Planting a royal palm in mallorca

[Foxpalms]

1 hour ago, Brandon39.5 said:

Hey! I have a question, is it better to water my roystonea regia in summer by hand or by an automatic irrigation system? If it is better by irrigation system, which system is the best for palms?

Either, but watering by hand is probably more time consuming. I think most people use a drip irrigation system because sprinklers can cause trunk rot.

[Brandon39.5]

Hey, my royal palm has been doing okay just the tips were browning but now is opening a spear is this a good sign? does this means that is liking the spot where is right now? because I would say that is pretty rare for a royal palm to open a spear in mid march in my climate.

  

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Brandon39.5

[Brandon39.5]

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[Butiagrus]

On 2/9/2023 at 4:08 PM, iko. said:

Hi @Brandon39.5,

I wish you plenty of success with your Roystonea. First of all, because when I wanted to plant one exactly in the same latitude as you but in mainland Spain I got all type of messages but positive. Including some hate messages in a Spanish forum that is now well defunct. Secondly, because exotic palm trees often come with a price tag in the Balearics and for some people, it’s an investment.

I don’t have any secret tips and I hardly use fertilisers. My Roystonea regia was planted a bit smaller than yours in 2016. The first year looked bad and on the second one slowly started to show some signs of growth (see picture attached). Since then, it’s growing exponentially. It’s hardly watered in winter but is well irrigated during summer. It has endured some nights with temperatures close to 0°C and as a result of that or winter winds the ends of some leaflets get burned but still keeps a dark green lush all year round. I would say that it makes an average of 4 fronds per year but the trunk has become massive. Notice how the bromeliads around are getting tamped down. I think the limit for Roystonea regia is a bit further north than us. They have become relatively common south of Valencia or in Ibiza.

 

That's a really cool evolution! I will try one as well in Tarragona this spring 😀 Maybe hard but let's try..

Saludos,
JB

[Butiagrus]

 Have you heard of any Roystonea trunking North of Valencia ?

Edited March 14, 2023 by Butiagrus

[Brandon39.5]

12 hours ago, Butiagrus said:

 Have you heard of any Roystonea trunking North of Valencia ?

There is a mature trunking royal palm in Mallorca, about the same latitude as north Valencia.

 

Then, there is another one in Catalonia in a resort but not looking great.

https://www.google.es/maps/place/Cambrils+Park+Resort/@40.0901766,0.4710089,7.83z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x12a15a5237c56679:0x7817cc9494596a7e!8m2!3d41.0771713!4d1.1076296!16s%2Fg%2F11xdmf5kr

Tarragona royal:

http://subirimagen.infojardin.com/subidas-fotos/images/klz1308341686h.JPG

 

http://subirimagen.infojardin.com/subidas-fotos/images/klz1308341686h.JPG

 

Mallorca royal:

Edited March 15, 2023 by Brandon39.5

[Butiagrus]

Thanks for the pictures!

So the one in Valencia is doing great and the one in Mallorca as well.
Then it seems like the one in Tarragona is not doing so well in Winter.. Maybe it could look a bit better close to a wall around to protect it from the winter wind..

Regarding the minimum winter average temperatures, both Mallorca and Tarragona are very similar --> 5degC / 40degF --> I have to try one then!
 

[Brandon39.5]

9 minutes ago, Butiagrus said:

Thanks for the pictures!

So the one in Valencia is doing great and the one in Mallorca as well.
Then it seems like the one in Tarragona is not doing so well in Winter.. Maybe it could look a bit better close to a wall around to protect it from the winter wind..

Regarding the minimum winter average temperatures, both Mallorca and Tarragona are very similar --> 5degC / 40degF --> I have to try one then!
 

Yes, I'm shure that close to a wall protecting it from the northern winds it could do well. The one in tarragona is completely exposed. Tarragona and Mallorca are very similar, mallorca is just slightly warmer but I think that in a good micro climate in tarragona it would definetley work. I would give it a try and see what happens.

[iko.]

The Roystonea of the water park in Tarragona was already big when planted. It was kept for a couple of years and then, it disappeared. More recently, a young Roystonea was planted in Vigo (Galicia-Northern Spain), not sure how is doing.

