establishing a new bucaneer palm

[flplantguy]

I just planted my new pseudophoenix sargentii in the yard today and had a question on establishment.  I know to keep it dry so it is on a small mound of sand with a volcano to keep extra runnoff away from the base (it has a drainage channel if it rains too hard and fills up the volcano).  It is also the highest part if the front yard by a small amount and drains FAST.  My plan was to place shell when it arrives around the base as well to provide calcium and the whole driveway will be shell.  Permeable and reflects light so i hope it mimics the keys and adds heat.  The area is blasted by sun from 8 to 9 am onwards as well.  I want to add stones and other dry soil plants around it there so no irrigation at all.  I will need to protect it from north advective winds if we have a freeze so i'll plan for the temporary shelter around it also.  Im hoping shell slows the formation of frost relative to dry sand but im nor sure on that either.  Any thoughts from someone with a similar situation? 

[Las Palmas Norte]

I can't comment on the cultural requirements of your palm, however I will  say it's a beautiful palm.

[kinzyjr]

33 minutes ago, flplantguy said:

I just planted my new pseudophoenix sargentii in the yard today and had a question on establishment.  I know to keep it dry so it is on a small mound of sand with a volcano to keep extra runnoff away from the base (it has a drainage channel if it rains too hard and fills up the volcano).  It is also the highest part if the front yard by a small amount and drains FAST.  My plan was to place shell when it arrives around the base as well to provide calcium and the whole driveway will be shell.  Permeable and reflects light so i hope it mimics the keys and adds heat.  The area is blasted by sun from 8 to 9 am onwards as well.  I want to add stones and other dry soil plants around it there so no irrigation at all.  I will need to protect it from north advective winds if we have a freeze so i'll plan for the temporary shelter around it also.  Im hoping shell slows the formation of frost relative to dry sand but im nor sure on that either.  Any thoughts from someone with a similar situation?

Mine is planted slightly elevated in a circular bed under canopy (no frost).  The soil is very dark and rich with a pH between 5.5 and 6.5 in that area.  The mulch used was pine bark and the soil stays moist all year since it is in the part of the yard lower in elevation.  It has grown fine there.

[flplantguy]

So from what i have read its keep the crown dry but moisture is fine as long as its not standing water at the base.  But if it can handle canopy and look good i can plant the trees (prob japanese blueberry) to shade the house close enough for a benefit to the palm too. I love to water so i have to keep that in mind also for these types.  Ive killed orchids that love water before. Old habit from living in the desert plus the florida transplant learning curve lol.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, flplantguy said:

I just planted my new pseudophoenix sargentii in the yard today and had a question on establishment.  I know to keep it dry so it is on a small mound of sand with a volcano to keep extra runnoff away from the base (it has a drainage channel if it rains too hard and fills up the volcano).  It is also the highest part if the front yard by a small amount and drains FAST.  My plan was to place shell when it arrives around the base as well to provide calcium and the whole driveway will be shell.  Permeable and reflects light so i hope it mimics the keys and adds heat.  The area is blasted by sun from 8 to 9 am onwards as well.  I want to add stones and other dry soil plants around it there so no irrigation at all.  I will need to protect it from north advective winds if we have a freeze so i'll plan for the temporary shelter around it also.  Im hoping shell slows the formation of frost relative to dry sand but im nor sure on that either.  Any thoughts from someone with a similar situation? 

Stone will help retain some deg of heat in the soil /radiate some up around the Buccaneer during colder spells for sure... Because of it's color, while shell may help keep some warmth in the soil, but not quite as much as even an earthy-toned type of stone can.. 

If this were my own project, i'd place Shell around the base of the palm, filling the well, out to roughly 6" past the top of the well, then do stone / gravel.. Remember,  ..if you lay stone, don't skimp on depth.. 4-6" will do a better job of lessening weedy plant growth compared to laying it an inch or two deep.. You can then scatter larger chunks of Cap Rock / Oolite / coral stone throughout the bed to give it more of a habitat feel.

