Good palms for pots

[Stevetoad]

I got 2 large pots last weekend. There about 20" high and 20" wide. I want to put some palms in them. The spot they are in can be either full morning sun or full shade. These things weight 180 lbs each so I would like to only move them one more time. What do you guys think I should put in them?

[Eric F]

Ptychosperma. But I'm biased

[Trava]

Macrozamia!

[Walter John]

Hyophorbe lagencaulis. My sister carried bottle palms in large pots for years. Need the sun though.

[Kim]

Steve would likely have to move the pots in winter if they are planted with H. lagenicaulis. Unless he has the perfect microclimate, our winters can be hard on them. I've seen many planted by landscapers in spring and gone by the next spring. Hyophorbe indica would be slightly less sensitive.

Steve is your topography level or sloped? If you get good air drainage, you can try pushing the envelope.

Various Chamaedorea look nice in pots, some shade advised -- tepejilote, costaricana, seifrizii (heat tolerant)...

[Stevetoad]

Steve would likely have to move the pots in winter if they are planted with H. lagenicaulis. Unless he has the perfect microclimate, our winters can be hard on them. I've seen many planted by landscapers in spring and gone by the next spring. Hyophorbe indica would be slightly less sensitive.

Steve is your topography level or sloped? If you get good air drainage, you can try pushing the envelope.

Various Chamaedorea look nice in pots, some shade advised -- tepejilote, costaricana, seifrizii (heat tolerant)...

i dont get very good air drainage at all. one of the spots that would be in full shade is under my patio cover. i have a temp sensor there and this last winter the lowest it recorded was 37f. thanks for all the ideas so far. keep them coming!

[DoomsDave]

Steve:

You ask a more complex question than you might think.

While any palm that fits the pot and climate could work in theory, in practice some palms take long-term pot culture better than others.

One important issue to consider is that potting soil deteriorates and the humus vanishes after a while, which means that potted palms need to be repotted periodically. Palms that are very heavy, or thorny (or both) could be a real bear to deal with. I would not put Jubes or Parajubes in your big pots, or Acrocomias, or Trithrinax campestris in your big pots for that reason.

This is just one thing to consider.

If there's a particular idea you have, send that to us, and we can help you more.

Dave

[Mark Heath]

B.Alfeddii and a S.Schizophylla. I know the Schizophylla can take shade well and i have had one in a pot for ten years and it has'nt outgrown it at all and looks great.. Also a lady palm would work well too!

[drzoidberg1]

I agree with Kim, there a lot of chammies that would fit the bill. C. plumosa do great in pots but do get tall eventually so they may not work under your patio cover. How about some Dypsis onilahensis weeping form? Ptychosperma mcarthurii might work as well.

[MattyB]

So we're talking a good 20 gallon pot it sounds like. Hmmmmmm, let's see...Cycads are no brainers in pots, but you want palms.....well, C. thouarsii is a champ, flushing 3-4 times a year, and looks similar to a palm. Just throwin' that out there because I've had really good luck with it and I'm very pleased at how it looks perfect year-round. But C. thouarsii is so awesome that it doesn't even need that big of a pot, so your 20 gallon pots might be better put to use with palms.

So, onto the palms that do well in pots, morning sun or full shade:

Howea forsteriana, not sure about H. belmoreana

Pretty much any Chamaedorea

Hedescepy

Arenga engleri

Butia

Cyphophoenix elegans

Trachycarpus

Caryota mitis

Rhapis

That's all I can think of now.

[Stevetoad]

all of these are very good ideas. im thinking that i will want something with some color or a clumping dypsis. i think im more confused now...

[MattyB]

try flowers

[Stevetoad]

try flowers

i was thinking more like new red leaves or color on the crownshaft.

[Jason in Orlando]

Geonoma spp?

[John Case]

B.Alfeddii and a S.Schizophylla. I know the Schizophylla can take shade well and i have had one in a pot for ten years and it has'nt outgrown it at all and looks great.. Also a lady palm would work well too!

Mark, I cannot comment on the Schizophylla but I would not recommend the alfredii for a permanent spot in a pot. They grow fast enough that they would be root bound within a year or two and would be impossible to remove without breaking the pot.

I have had 3 year old alfrediis outgrow a 15 gal nursery pot and show clues of decline. They went into the ground. I think our friend is looking for something a little longer term than that.

Of course I could be wrong and then he should ignore my post!

