Hot Hot Hot

[Okanagan desert-palms]

Temps here today topped 36c 97f. Good thing we aren`t under watering restrictions as I`m watering every day. Looks like it`s just the start of a long hot summer according to the weather gurus.
John

[yuccaman]

I like hot weather but we have to much humidity. We had some warm temperatures on fathers day. We had 30C.

But now temperatures are far below normal. we are only getting 22C 21C 25C. Your summer is great for needle palms so they can survive the winter. Our summers are not hot enouth. I think its another cold summer.

Im getting tired of nonstop rain. We had a severe thunderstorms that went in my area.We had tornado warnings and I saw a funnel with rotation.Thunderstorm picture.

[Alchris]

It has been hot here as well. Only 28, 29, 30, 31; not like in the Okanagan. But it has been windy. So far my seedlings have enjoyed it with the exception of the T. forunei that I got bare root from Banana Joe. I have kept them moist and well drained but they are slowly turning brown and showing no signs of growth. Superthrive hasn't been able to stop the decline.

The trachys seemed to do much better in the cooler, cloudy low to mid 20s. Does that make any sense? Should I be taking them out of full sun and putting them in evening shade?

Allen

[DesertZone]

Allen,
My trachies seedlings have also been going down hill in the full sun. I have found that they do better when small in the part shade.

[PhilMusa]

My Seedlings for the most part are inside the house and have shown some growth. None have perished (Actually one did but I forgot to water it , so it doesn't count) I did put a couple outside in full sun in the ground and they are still green. So far all I have given them is water and no fertilizer.

Regards,
Phil

[Alchris]

Thanks. My palms went outside this spring when we pulled out the old window and replaced it.

I'll move the trachys to a spot with evening shade.

Allen

[Wes North Van]

Although not as hot as Kelowna, we have had three days of 30C weather. My trachies and trachies seedlings love this heat as long as they are watered well. That is the key. I also noticed that they stay greener in part to full shade but do not grow as well. They tend to get long petitioles and have less of a full crown.

[Alchris]

My trachys like me again. After a week in semishade they are greener and not as limp. The shade doesn't seem to make any difference to the washys and the sabal.

I can't believe the summer. It's back up to 30 again. We usually only get to 30 once or twice a year. Tomorrow will be the 5th day at 30+ and the hot days aren't here yet. I am going to have a whopper of a water bill.

Man my roses are great. The blooms are about 30% bigger and there are 3 times as many as last year. It is time to hang the hammocks in the gazebo and enjoy the scent and color in the evening.

Allen

[banana joe]

Allen, What's up with the seedlings I sent you? They should be flourishing, not declining. What type of soil mix did you plant them in? I use a Pro-Mix HP mixed with approx. 30% sterilized potting soil to pot most of my palm seedlings in. I've also planted many in a mixture of bark chips and soil. I have most all of my seedlings outdoors in partial shade. However I do have many seeds in flats that are in my greenhouse. They are popping like weeds now with the ehat. Once they form a leaf I move them to a more shaded position. The baking hot sun may turn the tips brown. Keep me updated on the ones I sent you, and if they all continue to decline I will send you a new batch free of charge. I ship hoards of bare root palms and your's are the first that I've heard that are not doing good. Maybe it would be better if I shipped you some freshly sprouted T.fortunei seeds? My e-mail is bananajoe@saltspring.com Cheers, Joe

[banana joe]

Allen, What's up with the seedlings I sent you? They should be flourishing, not declining. What type of soil mix did you plant them in? I use a Pro-Mix HP mixed with approx. 30% sterilized potting soil to pot most of my palm seedlings in. I've also planted many in a mixture of bark chips and soil. I have most all of my seedlings outdoors in partial shade. However I do have many seeds in flats that are in my greenhouse. They are popping like weeds now with the ehat. Once they form a leaf I move them to a more shaded position. The baking hot sun may turn the tips brown. Keep me updated on the ones I sent you, and if they all continue to decline I will send you a new batch free of charge. I ship hoards of bare root palms and your's are the first that I've heard that are not doing good. Maybe it would be better if I shipped you some freshly sprouted T.fortunei seeds? My e-mail is bananajoe@saltspring.com Cheers, Joe

[Alchris]

When I got them the tips of the leaves were brown( If I remember right they were in the mail during the first 30 C day this spring). I put them in 6" pots with 50% tropical plant sterilized soil and 50% seed starter sterilized mix and kept them moist. After about 3 weeks inside I had lost a couple(but that's why you sent an extra 3) and began climatizing them outside days only. About the first part of June, I left them outside overnight and buried the pots in the soil in full sun. When we were moving the new picture windows from the garage to the fron of the house, one of my helpers stumbled and stepped on the palms, crushing 3, 2 of which died. I left them in place , keeping them moist on a daily basis and adding Super Thrive every 2 weeks. After reading about palm root systems, I opted not to experiment with high phosphate fertilizer. I had 2 more die before asking the board where to keep them. At that time they were looking drab and listless. Since I moved them into the shade the 7 remaining, including 1 with a broken leaf, are looking brighter and healthier.

I didn't ask if I should keep them in full sun or not when I got them, and I expected that given how cool it is up here they needed full sun. My seedlings--the Washys, sabal and the Jacarandas all seemed to love the location. They didn't mind when the temperatures soared into the high 20s and 30.

I still have 6 for sure survivors and they are looking good. They do not appear to have grown very much, but I didn't expect much growth initially. They are still at the single leaf stage. I really only want 2 palms for the back yard so the 6 survivors should be enough.

Right now all the palms are sitting on my patio in semi shade with about 3 hours of evening sun. They will go inside for the winter sometime in early September once the temperatures approach freezing at night. I plan to put them in a south exposure inside for the winter. I plan to add Super Thrive every 2 weeks and otherwise water only with tap water allowed to sit out and de-chlorinate.

Any suggestions to improve their growth?
Anything that I need to change?
Should I be treating the Washys differently?

I have no problem with the seedlings that you provided, Banana Joe. I could have emailed you privately but here are other crazies out there experimenting with growing palms in Zone 3 and 4 and we can use all the advice that we can get.

Allen