In protected spots, it should do well near the coast in Tarragona. The very limit could be north of Barcelona or the Côte d'Azur.

 

[Butiagrus]

Thanks for the info iko, so it was already trunking when planted.. 
 You may be right with the Barcelona limit 😉. My parents live more North close to Cannes (Côte d'Azur) and I have never seen any Roystonea there. I know by experience that winters there are a bit more cold than in Tarragona even if the below data are not really showing it:


Maybe @gilles06 can relate better as he is growing a really cool garden close to Nice (Côte d'Azur) since years now 🙂

[Brandon39.5]

Hey! is it a good time to plant my Roystonea regia? It has grown a new frond and the forecast is looking okay. Could I plant it in a couple of days? Or I should wait more?

 

[Brandon39.5]

The roystonea regia has been planted today.

[Brandon39.5]

Hey, should I be worried about this? It was already there when i bought it.

Another thing, how much time do I have to wait from the day that I planted it, till I can fertilize the palm?

[iko.]

I think I can see a fungal infection (the white spots). If it’s that, it can be quite bad. Treat it with a fungicide, allow air to circulate and check the plant hasn’t been overwatered.

I would say that the area where is planted is not big enough. Roystoneas can grow big trunks.

[Brandon39.5]

Hello guys, I was wondering why my royal palm is not pulling any new spears? is it transplant shock?

 

[Villa_Veloco_Mallorca]

Hi Brandon,

yes its probably a transplant shock. Usually Royal palms should transplant quite good but obviously it depends if they were growing in a greenhouse or in the sun. Don’t stress yourself and give it a bit of time.

i have planted one smaller Bismarckia last year in September and it hasn’t opened a spear yet. I planted one 15 meters away from it 3 years ago and it has opened 5 spears in the first year. Nothing to worry about. First they grow roots and then later on the spears.

BTW, the Foxtail that I have planted in the same spot as the Royal Palm, that had died before, has opened the second spear this year and starts to trunk now

 

[mnorell]

I have noticed multiple instances of bad transplant shock with young Roystoneas (both R. regia and R. oleracea). The larger "styrofoam"-looking roots are easily snapped and I discovered with a R. oleracea in the Florida Keys after I accidentally did this to two of these large roots during planting, the palm just sat there for months and months, and then after a while (it might have been the better part of a year) it started to slowly grow. Once it got back into growing mode it grew very quickly and by the time we sold that house last fall (about four years in the ground) I'd say it was 20' or so in height. 

With R. regia I have two right now here in the California Desert (Palm Springs) that were in containers growing up from seedlings and they had rooted into the expansion joints between concrete slabs and were growing quickly. When I removed them to plant them in the ground, I had no choice but to pull them out and a number of good-sized roots were broken. The largest is alive in its new home but the fronds fried almost immediately despite heavy watering, and the spear has only pushed about 2" in several months now. But it is alive (for now, at least). The smaller of the two behaved similarly, kept some more green, but one day the spear just collapsed, broke in two and it looks to be dead. One other that I planted nearby out of a one-gallon with no root damage is fully green and growing, if a little slowly while it builds its root-system. I recently ordered more backup seedlings from Floribunda for insurance.

One thing also that I noticed in your photo of the newly planted R. regia...it looks like the base of the trunk might be above the soil-line. This is very bad for Roystonea, especially in a dry climate. They produce all their new roots here and need humidity to grow out properly, so must remain below the soil in a dry climate to maintain health and physical stability. Also if there is any erosion, plus normal soil compaction over time, you are doing yourself a disservice by planting too high. It's a little hard for me to tell for sure because that area of your photo is rather dark on my screen, but I wanted to point it out to you in case it is "riding high." And how does water get into the soil under your terrace-paving? As Iko mentioned, you will likely need to open up more squares in your terrace, and to improve the porosity of the entire area. The palm will not be happy if it is throwing its large root-system into completely dry soil.

And aside from their well-documented need for minor elements, they are strong palms so I'm sure yours will do fine. The one you picture in Mallorca looks great!

