Sabal Palmetto 7A Progress over Years

[Allen]

Thought I'd start a thread on my 7A palmetto as these seem to be pretty popular.  This is a Sabal palmetto 'mocksville' from Plant delights.  It is expected to be 7-8' this year.  It has been mainly unprotected except this past winter when I covered/heated it during our -1F low.

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023

2023

Edited April 3, 2023 by Allen

[ChicagoPalma]

They seem hardier than they seem.

[PalmatierMeg]

I’m confused. Are you saying your Mocksville will grow to be 7-8’ tall this year? I’ve had one of PDN’s Mocksvilles in the ground about 5-6 years and it is 3’ tall. I don’t expect it to double its height for at least several more years.

[ChicagoPalma]

No its age i think.

[Las Palmas Norte]

1 hour ago, Allen said:

It is expected to be 7-8' this year.

 

58 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

No its age i think.

There is some ambiguity there. Please clarify Mr. Allan. Cheers.

[Allen]

35 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

 

There is some ambiguity there. Please clarify Mr. Allan. Cheers.

Well the fence is 6 feet and it's on a little mound so I was estimating 6 feet already as it was even with fence. I just went out to measure and it is exactly 5 feet or 1.5 meters overall.  So I'll revise down a bit to 6-7 feet in overall height (OA) this year. 

2023 pic just now.  Yardstick 36" for scale (.9 meters for rest of world).  Behind it is a large S. minor for size as well

Edited April 3, 2023 by Allen

[Las Palmas Norte]

OK. For some reason I seemed to think you'd expected it to grow 7 or 8' more this year. Thanks for clearing that up. Great looking Sabal.

Edited April 3, 2023 by Las Palmas Norte

[SeanK]

Here in the Arctic northside of Atlanta, Sabals are generally starved of water. These want their heads in the sun, their feet in the swamp. Put one on a drip irrigator from May 1st to Sept 30th. You can easily double the growth on it.

I got similar fast growth on Trachycarpus. For two years my front sillcock was leaking. Palm grew at twice the rate of the others.

 

[Honez]

On 4/4/2023 at 7:41 AM, SeanK said:

Here in the Arctic northside of Atlanta, Sabals are generally starved of water. These want their heads in the sun, their feet in the swamp. Put one on a drip irrigator from May 1st to Sept 30th. You can easily double the growth on it.

I got similar fast growth on Trachycarpus. For two years my front sillcock was leaking. Palm grew at twice the rate of the others.

 

Solid advice, head in the sun and feet in the swamp!  Mine grow like weeds here from April to October!

[Allen]

Couple update pics on the palmetto 'Mocksville'

 

Edited October 2, 2023 by Allen

[Alex Zone 5]

It's a palmetto/minor 😁 

Looks amazing 🌴🌴🌴

[BigBilly]

8 hours ago, Allen said:

Couple update pics on the palmetto 'Mocksville'

 

Where did you get it from? 

[Allen]

On 10/2/2023 at 6:39 PM, BigBilly said:

Where did you get it from? 

Plant delights

[Alex Zone 5]

12 hours ago, Allen said:

Plant delights

Was it in a 4 inch pot?

[Allen]

8 minutes ago, Alex Zone 5 said:

Was it in a 4 inch pot?

I put in a new pot for a year - yes a small pot from PD

Edited October 7, 2023 by Allen

[teddytn]

The guy that has the original Mocksville palmetto posted on PT not too long ago. Seems like that might be one of the hardier palmettos. Plant delights wrote up somewhere that mocksville was one of the only palmettos to survive when they have a super bad winter in like 2017 I think….I’m hopeful these baldhead island palmettos will have some good hardiness here when they get bigger 

[MattInRaleigh]

@Allen, great looking palm! Did you do anything to the soil before planting it?

I'm planning on planting my 7 gallon palmettos next spring and have been debating on if I should just stick it in the clay with fertilizer or if I should also add Permatill. I will say that the clay soil has a nice layer of topsoil from years and years of mulching. 

[Allen]

43 minutes ago, MattInRaleigh said:

@Allen, great looking palm! Did you do anything to the soil before planting it?

I'm planning on planting my 7 gallon palmettos next spring and have been debating on if I should just stick it in the clay with fertilizer or if I should also add Permatill. I will say that the clay soil has a nice layer of topsoil from years and years of mulching. 

It's in a bed raised about 6 inches otherwise direct in clay soil in a wet location.

[Palm Man]

On 10/2/2023 at 10:50 AM, Allen said:

Couple update pics on the palmetto 'Mocksville'

 

That's amazing growth for just 5 years in a zone 7A climate. How would you rate it's cold hardiness in relation to typical Sabal palmetto after having grown it? The original 'Mocksville' gets some minor injury to the older, lower, horizontal fronds when temperatures drop into the mid to upper single digits, but the  younger, upper, more vertical fronds generally fare better. If last winter's cold spell had been shorter duration it may have not been damaged at all. It looks like your's had similar damage. I'll try to post an updated photo of it later today. 

[Allen]

43 minutes ago, Palm Man said:

That's amazing growth for just 5 years in a zone 7A climate. How would you rate it's cold hardiness in relation to typical Sabal palmetto after having grown it? The original 'Mocksville' gets some minor injury to the older, lower, horizontal fronds when temperatures drop into the mid to upper single digits, but the  younger, upper, more vertical fronds generally fare better. If last winter's cold spell had been shorter duration it may have not been damaged at all. It looks like your's had similar damage. I'll try to post an updated photo of it later today. 

I covered it and heated it as we had -1F here and a HIGH of 11F the next day.  It takes some frond damage under 10F.  I don't have any other palmetto so I can't compare against another palmetto.  It's been unprotected except this past winter.

