First Flamethrower opening up…

[Breaktheory]

First attempt at a flamethrower. Sure enough, just took some patience…not a dud as I can see the red 🔥

day 1

 

[Jim in Los Altos]

Great palm! You’ll probably want to plant more of them. There are twelve of them in my garden so that there’s a new red, pink, orange, or maroon leaf often at any given time, sometimes a few at the same time. 

[Breaktheory]

9 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Great palm! You’ll probably want to plant more of them. There are twelve of them in my garden so that there’s a new red, pink, orange, or maroon leaf often at any given time, sometimes a few at the same time. 

Thanks! it’s a great pop of color - assuming this guy makes it through the winter I have a 15g hookeri ready to go next to it.

[Breaktheory]

Day 2

Looking a nice deep red

[Jim in Los Altos]

4 hours ago, Breaktheory said:

Thanks! it’s a great pop of color - assuming this guy makes it through the winter I have a 15g hookeri ready to go next to it.

If you’re in Los Angeles, there’s no reason your Flamethrower wouldn’t make it through the winter. 

[Breaktheory]

35 minutes ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

If you’re in Los Angeles, there’s no reason your Flamethrower wouldn’t make it through the winter. 

I’m in the valley and we went under 30 a few nights this winter…my royals went totally brown in February and are just now back to where they were last year.

[Merlyn]

32 minutes ago, Breaktheory said:

I’m in the valley and we went under 30 a few nights this winter…my royals went totally brown in February and are just now back to where they were last year.

Under 30 hasn't been a problem here...if they have some canopy protection.  Mine have seen 28 several times with overhead canopy and had only moderate burn.  So if your spot has some extra overhead shade then it should do okay.  Coincidentally my triple (Watermelon, regular Macrocarpa, and Hookeri) is working on a two-fer right now! 

[Breaktheory]

Day 3…getting tropical 

[Breaktheory]

Day 6 with another macrocarpa opening up next to it - chasing the endless opening…

[Breaktheory]

Day 9 with new Hookeri just planted…the red is starting to fade so I’m surprised the entire leaf is still pretty closed

 

 

[byuind]

Looks good. My favorite time is when one of mine throws a new red leaf!

[iDesign]

9 hours ago, Breaktheory said:

 

 

Nice choice planting one of each type nearby… makes it look almost like a double, while letting you appreciate the subtle differences. 🔎

I have the same combo in my yard (was inspired by Palmtalk photos). I also have multiples so I can enjoy a red frond more often… though it’s kinda cool when they line up as well! 🍁 🍁

One thing I’ll pass on which may or may not be scientifically accurate… a manager at Rancho Soledad told me that stress can sometimes trigger red leaves prematurely. He said that when they import flamethrowers from Hawaii they often show up with all red leaves (due to stress). I could  have heard him wrong, but if that is indeed a real thing, it’s possible these two first fronds (since planting) could have been weird due to being stress induced. Just a possible hypothesis. 🤔

[happypalms]

You need to plant more of them here’s one of my hookeri I love the shadow affect on the trunk you just can’t beat a chambeyronia for the show they put on 

[Tyrone]

There’s a general rule with Chambeyronia macrocarpa (all forms) and Chambeyronia houailounsis. If you see one for sale, just buy it. Don’t worry about the expense. You will just love them and the money is not even a concern then. They’re knock out palms.

.On the west coast of Oz they are now almost unobtainable. 

[Breaktheory]

Thanks @iDesign I’m hoping to do a zig zag of them up the hill - this vision was first realized by you in a mock-up of my yard you did about 2 years ago!  Wild that they can respond to stress - I’ve been buying them up where I can. I have this huge Macrocarpa I just bought with the Hookeri it opened last week with an almost purple leaf…

[Breaktheory]

[Darold Petty]

I don't wish to hijack this thread, but I have a few questions.  You can respond by PM so as not to complicate this thread.  I purchased a Chambeyronia macrocarpa that failed to show any reddish color.  Then I purchased a C. macrocarpa 'Hookeri', which also failed to show any reddish color.  Should I try a third one ?

I have a Sadleria cyathoides fern from stock known for the color flush,  but mine has only ever been green.

Is my microclimate too cool for this color display ?  Should I try again, by only purchasing one with color showing at that time?

Is the color flush seasonal ? Does an individual palm show color with every frond ?  I would hate to drive 500 miles to San Diego vendors only to find no palm  with an active red leaf at the time of my visit.