[Brandon39.5]

On 6/24/2023 at 8:24 PM, mnorell said:

I have noticed multiple instances of bad transplant shock with young Roystoneas (both R. regia and R. oleracea). The larger "styrofoam"-looking roots are easily snapped and I discovered with a R. oleracea in the Florida Keys after I accidentally did this to two of these large roots during planting, the palm just sat there for months and months, and then after a while (it might have been the better part of a year) it started to slowly grow. Once it got back into growing mode it grew very quickly and by the time we sold that house last fall (about four years in the ground) I'd say it was 20' or so in height. 

With R. regia I have two right now here in the California Desert (Palm Springs) that were in containers growing up from seedlings and they had rooted into the expansion joints between concrete slabs and were growing quickly. When I removed them to plant them in the ground, I had no choice but to pull them out and a number of good-sized roots were broken. The largest is alive in its new home but the fronds fried almost immediately despite heavy watering, and the spear has only pushed about 2" in several months now. But it is alive (for now, at least). The smaller of the two behaved similarly, kept some more green, but one day the spear just collapsed, broke in two and it looks to be dead. One other that I planted nearby out of a one-gallon with no root damage is fully green and growing, if a little slowly while it builds its root-system. I recently ordered more backup seedlings from Floribunda for insurance.

One thing also that I noticed in your photo of the newly planted R. regia...it looks like the base of the trunk might be above the soil-line. This is very bad for Roystonea, especially in a dry climate. They produce all their new roots here and need humidity to grow out properly, so must remain below the soil in a dry climate to maintain health and physical stability. Also if there is any erosion, plus normal soil compaction over time, you are doing yourself a disservice by planting too high. It's a little hard for me to tell for sure because that area of your photo is rather dark on my screen, but I wanted to point it out to you in case it is "riding high." And how does water get into the soil under your terrace-paving? As Iko mentioned, you will likely need to open up more squares in your terrace, and to improve the porosity of the entire area. The palm will not be happy if it is throwing its large root-system into completely dry soil.

And aside from their well-documented need for minor elements, they are strong palms so I'm sure yours will do fine. The one you picture in Mallorca looks great!

Thank you so much for replying, sorry for not replying earlier, I didn't notice that you replied. I've putted some more soil on the base of the palm and mulch. the palm is not growing i'm still worried because I don't want it to die. I'm worried too because one frond is not enough, I would like if the palm grow atleast 2 more fronds before winter time. I will definetley open more squares around the palm but first I need to know if it's gonna survive or not. where I live is quite humid more a less 60% of humidity at mid day and at nigh time 90% and i'ts warm too. in summer it's basically perfect conditions for royal 90 degrees every day and humidity. 

[Brandon39.5]

On 6/24/2023 at 6:52 PM, Villa_Veloco_Mallorca said:

Hi Brandon,

yes its probably a transplant shock. Usually Royal palms should transplant quite good but obviously it depends if they were growing in a greenhouse or in the sun. Don’t stress yourself and give it a bit of time.

i have planted one smaller Bismarckia last year in September and it hasn’t opened a spear yet. I planted one 15 meters away from it 3 years ago and it has opened 5 spears in the first year. Nothing to worry about. First they grow roots and then later on the spears.

BTW, the Foxtail that I have planted in the same spot as the Royal Palm, that had died before, has opened the second spear this year and starts to trunk now

 

hello, Thank you so much for replying, sorry for not replying earlier, I didn't notice that you replied. Your foxtail looks fantastic! maybe the foxtail palm is better for mallorca, i would like to get one because they do really well here, i have a 1 and a half year old seedling, but i would like to get a bigger one. Where and when did you get yours from? or you grown it from seed? Here theres a foxtail that is growing in mallorca it looks very good! its on a private garden in calvia near the coast.

[Villa_Veloco_Mallorca]

On 7/28/2023 at 11:39 PM, Brandon39.5 said:

hello, Thank you so much for replying, sorry for not replying earlier, I didn't notice that you replied. Your foxtail looks fantastic! maybe the foxtail palm is better for mallorca, i would like to get one because they do really well here, i have a 1 and a half year old seedling, but i would like to get a bigger one. Where and when did you get yours from? or you grown it from seed? Here theres a foxtail that is growing in mallorca it looks very good! its on a private garden in calvia near the coast.

