Re: Butia capitata, care for new palm?
- Subject: Re: Butia capitata, care for new palm?
- From: John MacGregor j*@earthlink.net
- Date: Mon, 05 May 2003 17:53:59 -0700
on 5/4/03 7:16 PM, Doobieous at doobieous@yahoo.com wrote:
> It should *not* have its leaves tied up. They only do
> that for field grown plants to reduce transpiration
> since the root ball has been significantly reduced. If
> the plant has been shade grown you may need to
> aclimate it, but they are full sun plants (there's a
> whole center planting median of them in Santa Barbara
> in full sun). Since it is pot grown leave the leaves
> alone.
>
> Also do not cut theinflorescences off. I'm not sure if
> they are self-fertile or will form fruit without
> pollen, but if fruits do develop they make an
> apparently delicious jelly.
>
> Also, they take just about any soil type, and don't
> need regular fertilization like syagrus do. Mildly
> salt tolerant, and drought toerant, but appreciate
> some summer watering.
"Apparently?" You are missing something good. I find the ripe fruits of
most Butia capitata clones to be ambrosial for eating out of hand. They
vary from seedling to seedling. Some taste rather like peaches, some like
apricots with honey, and some more like white sapotes. But they all seem to
be delicious--if you can beat the birds, rats, raccoons, coyotes, and other
assorted ravenous varmints to them.
John MacGregor
South Pasadena, CA 91030
USDA zone 9 Sunset zones 21/23
