Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

How much water will cat palms take


96720

Recommended Posts

I have a cat palm and read that they like water and humidity, beings I live in Phoenix and we don’t have humidity I was wondering how close to my steam I could plant it to give it as much humidity as possible.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

? "close to my steam"?  Indoors or outdoors? Shade or sun? Pot or in ground?

Kim Cyr

Between the beach and the bays, Point Loma, San Diego, California USA
and on a 300 year-old lava flow, Pahoa, Hawaii, 1/4 mile from the 2018 flow
All characters  in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Shade, outdoors in ground . That was supposed to say stream

0D26CC8B-580C-442C-AD4E-DF955FFBBDB6.jpeg

Edited by 96720
Spelling
  • Like 2
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am not sure where the limit is on Cat palms, but my cluster is planted under the overhang of my front porch.  It is in sandy well draining soil, but probably a few inches down it's "builder's clay" superfine sand.  There's a fan sprayer-on-a-stick next to it, and it gets 30 minutes of drenching every morning.  In the summer the gutters overflow on heavy rains, so it sees an extra deluge on a regular basis.  And that's in Florida, where it's continually high humidity.  They seem happy, but I'm not sure if they'd be better off with more or less water.  That doesn't exactly answer your question, but it might help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Somewhere I read that this species is a rheophyte in habitat, so any amount of water would be acceptable.

  • Like 2

San Francisco, California

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That’s quite a “stream!” Cat palms look their best in full shade, even deep shade, and plenty of water. They tolerate cool winters well too. Your super low humidity levels may be a challenge though so the closer to the stream, the better. 

Edited by Jim in Los Altos
  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1

Jim in Los Altos, CA  SF Bay Area 37.34N- 122.13W- 190' above sea level

zone 10a/9b

sunset zone 16

300+ palms, 90+ species in the ground

Las Palmas Design

Facebook Page

Las Palmas Design & Associates

Elegant Homes and Gardens

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That’s what I was hoping @DaroldPetty that it would grow in water I will plant it where the stream starts pretty dense shade a canary on one side of the steam and a Washingtonian filifera on the other and put an aerator beside it for some possible humidity, I would like to put in a fogging system but that will have to wait for another time. I’m a sucker for markdown plants at big box stores wasn’t looking for a cat palm and didn’t know anything about them if I had I probably would have left it but I’ll give it a shot!!! Thanks for the info!!!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

@96720 oh my god!

That is a STREAM!  Wow , yelled obscenities so loud the cats all bolted....

Cataractarum are thirsty as can be but they’re also tough and adaptable. I had a trio I tortured in my Death Camp, then ripped out of the ground and gave away and they didn’t skip a beat in their new homes. 
 

That toughness is why you see them all over the place in big box stores. 
 

They’ll take a surprising degree of drought, though, as @Darold Petty and @Jim in Los Altos suggest, more water is better.

The one wild card that gets curiosity up I’d how well they’ll take your high heat. You’ll have the chance to test their mettle soon and do please advise as to how they perform at 120 FF.

  • Upvote 1

Let's keep our forum fun and friendly.

Any data in this post is provided 'as is' and in no event shall I be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, damages resulting from accuracy or lack thereof, insult, or lost profits or revenue, claims by third parties or for other similar costs, or any special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of my opinion or the use of this data. The accuracy or reliability of the data is not guaranteed or warranted in any way and I disclaim liability of any kind whatsoever, including, without limitation, liability for quality, performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose arising out of the use, or inability to use my data. Other terms may apply.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

53 minutes ago, 96720 said:

I prefer to call it a jungle!!!

Tomato tomahto 

 

It's gorgeous and insanely impressive. Both of my cat palms are insanely jealous, and I kind of am too. That's incredible. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I’ve got a row of 4 planted under under the roof line in front of the porch.  The above gutter pools water, and drips directly on them for 2 days, after they get pretty soaked with tropical rains.  They are mostly shaded, but the 1st in the row gets some sun, and that one gets a little lime-colored in the summer sun.  The ones in more shade stay a dark green.  They are absolutely soaked during the wet season, and seem to enjoy it, so I let the gutter drip there rather than fix it.  
AB492B03-DC40-44C9-8001-B99848EFDD80.thumb.jpeg.3e491870c66bcfe574aadac690867dea.jpeg

  • Like 5
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hope mine do that well in Florida your bright sun is equal to our dense shade, on top of that it will have to put up with 115-120 degree days. You’re garden is beautiful most of what is growing there you can’t grow here l would love to grow bromeliads for color in my jungle but no luck I have tried a lot I have trouble even growing them in the greenhouse!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow, that is some nice little landscape you have there! Darold is absolutely correct that these are rheophytes, the clue being in their name, "cataractarum" denoting "cataract," which means waterfall. Per Andrew Henderson's Palms of the Americas, this species inhabits the edges of fast-moving streams, rapids and waterfalls, and often subject to inundation as a result. But while they probably grow in pretty shady areas in nature, I have never seen prettier cultivated examples than those growing in SE Florida coastal areas in full sun, where they grow surprisingly tall and luxuriate in high humidity and daily rainshowers for much of the year. 

I grew these in southern Mississippi, where they tolerated full hot sun, and could also return (slowly) from the base after long freezes to below 20F. But judging from the appearance of  full-sun C. cataractarum I see near our place in the Florida Keys (a hot, humid semi-arid climate), and also from the C. seifrizii that I see planted in various exposures out here in Rancho Mirage, I would go with Jim's suggestion and put it in shade, with as much water as you can give it, possibly it would do well with morning sun or under the shifting shade of your larger palms. I think the fact that it is sold in all the big-box stores shows how tough and adaptable this species is, so you probably have some latitude to experiment with a few specimens in different exposures and irrigation-levels, without breaking the bank.

  • Like 2

Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I appreciate all the great advice!! I planted him up in a pond pot and put it right beside a fast flowing part of the stream in pretty good shade will let you all know how it does surviving hell this summer!!

77D67940-BBF3-49BF-8900-162D746D0236.jpeg

Edited by 96720
Add photo
  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...