Palm tree is here

[ChicagoPalma]

1 hour ago, ahosey01 said:

I grew up in the Chicago area but left after working the late shift in a lumber yard in 2009.  I was driving an open cab forklift and it got down to almost -30F.  You gonna need some real serious protection when you get one of those again!

I live in Arizona now, so this isn’t a problem anymore.

We had -11 f this winter, it’s not that cold anymore.

[ChicagoPalma]

6 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

It’s settled in as the main spear is spreading out and my robusta seedlings have their second leaf out. All I had to do was water every evening and it started to grow.

It’s growing like crazy!! We might have a rocket 2.0!

[Las Palmas Norte]

Lookin' great ! Good to be back on topic also.

[ChicagoPalma]

Also is miracle gro shake n feed okay for palms? When planting the palm I used some of the fertilizer, probably like half a cup or so, because I know palm trees don’t like a lot of fertilizer.

[MarcusH]

30 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

Also is miracle gro shake n feed okay for palms? When planting the palm I used some of the fertilizer, probably like half a cup or so, because I know palm trees don’t like a lot of fertilizer.

I use Miracle-Gro shake n feed for my palms.  It's a product that works well since it's a slow release fertilizer.  The right amount of fertilizer shows on the backside of the container.  Read the instructions and see where your drip line is. Palms love fertilizer just don't overfertilize it . With Miracle-Gro shake n feed it's recommended to fertilize your palms every 3 months but keep in mind that your winters are cold so October should be the latest time to fertilize.  

[Allen]

1 hour ago, ChicagoPalma said:

Also is miracle gro shake n feed okay for palms? When planting the palm I used some of the fertilizer, probably like half a cup or so, because I know palm trees don’t like a lot of fertilizer.

I would use palmgain or osmocote outdoor.  If newer tips turn brown you know you overdid it.

[Steve in Florida]

7 hours ago, ChicagoPalma said:

Also is miracle gro shake n feed okay for palms? When planting the palm I used some of the fertilizer, probably like half a cup or so, because I know palm trees don’t like a lot of fertilizer.

It was fertilized with slow release fertilizer that will feed it through 7-25 so if all the pellets were saved and mixed into the fill dirt I would be very careful when adding any additional nutrients.

[MarcusH]

8 hours ago, Steve in Florida said:

It was fertilized with slow release fertilizer that will feed it through 7-25 so if all the pellets were saved and mixed into the fill dirt I would be very careful when adding any additional nutrients.

You're right about that I've forgot to mention that new palms are already fertilized and it's recommended to wait a few months after planting . The reason why I'm not going to give you a specific number is that the waiting time varies what I can read on the internet.  Some say you're good after 8 weeks , some even say to wait 6 months.  I'm honest when I first planted three of my first palms ( Mexican fan, Queen, Pygmy ) I fertilized them right away with Miracle-Gro slow release.  Nothing bad happened to them but this year when I planted three other palms ( Queen, 2 x Filibusta) I waited 3 months.  With palms there's so much different recommendations / opinions here and Google you aren't going to find the perfect answer . Learning by doing, if you fail you know how to do things better next time. 

[ahosey01]

On 6/22/2023 at 8:34 AM, ChicagoPalma said:

We had -11 f this winter, it’s not that cold anymore.

Said everyone in Houston between 1989 and 2021, lol

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 6/22/2023 at 8:34 AM, ChicagoPalma said:

We had -11 f this winter, it’s not that cold anymore.

Now THAT, is a standard I'm unaccustomed to.

[ChicagoPalma]

They let us go to school a -5 to -10 f. Back in elementary school it was no recess at -8 f. It is a very big standard you are unaccustomed to.

23 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Now THAT, is a standard I'm unaccustomed to.

 

[Little Tex]

3 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

They let us go to school a -5 to -10 f. Back in elementary school it was no recess at -8 f. It is a very big standard you are unaccustomed to.

 

Where my mothers from they cancelled school at 40 degrees one time🤣

[ChicagoPalma]

3 hours ago, Little Tex said:

Where my mothers from they cancelled school at 40 degrees one time🤣

🤣 LOL

[ChicagoPalma]

Anyways im going to start growing windmills and probably plant another windmill next year, and when they both mature, they are more hardy since they were grown in places with negative temperatures, and overtime they will adapt and possibly be a couple degrees more hardier.

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, ChicagoPalma said:

... they are more hardy since they were grown in places with negative temperatures, and overtime they will adapt and possibly be a couple degrees more hardier.

I'm gonna have to tell my buddies way up north about that theory.

[ChicagoPalma]

Its not a bad idea, and its been proven to work in bulgaria.

[ChicagoPalma]

Also we have HORRIBLE AIR POLUTION! Its gonna be 201 AQI because of the canadian wild fires.

[ChicagoPalma]

The air quality has gotten better throughout today and we reached max 257 AQI, I think an hour away from us, Waukesha in Wisconsin reached 400 AQI at one point.

[Allen]

1 minute ago, ChicagoPalma said:

The air quality has gotten better throughout today and we reached max 257 AQI, I think an hour away from us, Waukesha in Wisconsin reached 400 AQI at one point.

It was here some too but not nearly as bad.  

