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What about planting just one palm?

16 years ago

So have I lost my mind or do you guys think I could get away with planting one of my Needle Palms now?soil temp is maybe 40 and temps starting monday should be 30s to 50s well,anyone tried planting anything this early?

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Comments (10)

mike-jaramillo
16 years ago
Dont do it.
blondboy47
16 years ago
Jim, not a good idea. While Needle palms can take the cold (not zone 5 without protection) the shock of putting it into the cold ground right now can have adverse effects to its health.

I'd wait until Mid April if you don't get lots of cold rain there. If you do, then I'd wait until May or at least, cover it with something that keeps the crown dry and lets air flow happen.
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jimhardy
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks for the advice guys,you know what happens you get a warm day or two and.............I was just guessing at the soil temp based on measurements I took a few weeks ago,but was pleasantly surprised to see temps actually near 50F-4" down under mulched areas and temps around 53F-2" down and high 40s -50 at 10" my new plan is to leave plants outside the next couple of weeks and when the weather breaks in april(provided its not to cold and rainy) to begin planting that way soil temps of pots and ground will be the same.
josh_palm_crazy
16 years ago
Yeah don't get an itchy trigger finger Jim. You'll regret it. If I were you I'd wait at least until the last week of April. Unless you have a bunch to experiment with. Even if it didn't kill it, it would just sit there and grow even slower than normal.

Jay
desertlvr
16 years ago
Listen to these guys! Remember where it is native to... 'cold tolerant' doesn't mean 'cold loving'. Palms are not metabolically active in cold temps... and then there is root shock... you know the routine..... and Spring is fickle, especially in Iowa. Patience and TLC are what make palms look good in places they won't grow on their own..... I have killed more than a few plants, not just palms, from planting at the wrong time....
jimhardy
Original Author
16 years ago
Yea, I will wait until not only outside temps,but also soil temps are right I figure mid 50s(soil) at least and min 40s-60s air temps,this is for what I call my first tier plants hesperaloe parvaflora, agaves Yucca aloifolia,,gloriosa,rostrata,brightedge,brevifolia,and various other(zone5-6a) cactus and succulents that really should be outside so they don't try to flower indoors like one of my echinocereus is already doing!you know the stuff that(some of them) should not be inside anyway,the second tier stuff starts with(6a?-7b) needle palms, sabals, 7 types of trachys, nannorrhops,dracaena indivisa,cordyline red sensation,finish withC.cerifera W.filifera,livistona and then 4 types of bananas, I guess I'll start with zones5-6 stuff about mid April 6-7b stuff end of April and then bananas begining of May sound more reasonable?like just maybe I've come to my senses!Thanks for talking me down guys!LOL
josh_palm_crazy
16 years ago
Sounds much better Jim. So you did decide to keep the "livistona robusta" LOL!
trishmick
16 years ago
The only thing I've planted this early around here are Pansies. An interesting name for such a hardy flower.
jimhardy
Original Author
16 years ago
No doubt trishmick I have seen "pansies"alive into late December around here.joshpalmcrazy I don't see what choice I had with L.chinensis-a.k.a.robusta I will bury it next year and overwinter it as I believe it was you that tried this "successfully"and then dug up?Yea space is at a premium.P.S I did order "palms won't grow here.....should keep me busy enough not to plant anything for a week or two?
josh_palm_crazy
16 years ago
Yeah it was me. We'll see how successful I was once it starts growing again. The reason I dug it up so soon is by the time it would get warm enough to start growing again, the space where it was would be occupied by my trachys. I'm planning on planting those on or after April 20th. I'll post pics when and if it starts growing. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. Some of what was green all winter has since turned brown after I dug it up. Yikes! It may be rotting.

Jay

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