Hydroponic palms

[Tyrone]

I was just wondering if anyone was growing palms hydroponically, and whether the palms take to soil again once they've outgrown the hydroponic setup. Anyone know?

Best regards

Tyrone

[PalmGuyWC]

When I was younger, neater, and smarter, I lived in a situation in San Francisco where the runoff from watering my plams had to be caught in trays filled with pea gravel. The trays were usually filled with water and the roots on some of the palms had grown out of the pots into the gravel. The palms were mostly Chamaedoreas, and the ones with the roots in the runoff water grew 3 times as fast as the ones not growing in the water. Later, when I had to cut the plastic pots away to not damage the roots and transplanted them to larger pots, the palms took to the new soil and were very robust. Maybe I should try that again.

Dick

[CardiffPalmNut]

Tyrone - I have a Archontophoenix alexandrae, that has been seeding for several years, a portion of the seeds fall in my front yards water feature which has a running stream. I don't know the percentage of germination but my "daughter salvages " several hundred seedlings a year before I clean out the stream a throw them away. She has planted a couple dozen for me around the yard and they take to soil just fine. I have potted up a couple hundred and they grow just as well as any others.

Bill

Here are some pics of the seedlings

And the parent

[Knnn]

Have a small tank in the greenhouse for the Nypa. I've moved a few Chamaedoreas back to soil, (after being in a aquatic setting for a year), didn't seem to bother them at all.

Steve

Edited October 10, 2008 by Knnn

[Tyrone]

Thanks guys for the info. Your responses confirmed my thoughts.

Bill, with the Archo's they grow like that in the wild, with seedlings coming up in the creek bed. They never establish into full grown palms of course because when the flood season comes, they get flushed away, leaving only the ones on the banks to survive. Great pics.

Steve, great little setup. I personally think palms will adapt better than most plants from hydroculture, back into soil, as long as the moisture level is kept up.

Thanks guys.

I'm going to experiment with some hydroculture Wodyetia's in a big 75 litre bin, and see if I can't rev them up, and fatten them out.

Best regards

Tyrone

[palmtreesforpleasure]

Hi Tyrone

Talk to Jason

he has done it for a while

regards

Colin

[Tyrone]

Thanks Colin, I'll drop Jason an email, as he is the one who's done it with small palms. I can't see why it can't be done with large palms.

Best regards

Tyrone