As far as other, companion plants ..which will thrive on little or no extra water, look into natives first, and which ever succulent -type plants that will handle the amount of rainfall you can see during the summers.. Plumeria for example would be ideal and there are numerous cultivars which are relatively cold tolerant ( Know Hudson can be cooler / colder at times in the winter than where i lived in Largo / Clearwater ) and stay short ( ..Compact, semi, and true Miniature-sized Plumeria cultivars for example.. ) 

For a barrier -that helps protect from / slow down northerly / northwesterly winds,  if there is space, you could plant certain natives that will get tall enough to accomplish that goal, but also provide a tropical look.. and stand up to any colder winters / don't need extra water once established. ...Jamaican Caper, Marlberry, or Fiddlewood for example..  Would look better ..more natural than using introduced plants as your wind barrier.

BTW, assuming the weed barrier in the background is for another project. Don't advise laying it in the bed where you'll be planting. Tougher weeds / critters will shred right through it in no time there. Blocks water from getting to the roots of the palm as well.

[flplantguy]

The weedmat is the driveway and shell pictured.  To the north is open for quite a ways so a windbreak will happen, i just have to work around the septic tank and drain field and the last section of driveway looped to the roadway.  I wont use weedmat anywhere except for the driveway portion of the shell, greenhouse floor in the back(eventually), and over the drainfield area if i can grow small pots overtop of the weedmatlike winter veggies.  North and west of that will be windbreak but some gaps will happen in spots possibly due to the power lines and drain field being close.  I can pla t there it will just need to be the perfect setup to fit without being a problem there.

[Looking Glass]

I know winter temperatures are a concern for you, and I can’t help much with that, but that’s a nice palm there and you shouldn’t have a hard time getting it going.   They are not slow once daytime temps hit the 90s, but when daytime temps drop into the 70s and below, they seem to slack off.  

In Florida, these will take real all-day sun from a young age.   The more, the better.   They also like well draining alkaline soil, but aren’t too picky about it.  They will grown in a variety of pHs, but become thin and spindly as soil gets very acidic.  I do put shell mulch around mine, but crushed limestone would probably work too.   

As long as you don’t have a “wet spot”, they can take extra water in the hot months, and respond well to good fertilizer and water.  They can rot out in continuously wet spots though.  

These are great palms.   Yours looks like the the faster growing variant, based on the ring spacing, but time will tell I guess.  If it is, it will grow several times faster than the Florida native subspecies.   

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by Looking Glass

[flplantguy]

On one hand im hoping for a Navassana, but shorter is easier to protect too.  Its blazing hot even now out there and i saw about 1-2mm of growth on the spear over a day (ill mark it better so i can check and take photos), which surprised me so maybe ill sit under it sooner than later! 

Edited March 13, 2023 by flplantguy
comical spelling error

[aztropic]

That one does appear to be of the navassana type. Just a heads up that the amount of water these receive while actively growing, can make a huge difference in eventual trunk diameter. I have about 20 of these planted around my yard in the Arizona desert; most growing under dry desert conditions,and maintaining a 4-5 inch mature trunk diameter. I also have 1 that gets watered at least every other day March thru October by front yard sprinklers,and it has grown twice as fat,twice as fast... None of my Pseudophoenix trees had any mature trunk established,when originally planted.Some pics to compare.

 

aztropic

Mesa,Arizona

Edited March 14, 2023 by aztropic

[flplantguy]

@aztropicThe trunks on those palms are amazing!  how frequently do you see freezes in that area? Are you in a sweet spot or do they get exposed to cold also?  I will have to worry about frost for sure at some point, but if they can handle a light freeze without exposure/contact with frozen water (cover or canopy) i think i may see a good trunking palm soon. 

[aztropic]

We usually see a couple nights each year,just below freezing. (29-31F) Frost forms on rooftops and cars,but almost never on trees. 

 

aztropic

Mesa, Arizona 

[flplantguy]

I have a feeling this area is similar most winters outside an advective event. We had the one at christmas and a decent frost event at 31 the second night of a front in january, but even largo would have frosts on roofs every winter at least once when i was there.  I will be extra cautious with cold until i get a feel for it.  Or maybe a common palm that does similar nearby as a "canary in the coal mine" for freezes while i keep the buc safer. 