Is there some issue with my latitude being too high,  perhaps something to do with the UV level,  at approximately 38 degrees north ?  I  have a Geonoma undata, a Howea forsteriana, and a Laccospadix that do show color.

All thoughts welcome, thanks.  

[PlantMorePalms]

Darold, I have a hookeri planted that's in full all day sun during spring/summer/early fall that opens red fronds. It's only been in the ground for ~6 months and opened the red frond below after 3-4 months in the ground, so take that fwiw. Purchased from Flora Grubb here in SF.

By the way, Blechnum brasiliense throws lots of vibrant red new growth for me.

 

[Phoenikakias]

1 hour ago, Darold Petty said:

I don't wish to hijack this thread, but I have a few questions.  You can respond by PM so as not to complicate this thread.  I purchased a Chambeyronia macrocarpa that failed to show any reddish color.  Then I purchased a C. macrocarpa 'Hookeri', which also failed to show any reddish color.  Should I try a third one ?

I have a Sadleria cyathoides fern from stock known for the color flush,  but mine has only ever been green.

Is my microclimate too cool for this color display ?  Should I try again, by only purchasing one with color showing at that time?

Is the color flush seasonal ? Does an individual palm show color with every frond ?  I would hate to drive 500 miles to San Diego vendors only to find no palm  with an active red leaf at the time of my visit.

Is there some issue with my latitude being too high,  perhaps something to do with the UV level,  at approximately 38 degrees north ?  I  have a Geonoma undata, a Howea forsteriana, and a Laccospadix that do show color.

All thoughts welcome, thanks.  

Absolutely nothing to do with your latitude, sun exposure or season. Actual picture of one hookeri expanding right now a new leaf in my garden, which lies in 37.81 NL, the plant grows in the shadiest part if the garden (could not be otherwise unfortunately thank to to very hot and dry summer) and plants can open a new leaf until early December (unfortunately never ever during summer or spring in the outdoors).  It must br either soil or temperature fluctuation throughout the year that should affect lack of color in your case, unless you are just unlucky by the plant selection. I remember that I once imported a potted specimen from Florida, which never produced a real red leaf, only a partially bronze colored one, just like some Kentia or Archontophoenix do. 

I only wonder, whether it is worth letting a plant occupy a spot in my small garden, which produces only a leaf yearly.

[iDesign]

4 hours ago, Breaktheory said:

Thanks @iDesign I’m hoping to do a zig zag of them up the hill…

Heck yeah!!! 💥

You can never have too many Flamethrower palms. I have one on it’s own, four spaces tightly like a quad, and one waiting for a spot to open up in the front yard. Makes waiting for a red frond much easier when you have several!

[iDesign]

3 hours ago, Darold Petty said:

I purchased a Chambeyronia macrocarpa that failed to show any reddish color.  Then I purchased a C. macrocarpa 'Hookeri', which also failed to show any reddish color…. Should I try again, by only purchasing one with color showing at that time?

Condolences for the possible bad luck… hopefully they’ll show more red as they age. 🌱

They’re gorgeous palms even without the red leaf, but I was paranoid enough that I only bought mine while “flaming”. Ok there was ONE I bought without confirming a red leaf first - a pretty “watermelon trunk” that I loved for its trunk alone. Sure enough, that one has the weakest color (more of a salmon orange)… but I still love it for the trunk (and color variety).

[happypalms]

11 hours ago, Tyrone said:

There’s a general rule with Chambeyronia macrocarpa (all forms) and Chambeyronia houailounsis. If you see one for sale, just buy it. Don’t worry about the expense. You will just love them and the money is not even a concern then. They’re knock out palms.

.On the west coast of Oz they are now almost unobtainable. 

Did I send you seeds a couple of years ago and you moved home and killed your chambeyronia 

[Tyrone]

2 hours ago, happypalms said:

Did I send you seeds a couple of years ago and you moved home and killed your chambeyronia 

Not me mate. I moved in 2014 and left all my bigger Chambeyronias in the ground. My little ones came south though and they’ve packed on some weight. 

[happypalms]

6 hours ago, Tyrone said:

Not me mate. I moved in 2014 and left all my bigger Chambeyronias in the ground. My little ones came south though and they’ve packed on some weight. 

No worries if you need any more let me know cheers 

[Breaktheory]

Day 15

The top half is totally green at this point.

 

[DoomsDave]

5 hours ago, Breaktheory said:

Day 15

The top half is totally green at this point.

 

You GO BROTHA'!

Two weeks isn't bad at all. When they open in the winter, you get closer to three; in the height of summer, more like a week.

Keep us apprised!