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Cacti & Succulents House Plants garden

palm plant best soil and care?

last year

Hello
What’s the best soil and care you can give to a palm plant like this one?

Featured Answer

tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

last year

This Overview of Good Growing Practices should be helpful.

Al

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Comments (10)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
what do you have sitting around ???? .. this isnt a foo foo plant that should have special needs ....

i would tape/tie the 3 fronds together.. just above the new sprout.. so that when you do put it in a pot.. it will be more stable;... and you can stake the whole thing ... just loosely ... including the stake ...

release it.. when you see roots coming out the bottom drain hole ... when we know the roots will hold up the gangly plant ...

ken
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Anything with a large percentage of peat, will not last very long since the very fine particles clog pore spaces, compacts, and breaks down within a very short period of time, something I found all my previous palms despised. You said you couldn't locate Gran-I-Grit. Why? In the 5.1.1 mix, perlite is called for, and this is what I use for a 1 part. The Grit is for the gritty mix.. Let's just say I have palms growing it this 5.1.1 mix since I started using it when I first joined these forums, maybe two years or longer. I find they hate to be transplanted, so I just leave them alone in the good mix. If you want your soilless mix to last even longer, the gritty mix is the best way to go..I don't have any palms in this yet. Maybe someone else does though, and can tell you how their's is doing.. Mike.;-0)
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When I watered my plant today these worms and bug things came out with the water. Should I be replanting it to get rid of any other living bugs inside. The plant seems to be taking a turn towards the worse. Some of the limbs are browning and yellowing and just seem limp. Here are some pics of the bugs and leaves. http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k174/Welcome40/My%20Home/th_DSCF2885.jpg http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k174/Welcome40/My%20Home/DSCF2884.jpg?t=1169311103 http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k174/Welcome40/My%20Home/th_DSCF2887.jpg http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k174/Welcome40/My%20Home/DSCF2890.jpg?t=1169311185 http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k174/Welcome40/My%20Home/DSCF2891.jpg?t=1169311427
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Windmill palms are not difficult to grow, and the Pacific northwest is an ideal climate for them--I wouldn't stress out too much over it. But contrary to what I've been reading above, I've heard that T. fortunei does quite well in clay soil, as long as it isn't continuously wet; my own soil has lots of clay and is rather heavy, and my windmills are doing quite well. It probably wouldn't hurt to amend the soil with compost, composted manure, etc. but I wouldn't recommend peat or replacing a significant percentage of the native soil. Finally, palms don't REQUIRE fertilizer unless you're growing them in a completely sterile potting mix although fertilizer may help them grow faster. In the long run you're better off amending the soil with lots of organic matter than depending on chemical-based fertilizers. I pile lots of leaves around my palms in the fall (partly for winter protection, but it also helps improve the soil) and lately I've been applying Osmocote with a layer of compost in the spring, and it seems to work just as well as the soluble fertilizers I was using previously (and had to apply more frequently). I've also taken to mixing in some bone meal, blood meal, and green sand every time I plant or transplant something but I haven't been doing it long enough to tell if this makes any difference. One last note: it's getting a bit late in the season to be planting T. fortunei. Your winters may be mild enough that you can get away with it, but in my more marginal zone 7a/b it's generally recommended that they be planted in spring so they will have a full growing season to get established before being exposed to cold weather (and even then they benefit greatly from protection during their first winter).
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Thanks, Dave. Yes, they have been hardened off. I was thinking that they would need some acclimation to our weather, since they came from a shade house and were accustomed to warmer temperatures. I would rather plant them, but I was worried about our erratic temps as of late. Highs are running upper 50's, and lows went into low 30's, but averaging around 38-40. We're going to move up to highs in the 70's this weekend before cooling back off into the mid 60's, which is still warmer than what we've had, and getting more rain. (my yard is saturated!) Low's staying consistently around low 40's. Not sure of my soil temp, but I'll check those tomorrow in the various beds...it's still pouring out there today. I'm outside of San Diego about 2K feet up in the local mountains, so we get a bit cooler here at night, but warmer than the coastal areas in the day. I'll give it a go and see what happens. I have so many plants, seedling, and seeds waiting to come up, that it's a bit like running an experiment at this point. I'm recording what I've done with each one, so I can determine what worked (and didn't) for the next go around.
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Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
last year
last modified: last year
Even after all these years, great info and reminders)

Thank you Al
Meyermike(Zone 6a Ma.)
last year
What kind of Palm is it? Where did you get it from?

I have wanted one
L Evve (Miami)
Original Author
last year
I put it in a pot. It has soil i use for succulents with perlite. I don’t know what kind of palm is it. Also, Ken I can’t tie it as it will break, it’s not that flexible. Now seems that it can hold up. I just would like to know what are the best tips to maintain such a palm.
iochroma
last year
Looks like a Chamedorea, probably C. elegans. It will not appreciate a succulent soil mix. Use an ordinary house plant mix that retains some moisture. It is a humid forest plant. Water regularly before the mix becomes totally dry. Bright indirect light would be ideal, but they can tolerate less. Watch out for spider mite infestations, especially when humidity is low when heating or using air conditioning.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
last year
mom and dad had one of those in the front room in front of a furnace register for 25 years ..

the family abused it no end.. [not intentionally...] .....and pets as well .. it is not some foo foo plant you cant touch for fear of breaking ... it even flowered once or twice ..

when you think of media.. as a water management system ... then you might begin to understand.. it really doesnt matter exactly.. what you use.. as long as YOU LEARN HOW TO MANAGE THE WATER YOU APPLY...

if you use cactus type mix.. you better water often and deeply ... if you use a peat based media.. that retains water.. water less often.. and let the media dry in between waterings ....

ken
Rebecca/N. IN/z6A
last year
I have 2 majesty palms that are 7 years old and a cat palm thats 3. All planted in Al’s 5-1-1 mix. The majesties were rescues from Lowe’s and in bad shape. Regular watering, fertilizing, pest control w/ neem oil brought them back. I aint gonna lie- 5-1-1’s not always easy to source and put together but my plants have done great in it. They get watered 2x/wk if no rain- one watering is always fertilized at 1/4 strength. What climate are you in? That answer will help us give you the most informed advice. Some people like potting soil- that is their preference (and can be pulled off if you live in the sweltering west or southwest). It does take a few weeks to dry out, so if thats what you go with, then an unglazed clay pot would be best pot to plant this in - to help the soil dry out faster. .
L Evve (Miami)
Original Author
last year
Rebecca I am in Miami Beach FL. However I have the palm inside most of the time with AC
Rebecca/N. IN/z6A
last year
I would def. avoid using regular potting soil and would go w/a bark-based mix & terra cotta pot, given the palms are largely indoors. Soil dries out much slower inside. Palms dont like wet feet.

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