[DTS]

On 6/29/2023 at 8:49 PM, Allen said:

It was here some too but not nearly as bad.  

i can finally see the sky again today, lol

[ChicagoPalma]

we already could on thursday

[ChicagoPalma]

Update! Palm tree is growing very fast and pushed out its first fronds in about of a week or two of time and its growth is a bit slow compared to I have been watering it less, the trunk and fibers have started to growing drastically fast over the last week.

[ChicagoPalma]

Also to not cause any confusion the palm pushed out its first frond in about its first or second week and the fibers have been growing faster than the last palm and the cannas I have are growing fast and they got suckers growing fast as well, the bird of paradise is about 5 feet now,  only one of them out of the three is a bit smaller.

[ChicagoPalma]

Also if anybody could respond, does banana joe sell palms on a website or do you have to email him.

[ChicagoPalma]

Update: Palm tree is doing well, some canna lillies have been attacked by the japanese beetles but i got them all off and some of my colocasia are showing signs of off shoots growing. Sadly lots of stormy weather is here and hail with it and horrible winds but the plants are doing well. They are enjoying the heat and the every day watering. Everything shot up like crazy!

[MarcusH]

4 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

Update: Palm tree is doing well, some canna lillies have been attacked by the japanese beetles but i got them all off and some of my colocasia are showing signs of off shoots growing. Sadly lots of stormy weather is here and hail with it and horrible winds but the plants are doing well. They are enjoying the heat and the every day watering. Everything shot up like crazy!

The only thing that's doing great in our yard are our palms.  Everything else is having a hard time we just don't get any rain and temps are in the low 100s for many weeks now.  Our Canna Lilly look like they need a vacation even after regular irrigation.  The heat is taking a toll on mother nature in San Antonio.  

[ChicagoPalma]

Hopefully the storm systems up here come down and cool you guys off!

[MarcusH]

22 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

Hopefully the storm systems up here come down and cool you guys off!

Thanks we can need some of your cooler temperatures for sure.  Post some more pics of your yard. Looks awesome 

[ChicagoPalma]

Will soon, also found some mushrooms growing in the mulch since its been so rainy, i poured a mix of vinegar and water around the area where the mushrooms sprouted overnight, will spray also later today to ensure its finally killed.

[Than]

How did you save 215 buckaroos if I may ask?

[ChicagoPalma]

a 15 gallon palm tree is around 400-450 dollars and i got the palm for 185

[ChicagoPalma]

Alright we've had some pretty bad rainstorms and i found some bugs inside some cracks where the fronds are on the palm tree, little pockets where the fiber connects to the frond, and mostly pillbugs in them because the mulch was soaking wet, anyways there was some debris in the pockets that rotted from the rain and moisture so the pill bugs ate them, anyways still raining today and tomorrow, beetles attacked the cannas, and a sucker started growing by one of the colocasia aloha. Cannas getting taller than me now, and we got new seats so one of them by the campfire has canna leaves overhanging it, reminds me of mexico, anyways that was a small update, phone still broken but photos will be posted later today, also made diy irrigation system by cutting holes into the pipes and connecting them to water, works like a charm!

[ChicagoPalma]

I found where to buy my next tropicals as they are selling nice big palms for 50 percent off, they even have windmills, i caught the palm bug today and decided to get musa acuminata, or banana palm, not basjoo sadly but still edible bananas and somewhat cold tolerance. They also have washingtonias, coconut, livinstonias, thatch palms, massive elephant ears and some of them were blooming. Will shop again there!

[ChicagoPalma]

GOT BASJOO FOR 9 bucks at reds, so nice to have everythign 50 percent off

[ChicagoPalma]

Also wondering if you could cut back musa basjoo all the way down, hopefully same with acuminata?

[Las Palmas Norte]

29 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

Also wondering if you could cut back musa basjoo all the way down, hopefully same with acuminata?

Definitely not. When M. acuminata frosts down, it's not root hardy like basjoo. 

On 8/9/2023 at 12:27 PM, ChicagoPalma said:

i caught the palm bug today and decided to get musa acuminata, or banana palm,

FYI - Musa is a banana not a palm.

[ChicagoPalma]

13 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Definitely not. When M. acuminata frosts down, it's not root hardy like basjoo. 

FYI - Musa is a banana not a palm.

yeah just saying, i know bananas are not palms and i also know acuminata is not root hardy which is why i was hoping to like chop off all the leaves and put the rhizome in a bag and replant the acuminata the next year, but just to verify could i chop the basjoo all the way down to the ground?

[Allen]

1 hour ago, ChicagoPalma said:

yeah just saying, i know bananas are not palms and i also know acuminata is not root hardy which is why i was hoping to like chop off all the leaves and put the rhizome in a bag and replant the acuminata the next year, but just to verify could i chop the basjoo all the way down to the ground?

On the basjoo since it's new and not big it will be best to cut down to a foot or so, cover with 6" of wood mulch then a plastic sheeting or tarp then some more mulch to make it pretty over that.  or bring in till next year in a pot dry and replant in May when it has more time to upsize.   

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, ChicagoPalma said:

...but just to verify could i chop the basjoo all the way down to the ground?

If you don't, old man winter will. Probably in a cold winter climate like Chicago, a good layer of mulch will help.

[ChicagoPalma]

I use mulch, and the basjoo once planted will get large since cold temps come around november so still lots of time to establish and plant and grow. Eventually i will do the method allen said, i was hoping to cut it to the ground, but im guessing for faster growth keep atleast 6 inches of stem.