Christmas Shower!

[Born]

Gave a nice warm shower to my:

Phoenix Robellinii 

Washingtonia Robusta

Trachycarpus Fortnei 

[Palmlover_78]

On 12/26/2021 at 5:52 PM, Born said:

Gave a nice warm shower to my:

Phoenix Robellinii 

Washingtonia Robusta

Trachycarpus Fortnei 

Beautiful Palms, My Trachi and Pygmy love there showers to. I have to wait for my Pygmy to be on the dryer side before i move it to the shower, It is a double and quite heavy.

[Rickybobby]

Great way to rinse dust and bugs off!

[Born]

Thanks guys.

I live 1 1/2 hour from Chicago, so the palms are inside for a bit of time. Thanks o keep them thriving, I am giving them a shower once a month, utilizing a 2500 square foot whole room humidifier, and they are situated at the south windows. 
 

They love all those variables. 

[oasis371]

Just kicked my Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) outside to enjoy some heavy rain.  I am convinced that one of the reasons that many plants in general, and maybe palms in particular, go into some degree of decline in our homes is that lack natural rainfall.  They need that sustained water from a prolonged rainfall to really saturate the soil, wash away pests and their eggs, dust, etc... I also think that rainwater seems to do more for plants in general than tap water, so hosing them down outside is just not the same.  Some of it may have to do with the duration of the watering but I think there is some chemistry involved too.

I also grow Phoenix, Trachys and Washys but almost all of those over winer in a garage, one Trachy is in the ground.

Thanks for sharing you palm pics.

Happy New Year!

 

 

Edited January 2, 2022 by oasis371

[PalmsandLiszt]

On 1/2/2022 at 12:57 AM, oasis371 said:

Just kicked my Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) outside to enjoy some heavy rain.  I am convinced that one of the reasons that many plants in general, and maybe palms in particular, go into some degree of decline in our homes is that lack natural rainfall.  They need that sustained water from a prolonged rainfall to really saturate the soil, wash away pests and their eggs, dust, etc... I also think that rainwater seems to do more for plants in general than tap water, so hosing them down outside is just not the same.  Some of it may have to do with the duration of the watering but I think there is some chemistry involved too.

I also grow Phoenix, Trachys and Washys but almost all of those over winer in a garage, one Trachy is in the ground.

Thanks for sharing you palm pics.

Happy New Year!

 

 

I think it certainly helps with many pests, especially red spider mite, which is the bane of so many indoor plants during the darker months. I use predatory mites to control these, which are reasonably cheap, know exactly how to find the spider mites and will spread around all my plants that touch. A few weeks ago I found a spontaneous outbreak of whitefly on a banana; I couldn't find any biological control for this so had to resort to chemicals, which seem to have sorted it out. I'm at a loss how they managed to lie low for so long, however. Rain is wonderful; remember, water is like treacle to tiny insects.

[JohnAndSancho]

On 1/16/2022 at 5:21 AM, PalmsandLiszt said:

I think it certainly helps with many pests, especially red spider mite, which is the bane of so many indoor plants during the darker months. I use predatory mites to control these, which are reasonably cheap, know exactly how to find the spider mites and will spread around all my plants that touch. A few weeks ago I found a spontaneous outbreak of whitefly on a banana; I couldn't find any biological control for this so had to resort to chemicals, which seem to have sorted it out. I'm at a loss how they managed to lie low for so long, however. Rain is wonderful; remember, water is like treacle to tiny insects.

Where does one find predatory mites? I just found a bunch of spider mites on my C. Plumosa and big C. Cataractarum, and they're probably on everything, since everything is inside.  I've got those 2 in the shower right now. 

[PalmsandLiszt]

10 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Where does one find predatory mites? I just found a bunch of spider mites on my C. Plumosa and big C. Cataractarum, and they're probably on everything, since everything is inside.  I've got those 2 in the shower right now. 

Maybe they're not so widely used in the US. The species I order for red spider mites is Neoseiulus californicus (also called Amblyseius californicus), as it's more of a generalist predator than some others, and will hang around for a few months feeding on other minute animals and pollen, etc., which decreases the odds of spider mite survivors/new infestations. I generally buy mine on eBay, but there are companies that specialise in biological pest control agents. I found this US-based one, for example: https://www.naturesgoodguys.com/products/neoseiulus-californicus-1000-adults-vial?variant=21333890859067   , which offers ~1000 mites for $15 (you'd also want some dispersement pouches to get them spread evenly among multiple plants). There might well be other companies offering better deals, so have a search using the names I mentioned above. Also check eBay.
There are also other species that are more obligate predators of spider mites if you have a really heavy infestation and want to save your plants with maximal speed, but they tend to be more expensive and don't last so long in my experience (to devour the next spider mite that drifts in somehow from God know where).

Don't buy them if you've recently treated your spider mites with chemicals, as these would likely kill the predatory mites.

Edited February 8, 2022 by PalmsandLiszt