Holy Pachypodium

[Azuleja]

I couldn't resist this despite knowing it will need full winter protection. It just kept catching my eye. I think it'll be happy on the porch through summer then I can risk my eyeballs bringing it in every winter. The pot is 10 inches wide, plant is 2 ft tall. Does anyone have any pointers to share? Stan, I think you have one in the ground. I won't be doing that.

[Melt in the Sun]

My understanding is - lots of sun and lots of water. I have P. geayi in the ground for a couple years now and it seems to like that treatment...I believe yours is more tropical.

[Stan]

They like all the light and heat they can get,but somehow do pretty good here in our summers. I just moved my potted Pachy because it was getting too large and heavy for the wood stand- I didn't want to wake up one day and see all the fat plants got lighter over night by amputations caused by a collapsed broken stand.
2 years ago in our rainy winter and the late December freeze,it got nipped for the first time ever. Ok,I lost the top,no big deal I thought..then it kept shriveling..and then some more. I was worried ( and a bit sickened) that it might just all collapse dead. Well,it stopped at 10" or so. Most of the next summer,it was bald headed,no spouts ( My front yard in ground once got nipped,but never lost stem and it regrew branches in spring) for most of summer until September or October, when it sprouted again.
So here it is ready to go in ground or larger pot. I haven't made up my mind.
But,once they get going they like much summer water,feeding and hot as blazes temps,warm nights. I did bloom 2 summers ago...but so late in the year I got one flower before all those rains began.
I'm thankful its still alive,no complaints after all that.

[Azuleja]

Stan, did I misunderstand that your plant was damaged back to 10" tall 2 years ago? I don't see any scarring or branching on it.

[Stan]

No,the top 10" was lost 2 winters ago. It was well over 5' tall then. They can heal very cleanly. I would never trim off damage. Left alone they will Azul make a clean cut themselves..old shriveled wood falls off...good as new trunk sprouts a couple of branches.
I see some people plant groups of 6 or more all together..It works. Makes a nice look. If you have the climate for it,I like that way.

[Meangreen94z]

I had 2 large Pachypodium, one 6 feet tall with branches up top, unfortunately the winter got them despite wrapping in Christmas lights and covering.

[Stan]

I planted that one out. Its not an ideal spot. I dont have those anymore in ground. It should do well enough..just no speed records. The other in ground has done very well...on maybe 2 more hours of sun a day 8' away. Yet,its not getting near all day sun either. Over the years its gone from a 2006 8" tall plant in a 6" clay pot..to its present 5 footer and twin branching. Not bad for mild summer areas if not even close to some in south Texas that have very fat trunks- fatter then Florida grown plants if Florida grown will get taller .

[Stan]

Here's the older one..planted smaller in 2006 and the old fashioned way,in the ground all this time. It was a 6" potted ( clay) and about 8"? something like that. It wasn't a young plant then either- had that twisted tap root in the pot. I would have guessed it was too stunted to grow more if I saw that today in any plant in a pot. Surprised me. about 5'+.
Hey,also- glad my old Synadenium grantii rubra is finally growing. It hated pots,when in ground? Took awhile to root among the big,old, plants and tree's around it. Then suffered yearly "pickers" when I had bad tenants. No sooner would it grow- "snap"..the stems were gone.

[Meangreen94z]

Nice, my larger one looked almost identical, maybe slightly taller. I think I’ve lost all photos of them unfortunately.

[Stan]

They are prone to melting. Geoff our dear leader posted some huge ones at the L.A. arboretum,a zone 10a unlike Los Angeles itself a solid frost free 10b, that just wilted and died one winter. To a hobbyist,that would be a tear inducing loss..those things were 10-12' with fat golden trunks.
I just cross fingers every winter. So far,no matter how wet or cold its been..this one in ground has done no worse then a single tip nipping...and as you can see it came back strong.
The other? Not as hardy a clone..we will see.

[Cactifan800]

A little late to the party but I bought a lameri and geayi last week. Last year I bought a rosulatum.

What are the water requirements for these and do I water in winter?
I bought my Rosulatum indoors in winter and it kept it's leaves.
But I left my desert rose outside in the rain (over potted in clay pot) and it melted.

[Stan]

Outdoor plants need no water for the two winter months you have. Indoors..only when it goes dryish if the leaves look green..if they start to look off...then it wants to go dormant and then you stop watering. The big two outside might only need the occasional deep soaking in Sydney..you get rains pretty much all year right? Never a freeze or nights in the 30's or 3C range?...so they should get pretty big. Have you seen them around the city?...take some pics and post!

