Cold Hardy Coconut - Beccariophoenix Alfredii update

[orlandozone9b]

Hey all - I am located in 9b on lake Apopka in Orlando, Florida area.

 

In May of 2023 I planted a 65 gallon Beccariophoenix in the ground. 
 

it has been bullet proof. A few real cold nights and 40+ mile an hour winds. It’s a tank in the wind.

my question is - from how the palm looks now - how long should I expect to wait until the palm develops a trunk? Maybe 5 years from now? 7?

also for whatever it’s worth. My take on the palm is that if it is planted correctly it is super strong and resilient - but it doesn’t seem to grow that fast. I would say that mine hasn’t “taken off yet”.

[donalt]

your palm looks super healthy! true, they take time to get going. I planted a 15 gallon alfredii (quite small palm) about 6 years ago, and added three more in the backyard about three years ago. trunks are forming on them all. just be patient.

[Merlyn]

@orlandozone9b my best guess is about 3 years to start trunking.  I planted some smaller ones in 2018 from 7g pots and about 5 feet tall overall.  3 out of 5 are trunking now, if I removed the oldest boots.  I made the mistake of planting them a little bit high, just because higher is safer for rot.  But apparently they are totally fine being a little bit low.  Mine are still tippy in hurricanes but I have staked them back up a couple of times.

[Looking Glass]

Mature ones aren’t super common around the state at this time, but as this round of later plantings mature over the next 10 years, there should be some stellar trunking specimens in various locations to show off.