Beccariophoenix Alfredii (Cold hardy Coconut) in NC

[Palmy Pal]

I have been growing this Beccariophoenix Alfredii here in North Carolina. It is currently 2 years old and grown from seed. So far this palm has done amazing for me. I keep it outside most of the time but whenever there is an unusual temperature dip or cold front I put it in the greenhouse (since it is still young).  Once this palm gets big enough I plan on planting it in the ground with mild protection during the winter. Where I live it is very rare for it to get below 20f and it has not dropped that low in many years. So with the right precautions I know this will work. I successfully grew a 4(?) year old one here with no protection throughout two winters but I lost this palm due to root rot back in the summer. This one I feel will have an even better chance since it is already adapted to the NC climate being grown from seed. I will try to do updates on this palm at least once every month to track the progress. Should be a fun experiment! 🌴😃 

[D Palm]

I had 2 about twice that size, 25F killed them both. Good luck!

[Las Palmas Norte]

Here's a previous thread on the topic BECCARIOPHOENIX

[Palmy Pal]

1 hour ago, D Palm said:

I had 2 about twice that size, 25F killed them both. Good luck!

Thanks, yeah one thing I've heard is to keep them dry during winter. The wet cold soil can kill em fast. So that's how I got my other one through it. Goal is to keep it as dry as possible without making it too underwatered.  

[BeyondTheGarden]

I bought a couple from floribunda a few years ago, they grew painfully slow in the PNW.  Although they should grow faster in the heat and humidity of NC, I would never put them in-ground here.  There are cheaper, faster, more readily available and expendable palms to zone-push, in my opinion. 

[D Palm]

My 2 where about the same size in the photo above. Was not the wet winter, it was heavy frost and mid 20’s. One died obviously right away and the other turned into palm mash in about 2 weeks. Really hope it works out, keep us posted!!

[Las Palmas Norte]

18 hours ago, BeyondTheGarden said:

... There are cheaper, faster, more readily available and expendable palms to zone-push, in my opinion. 

but none that have "coconut palm" appearance. I'd wager these would be fine for many years, upsizing the growing containers as needed.

[RFun]

20 hours ago, BeyondTheGarden said:

I bought a couple from floribunda a few years ago, they grew painfully slow in the PNW.  Although they should grow faster in the heat and humidity of NC, I would never put them in-ground here.  There are cheaper, faster, more readily available and expendable palms to zone-push, in my opinion. 

That sounds like a good strategy.  For Beccariophoenix Alfredii, I'm guessing the limit zone is probably 20-23F for a mature planting that is of the hardier genetics.  The hardiness hasn't been fully tested though.  So, who knows, we'll find out when the cold snaps hit lol.

Edited December 14, 2023 by RFun