Chamaedorea microspadix sun exposure?

[southlatropical]

I have read different opinions of how much sun this palm can take. I would imagine region has everything to do with how much sun is too much sun. For example AZ vs. FL. So, any opinions of what kind of light conditions this palm would prefer in hot and humid S. Louisiana? I would like to provide enough light for optimal growth without burning.

Also I'm wondering in regards to soil how damp is too damp for this palm. I have a spot with bright shade all day and a little direct sun for a few hours a day. But the soil stays damp and almost never completely dries out. I have a philo selloum planted in the area right now and it seems to be doing OK. During heavy rains this spot can get a little wet.

[PalmGuyWC]

Issac,

It sounds like you have the perfect spot for C. microspadix. They will take quite a bit of light, but look best in open shade. Once established they are quite drought tollerant, but I expect they would grow even faster with constant moisture. Mine get a good bit of late afternoon sun.

I've found they do  best with organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion. Chemical fertilizers tend to make them brown tip.

Dick

[Creekside]

Isaac, I have found this palm to be so hardy and so forgiving.  Here in Florida,  they don't seem to mind whether they get several hours of direct sun or mostly shade (I haven't had them in full sun or deep shade.)  They are relatively cold hardy (28f at my place,) and transplant easily.  The ground where mine are growing is kept constantly moist, but I wouldn't want to speculate on standing water...

[southlatropical]

That is great news. The spot that stays damp is also on the Norh facing side of the house. Right now there is only cannas, bananas, and some umbrella plant there. So in winter the area looks horrible, just a bunch of dead plants. It will be nice to have something evergreen growing there. I am going to ammend the soil with sand to improve drainage. Last year I mixed in lots of composted manure and live oak leaves with the existing clay and it improved the drainage quite a bit. I think some sand will get it perfect.

[merrill]

Hi, southlatropical:

Here in No. Fla., my C. microspadix are in full sun from 10AM to 2pm.  The SAME fronds stay a good  green in winter, but fade to faintly yellow green in mid summer, then back again. C. microspadix has survived 15F more than once here in No. Fla.

merrill

[southlatropical]

That's also good to hear that it's as hardy as advertised. Because the area is facing North and mostly shaded, it stays colder for longer than the rest of the yard.

[Kathryn]

Isaac,

I have some doing well on the north side of my house in an area with lots of clay – it rarely dries out and they get sun until about noon. I also had some in pots that got full sun all day without any problems – the leaves were a lighter green, but the plants grew just fine.

Kathryn

[FRITO]

I have been looking for this plant locally, just can't find it.

Id love to use this in dense groups for a jungle effect.

I encourage everyone to post their photos of this plant since this topic is now open!  

[southlatropical]

I bought mine on e-bay. I was the hight bidder on 3-1gal for $18.50 + $5 shipping. When they come in we will see if it was a good deal. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws....238.lVI

[FRITO]

haha, yah I saw that auction and threw in a low bid the other day. congrats.

please pots some pics when you recieve them and let me know if the seller is good. If so, Im gonna contact them for some palms.

[southlatropical]

I sure will. They are supposed to ship out on Fri.  And should be here on Monday.

[ghar41]

I planted C microspadix under a shade cloth but it eventually grew past it.  It gets morning sun year around without any problems.

Emerging means exposure (wind, ect.) and it doesn't quite look as good as it would if it were better protected.

[Neofolis]

My experience is that they grow very quickly with plenty of warmth and moisture, whether they have light or not.  Mine has gone from deep shade to quite direct light in my polytunnel and it seems to grow quickly whatever I do.  I use a chemical fertilizer and haven't had a problem with brown tips, using a soluble application every couple of weeks.  Here are some pics to demonstrate growth rate.

October

November

December

January

[Neofolis]

February

[FRITO]

Corey, looking good my friend. its looks to shoot out a frond a month or so? maybe 1.3 fronds a month?

thats during winter also? but your tunnel is probably more like summer in there?

how old is it from seed in the october photo? I plan on germinating some this year.

[southlatropical]

Thanks for sharing the pictures Corey. Mine look to be near the size yours were in the first picture. That's very encouraging.

Considering that I can't find these anywhere local, I am very happy with my e-bay purchase. Two of them already have suckers.

I ammended two 5 gal buckets of river silt in with the soil. It looks like the manure and live oak leaves I added last year did wonders for this soil. Every shoval full that came up while mixing the silt had lots of big fat earthworms. The lighting in the second picture is exactly what these palms will see all day long.

