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View Poll Results: Do you think this climate could support the growth of coconuts?
Yes 17 60.71%
No 9 32.14%
Not sure 2 7.14%
Voters: 28. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 09-11-2014, 11:41 AM
 
Location: Portsmouth, UK
13,458 posts, read 8,997,736 times
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Back in the UK I grew a Coconut palm from a store bought coconut, (yes you can buy big ones cheap, but because they are grown in hot houses in Holland they tend to die a couple of months later) & I brought it to Malta with me with the intention of trying outside here. Unfortunately our belongings were stuck in a container for about 6 weeks & by the time they arrived my Coconut palm was already half dead I tried to coax it back to life but it was officially declared dead about a month later... I am trying to sprout another one at the moment, which is actually quite easy to do, even from a de-husked coconut
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Old 09-11-2014, 04:04 PM
 
Location: Denver, Colorado U.S.A.
14,164 posts, read 27,162,102 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Panamajack78 View Post
That's one of the main points on several palm forums talking about the Newport coconut. Our last winter was a rather warm one and the palm only has has 2 green fronds?

If this winter is a cool and wet one, the palm might be in trouble, or it might just survive and keep looking ill.

I've tried growing a coconut that I brought from Panama. It took about a good month or so of indoor heat for it to sprout. Once it did I moved it outside and it started growing well (it was summer). Unfortunately we then moved to San Francisco where the coconut spent all of its time indoors but it was doing beautifully. Our apartment faced south so it got lots of sunlight. After 3 years we then moved back to L.A. and it made it through the fall but winter was rough on the little guy. It passed away on March. Here are some pics of it in our apartment in SF.

To grow a coconut in Southern California is quite a difficult challenge. It required lots of work to keep it consistently warm and to give it proper amounts of light during short and cloudy winter days. I'd rather spend my money and energy caring for plants that have a chance of survival.

Denverian, coconuts are my favorites too. But you're right, we do have lots of options here in coastal L.A and those Royals by South Coast Plaza are some of the pretties ones I've seen in SoCal. There are some really nice Fox tail ones in Santa Monica on Arizona and 2nd that are really nice too.
Those Royals do so well, I'm surprised you don't see more of them around.

I bought a Majesty palm back in 1998 for my patio at our condo in Orange. It was basically something people would use for a houseplant, no trunk and maybe 3 - 4 feet tall. After a couple years, it was getting too big, so I planted it out in the "common area" in front of our condo. It was growing well and getting big when we sold the condo and moved to Denver 9 years ago, but I was back visiting old neighbors in December and that Majesty palm now has a trunk about a foot wide at the bottom and is probably 20' to the top of the fronds. I was surprised at how much it resembles a Coconut. At least at this size it does. I've never seen a 50' Majesty, so I'm not sure how they really look when very mature.
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Old 09-11-2014, 05:56 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles
2,412 posts, read 2,466,560 times
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well after 25 years of living in its non native climate, i thinks that is about as good as it gets, but i belive it will survive winter, and give us a good 2 more years.

maybe a root heating system (wouldnt take too much, as winter is mid 60s in day, low 50s at night in Newport, so a 5 degree increase would be good?) in winter would make the palm grow a lot bigger, maybe even give coconuts.

if planted in a busy intersection in Santa Ana, it would be much more healthy, as ive seen cocos in yards in Santa Ana about 5 foot tall that are doing very good.
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Old 09-11-2014, 06:05 PM
 
24 posts, read 18,722 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by L.A.-Mex View Post
well after 25 years of living in its non native climate, i thinks that is about as good as it gets, but i belive it will survive winter, and give us a good 2 more years.

maybe a root heating system (wouldnt take too much, as winter is mid 60s in day, low 50s at night in Newport, so a 5 degree increase would be good?) in winter would make the palm grow a lot bigger, maybe even give coconuts.

if planted in a busy intersection in Santa Ana, it would be much more healthy, as ive seen cocos in yards in Santa Ana about 5 foot tall that are doing very good.
It is already planted at a busy intersection right on top of the asphalt! If you planted it in Santa Ana, it would be dead in no time, the lows are far too low and the record lows.... up to -6C and half the year has recorded frosts so the risk of frost is too high.