Edited October 9, 2023 by Allen

[Allen]

Made it thru -6F with protection, one strand of 100 mini lights

https://youtu.be/BA88LygayJs?t=47

 

[Harry’s Palms]

When mine just started to trunk it seemed to really pick up speed. It was a gift from the guy who started my palm collecting obsession. It was in a 1 gallon pot with just a few blades , no palmate fronds yet. I put it on my hill as he told me it was super hardy . He said that his seeds got mixed up so he didn’t know exactly what variety it was but it really took off after it started to trunk. I’m glad I didn’t plant it next to my house because it is larger than I expected. It is about 25 years old. The trunk is over 6’ tall .

Edited February 2 by Harry’s Palms

[Allen]

Palmetto just spear pulled.  Fronds looked great after protection but started turning brown over the last few weeks.  I think the roots must have got damaged after -6F as it's in a raised bed and I didn't mulch it.  50/50 recovery.  It weirdly has one green frond attached below where the damage stopped.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gFD4D3natTA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gFD4D3natTA

[Leelanau Palms]

Just now, Allen said:

Palmetto just spear pulled.  Fronds looked great after protection I think the roots must have got damaged after -6F as it's in a raised bed and I didn't mulch it.  

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gFD4D3natTA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gFD4D3natTA

Sorry for the loss.

[WSimpson]

1 hour ago, Allen said:

Palmetto just spear pulled.  Fronds looked great after protection but started turning brown over the last few weeks.  I think the roots must have got damaged after -6F as it's in a raised bed and I didn't mulch it.  50/50 recovery.  It weirdly has one green frond attached below where the damage stopped.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gFD4D3natTA

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gFD4D3natTA

Did you really get to -6F last winter ? My Low was only 15F . I knew the mountains protected me from some cold  but that is ridiculous . I had a mild winter except for that 15F and one  High of 29F that was the only day that didn't get above 32F . 

Did you protect ? I need a Moxeville if your palm handled -6F . What other temperatures has it seen ? What has it seen without protection ? 

Thanks ,

Will

[Allen]

53 minutes ago, WSimpson said:

Did you really get to -6F last winter ? My Low was only 15F . I knew the mountains protected me from some cold  but that is ridiculous . I had a mild winter except for that 15F and one  High of 29F that was the only day that didn't get above 32F . 

Did you protect ? I need a Moxeville if your palm handled -6F . What other temperatures has it seen ? What has it seen without protection ? 

Thanks ,

Will

See below which is a post from above.    For weather data go to https://www.weather.gov/wrh/climate pick Nashville on map then Murfreesboro and pick --> monthly summarized data -->  Variable : Min Temp

On 2/1/2024 at 11:33 AM, Allen said:

Made it thru -6F with protection, one strand of 100 mini lights

https://youtu.be/BA88LygayJs?t=47

 

 

[Allen]

Well it's pushing anyway

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2iop2i7NGiQ

 

[Allen]

Updated pic showing it better after 2 days

[Leelanau Palms]

I am unable to see the picture. Anyone else have same issue?

[Allen]

1 hour ago, Leelanau Palms said:

I am unable to see the picture. Anyone else have same issue?

Ill try again I did a copy and paste from my inbox on the 1st one but I can see it

 

[Leelanau Palms]

Glad to see it's moving. Do you have any care tips for this situation?

[Allen]

19 minutes ago, Leelanau Palms said:

Glad to see it's moving. Do you have any care tips for this situation?

Cut below rot, apply hydrogen peroxide one time then copper fungicide.  Keep dry until you see full healthy tissue.  I put copper fungicide all over this one and sevin dust around ground because beetles were going after rotted tissue.  Pretty much the videos sum it up.  I've only trunk cut about 3 things, I rarely have this issue

[Allen]

Coming out well now.  2 fronds where it was cut and 1 good spear

 

[Leelanau Palms]

Awesome! Glad to see that.

[WSimpson]

Looks like you're out of the woods , with enough photosynthesis to keep it growing , and it will love the heat .

Will

[njpalmguy]

On 2/2/2024 at 8:18 AM, Harry’s Palms said:

When mine just started to trunk it seemed to really pick up speed. It was a gift from the guy who started my palm collecting obsession. It was in a 1 gallon pot with just a few blades , no palmate fronds yet. I put it on my hill as he told me it was super hardy . He said that his seeds got mixed up so he didn’t know exactly what variety it was but it really took off after it started to trunk. I’m glad I didn’t plant it next to my house because it is larger than I expected. It is about 25 years old. The trunk is over 6’ tall .

wow dude! impressive!

[MattInRaleigh]

I was just at Juniper Level Botanic Garden/Plant Delights Nursery and saw their planted Sabal Palmetto 'Mocksville'. It's interesting to see how much faster @Allen's has grown since presumably they are the same age.

[Allen]

5 hours ago, MattInRaleigh said:

I was just at Juniper Level Botanic Garden/Plant Delights Nursery and saw their planted Sabal Palmetto 'Mocksville'. It's interesting to see how much faster @Allen's has grown since presumably they are the same age.

Do we have any firm idea if they were planted the same time?  Mine does get ample water/fertilizer

[MattInRaleigh]

1 hour ago, Allen said:

Do we have any firm idea if they were planted the same time?  Mine does get ample water/fertilizer

They don't have a public plant records database yet, so you'd have to email them. I've emailed them before with questions and they're quick to respond. If you do email them, let us know what they say!

[Allen]

49 minutes ago, MattInRaleigh said:

They don't have a public plant records database yet, so you'd have to email them. I've emailed them before with questions and they're quick to respond. If you do email them, let us know what they say!

Maybe you could email them the pic and ask for us?