Martyman
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Species of Palm for BOLA
I would like to plant a few (10-12) palm trees at my new place in BOLA. I'm a gardener but have never planted a palm.
Do they grow quickly?
How much should they be watered and will they grow faster with more water?
What species should I plant and where can I buy them?
What is the proper spacing to hang a a Yucatan hammock?
I'm looking for a type that will make some shade for my pinkness.
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bajajudy
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Cocos and Washingtonians are the easiest to find. Both like water. Neither grow particularly fast both faster with more water. Be sure to put deep
casuelas around them to hold the water, a circle of rocks also helps.
Palms are not the best for shade but they sure are pretty.
The best for shade are ficus, just be careful where you plant them as the roots can wreck havoc on pipes, foundations etc. They do grow fast. They
are definitely one of the best for shade, I think. Hardly endemic though.
Fruit trees also offer shade and a crop...always nice.
[Edited on 8-6-2007 by bajajudy]
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Mexitron
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Washingtonia robusta, Mexican Fan Palm, is fast growing if you give it lots of fertilizer and water...plant them in doubles and triples and in time
you will have plenty of shade from them.
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Roasty
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The groundwater in BOLA has a lot of salt in it, (around my casa anyway!) Home depot Ensenada has palms, and also the little place in San Quintin
opposite the military base.
Where is your place in BOLA?
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Bob and Susan
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for coco's you need more water and dampness like hawaii
lots here in mulege jusy die
the fan-palm (taco palm) seems to be the best for the salt and heat and dryness
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bajajudy
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Actually cocos like salt. If you are having problems with them, put some rock salt around them, they like it. After all they thrive on islands
where there is very little fresh water.
Fan palms(washingtonias) love water. You will notice that they are in all the arroyos and river beds where there has been or will be water. Water
them well and they will grow very fast...I mean real well. We have two volunteers, one has grown to almost 29 feet in 6 years (for this one we built
a well and surrounded it with rocks so the water stayed around the tree)and another to around 20 feet in 4 years(this one is near our septic tank so
may be getting some extra nutrients ) These guys come up everywhere in our yard,
like weeds.
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oxxo
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To expand on the subject a bit and add my recommendation for BOLA location would be the classic Date Palm, Phoenix dactylifera (http://www.floridata.com/ref/p/phoe_dac.cfm)
Palms are generally not described or have utility as a "shade" tree. They can provide shade if planted in suffcient numbers in a grove setting.
Confining the discussion to the palms listed on this thread, the Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) will give the least shade, next the Coconut
Palm (Cocos nucifera), and finally, the Date Palm will give the most shade.
All three palms will grow in BOLA if given enough attention and maintenance. All three will require moderate to ample water. The Date Palm the
least, the Coconut Palm the most. The more water you give them the faster they will grow. All will do better in well drained sandy soil.
Regular fertilizer (specifically for palms) will be necessary to maintain a nice green appearance.
Although the Coconut Palm has a high tolerance to salt, I do not recommend adding salt of any kind to the soil. In fact the Coconut Palm will not
grow in any type of brackish water. DO NOT WATER WITH OCEAN WATER. In their native habitat, they exist on ample amounts of fresh rain water (40 to
100 inches per year) in very sandy, well drained soil.
Given these considerations, I recommend the Date Palm for your location. However, BOLA may be too humid to allow a good set of fruit. The Date Palm
is a star performer in the Coachella Valley near Palm Springs, but regular irrigation is a necessity.
Depending on the size of the palm when planted, it may take several years to have a size suffcient to string a hammock.
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Martyman
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Thanks for the great responses! My place in BOLA is at camp gecko. I'm picturing putting in a drip system with a solar powered valve with timer. 29
feet in 6 years (5'/year)!!
You can lead a horse to water...
Thanks
Martyman
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