PALM TREE GROWTH

There’s a lot of residents in Phoenix Valley interested in knowing just how quickly palm trees grow in Arizona. The first factor in calculating the rate at which your palm tree will grow depends on the specific species of your palm tree. While several different palm trees can grow as much as 2 to 3-feet per year, others can take several years to reach their peak of only five feet. The best way to go about planning your landscape is to pay attention to the species you are planting, read up on that species to find out just how much they are going to grow, and also, how fast.

PALM GROWTH RATES

You will be able to look forward to having healthy growing palm trees once the watering, fertilizing, location, and pruning have all been worked out. Each species of palm trees has their own rate of growth. Continue reading below to get a better idea on what the average rate of growth for palm trees are.

FOXTAIL PALMS

As a fast-growing palm tree, the Foxtail Palm will grow 2 to 3-feet per year under normal (ideal) conditions, and reach a height of 30-feet in total height within a 10-year period. A good option for those seeking a rapid growing palm tree for shading. It has a deep root stem feature that gives it the ability to withstand drought conditions.

MEDITERRANEAN PALM

These are also known as European Fan Palm trees and they are slow growers, growing around 6-inches per year, and reaching full maturity of 20-feet in height at a very slow pace. They are however, popular due to their fronds beauty and also their bark. These palms make a nice addition to many residential landscapes for they will not overpower the landscapes visual presentation of the landscape itself or of the home.

MEXICAN FAN PALM

The Mexican Fan Palm tree grows faster than most of the other palm trees. It is also one of Arizona’s more common palm trees, which can get as high as 70 to 100-feet in height, being taller than most of the residential yards can handle. Under normal conditions the Mexican Fan Palm tree will grow as much as 4-feet per year. However, because of their rapid growth and drastic heights they are popular for use in public parks and for commercial uses.

KING PALM

The King Palm is also a rapidly growing palm. They will grow rapidly in soil with good moisture and lots of nutrition. The King Palm will grow at a rate of almost 2-feet per year. Which means that it grows a little bit slower than a Queen Palm. The growing rate for a King Palm can be increased by planting it where it only gets a small amount of shade for the sun will help it to grow faster.

QUEEN PALM

When planted within the USDA hardiness zones 9 – 11, will grow at the rate of about 2-feet per year. Thus, a 15-gal. Queen Palm plant will give you a 25-foot Queen Palm in approximately 10-years. In all, you can consider this to be a fairly high speed of growth.

SPLITTING FIREWOOD

Cut your own wood, it will warm you twice…or so the old saying goes. Read on to learn how you can benefit from this!

WHAT IS NEEDED

A maul or axe. A maul is heaver and has a wider head than an axe which makes it advantageous to splitting wood. But an axe can work just as well for smaller wood splitting jobs. Also, remember that the key isn’t sharpness; you’re not cutting wood or even chopping it (a common misnomer); you’re splitting wood. Seasoned wood splits better, but I usually split the wood green, so I don’t have to stack it again.

If the wood has nails in it, forget it. It’s not worth the risk of damaging your ax, or for that matter your eye when that nail goes flying. And if it’s curvy, don’t bother. I’m no safety expert, but trying to deal with unusual situations is often how accidents happen.

If it’s got a knot in it, skip it, especially if it’s green. You’ll spend all day trying to get through it. The exception is if you can find a line through the center that doesn’t get close to any knot. Then the knots won’t interfere. (“Center” is defined by the grain or splits in the wood, as shown on the right.)