Thanks,

John

[Stevetoad]

B.Alfeddii and a S.Schizophylla. I know the Schizophylla can take shade well and i have had one in a pot for ten years and it has'nt outgrown it at all and looks great.. Also a lady palm would work well too!

Mark, I cannot comment on the Schizophylla but I would not recommend the alfredii for a permanent spot in a pot. They grow fast enough that they would be root bound within a year or two and would be impossible to remove without breaking the pot.

I have had 3 year old alfrediis outgrow a 15 gal nursery pot and show clues of decline. They went into the ground. I think our friend is looking for something a little longer term than that.

Of course I could be wrong and then he should ignore my post!

Thanks,

John

I am looking for something that can stay in the pot for a long time. I just really know nothing about what palms do well in pots long term so I really appreciate all this info

[Jastin]

Steve would likely have to move the pots in winter if they are planted with H. lagenicaulis. Unless he has the perfect microclimate, our winters can be hard on them. I've seen many planted by landscapers in spring and gone by the next spring. Hyophorbe indica would be slightly less sensitive.

Steve is your topography level or sloped? If you get good air drainage, you can try pushing the envelope.

Various Chamaedorea look nice in pots, some shade advised -- tepejilote, costaricana, seifrizii (heat tolerant)...

i dont get very good air drainage at all. one of the spots that would be in full shade is under my patio cover. i have a temp sensor there and this last winter the lowest it recorded was 37f. thanks for all the ideas so far. keep them coming!

Steve, It might have been colder than 37. The sensor is right on the stucco and could be giving off heat from the house or retaining the heat from the sun. I would plant something hardy or maybe a clumper, They always look good on patios.

[Stevetoad]

Steve would likely have to move the pots in winter if they are planted with H. lagenicaulis. Unless he has the perfect microclimate, our winters can be hard on them. I've seen many planted by landscapers in spring and gone by the next spring. Hyophorbe indica would be slightly less sensitive.

Steve is your topography level or sloped? If you get good air drainage, you can try pushing the envelope.

Various Chamaedorea look nice in pots, some shade advised -- tepejilote, costaricana, seifrizii (heat tolerant)...

i dont get very good air drainage at all. one of the spots that would be in full shade is under my patio cover. i have a temp sensor there and this last winter the lowest it recorded was 37f. thanks for all the ideas so far. keep them coming!

Steve, It might have been colder than 37. The sensor is right on the stucco and could be giving off heat from the house or retaining the heat from the sun. I would plant something hardy or maybe a clumper, They always look good on patios.

I'm thinking of planting that veitchia arecina I got you in it...

[Jastin]

Brett got a baronii from his dad that had been in the pot for 30 years (something like that) and stuck it in the ground, it looks perfect.

[Stevetoad]

Hmm. What do you guys think of veitchia and Euterpe edulis in pots? I have both already so it would be a quick one for me.

[Stevetoad]

Brett got a baronii from his dad that had been in the pot for 30 years (something like that) and stuck it in the ground, it looks perfect.

Holy smokes! 30 years!?

[Jastin]

Yup, thats what he said from what I can remember, Its the best looking one that i've seen

[DoomsDave]

Steve, as you may have gathered, the best bets are palms that never get really large.

I'm not sure what your height limits are, but here are a few suggestions, with (height in feet): Rhapis "Alicia" (7'); Various clumping Chamadoreas; hooperiana (56'); costaricana (12-16'); macrocarpa (6'); tepejilote (10'); many more.

Dypsis baronii might work, they eventually get to 20 feet or more, but that takes ages (30 years). Howea belmoreana or forsteriana; Wallicia densiflora; Arenga engleri (well, smaller types); many more.

[DoomsDave]

Hmm. What do you guys think of veitchia and Euterpe edulis in pots? I have both already so it would be a quick one for me.

Both might work, since your temperatures willbe a limiting factor. Both are very sensitive to cold, though, and you want to be able to move them into a sheltered spot when needed.

[Stevetoad]

Hmm. What do you guys think of veitchia and Euterpe edulis in pots? I have both already so it would be a quick one for me.

Both might work, since your temperatures willbe a limiting factor. Both are very sensitive to cold, though, and you want to be able to move them into a sheltered spot when needed.

The veitchia I would have to protect I'm sure. I have Euterpe edulis in my yard already and it grew through the winter. The main problem im having now is that I only have 2 pots and so many palms I want to put in them.