[flplantguy]

An update brings the emerging petiole (with a small crack🙄) and new spear (crown rot averted) on the bucaneer palm, and some new plantings for the front. I have added seedlings of tecoma stans for foundation plants in front of the west wall, the succulents around the buc, a spindle grouping with some color by the front door, and a group of foxtails and black night canna (and one tropicana) in front near the driveway and well pump area.  Its starting to form into something to see as people drive by.  I hope to get some other desert plants for the front and some other cool palm species that look like they belong with the bucaneer.

[flplantguy]

What should i expect to see on the crownshaft for the leaf before it naturally falls?  I have a streak of tan on the oldest frond that appeared rapidly a few days ago and stopped.  It has not spread since or dropped, but the last frond pulled away still green mostly and had no tan on the boot portion at all.  It has 5 leaves including the new spear now but im also seeing old damage from the nursery growing out as well. I will post photos later, but what should i expect to see?

[mnorell]

I don't remember the specifics of how the leafbases senesce and separate, but in my own experience...don't get impatient and try to pull the leafbase away from a buccaneer before it's ready to go. They have surprisingly delicate palm-heart areas and the entire crown can snap off with a little force. I had it happen twice when I lived on Big Pine Key...I don't quite remember the specifics of the first incident (probably my fault when repositioning the palm and I grabbed it in the wrong place), the other time was after Irma and our arborist's crew was pulling out nearby dead material and the crown got in the way of a rope. Instantly beheaded! 

To add to Nathan's list for wind-protection...can you grow seagrape where you are? They are a nice and appropriate companion plant that can become a dense windbreak but easily shaped to the size you need (I think unlikely that they will become large trees in your zone), and I remember anecdotes on this forum that they come back pretty reliably after frosts/freezes in coastal north-central Florida. Another native (and much smaller) natural-feeling companion-plant would be Sophora tomentosa. I had these scattered around our property in the Keys and they re-seed/volunteer manageably and attractively. I grew to appreciate their unusual form and attractive foliage shape/texture, flowers, and pods.

[flplantguy]

Seageape do grow here, and didnt drop their leaves after this last winter until spring growth resumed.  They just turned redish purple when even mine in largo dropped the leaves after they crisped in the 2018 freeze.  One down the street is up to the roofline of that home. I have considered them but if they drop the leaves after a freeze it may backfire if we get a monster year and more than one big freeze. I like the native aspect of it so maybe it can be one layer of it.  I have only lightly wiggled the frond to check for mush since the last one just popped off out of nowhere and surprised me, so i figured they just went when they wanted to with little change or warning.  This one is not nearly ready i dont think so im leaving it be. Ill post pics when i get home of the concerning spots.

[Looking Glass]

4 hours ago, flplantguy said:

What should i expect to see on the crownshaft for the leaf before it naturally falls?  I have a streak of tan on the oldest frond that appeared rapidly a few days ago and stopped.  It has not spread since or dropped, but the last frond pulled away still green mostly and had no tan on the boot portion at all.  It has 5 leaves including the new spear now but im also seeing old damage from the nursery growing out as well. I will post photos later, but what should i expect to see?

I’ve had regular old Sargentii senescing fronds hang on for months, and kind of come off still green.   They kind of tear along slowly and hang on for quite a while at the end.    I try not to disturb them.   I’ve clocked the frond-life on this guy, from start to finish, taking about 2 years per frond.  
 

Boots on the younger trees split, and stay on for years, after you trim the dried fronds off.  

The other week, I also had a frond from the fast subspecies turn brown, dry up, and pop off super fast and clean.   Perhaps these come off more cleanly due to the speed of growth/girth.  

 

[flplantguy]

As you can see in the photos its growing new roots and fronds and the small rot issue on the newest frond is not spreading, nor are the cracks lower down.  I mounded the shell the roots are growing into very recently and the response is fast, so maybe the frond is due to speeding up metabolism?  The last frond was cooler weather and came off a bit early (i wont allow that again) so idk.