Washingtonias

[dino]

I've just split up my clump of 4 so hoping they'll all come through.

[sanatic1234]

I was joking about my washy seedlings going in my prop hence the laughing icon
I have got plenty of years left in me yet i should at least be able to see it grow to 5 ft no problem with a nice 1ft trunk

[Dave Brown]

The more posts of yours I read the more I think you are joking

In the words of MacEnroe " you cannot be serious"

[sanatic1234]

[bev]

The more posts of yours I read the more I think you are joking

In the words of MacEnroe " you cannot be serious"

andy bird ring any bells


lee

[Exotic Life]

Here is mine, heavy damaged but growing again. It's busy with his thirth leaf this year, but they all got a bit damage on it... the leafes from now would be nice again. I'm don't worried how the palm looks now, this thing is growing so fast that it will have nice crown in June/July again.

Robbin

[sanatic1234]

exotic Life - What age is your washingtonia?

[Dave Brown]

That is not looking bad Robbin, what protection did you give it, or is it just in a very good microclimate

[Exotic Life]

exotic Life - What age is your washingtonia?

Don't know for sure. I Buyed it as an truly greenhouse plant with a very smal trunc and If i'm right the seller told me that it was only 2 years. Planted in 2004, so then it would be 8 years now. The first 2 years it has doing almost nothing and died almost the first winter, but since 2006 it's growing like a rocket with more then 15 leafes last summer.

[Exotic Life]

That is not looking bad Robbin, what protection did you give it, or is it just in a very good microclimate

Thanks Dave. Well it get his own little "house" what's keeping the palm dry during the winter months. I turn some light's around the growing point and trunc but that's not really effective for the leafes, so -9 was the lowest temperature last winter.. My guess this palm saw also -7 to -8 inside the protection, good to see at the big leaf damage.

But it has also a good microclimate as well, it's on the south faced garden (same place as mine Phoenix) but against this wall it's even a bit hotter during winter and summer. On sunny winterdays 10-15C is quite normall against the wall, and ground is almost never frozen. Not that I'm saying that the palm will also feels 10-15C but that place is the first place in garden where the temperature will be above zero for sure. At sunny summer days it's always between the 30-40C close to that wall and during the nights it gives heat back into the garden, so it will be warmer at night as well around that palm.

The results can been seen, because this palm do also grow during the winter months inside it's protection. I tried a few years an Cycas revoluta on several places in the garden, last year I planted one against that wall. It was unprotected this winter, so it lost his leafes, but caudex is fine and it's only waiting when it started to flush now. That border in the garden is somewhere just perfect, but to hot and dry in summer for things like bananas and canna's.

Robbin

[Dave Brown]

That is a good microclimate Robbin, mine was until the palm grew over the top of the wall, but now gets the coldest NE winds blastng over it in winter.

[Exotic Life]

That is a good microclimate Robbin, mine was until the palm grew over the top of the wall, but now gets the coldest NE winds blastng over it in winter.

I have seen it on your pictures and movie, impressive palm for sure. I can't wait till my Washingtonia got the same size as yours. Here it can grow much bigger before the microclimate got away I think, then it should be bigger then our house... that lose the heat from the wall.

Robbin

[Exotic Life]

Here it was on 21-04-2006. It was already fro 2 years in the ground then, but haven't do much so this was almost the same size when it was planted in 2004. The only different thing was in April 2006 it lost his greenhouse growed leafes and got stronger leafes.



Here it was before the winter on 11-12-2009, quite impressive growth to me in only 3 years.





Robbin

[Neil]

Wilkinsons now have Washie Robusta in stock, £4 for a small potfull. neil

[Dave Brown]

With your additional heat and continued good microclimate I think yours will catch up with mine. It is not growing very fast this year as I think the growing point is now above the wall so is exposed to the cold winds we get in winter and spring. It only started into growth on 18th March and has grown 38mm in 3 weeks it needs to grow 600mm per month to match its 20 leaves of 2008. Only managed 16 last year and is later starting this year.

Neil, they will just need growing on for a few years before attempting to plant out