[FRITO]

they look great. keep us updated on their progress.

bump for Corey

[FRITO]

Isaac, have they established to you soil from bareroot well?

I ordered some of them from the same seller.  Packed well and look just like yours.

I planted 3 in the ground today. amending some of my soil in the shaidest part in my yard. I planted them in a row of three also. they looks awesome!

ill get some photos posted soon

[_Keith]

Isaac,

I missed this thread.  

I have C. microspadix under the shade of a Live Oak.   I was a little worried about totally open here because of frost tolerance.

I will be excited to know how this works out for you.

Keith

Note - There were many at Rip Van Winkle Gardens, also under the high filtered shade of a Live Oak. They had obviously been there for many years.  That is where I got the idea to plant mine where I did.

[southlatropical]

Yes, they established fine. I burned them a little on the oldest leaves by giving them too much fertilizer. But they still look fine and are all pushing new leaves. I won another auction for 3 more that should be here next week.

Keith,

I thought these were tollerant of some frost.

[Neofolis]

Sorry, I forgot to check this thread again.  Mine is still growing very quickly, but the rapid growth seems to start once the leaves are pinnate, mainly because by the time it has larger leaves it puts on so much height with each new leaf.

Having just got back from two weeks away, another leaf has opened and it is now taller than me.  While I was away, I adjusted the timer for the misters, so that they would provide enough water for everything during my absence.  Quite a few of the palms developed powdery mildew in places, but the Chamaedorea microspadix, just kept going as usual.  It doesn't seem to matter what I change, it just keeps growing and the soil has been very moist during that time.

This plant was grown from seed, which germinated in Sept 06, so it is about 18 months old now.  I gave a couple of others from the same batch to my Father-In-Law and his have been much slower, so I assume my extra heat is making a difference.  It doesn't seem to require very high heat to grow fast, just consistent warmth.

Due to it's size it will have to go outside this year, so I expect the growth rate to slow down considerably.  It will also be a good test of hardiness, as I see -6°C/21°F most winters, although it doesn't actually get that low in the garden.

It is also somewhat overdue re-potting now, as it is currently trying to escape from the pot.  It has aerial roots to about 50mm/2", where it is being pushed up from the bottom.  This also doesn't appear to be an issue, for the time being and they are quite an attractive yellow/orange colour.

No more pictures yet, due to my holiday, but I will be taking some more in the near future.

[PalmGuyWC]

I had 3 nice clumps of C. microspadis growing in a flower bed under some Butias. I had a new gardener cleaning out the bed and he whacked all the Chams down to the ground. (I was not happy) Soon they grew new stems and twice as many as before. In 3 years they were back to where they had been.

They have survived drought, constant rain, extream heat, and the 89 freeze and they are still growing under the Butias which seem to give them just the right amount of shade and light. They get a good bit of late afternoon sun in the summer and are a nice rich green. They give a nice tropical touch to an otherwise hardy palm garden.

Dick

[ghar41]

(PalmGuyWC @ Mar. 11 2008,08:37)

QUOTE

I've found they do  best with organic fertilizers such as fish emulsion. Chemical fertilizers tend to make them brown tip.

Dick

I just reread this thread and noticed this....Thanks for this tidbit, Dick.  Ive never been real successful fertilizing Chams, and get brown tipping after my attempts every year.

I'll try the fish emulsion.

[PalmGuyWC]

Glenn,

I use fish emulsion about 3 times a growing season in all of my potted plants. It seems to condition worn out soil in the potted plants, and even though it's an organic fertilizer, the plants green up almost immediately. It seems to make the soil more water rententive. I was also told fish emulsion has many micro nutrients.

Dick

[ghar41]

(PalmGuyWC @ Apr. 11 2008,08:27)

QUOTE

Glenn,

I use fish emulsion about 3 times a growing season in all of my potted plants. It seems to condition worn out soil in the potted plants, and even though it's an organic fertilizer, the plants green up almost immediately. It seems to make the soil more water rententive. I was also told fish emulsion has many micro nutrients.

Dick

I use it in small amounts almost every year, but I'm going to lean on it a lot more this year.  My wife always gives me the evil eye when she smells it in the yard, but it mellows out in a few days.

[southlatropical]

Got 3 more in today from the same seller. Once again they are healthy and well grown.