exceptional good Trachycarpus seed harvest...

[kristof p]

This year the harvest on my Trachycarpus palms is exceptionally good. One of my trees has the leaves hanging from the weight of the heavy inflorescenses. This one takes the crown this year in terms of seed production.

[Alex Zone 5]

HOLY 🤬🤬

[kristof p]

10 minutes ago, Alex Zone 5 said:

HOLY 🤬🤬

yes, and the pictures are the front and backside of the tree!

[Las Palmas Norte]

That's easily 50lbs of seed, probably more. 

[fr8train]

Wow, why do you think they're doing so well this year in particular?

[kristof p]

3 hours ago, fr8train said:

Wow, why do you think they're doing so well this year in particular?

I have no idea. Summer was hot and dry and autumn wet and mild. The winter before it was very mild but I guess a mild winter before flowering has not much effect on seed production. 

[Dig The Soil]

That is brilliant. I have never had such results in the desert on any of mine. 

[Arecaceus]

Wow that's incredible! Poor mother. She must have bad back pain LOL. Did you water her during the hot and dry season? Because one reason I can imagine is stress. Many plants produce more seeds if they are under severe drought stress to save their own kind. Another reason could be perfect conditions for perfect pollination like wind, dry weather etc. Or did you pollinate it by hand?

[kristof p]

1 hour ago, Hortulanus said:

Wow that's incredible! Poor mother. She must have bad back pain LOL. Did you water her during the hot and dry season? Because one reason I can imagine is stress. Many plants produce more seeds if they are under severe drought stress to save their own kind. Another reason could be perfect conditions for perfect pollination like wind, dry weather etc. Or did you pollinate it by hand?

No, no extra water. For a few years now, the water shortage is getting worser and sometimes there is a ban on watering gardens or washing cars with city water. The little rainwater people have stored is soon used up.  Last summer was extremely hot and dry so no water for plants. They could use some extra water during the hottest days during droughts but they can take a little dought and heat. As long as it is not the intens kind of scorching heat and drought they have in southern europe. 

 

Edited January 24, 2023 by kristof p

[Arecaceus]

40 minutes ago, kristof p said:

No, no extra water. For a few years now, the water shortage is getting worser and sometimes there is a ban on watering gardens or washing cars with city water. The little rainwater people have stored is soon used up.  Last summer was extremely hot and dry so no water for plants. They could use some extra water during the hottest days during droughts but they can take a little dought and heat. As long as it is not the intens kind of scorching heat and drought they have in southern europe. 

 

Yes I know it's becoming an issue in our fomerly rainy regions. But still that would support the thesis of being under stress and thus producing more seed, right?

[zone 14a]

Is this enough to make Palms 5% less expensive? Windmill Palms love European Oceanic conditions. I don't think the drought these faced has the same implications as a lower latitude drought such as in the US. 

[Foxpalms]

23 hours ago, zone 14a said:

Is this enough to make Palms 5% less expensive? Windmill Palms love European Oceanic conditions. I don't think the drought these faced has the same implications as a lower latitude drought such as in the US. 

Watered Trachycarpus look fine here but ones that aren't watered look terrible and struggle. When the average temperature in July and August has been in the 80s the past few years except 2021 combined with a drought they struggle. Trachycarpus that were already struggling then had a month of 0 inches of rainfall then went through 40-41c in London definitely weren't happy