I started about 30 from seed in 2010 (seed collected fall 2009). In 2011 I picked 12 of them, base partially on good growth, to plant in the ground. When I planted them in the ground, they ranged from 6 to 19 inches in height, average of 10 inches. At the end of 2011, they ranged from 17 to 37 inches in height, average of 27 inches Right now, they range in height from 25 to 82 inches, average of about 55 inches. The averages are skewed by one runt, which is at 25 inches, while all the others are at least close to 4 feet tall. A couple of them put on more than 40 inches of growth this year, which is more than I ever expected, and are well over 6 feet tall. I'm hopeful that at least the largest ones will set flower buds next year, which would hopefully mean fruit in 2014, their 5th season. The Kentucky State web site says "Trees normally begin to bear fruit when the saplings reach 6 feet, which usually requires five to eight years." The rest of my seedlings, except for the runt, should pass 6 feet next year, so maybe fruit from them in 2015, their 6th season. IMO, you can give them their best start, depending on where you live, by starting them indoors and growing in pots the first year. I took my seeds out of the fridge in January 2010, after 120 days of stratification. I kept them by a sunny window until November that year, so they had a very long first season. A seedling started outside will germinate later, and may not have leaves until July or August, and lose them 2 or 3 months later. Mine had leaves for 6 or 7 months. I'd recommend using the 5-1-1 potting mix described at the containers growing forum. It's basically 5 parts pine bark fines, 1 part peat moss, 1 part perlite, with 1 Tablespoon lime/gallon. This needs to be supplemented with some kind of fertilizer, either timed release granules, or you can use some kind of liquid fertilizer. I tried growing some in the "gritty mix", and they all did poorly (although I've used the gritty mix successfully for other trees and plants) Alex

"But an average growth to this tree does exist, based on average growing conditions, for the average gardener." To my knowledge, this information is not known for ANY type of tree, and, would require a VAST amount of data to be analyzed. While it might be technically knowable with enough research, such research would be impractical and has never been attempted. The figures you see on nursery tags, for example, are not meant to truly represent an average. These type of figures are supposed to represent a typical (not average) growth rate, but are often way, way different than what most gardeners actually experience. Maybe "typical" is what you are actually after, but typical is probably best left to generalized terms like "medium/fast grower". I don't think you'll find anything more accurate than what Gregorywoodl's link gave, although those figures are unlikely to reflect your eventual experience.

i recognize your name.. did i answer this anywhere else??? they will ALL get too big for most yards.... its just a matter of how many decades ... plant something a little exciting.. rather than choosing by size alone ... see link for conifer intro .. its all about annual growth rate.. multiply by 10 for common size ESTIMATES... double it for 20 years.. as trees.. they never really stop growing ... when you buy.. INSIST on.. and select ONLY single leader trees ... to avoid storm damage down the years ... at the link.. is also a coniferbase link .. sometimes you can hit pay dirt on information ... try only the cultivar name w/o quote marks .. species have one growth rate.. plants with lesser growth rates are usually 'named' varieties .. ken Here is a link that might be useful: the conifer sizes part

I didn't know if you just wondering about this from people up north where the growth rate would be the same, or from people in general. I have quite a few mule palms and a local friend of mine that I taught how to properly make these plants already has 500 of them, so I get to watch how fast his are growing with more genetic diversity than my group. As you would expect, it grows slower than a queen palm and faster than a pindo palm. Since they are a hybrid the ones that look more like a quenn will grow faster than one that looks more like a pindo. I have some in containers and plant that was 3 feet tall 2 1/2 years ago is now about 11 to 12 feet tall. I put it in a 45 though so that the root system will get large and make it grow faster, where it would stop growing for the most part if I kept it in a smaller container. My friend's plants have grown to be 6 feet tall from a seed in a little over 2 years in 7 gallon containers.