What a beautiful palm! How tall is it? I just got one this summer but its only about 3 feet tall right now. I just brought it in the house today since the lows this week will be about 40 degrees.

Also you should post more pictures of your yard, it looks beautiful from what I can see!

It's about 7-ft including the pot, at the highest point. The circumference is 26", and from the base to the top of the stem where the new spears emerge is also about 26".

Based on last year's measurements, it has more than doubled it's mass at the base of the stem. When it is warm outside, I water as often as I can, which can be 4-5 times daily if I'm home. Lots of fertilizer too. I need to take advantage of the few hot months so I pump it up as much as possible.

Here are summer photos of some other plants

Thanks for posting the pictures of your yard, its really beautiful! Do you overwinter the basjoo in the ground? I am thinking I will try that this year, hopefully it works out. I guess I should have watered my palms more than I did, which is usually once a day. I just brought the bottle and spindle into my south facing living room for the winter. How often do you think I should water them during the winter? Also, do you continue to fertilize? The spindle is the tallest at almost 5 feet.

Thanks again for the great pics!
Linda

linda

glad u enjoyed the pics

basjoo: No, I do not overwinter in the ground. I store the stems in the garage. Then, in the spring they start sprouting from the tops of the stems so they are already tall. For me, this is easier than mulching and protecting the stems.

watering: If your soil mix drains adequately, you can water daily as long as you have enough light to keep the palms happy. But you absolutely, must NEVER let the water collect in a saucer. Prop up the pot so that the drained water does not come in contact with the bottom of the pot. The H lagenicaulis is especially susceptible to a rapid browning and dying of the leaf tips and then the entire leaf when the roots have the opportunity to soak up the drained fertilizer salts. I learned this the hard way. Luckily I figured out what was going on before too much damage occurred.

I believe that when you read about problems with Palms as houseplants, this is one of the major culprits. Water that collects in a saucer is toxic and must not be allowed to come in contact with the roots at the bottom of the pot.

fertilizer: Same as above...if you can keep the plants happy with enough warmth and light, keep fertilizing as usual. Make sure there is enough Magnesium and Manganese, which these plants require for health. If temps are cool, light is low and/ or growth is slow, then cut back on the fertilizers.

I give my palm Osmocote 5-6 month slow release with minors in the spring, along with gypsum for calcium, and supplemental Mg and Mn via Lutz fertilizer spikes. During the winter indoors, I add diluted Algoflash water soluble fertilizer under the assumption that most of the Osmocote has been used up. I'm leery on using the 10-12 month formulation for fear that too much unused fertilizer will remain during the wintertime, which necessitates more leaching out for health.

I keep mine under an HID lamp while indoors from Nov to March, which gives off great light but still not as good as the sun. I water about every 2-3 days, and enough each time that 10-20% drains to leach out toxic salts. I occasionally add peroxide and vinegar - the evidence supporting this is weak but it doesn't hurt as far as I'm concerned.

Also, low humidity does not seem to do any harm. My home is dry and I don't supplement the ambient humidity in any way. And the Bottle Palm does not sunburn when taken outdoors in the spring. Maybe that's because of the metal halide lighting, I'm not sure.

All things considered, a very rewarding plant that needs some pampering but can still tolerate some abuse. Yes, there are other Palm species that will grow very well in the same circumstances, but most will not remain a manageable size for long.

x

X, nice fuse of tropical and desert! I am creating a similar type garden here in central Cal, but knowing you have to haul your plants in and out every year makes yours more amazing. I am mixing many tropicals with desert plants, such as majesty palms and queen palms with aloe ferox and aloe vera. There's a specific area that's about 12' by 12' against a south-facing wall and a west-facing wall that i am packing full of tropicals and desert/succulents. I have Aloe Marlothii, Dypsis Decaryi, Aloe Arborescens and Phoenix Roebellinni as anchors. Then, filling in the rest of the area are a great many different types of clumping/creeping/climbing aloes, crassulas, some dwarf bananas, agaves (attenuata, desmettiana variegata, scabra x regineae and some unknown variegated ones), pachypodiums, cymbidium orchids and bird of paradise. On the walls, i have stephanotis floribunda, passiflora edulis and antiganon leptopus. After seeing your pics i might incorporate some of those giant alocasias/colocasias. Your yard looks like the "look" i am working to achieve. I won't post pics of my attempt because yours puts mine to shame lol (i only have before pics because i just started this season). Please keep us posted about the development of your yard.

Xerophyte-
Your yard is awesome. Lots of time and $ I'm sure. One question: Where did you get your Colocasia Thailand Giant from? I'd love to have one, but don't want to have to place a $120 order with Plant Delights to get one.

isle breeze, i did get mine a couple yrs back from PDN, but at the time there certainly was not a $120 minimum - are you sure you are reading it correctly? Maybe for an international order there is a high minimum???

mine has several pups forming, I can send you one in the spring if you remind me - xerophyte.nyc@gmail.com

Xero, thank you for the offer. I may have to take you up on it come spring if I remember. I've wanted one of these ever since I first saw them on Plant Delights.

I just bought 2 bottled palms in south texas they are about 7 to 8 feet tall.could you please tell me what kind of fertilizers to put is it normal for one leaf to die ?

I use Osmocote Plus with micronutrients, 5-6 month formulation. I also supplement with Mg and Mn via Lutz fertilizer spikes, and add gypsum for some extra Ca. I add these in the spring.

During the winter I water with Algoflash because the Osmocote is mainly used up.

In the ground they can hold 5-7 leaves but in a pot I find that they can hold about 5-6, so yes older leaves will die as new ones are formed.

x

very nice palm. Wish i had one of those. You think they would have bottle palms or other palms at a local home depot or lowes in delaware in spring?

You can getting anything you want safely via mail order, no need to wait for Home Depot

x Good job that bottle is gorgeous! Wish mine was that big lol !

Hi I am trying to get educated in the bottles and foxtails I am trying to get you some pictures so you could see what i have done .I planted two bottles in my front yard.about 7 to 8 feet tall.I bought them at a nursery down here in South TX together with 7 fox tails 6 of them are about 5 to 6 feet tall the 7th one is about 15 to 17 feet tall.this nursery gets its palms from florida. I paid about $130 for each bottle and $35 for the 6 foxtails,the 17 footer was $80.I am worried about my palms .I water them every day should I keep doing that.they planted all my trees and palms that I bought them.they charged me $160 total that I bought was $1400 with trees and palms and planted.our weather is very hot and humid,today was 75.If I buy everthing you mentioned could I find everthing in homedepote?Thankyou