I live in the Texas Hill Country and have a madagascar palm I purchased about four years ago. It is planted in a 12" ceramic pot that is about 16" tall. The palm itself has grown to just under two feet. It gets below freezing here in the winter, so I move it into the house near huge windows for light. Even so, the palm loses all of its leaves during the winter. In the spring I move it back out onto the patio where it gets sun all day. This year it has not sprouted new leaves which worries me. In the pot around the base of the plant I planted some hens and chicken succulents. They are doing fine but I wonder if perhaps they are robbing nutrients from the palm. Is this OK or should I dig them out? Watering is a constant worry to me. I am afraid of overwatering, so perhaps I am not watering enough. Do I need to fertilize? When and how much? I am very fond of this plant and hope to have it for many years to come, but am concerned about the fact that it is not getting any leaves. The trunk is nice and hard, so I don't think it has root rot. I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. Thanks Pat in Comfort

Your plant may be suffering from improper soil... You aren't facing rot yet, but if you don't repot, that could happen too. 50% perlite and 50% cactus and succulent soil is a recommended mix. I wouldn't be surprised if a change of mix fixes your problems. Just as a note, it would be good for you to know that Madagascar Palms drop their leaves at the beginning of each winter :) No need to be alarmed when that happens.

Here's a map to show hardiness zones in Los Angeles County. In some maps, my neighborhood is 11a, near the beach, and I've never known it to get below 40°, and so that's what I think I'm in. Here's a photo from the county arboretum in Arcadia, not all that far from you:Here's one I planted in my front yardI have a much larger one in the back yard, but they are both very slow growing for me. The one in the back yard is in a very large pot that is difficult to move, and so it stays in one place all year. Since yours are young, I would move them indoors, just to be safe, but you might be able to leave them outdoors when they are larger. They need well draining soil and can easily be over-watered.

If its the right price and condition. Now 12' indoors and stretched out is hard to move without stems snapping. If you have it outdoors in a pot and its happy...sure,Craigslist it. I myself would never sell it after all the years it takes to get that size. Its taken 14 years for one I had that was in 8" tall range in a pot to over 6' today outdoors in the bay area. So,no after 14 more and its also 12'?..NFS! I'm not sure I have 14 years left...close call..lol.