Is that Foxtail in Portals Nous? Then it’s was the initial inspiration to plant one. You can see that they have planet a mature tree that grew up in better conditions and now the rings aren’t so wide anymore but it still looks very healthy. 

 

i bought mine from babypalms.eu and would always recommend Miguel!
 

btw out of all “special” palms that I have planted the Bismarckias are doing the best. So you should definitely give it a try.

 

[Brandon39.5]

16 hours ago, Villa_Veloco_Mallorca said:

Is that Foxtail in Portals Nous? Then it’s was the initial inspiration to plant one. You can see that they have planet a mature tree that grew up in better conditions and now the rings aren’t so wide anymore but it still looks very healthy. 

 

i bought mine from babypalms.eu and would always recommend Miguel!
 

btw out of all “special” palms that I have planted the Bismarckias are doing the best. So you should definitely give it a try.

 

Yes, that's the foxtails from portals nous, it was my inspiration in giving a try to more tropical palms in mallorca. I saw them 2 years ago in summer, they looked pretty good I think that there is 3 in total so that says a lot. This year after winter I went to see them and they looked pretty good after that very cold week that we had. I'm gonna buy a foxtail from baby palms this summer. I have like 10 bismarckia seedling that I germinated this winter from seeds that I collected from the canary Islands, they love heat! And I heard that they tolerate a bit more cold than foxtails. I don't where they got a mature foxtail in mallorca. That palms probably cost a lot of money. 

[Phoenikakias]

My Royal is about to expand second leaf of this year. Stem base fattens up nicely too. I think, so long it stays alive during winter without a major scale damage in crown, it will grow superbly in Mallorca, provided it gets plenty of water.

I grow from seed three foxtails in my cold frame. Seed came from Vietnam. They are fast growers in greenhouse environment, although they enjoy no artificial heating during winter and haven exposed on several occasions to temperature near 0 C or slightly below.

[Brandon39.5]

33 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

My Royal is about to expand second leaf of this year. Stem base fattens up nicely too. I think, so long it stays alive during winter without a major scale damage in crown, it will grow superbly in Mallorca, provided it gets plenty of water.

I grow from seed three foxtails in my cold frame. Seed came from Vietnam. They are fast growers in greenhouse environment, although they enjoy no artificial heating during winter and haven exposed on several occasions to temperature near 0 C or slightly below.

wow, royal looks great out there, how old are your foxtails? they look very good!

[Phoenikakias]

39 minutes ago, Brandon39.5 said:

wow, royal looks great out there, how old are your foxtails? they look very good!

9 y.o. But they had undergone a major schock, when they had been transplanted from sole pumice to a mix containing much of native soil. Two juvenile plants perished and one ceased growth completely. Latter can be seen in the picture. Now it keeps pace with the two larger ones. All are of exactly same age. Only after a lot of effort for two years long and loads of fungicides and complete change of soil, I managed to save those three plants and help them resume a reasonable growth.

Edited August 6, 2023 by Phoenikakias

[Brandon39.5]

Looks like my palm tree died, i'ts quite sad, I've done everything properly, but it didn't make through the transplant. Here's a photo of the palm. 

Good thing is that I can replace it, so I will replace it for a wodyetia bifurcata.

[Navarro]

Esto puede pasar y a veces no sabes ni por qué 

[Phoenikakias]

30 minutes ago, Brandon39.5 said:

Looks like my palm tree died, i'ts quite sad, I've done everything properly, but it didn't make through the transplant. Here's a photo of the palm. 

Good thing is that I can replace it, so I will replace it for a wodyetia bifurcata.

It does not make sense (a possible disease is a different story, which could occure to any palm sp) unless we assume that it had been underwatered. You have left no space for water accumulation (soil surface is leveled up with surrounding slab)

[Brandon39.5]

9 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

It does not make sense (a possible disease is a different story, which could occure to any palm sp) unless we assume that it had been underwatered. You have left no space for water accumulation (soil surface is leveled up with surrounding slab)

It might be that, maybe the water wasn't draining enough through the soil.  Next time I will plant it with space for soil accumulation.