[Viegener]

P. lameri is listed in most places as being the most cold tolerant. I see them pretty regularly planted out in LA...

[Cactifan800]

I have yet to see any planted in the ground in Sydney.
The biggest ones I have seen are only human height and in pots.
They are not very common over here.

[Stan]

They MUST be at the Sydney Botanical gardens..and big. Los Angeles might have warmer Dec and Jan ( vs Sydney's version of winter months),but Sydney is close and with all year rains and more humidity I see some subtropicals that look more Miami grown. Like Giant Bird of Paradise here has sort of a blue-gray -green...and in Sydney they are greenhouse deep green. From photos...plus very lush.

The botanical gardens there must have some big Pachys. I think hardiness of the big two is pretty much the same. Pachypodium geayi that are sold have juvenile leaves...when they get old or large they grow more rounder,smaller P.lameria type foliage. That takes many years to happen.

[Azuleja]

The P. lamerei from this original post has grown a lot. I removed both of the small offsets in favor of one single trunk. It loves full direct sun and regular water in the growing season. I haven't experimented with cold tolerance. I bring it in during the cold season and withhold water completely. The lowest leaves yellow and fall off but new ones grow quickly in spring.

[Stan]

They don't take a freeze well. If its VERY short? No stem damage and only leaves that eventually fall off. If it's longer or more than once a year? Then it starts die from stem tops..and hopefully stops. When they grow in ground? they MUST have the soil worked,amended and even better in a raised situation..so roots never see any standing water ,ever..or heavy soaked clays. What's probably saved mine is...the Magnolia tree. It first of all helps keep off frost of my Pachy under it..and the roots of the near 35-40 year old tree suck up winter rains. Life saving mother tree.
Just hate the cones and leaves of wood!

[Viegener]

Yes, I read that it's winter rains that usually kill them in California

[Dylan]

Here is my P. Lameri from November of last year, January of this year and March or this year. I planted this not thinking that it would survive the first winter. I thought the same with the pineapple plant and the mango tree and all are still alive after 3-4 winters. They are planted in a raised bed with western exposure underneath a 20' tall avocado tree. The Pachypodium grows until first frost that usually kills any small new leaves, however it has never gone fully dormant and dropped all of its leaves. This year was quite mild and it has kept most of the previous leaves thru winter. It is starting to grow new leaves for this year. I wonder when it might bloom or at what height is needed for it to bloom. It is currently 3'-4' tall.

[Stan]

Dylan you might have planted it a little too close to shade makers. It won't be long before the Cado and Mango just shade out everything under them.
I've seen photos of them that size blooming. Usually in a hot summer climate like inland soucal or Spain. But,then again I saw one in a pot in the coolest part of Richmond ca,blooming at that size. Could not believe it. But,all day sun and a wall did it. The potted plant might have been the size of yours,but it looked to be pretty old.
My Pachy under my Magnolia has never bloomed. Too much shade starting around 3pm in summer. Best spot I had at the time.

[Dylan]

I was able to find an even older picture from 2016. The Pachypodium and mango did much better than I expected. They both grow at about the same rate and since the mango bloomed this year I think that the Pachy will outgrow the mango. Typically anything left in the open that is frost sensitive will freeze back especially if quite young. The last several years have been quite mild but high 20's use to be the norm in winter. Trying to balance sun and protection is tricky. I have trimmed the avocado back some to let more light in but the tree is very vigorous being an ungrafted seedling. It does produce high quality fruit though.

[Stan]

That first photo shows,its time in the sun is limited! Otherwise,that would be a great spot. Plus,its in a raised bed..perfect for the roots. I've dug them up..and my bad news is...the root ball fell totally apart..and a nice one I had that had the fattest trunk of them all,died.
I don't know if that's typical. It was growing well,but I was having problems with a vandal/thieving tenants son stealing plants and taking cuttings off the others,so I thought I would move it. One more reason I now have cameras everywhere.

[Dylan]

I thought I would post an update. My Pachypodium decided to bloom this year. It is about 6 feet tall and now has two branches.

[Stan]

Does time fly or what? That Pachy in the green pot? Where I said it was cut back a foot in 2016?..then developed post that post,root rot. I then had that trunk in a gallon of perlite for a year or so. Amazingly,it did re root in that pot. I then planted it out in the ground. Irony? Its planted maybe 10' from an Avocado ( Hass) I put in. I never should have planted the Avocado really. Not enough room- even if I have it trimmed far back in the future.