Coconut Palms in San Diego

[CrazyAsian]

I wonder where is the farthest north a coconut could survive in. I was reading other discussions and there were some mature specimens in Arizona and California. Here is mine that I had been growing in a greenhouse in San Diego. I no no clue whether the browning/yellowing fronds are due to cold damage or A nutrient deficiency.

[Las Palmas Norte]

Is your plan to allow this to size up for some time before removing the shelter?

[Josue Diaz]

well, there are (were) large coconuts in Corona, Del Mar, Huntington Beach and Santa Ana if I recall. So I think you could probably find one or two eeking out an existence in San Diego county. 

 

[CrazyAsian]

Yes, I plan to keep it in the greenhouse until the fronds reach the top. I think it should shelter it from the cold winter rain and allow for heat in the daytime. 
 

That’s good to hear that there are a few that exist in this climate. Coconut palms are one of the few palms that is so reminiscent of the tropics.

[Billy]

8 minutes ago, CrazyAsian said:

That’s good to hear that there are a few that exist in this climate. Coconut palms are one of the few palms that is so reminiscent of the tropics.

The keyword here is "exist." More often than not (especially here on the coast) they're far from what they're supposed to look like.  In photos from some of the few success stories here in Southern California you'll notice the palm holding onto it's leaf bases (hiding the nice ringed trunk) and won't have a nice full crown like we're used to seeing in the tropics. 

[BS Man about Palms]

Sadly, I  will say the Del Mar coconut is "bereft of life".

[Billy]

That's unfortunate as I never once went to check it out. I feel like it would've taken a miracle for it to have pulled through this last winter.....

[Dusty CBAD]

I was in Del Mar last year and randomly stumbled upon it. In all honesty it didn't look good. Wasn't an impressive looking plant. Only thing cool about it is the novelty of it being a coconut

[Billy]

^^^My thoughts exactly. ^^^

For home landscaping I think the Beccariophoenix genus is a better option anyway. Such a bulletproof palm for so many areas (alfredii at least) it's kind of a no brainer if that's the look you're going for but live outside of the tropics, you have the room, and are okay with palms that potentially get pretty massive.

[Alex High]

6 hours ago, BS Man about Palms said:

Sadly, I  will say the Del Mar coconut is "bereft of life".

Really?! That sucks! I saw it in early April and made a video on it and it looked pretty rough after this past winter. I figured it would pull through though, as it has been there for around 20 years and has most likely suffered similar damage in previous winters. Pretty remarkable it made it to that size given it's literally right next to the Pacific and gets very little real heat.

The only other coconut palm I've filmed in California is this beautiful one in Santa Ana, it looked great when I saw it, with healthy fronds and a nice curved trunk. Santa Ana gets quite a bit more heat than Del Mar, so I assume this one did better, I have been waiting for an update on it.

 

[kylecawazafla]

Here is the La Quinta coconut from last week. Unfortunately the person responsible for watering my coconuts palms in El Centro forgot about them, so after a month out of town, all three of mine had died  They survived last summer and made it through the winter without problems so was really hopeful for them. Will order more again from Hawaii! If you are interested, I could purchase an extra one if you want to try! I get them shipped to my friend's house in Ocean Beach, San Diego, because they would melt in a box in El Centro. 

[BS Man about Palms]

Dang, I  have to go back, it was a quick drive through with to VERY uninterested palm passengers.  

I'll look again when in the area. Maybe my eyesight is REALLY bad.

[CrazyAsian]

15 hours ago, kylecawazafla said:

Here is the La Quinta coconut from last week. Unfortunately the person responsible for watering my coconuts palms in El Centro forgot about them, so after a month out of town, all three of mine had died  They survived last summer and made it through the winter without problems so was really hopeful for them. Will order more again from Hawaii! If you are interested, I could purchase an extra one if you want to try! I get them shipped to my friend's house in Ocean Beach, San Diego, because they would melt in a box in El Centro. 

