TommyMacLuckie

It's almost June. Days have been hot but night time temps still not warm enough for things to go completely nuts.

A few bananas did not make it, mostly the "specials" as I have been calling them with the people involved. Grand Nain died. A few others as well, possibly the Williams Hybrid. Some have had the name tag rot off or it can't be read anymore.

What did come back are the usual - but it's been a little odd perhaps.

The Veluntia came back FIRST. And those are about 4 feet tall. They were a foot tall before anything showed any sign of life.

Oranta and Bordelon came back second at the same time and are up to 4 feet tall, maybe taller.

Orinoco right after. Some already 6 feet tall - and some growing back from the cut trunks - and some brand new swords.

Saba have actually done well and are seemingly growing faster than last year (left most of the damaged trunks so they have a constant water source). They've had to start completely over. So far they are about 4 feet tall.

Dwarf Cavs - almost all of these started over but some did grow back out from where they were. Some already 3 feet tall.

Thai Gold are about 2 feet tall.

Zebrina are having the worst time of it but are slowly making their way.

There are others, the specials, but I don't know what kind they are. I have a diagram somewhere that I need to find. One of them is going nuts, it's doing quite well. I wasn't sure what to expect of all the special orders. So far most of them died though. Will be placing a new order with Stokes in a couple of weeks probably.

Of the yards that I take care of over half the queen palms have died and I've never seen yuccas look so damaged.

coast crab

Hi Tommy.

I could have written your post! Same news here, including the Zebrina. Ice cream and Thai black are already taller than me.

Did any of yours come back from standing pstems? All of mine died COMPLETELY to the ground except Basjoo which was shooting out new leaves in March.

My Ae Ae is already waist high, and was one of the first to sprout!!

Russell

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TommyMacLuckie

Only the Orinoco and one or two Dwarf Cavs have come back from the p-stems. Everything else started over. Well, maybe some ornatas - it's hard to tell. And since everything got destroyed it's difficult to remember.

Some of the Orinocos that I cut down have come back (some with pups even) - and some haven't - at all, as in dead dead dead, no pups. Some that I left alone came back - and some haven't but have pups.

Everything else is brand new.

Abnshrek

The only thing I have to chime in on this one is... ( & I couldn't believe it) They are trying to sell queen palms up here.. I was like what in the world are they thinking? (other than trying to make a buck) :^)

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TommyMacLuckie

Queen palms up THERE?

Yeah, that's just stooopid. But, if this makes you feel any better, down here Home Depot sells Foxtails and Coconut trees - both die at roughly 30 degrees F.

Abnshrek

Yeah they were 10-12ft for $84... now if I could find a replacement grapefruit tree. :^)

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TommyMacLuckie

Veluntina and Orinoco starting to bloom already!

Abnshrek

Ok I went to a nursery that had two (7-8ft) Bottle Palms.. Now, I think there is a zone disconnect going on here.. :^)

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TommyMacLuckie

I asked someone at Home Depot last year, Why do you sell plants for zone 10B and 11 when up here you are in an 8A?

The response was odd. "Some people have atriums."

Someone has an atrium that is 100 feet tall for coconut trees?

"I guess."

I've seen bottle palms in New Orleans - before the freeze of '010 - and they were struggling. And that's 9A and 9B.

All the majesty palms that had gotten 20 or so feet high? Dead.

But most of the bananas are doing great.

Bananaman88

We have M. lateritas blooming where I work as well.

Abnshrek

Well today I saw Queen palms @ home Depot for $9.99.. lol :^)

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LilRaverBoi

Honestly, I think they sell things like that WAY out of zone simply because people like to plant them as an annual for a tropical look in a not-so-tropical locale. I know our home depot sells a few different types of palms that in NO WAY would EVER survive here. There are also a few greenhouses that sell a few types of bananas (siam ruby and E. maurelii mostly) which again, have NO chance of surviving winters here.

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john_ny

Heck, they sell Queen Palms around here. There is someone, in New Jersey, advertising them here, on the .org site, right now. There are some wealthy people that treat them as annuals, and several towns, on the New Jersey shore, plant them on their beaches. Whenever we have big storms, Nor'easters, in the winter, the local TV stations will have reorters on the beach, fighting the wind, rain, sleet and snow. Most times you can see some dead palms behind them.

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coast crab

I had to trash a queen palm too. I thought it would be protected enough under the live oaks. I was wrong.

Ironically, I have 2 young Bismarckias that made it through this past terrible winter in the ground, their second winter actually. But they're in a bed that's really protected from the wind with lots of sun on brick and concrete all day long. All the fronds were burned but they're coming out now. Clumps of large, old Rhaphis were killed to the ground too.

Russell

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Abnshrek

Well I got a pair of the queens.. The ole' lady likes the look even though it may only be for this year :^) can't beat it in the interim (till I put mules there) for under 20 bucks :^)

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ryboyer

Well I lost all of my queen palms also. All of my bananas died to the ground but are sending up more pups than I can manage. I thought I lost my Kru banana but It has a new pup just a couple inches tall now. The only bad thing now is I know I will not get any fruit this year.

TommyMacLuckie

I've looked in to getting mules - way way way too expensive. Going with Sabal Palmetto (Cabbage), Butia's (Pindo), Windmills and Euro fans plus various other Sabals.

Rhapis got burned here but not killed.

In Baton Rouge the Washingtonia robustas (and filferas) look fine. Here they're still coming back.

My bismarckia (purple) was in the ground but I covered it and put a 100 watt light bulb under it. The ends that touched the cover got burned a little bit. It's out in the open and is very young so I wanted to protect it. It's got two new spears coming out.

Now on to bananas:

One thing I decided to do, aside from other experimenting with removal of dead bananas vs. leaving them as well as cutting them half way down, was to cut the the top portion of, in this particular case, the Sabas. So that left 6 to 10 foot trunks. The new pups are now 4 to 8 feet tall (and they're growing much faster than they did last year). I'm surmising that by leaving the dead trunks they are a constant water source and have aided in the new growth. And also the root development has aided in their more

Not one Saba came back through the trunks as Orinocos do. Some Orinocos that I left died completely - as in nothing even coming back from the bottom at all. Others have brand new pups. Some grew back from where I cut them.