SPLIT IT ALONG THE LINES

Put the piece on its end, on a chopping block if possible. If not, just put it on the ground, propping it as needed to keep it standing. Driving the axe into the ground dulls it, supposedly, but I’ve chopped into dirt countless times and the axe still cuts. Now place yourself such that when you swing with straight arms, the blade will hit the wood, right in the center (picture on left). Err on the side closer to you. Here’s why: if you miss on the side close to you, the blade goes into the ground. But if you miss on the far side, the ax handle hits the wood. Too much of that and you’ll be buying a new handle. (It hurts your arms too.) Making sure there’s no one and nothing you don’t want damaged anywhere nearby, to be hit by flying wood, a flying axe, or anything else . . . stand with your legs apart a little, pull the axe straight back over your head, and swing it straight forward. Build up speed and let the momentum and weight of the axe do the work– not your brute strength.I try to hit the same place every time. I never do. It doesn’t matter. Wood with a slightly ragged edge is not a problem. You will get the axe stuck in the wood and have to wrestle it out (right); that’s also not a problem. Eventually, it will split with a nice crack! Then do a few gentle hits into the crack to separate remaining strands of wood connecting the pieces of wood together. If the piece is bigger, you can still go for the center, but it might be easier to chop pieces off the sides, until you have something manageable.

The Result
Those pieces that you made too small . . . are your best accomplishment, because they’ll help you start the fire. Split wood burns more easily, especially the small pieces. And now that you have a woodpile full of fuel…you can now make a fire!

Source: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-split-firewood/

ARE PALM TREES NATIVE TO ARIZONA?

A lot of the residents in Arizona are wondering “Are Palm Trees Native To AZ?” Although there are thousands of palm trees to be seen around the Valley, most of those are not native of Arizona. The majority of palm trees are actually native of tropical climates, such as Florida, Southern California, South Carolina, and countries like Chile, Mexico, Peru, India, Australia, China, among others.

Having so many of them scattered all around Arizona, it may be hard to believe that they are not a native plant of Arizona, with the southern part of Arizona having an abundance of them. There are many of Arizona’s landmarks that incorporate palm plants, being almost as venerated as their iconic cacti. Landscapes all around the state lined up with Date Palms, Mexican Fan Palms, and Queen Palms, including places of retail and commercial properties. It is difficult for many of Arizona’s residents, as well as visitors to Arizona to believe that the majority of the palms in Arizona have been transplanted after being brought from in from tropical climate areas.

ARIZONA’S NATIVE PALM TREE

There is one palm in Arizona which grows naturally. It is the California Fan Palm, and it has been thought that it migrated from animal droppings and transplanted in Arizona, and these grow wild in the area between Yuma and Quartzite within the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge. The California Fan Palm grows wild in the area called the ‘Palm Canyon’.

PEOPLE ADORE PALM TREES

The reason the residents of Arizona adore the palms in their landscape is because it is the icon of the deserts oasis. Since water and shade are hard to come here in Arizona, the residents find the groves of palm trees helps keep them from thinking thoughts about vacationing, leisure, and having fun. The residents welcome shades that are casted by the palm trees, and shades casted by any tree for that matter as it gives them some relief from the hot sun and the desert heat.

ARCHITECTURAL ANCHORS IN LANDSCAPING

Palms give more than a promise of shade, they also make a strong element in the designing process of residential and commercial landscaping projects, as they are known for being “Architectural Plants,” and they can be made a significant part of making a visually stunning landscaping design. Often, they are used as projects in commercial retail real estate, golf courses, city parks, among others for the provisions of visual excitement.

WHERE DO PALM TREES COME FROM?

If Arizona has only one native palm tree, how did the others end up in Arizona? This would depend on the variety you have in mind, or own, or are thinking about purchasing.

THE QUEEN PALMS

Argentina and Brazil are the home of the Queen Palm, and as it features its graceful fronds it grows to be of medium height. Because of their country of origin, they are temperamental and are a little more sensitive than others to the cold winter frost, as well as to the summer heat when it becomes too intense.

THE ROYAL PALMS

The Royal Palms feature a bit of affluence and aristocracy, almost as though they knew they were “Royal.” These are native of tropical Mexico, the Caribbean, and some part of Southern Florida. One of their features is having a rich appearance and at their peak there is deep green skin, in all they have smooth features.

THE MEXICAN FAN PALMS

One of the palms that is most common in Arizona is the Mexican Fan Palm. Of course, you guessed it, these palms come from Mexico, their seed pods are brought to Arizona from Northern Mexico. The Mexican Fan Palms requires their gardener to be a daredevil, and those who trim them must be a professional in order to climb to trim them. These palms will grow-up to incredible heights.