That La Quinta coconut looks amazing! It would be better if they had cleaned up the trunk though. How large were the coconuts that you had before they died?

[kylecawazafla]

The ones I had were about the size of yours. I was going to take pictures of them when I got back from my trip because they were pushing large fronds, but I came back and they were dried out 😩 I just bought 4 more though so will probably plant them in the fall. 

[cocoloco]

On 7/27/2023 at 6:34 AM, kylecawazafla said:

The ones I had were about the size of yours. I was going to take pictures of them when I got back from my trip because they were pushing large fronds, but I came back and they were dried out 😩 I just bought 4 more though so will probably plant them in the fall. 

By any chance how do you plant your coconuts in the ground? do you add anything special other than just some good well-draining soil? I’m in Tustin, CA which is right next door to the Santa Ana coconut which gave me a lot of hope to grow my own in the ground in the Irvine/Tustin areas. Thanks

[John Max]

[Coccoloba uvifera]I thought I saw a beach grape there. One of the plants I am familiar with and the wonderful shrub that I am used to seeing on the shores of the beach in some movies

I believe that it could spread easily if it were transferred to the Mediterranean coast, the coast could also be a shelter for animals, and I believe it would add an exotic atmosphere to the Mediterranean coast. I think plants that can fend for themselves in wild or forest life have a higher success rate in adaptation. They have learned to resist negativity

[Kim]

My daughter and her husband have one in a terracotta pot indoors. It's been there for years now, against an east-facing window. I don't think of that the same way as one planted outdoors, but it's a nice house plant.

[29coolpalmdude]

Hi all! I just wanted to say that I also started a coconut here in the bay area, California. Its pretty green, and is in a small greenhouse. Here is the picture: 7A459C11-8572-427F-B107-4F746A1AA89B.heicE6B41A46-B52D-4351-87AD-46FF366C56A3.heic55BF972D-8BDE-4A55-A07C-B6AD671D3E09.heic12CE9400-2E43-470D-8295-A24821343F7D.heic

B196825C-D641-43F3-9C8B-86B154E75549.heic

[Jim in Los Altos]

Bob, are you going to add electric heat in the winter to the palm and the soil? Since Coconuts stop metabolizing at temperatures below 60°F, any length of time in the winter with highs in the 50s and lows in the 40s will unfortunately kill the palm. Cool/cold wet soil will rot one. The very best Southern CA microclimates are about the only places in the state where it has been done successfully. We, here in the Bay Area, even in zone 10, have just too much cloudy cool, often wet weather during the winter and early spring.  Believe me, many have tried. 

[29coolpalmdude]

Unfortunately I don't plan on doing that since this is just an experiment. I think it will last into winter for a few weeks, and then may die. But I'm really hoping it does survive because that greenhouse is in fact very warm and even during the coldest parts of the night its stays very hot inside. But, you are very right, with the wet weather the coconut will probably wither away , but I'll try my hardest to keep it alive. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

28 minutes ago, 29coolpalmdude said:

Unfortunately I don't plan on doing that since this is just an experiment. I think it will last into winter for a few weeks, and then may die. But I'm really hoping it does survive because that greenhouse is in fact very warm and even during the coldest parts of the night its stays very hot inside. But, you are very right, with the wet weather the coconut will probably wither away , but I'll try my hardest to keep it alive. 

I know how you feel. I tried a few over the years way back in the day and babied the heck out of them and still failed miserably. With Beccariophoenix alfredii (High Plateau Coconut) growing like crazy in my yard and it being such a coconut look-alike, there’s no more desire to put a tropical coconut through the agony. 

[Billy]

Jim, please share a recent photo if you have one. I'd love to see.

[Jim in Los Altos]

5 hours ago, Billy said:

Jim, please share a recent photo if you have one. I'd love to see.

This B. alfredii was planted as a one gallon seedling roughly five and a half years ago. It’s shaded all day until late afternoon when it gets partial sun.