Gardening with Gary

Gardening Advice from an Expert

Palm Trees

Palms are beautiful, easy trees to grow inside if you follow a few basic guidelines.

They love good AM light, but nothing direct in the PM. A sheer curtain or blinds can be utilized to shade them when the sun is too bright. Do not attempt to grow them in basically full shade.

Feed them regularly. Just like animals, plants need food to survive, grow, flower and ward off insects. Also, if you have a cat, watch to make sure the fronds are not eaten! Give them a general house plant food monthly, as Hyponex, Miracle-Gro, SpoonIt or Peters. Follow the label directions, usually a tablespoon per gallon water.

Place saucers under the pots. Allow the excess water to drain into them, and empty after an hour or so, so that the roots do not get waterlogged. Only water when the top inch of the soil is dry to the touch. Overwatering is dangerous and can lead to root rot and death.

Palms have a nasty habit of having their lower fronds yellow and brown. Do not be overly concerned. Trim them off and discard. Rotate your pots so that all sides of the plants receive light.

Keep away from cold windows and hot heating vent drafts. The latter will lower humidity, and remember that these are basically tropical plants which love 'wet' air. Containers of water can be placed around them, or have pebbles in their saucers, with water below the pot to evaporate around them, increasing the humidity. Kitchens and bathrooms provide good humidity, so utilize window space there if possible.

Q. Just bought a new palm bush...about 5 feet high. I think I should put it in a bigger pot and would appreciate advice on repotting...what type of soil, watering, etc.

A. I would imagine that the 5' palm tree needs repotting. Once they get growing most places do not tend to them regularly and repot, let alone feed them!

Do not jump up in pot size drastically. If it is in a 8" pot, buy a 10'. Also, pick up some new, fresh potting mix for house plants. You may like to add a little vermiculite and perlite to the mix since I find what is available commercially is way too heavy and leads to poor growth and root rot due to excessive water retention.

Knock it out of the pot, breaking the old one if necessary. Lay out on newspaper and remove any extra soil which flakes off, without disturbing the roots. Place into the new pot, maintaining the same soil line as is now. Set into a sink and water lightly to wet the entire medium. Allow to drain for several hours.

Place in a well-lit window without direct light. Keep back from any heat for the time being. Allow it to acclimate to your environment and repotting. In a month, once new growth has resumed, apply a house plant food every 3 weeks according to the directions. Keep trimmed any yellow, weak or dead fronds.

Place a pebble-filled saucer under the pot and empty of excess water.

Q. For Christmas, I have been given a Majesty Palm (Ravenea rivularis) which is about 8 ft tall. Usually my plants do very well, but this one is an exception, and I would dearly like to know what I'm doing wrong. In the eight days since I've had it, I've watered it twice (moderately) since the soil felt dry. It is in front of a large window which receives full sun in the afternoon. I don't know if I should be fertilizing it regularly or not. Many of the fronds have turned yellow/brown and it generally looks unhappy. Please give me some advice on how best to care for it. The instruction card that came with it was not helpful - "Medium light, moderate water" which is what I thought I had provided.

A. The Majesty Palm [Ravenea rivularis] is a comparative newcomer to the palm scene. Despite that, it has become incredibly popular, mainly due to its attractive appearance, with feathery green leaves and thick trunk, but also because of its legendary speed of growth. It comes from Madagascar, where it grows in swampy areas up to an altitude of about 600'. It requires plentiful water, fertile soil mix with organic matter and heavy feeding every two weeks to maintain its appearance, color and growth rate. It thrives in a whole range of climates outside from tropical to warm temperate and while not very frost tolerant, it will put up well with cool conditions, and also performs nicely as an interior plant if the light is bright enough. Majesty palms have an extensive root system and should be kept evenly moist.

The problem is that bright light, given suddenly, can burn the foliage and I am certain this is what has happened to yours. Who knows the conditions it came from a short 2 weeks ago. It probably was in a humid spot with good, filtered light. Please move it back away from that bright west sun, the strongest there is. Or, pull blinds or sheer curtains to shelter it while it adjusts. Trim off any brown or yellow fronds as they will not green up for you. Mist the plant if your home is provided with dry winter heat. Do not have it near any vent or open doorway for cold or hot drafts. this too will burn the fronds quickly.

After several months of care, you may ease it back into the window if desired or keep it placed backward if it fits its location. Place the pot in a pebble-filled saucer with water but do not have the base of the pot below the water line to avoid root rot. The evaporation of the water will increase the humidity and remind it of its tropical heritage.

Here is a good website on all kinds of palms:

http://www.bachmans.com/tipsheets/indoor_plants/Palms.cfm

Brenda writes~
I have a sago that is in my yard. A few months ago it got a big plant in the middle that eventually opened into a new plant. All the new growth has turned yellow. Can I just cut all these out of my plant? As you can tell, I do not know much about plants. I live in Jacksonville, FL.

A. Sago palms constantly produce offshoots, also called "pups". Some produce them low near the ground while others produce them up and down the sides of the trunk. Pups are a wonderful source of new plants. Harvest them each year in late winter and early spring when Sagos are dormant and before they start getting their new summer leaves. Many are barely attached and can be easily popped off, whereas others are embedded and take more effort to remove. Remove leaves from pups since they do not yet have roots for support. If the pup does have a few roots, take off those too. They will grow new leaves and roots in a few months. Clean pups in a tub of water, then set aside for a week or so to "harden off" and allow the cut to dry. If kept in a cool, dry place, they can be stored for a few months. A well drained soil is prepared: half perlite and half peat moss or course river sand with some peat moss. One of the most important steps in rooting Sago pups is to match the size of the pup to a pot only slightly larger. For example if the pup bulb is 2" in diameter, use a 4" pot. It won't need much room or soil at first until it grows new roots and the small pot size keeps it from staying too wet in an oversized container with far too much soil. Fill the pot with soil and water well. Then set the pup on top and push down until half is set into the soil. If planted too deep with only its "nose" showing, it may rot; if too shallow, roots may not have enough surface to develop. Second most important thing is proper watering. Allow soil to become almost dry before rewatering; do not keep continuously wet or the bulb might rot before it roots. It won't have roots for a few months, but do not keep the bulb constantly dry. Once starting to grow roots, it will suddenly need watering more often. Water thoroughly slowly adding water around the top of the soil, and usually water twice; the first time wets the soil, the second watering a few minutes later soaks the soil. If starting new pups in spring or early summer, leaves will emerge within a few months. It will start putting out new roots at the same time. From website, with good pictures:

http://www.rhapisgardens.com/sagos/sagopups.htm