Tahina spectabilis

[ahosey01]

I got myself the real deal one of these in a 15g.

Want to hear some feedback from other growers on things like how much they like water, nutritional needs, root sensitivity when planting, etc.

My buddy filled me in a good bit but curious if anyone else wants to share anything else.

Thanks!

[ahosey01]

1 minute ago, ahosey01 said:

I got myself the real deal one of these in a 15g.

Want to hear some feedback from other growers on things like how much they like water, nutritional needs, root sensitivity when planting, etc.

My buddy filled me in a good bit but curious if anyone else wants to share anything else.

Thanks!

Also - shade when young or just straight into full sun?

[Matt from LA]

Where did you find one that big??

[Merlyn]

@ahosey01 I don't have any direct experience with them, but I'd treat them like most big fan palms and assume they are very root sensitive.  Most of the ones on that leg of the genetic tree are root sensitive, like Bismarck and Corypha:

I don't know how Caryota, Arenga and Wallichia got in that leg, but I'm not a geneticist either...   

The photos I've seen are all in full sun, but at Leu Gardens they are in a mix of conditions.  Two are on a sloping bank in the "streambed" area, not in the wet muck but several feet above it in elevation...and mostly shaded.  Two are over in the palm area in a spot with AM shade and PM sun.  I think there's another, but I can't remember where.  They are all growing well, so it seems they are fairly tolerant. 

I'd probably treat them as not too frost hardy initially.  I don't know if there's enough cold hardiness data on them to know for sure.  Kinzyjr's spreadsheet has >80% damage at 24F in Brownsville (but survived) and <20% damage at the extended 2009 29F freeze at Leu Gardens.  So possibly hardier than Corypha, but not as hardy as silver Bismarck?

[Jonathan Haycock]

They prefer full sun, but do ok in shade, albeit a little stretched. Mine is in a 115 litre pot and gets full sun most of the day. It does not like to dry out, and will show you this by curling it's leaflets when it needs a drink. I have mine on irrigation twice a day now, morning and night, which it loves. Subtropical Queensland. 

[Xenon]

Lucky you!! Definitely need planting pics 

[Rick Kelley]

The more water the better. I get 140" (3-4M) of rain per year, but I still pull out the garden hose if we go two weeks without rain. If you have any chance to plant it next to a stream or pond, you will probably get great results. I see Tahinas in dry locations, and they are not happy. Don't worry if the plant seems to crawl to one side with the oldest part of the stem curling up like a scorpion stinger. Perfectly normal. Most importantly, give it a huge amount of space. Like at least a 40+ ft diameter circle, really.  It will look lonely now, but down the road you will be glad you gave it plenty of room. These are so spectacularly massive that they frequently suffer from overcrowding in residential, in town gardens. Almost impossible to mentally visualize how big it will eventually get when looking at a potted specimen.  The photos you see on PT do not fully communicate the actual size of these monsters you experience in person.  Definitely keep it far away from houses, utility lines, etc.

I'm pretty heavy handed with fertilizer, mostly slow release 22-7-14 with micro elements three times a year.  I have not seen any negative effects from excess fertilizer.

Oh, and did I mention that these get very big...

[happypalms]

I have no idea about them, but you must have sold an arm and a leg to buy it! 

[sonoranfans]

  They are huge palms, maybe the biggest fan palms in the world so don't plant anything you care about next to it.  Congratulations, I hope you have a good spot for it.

[FlaPalmLover]

Might be a palm that carries its weight with respect to carbon sequestration? 

[Las Palmas Norte]

Pics or it didn't happen.😁

[Merlyn]

1 hour ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Pics or it didn't happen.😁

I AGREE!  

[ahosey01]

On 2/25/2025 at 1:18 AM, Rick Kelley said:

The more water the better. I get 140" (3-4M) of rain per year, but I still pull out the garden hose if we go two weeks without rain. If you have any chance to plant it next to a stream or pond, you will probably get great results. I see Tahinas in dry locations, and they are not happy. Don't worry if the plant seems to crawl to one side with the oldest part of the stem curling up like a scorpion stinger. Perfectly normal. Most importantly, give it a huge amount of space. Like at least a 40+ ft diameter circle, really.  It will look lonely now, but down the road you will be glad you gave it plenty of room. These are so spectacularly massive that they frequently suffer from overcrowding in residential, in town gardens. Almost impossible to mentally visualize how big it will eventually get when looking at a potted specimen.  The photos you see on PT do not fully communicate the actual size of these monsters you experience in person.  Definitely keep it far away from houses, utility lines, etc.

I'm pretty heavy handed with fertilizer, mostly slow release 22-7-14 with micro elements three times a year.  I have not seen any negative effects from excess fertilizer.

Oh, and did I mention that these get very big...

So what you're saying is plant it very close to my house?  LOL!

I don't have a TON of room but it will have about a 25ft diameter space in mostly full sun, so hopefully the petioles don't stretch too far or I'll have to trim them until it gets overhead.

On 2/25/2025 at 4:56 AM, happypalms said:

I have no idea about them, but you must have sold an arm and a leg to buy it! 

It wasn't exactly cheap but it came from a buddy and I think he was reasonable!  I feel very blessed.

On 2/25/2025 at 10:50 AM, sonoranfans said:

  They are huge palms, maybe the biggest fan palms in the world so don't plant anything you care about next to it.  Congratulations, I hope you have a good spot for it.

Thanks!  I think I've got a pretty good spot.  The ones down here in the valley do really well, and they are very big!

[ahosey01]

16 hours ago, Merlyn said:

I AGREE!  

I don't have a smart phone so this is a little bit of an ordeal so you'll have to give me a little while to get some taken but I will, rest assured!

[Fusca]

On 2/24/2025 at 2:08 PM, ahosey01 said:

I got myself the real deal one of these in a 15g.

Want to hear some feedback from other growers on things like how much they like water, nutritional needs, root sensitivity when planting, etc.

My buddy filled me in a good bit but curious if anyone else wants to share anything else.

Thanks!

I know one daughter who'll be happy to have her namesake palm in the yard!