I suspect those little "cocos" you've seen are some other palm you are mistaking them for. Go out get some pics if you want people to believe you. Take some pics, if they really are coconut palms, I'll say "yes, fine they'll be dead within the decade".
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Old 09-11-2014, 06:23 PM
 
Location: Castlederp
9,264 posts, read 7,392,141 times
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Maybe if I put some radiators outside my house and a couple of artificial UV lights, I could grow a coconut palm..
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Old 09-11-2014, 06:27 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles
2,412 posts, read 2,466,560 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LightningLover View Post
It is already planted at a busy intersection right on top of the asphalt! If you planted it in Santa Ana, it would be dead in no time, the lows are far too low and the record lows.... up to -6C and half the year has recorded frosts so the risk of frost is too high.

I suspect those little "cocos" you've seen are some other palm you are mistaking them for. Go out get some pics if you want people to believe you. Take some pics, if they really are coconut palms, I'll say "yes, fine they'll be dead within the decade".
frost is not common in santa ana, this is data over 100 years of recording. the higher day temps would favor the palm much more. santa ana in winter is 70 F average high day temp and lows around upper 40s F. while Newport is low 50s a couple degrees wont really make the palm die "in no time".

if the palm was at main street or 4th street or whatever intersection, i guarantee it would be healthier.

and for the palms ive seen in Santa Ana, i would post the pics but since i saw the palms this past march, and the other in december, i dont know which location they are at. ill go looking for the other two in East LA though.
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Old 09-11-2014, 06:29 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles
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im a palm fanatic too, so i know what a coco palm is, i know what a king palm is a majestic, kentia, royal, etc.
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Old 09-11-2014, 07:56 PM
 
24 posts, read 18,722 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by L.A.-Mex View Post
frost is not common in santa ana, this is data over 100 years of recording. the higher day temps would favor the palm much more. santa ana in winter is 70 F average high day temp and lows around upper 40s F. while Newport is low 50s a couple degrees wont really make the palm die "in no time".

if the palm was at main street or 4th street or whatever intersection, i guarantee it would be healthier.

and for the palms ive seen in Santa Ana, i would post the pics but since i saw the palms this past march, and the other in december, i dont know which location they are at. ill go looking for the other two in East LA though.
Actually, no. The low temps ARE a problem here. Doesn't matter what the high is, when average lows are under 50F in winter with a decent risk of frost, that will kill the coconut palm. I mean, temps as low as -6C have been recorded there and frosts have occured 6 months of the year. I can imagine there will be a sum of nights under 5C in such a locale. Factor in the dryness and the lack of humidity, and it's a no go. Plus, even though the average high in winter is 70F, there will be numerous days below that. There are locations with highs similar to Santa Ana, but which much warmer lows and more humidity/rainfall which can support coconuts.

How can you forget the location of those alleged coconut palms? I'm sure with something as significant to you as coconut palms growing in yards in LA, you would have a subconscious memory of where they are. Unless you present us with some pics, I don't believe you. Many species of palms can look like coconuts when they are that young.
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Old 09-11-2014, 08:30 PM
 
Location: New York
11,326 posts, read 20,286,191 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by L.A.-Mex View Post
im a palm fanatic too, so i know what a coco palm is, i know what a king palm is a majestic, kentia, royal, etc.
Some sort of Parajubaea or Beccariophoenix species would be my guess for the palms you've seen, they can look very similar to coconut palms, and they can grow in California.
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Old 09-11-2014, 08:32 PM
 
Location: Los Angeles
2,412 posts, read 2,466,560 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LightningLover View Post
Actually, no. The low temps ARE a problem here. Doesn't matter what the high is, when average lows are under 50F in winter with a decent risk of frost, that will kill the coconut palm. I mean, temps as low as -6C have been recorded there and frosts have occured 6 months of the year. I can imagine there will be a sum of nights under 5C in such a locale. Factor in the dryness and the lack of humidity, and it's a no go. Plus, even though the average high in winter is 70F, there will be numerous days below that. There are locations with highs similar to Santa Ana, but which much warmer lows and more humidity/rainfall which can support coconuts.

How can you forget the location of those alleged coconut palms? I'm sure with something as significant to you as coconut palms growing in yards in LA, you would have a subconscious memory of where they are. Unless you present us with some pics, I don't believe you. Many species of palms can look like coconuts when they are that young.
temps below 5 C in Santa Ana dont happen often in a year. About 2 or 3 days a year in Santa Ana, winter of 2006/07 was one of our coldest winters and it got 5 days below 41 F, none below freezing.

look i dont remember where in santa ana it was, i know the relative location but i dont know the streets, and frankly i dont have the time to spend the day looking for them.
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