What is your experience with Palms in container's? Lady Palms?

skyanne_9

13 years ago

I x-posted this in the container forum as well, but thought I would try here too.

I want to plant a Lady Palm in a glazed pot outside long term on the north side under an eave.

What soil mix do you recommend & any other info as to watering, fertilizer, & possible trimming?

Thanks!

Sky

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Comments (4)

denninmi
13 years ago
I don't see a problem with it, as long as it gets the proper care.

Use a REALLY good quality soilless mix. ProMix by Premier is a great brand that I've had the best luck with this year (Home Depot carries it here in Michigan).

The pot MUST have drainage (holes in the bottom).

Also, long term, palms can get chlorosis due to trace element deficiencies, so I would use a fertilizer that supplies those PLUS a supplement according to the directions on the particular product you buy.

Lady Palms like really evenly moist conditions, so you might want to invest in some kind of a little automatic timer and drip watering system if you're the kind of person who forgets to water or you're away from home a lot.
tropicalzone7
13 years ago
I actually see lady palms in planters much more than in the ground (even in areas where they live year round) so I dont think there will be any problems in a nice sized container. Keep it from getting too much sun and it should have a good quality soil in it. As far as trimming all you have to do is cut off the occasional yellow leaf. They arent too hard to take care of. Just make sure it stays above the mid 20s (it can handle below freezing but it is more suceptable to cold in a pot), give it shade, and keep it from getting too dry.

Good luck!
-Alex
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I really wish you luck growing Lady Palms under artificial light. It might work, but lights will have to be on 14-18 hours per day, without natural sun. Do you know which LP seedlings you have? Most LP's need to dry between waterings, the Thailand Lady Palm's soil needs to stay moist. There's a difference between 75F degrees indoors and 75F degrees outside. 75 indoors is hot, air dry and stuffy. Don't keep your palm in front of a heating source. Conflicting advice..Visit 20 sites regarding the same plant, and you'll get 20 different answers. lol Since you want 6 palms, you can pot two seedlings together. You can even pot three as long as there's room for growth. No, do not pot seedlings in a 3 gallon container..Repot gradually, one size larger as it grows. Palms aren't the fastest growing plants. As for Air Purification, there are numerous plants considered, Clean Air Plants, etc..many which grow much faster than palms. Why did you choose palms, if you don't mind me asking? Toni
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not sure why you trimmed roots.. next time you repot a palm I recommend you not do that. There is rarely if ever a reason to trim palm roots and they sometimes react very poorly to it. Also, when repotting a palm, best not to fertilize it as that tends to traumatize the roots a bit, and the last thing they will want to see is fertilizer. Best just to put in a new pot, add soil and water very well and very frequently. Once you feel it's established in the pot, you can decrease your watering times (especially if it's indoors now). Hard to overwater this palm as long as there is excellent drainage from the pot. Eventually add more fertilizer (very stingily if going to be an indoor palm- indoor palms grow even slower and their need for fertilizer is almost nil). You can trim off the damaged leaves if they don't look good and leave only the nice looking ones. Then you will be able to better observe how your palm is doing (if new 'damaged leaves' show up, you have an unhappy palm). Dust itself on leaves is rarely a problem for the palm, unless it is so thick the leaves cannot get light.
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Mine are in the ground outside. While they were in pots it was ordinary free draining potting mix with slow release fertiliser. Now when you say "them", you got more than one pot of them? Did it happen to all of them, or just the one that was "bone dry"? So maybe lack of water and too hot in the car. If you stopped somewhere on the way home, a locked car in the sun gets very hot. They're very slow growing so it could take a while to show if they're recovering. The collapsed leaves most probably won't recover.
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So much easier to just water the plant when it needs it an forget about any wicks or reservoirs. It may be standard advice to let the soil dry to some depth, but Rhapis palms have relatively poor drought tolerance. They reluctantly show under watering damage, and when they DO..., it is often too late. I would grow it in a more conventional container. Then, when you do water, drench the plant (no need to measure it in ounces), then wait for the the soil surface to begin to dry somewhat before dewatering. Also, what is the light exposure..., they are not the biggest sun lovers and direct sun can burn them if not acclimated.
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User
13 years ago
They are easy palms in cultivation as long as you protect from the strongest sun (their leaves will be deeper green if you avoid the strongest, hottest sun). Also, they have a relatively low tolerance for dryness. I almost lost mine from a neglected watering--and they don't really show drought stress until it's almost too late. Just use a well-drained soil as for all palms.--They're nice palms!
stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
13 years ago
They live up to their reputation as easy potted palms. Mine has been on the porch(SF bay area) in the same container(14" pot) for years-it just gets a bit taller every year. Little need for fertilizer,and average watering..that's it.

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What is your experience with Palms in container's? Lady Palms?

Comments (4)

denninmi

tropicalzone7

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stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area

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