[Phoenikakias]

1 hour ago, Brandon39.5 said:

It might be that, maybe the water wasn't draining enough through the soil.  Next time I will plant it with space for soil accumulation.

As far as I can conclude from a picture, soil surface around the the trunk was very little. How often and how much have you been irrigating in the previous months. Here is an actual picture of my specimen, it ha fully developed two fronds and develops fast a new spear. I flood the bowl twice weekly plus a function of a  driper on a daily basis. Flipflop is used as scale for the dimensions of the bowl, which it may eventually turn out a bit small.

[Villa_Veloco_Mallorca]

On 9/14/2023 at 4:49 PM, Brandon39.5 said:

It might be that, maybe the water wasn't draining enough through the soil.  Next time I will plant it with space for soil accumulation.

 Hi Brandon, how is your garden looking after our mild winter? Hope the new palms that you planted last year survived the first winter

[Brandon39.5]

On 5/16/2024 at 7:51 PM, Villa_Veloco_Mallorca said:

 Hi Brandon, how is your garden looking after our mild winter? Hope the new palms that you planted last year survived the first winter

Hey, so there wasn't much planted honestly, a foxtail that did okay, and a howea. I also had on pots two royals, one small one and another pretty big one that I'm trying to sell for 50€ because I don't have a good location for it. You might be interested in it. I'll upload a photo below. I also had on pots, chambeyronia macrocarpa and Archontophoenix purpurea that I've just planted in the ground this week. And next weekend I will plant an archontophoenix myolensis. I also have a lot of different seedlings that are doing pretty well, maybe someone is interested in doing some exchanges, I will upload some pictures of the garden tomorrow. How are your plants doing? And how about you @RichardHemsley?

 

[Brandon39.5]

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[bubba]

Has anyone here seen the San Remo, Italy Royal palm growing at latitude, 43.816° north? Could it be the furthest northern Royal in the world?

[RichardHemsley]

Everything is growing well @Brandon39.5 @Villa_Veloco_Mallorca but my Archontophoenix alexandrè took a bit of a beating over the winter and is struggling.  Roystonea regia is growing well in a pot on the terrace as is my Chambeyronia macrocarpa. I might be interested in your royal if Phil doesn't want it. Can you email me a pic as your link isn't working for me? Loads of seeds on the go so might be able to do some swaps when once I know how successful germination has been.

[Brandon39.5]

1 hour ago, RichardHemsley said:

Everything is growing well @Brandon39.5 @Villa_Veloco_Mallorca but my Archontophoenix alexandrè took a bit of a beating over the winter and is struggling.  Roystonea regia is growing well in a pot on the terrace as is my Chambeyronia macrocarpa. I might be interested in your royal if Phil doesn't want it. Can you email me a pic as your link isn't working for me? Loads of seeds on the go so might be able to do some swaps when once I know how successful germination has been.

Great! I'm getting quite a lot of germination so I can do some swaps, especially a lot of pritchardia thurstonii and adonidia. I'll send you some pictures of the royal now. 

[bubba]

The amazing thing to me is that you are able to grow Royal palms in Mallorca at latitude 39° plus north! This is sensational when you consider that they are a difficult grow in Florida at 28° north.

The Mediterranean climate in Europe, southern California, and throughout the world is totally mind-boggling. I would love to see Adonida, if possible. I no longer doubt all possibilities notwithstanding traditional expectations. 

[Villa_Veloco_Mallorca]

@Brandon39.5 I wouldn’t have the space for a Royal at the moment and as it’s a rental property I only have limited time to work on the garden. This winter I haven’t planted a single new palm but all the existing ones look quite good. Even my Foxtail looks decent after its second winter.

@RichardHemsley  I think the Archontophoenix is a bit tricky in our location. With all the Wind it would need a protected spot. Haven’t planted one but it’s definitely on my list. They are getting quite popular in Mallorca now. 

[Villa_Veloco_Mallorca]

 

Here an update of my Foxtail Palm in Port de Pollenca - Mallorca.

It’s growing quite well and will open the second spear of the year very soon.