veitchia merrillii seedling care

[ExoticPalms]

Anyone have any info on Christmas palm seedling care? I bought 8 more seedlings and they're doing okay for now in cut water bottles. I'd like to grow the roots out nice for a while, but I'd like to take in any info I can. I seriously can't find ANY info on caring for these young palms. 

[Pal Meir]

Don’t pot it into too deep or too big pots and use a fast draining medium.

And the mother tree:

[sashaeffer]

As you may know they don't like indoor conditions at all and while may live, may never look good at all. Cool palms though.

I got this seedling more or less as a donation over a year ago to try and grow only indoors so it would only know that environment. Kept it in the little cup and soil it came in it looked ok but can't say it grew much. I then as an experiment transplanted it into this small container containing ONLY clay balls. Clay balls are typically used to amend soil much like perlite but as you can see the clay balls are much larger. When I water this palm I do it in the sink as the water pretty much runs right through it, but clay balls stay "wet" for quite a while. I water this little Christmas palm only once a week and since the transplantation has been a steady grower.

 

[Pal Meir]

15 minutes ago, sashaeffer said:

As you may know they don't like indoor conditions at all and while may live, may never look good at all. Cool palms though.

I got this seedling more or less as a donation over a year ago to try and grow only indoors so it would only know that environment. Kept it in the little cup and soil it came in it looked ok but can't say it grew much. I then as an experiment transplanted it into this small container containing ONLY clay balls. Clay balls are typically used to amend soil much like perlite but as you can see the clay balls are much larger. When I water this palm I do it in the sink as the water pretty much runs right through it, but clay balls stay "wet" for quite a while. I water this little Christmas palm only once a week and since the transplantation has been a steady grower.

What you do is something like hydroponics Good luck!

[sashaeffer]

Thanks. While it may not work for every palm I thought I would try it on this one because 1. The seedling only cost $1  2. Love these palms but any that I buy of any size simply go down hill when brought in for the winter and eventually die.

Experimenting is the only way we learn.

[ExoticPalms]

Thanks for the replies and help. It's good to see some others doing this! I might switch to a hydroponic setup for one or two for an experiment. 

[PalmatierMeg]

They are very tropical and want heat, sun, high humidity & regular water. In winter, northern homes are too cold, dark & dry for these palms. You need to provide strong light, a daytime temp over 80F, humidity well above 50% (humidity needs to be high as possible all the time). Such requirements mean dedication and a lot of work. Your potting medium needs to be very well-draining, moist but never soggy. Water only when top 1" of soil is dry and never leave pot sitting in water. A regular tepid shower helps. Watch for spider mites, which multiply quickly in dry air & kill your seedlings before you notice them. If your house has softened water the salts will likely kill them. Use bottled water instead. While Adonidias border on invasive here, they make very poor houseplants up north. However, seeds are plentiful, germinate prolifically while seedlings grow fast in ideal conditions.

P.S. This palm is no longer included in the Veitchia genus. It is now called Adonidia merrillii