weakest just flat out died. A fail in my book. 

 

 

I don't know what happened with these Texas palms. Struck by something?

Mine don't look like that:

 

[Collectorpalms]

3 hours ago, SeanK said:

I don't know what happened with these Texas palms. Struck by something?

Mine don't look like that:

 

They look good .  
They picture I pointed to were struck by 4F, and were in the shadow of tall trees  (necessary to look good in TX) showed how they looked alive. They looked good as they had a bigger crown if that’s your goal, but they do not spread like coconuts and Robusta, without crowns touching. but my point is ultimately one or two doesn’t get enough sun, water from root competition, and is thinner. So when You have a bad winter the weaker ones die first. 
 

If you space them without one getting less winter sun and it looks good I don’t see an issue. 

 

[SeanK]

It was accidental. My sillcock was leaking for a year during a critical time for their growth.