Growing palms and Winter

[User00]

i  like to know how do you grow palms ( mostly tropical rainforest plams ) in countries with winter season and  temperature drops 

how do you give shade/protection  to large palm trees in winter? do you move it into indoor ?

do you need to give heat to palms during winter in green house palm trees?

tell me your experiences 

 

[Hammer]

Great question and the subject of many an intense debate on this forum.

What are you concerned about protecting?  Are your palms in pots?  What is your climate like in winter?

[Pal Meir]

I placed them in one of the living rooms (1) or if the palms are too tall in the staircase (2) and when the days are too dark I give them some additional light (3).

[doranakandawatta]

User00,

Very kindly you worry about this question, when all Areca concinna, A. catechu and Caryota seed themselves freely in your garden and when Oncosperma fasciculatum (the srilankan endemic Oncosperma) grows next door to your house (maybe 30 km from your place).
To answer to Hammer's question before you do; I would say that your climate is almost the perfect climate for growing palms or to live in the middle of a lovely palm canopy.
In Europe or in the cold parts of USA, people have to be as clever and good gardeners as Pal Meir or other dutch Palmtalk friends, being able to keep palm species for years.
I admire how they care their palms.

Sadly, even in botanic gardens greenhouses, there is no long term hope for the palms; one day, they have grown too much, they touch the roof and see their last moments.

You can enjoy living close to Kandy, in your blessed country.

Vanakam

Philippe

 

 

[DoomsDave]

Herr Meir makes it look easy!

He's in the same climate I was in Ohio, in the northern U.S.

It isn't easy to keep the palms happy and the Housekeeper of Doom  happy, too. That's why I moved to California. (I don't have any palms indoors, not even in my office in the Dark Tower in downtown Los Angeles.)

One thing that helps a lot is the use of florescent lighting indoors. It gives a lot more light. Another way is to put plants near a window for natural light (a skylight is even better). As Herr Meir notes, sometimes it's too dark even for that, so you will likely need some supplemental lighting from December to February.

Many people shut the lights off when they're not home to "save energy." Trouble is the plants need the light, so a timer is useful if you're gone all day.

Also, if you don't have a humidifier, it gets very very dry indoors in the winter time, so it helps to stand the palms' pots in water to moisten the air a bit. (Or, grow palms that will take the dry, like many Chamadoreas.)

Edited October 19, 2015 by DoomsDave

[Pal Meir]

 

Sadly, even in botanic gardens greenhouses, there is no long term hope for the palms; one day, they have grown too much, they touch the roof and see their last moments.

Many of my palms too suffered the same fate when they touched the ceiling of my rooms or even of the staircases: Cocos nucifera, Dypsis lutescens, Chamaedorea elegans, Ch. metallica, Ch. seifrizii among many others.  The luckier ones found a new homestead in botanical and also zoological gardens or other institutions (like the Caryota above).

[doranakandawatta]

 

Sadly, even in botanic gardens greenhouses, there is no long term hope for the palms; one day, they have grown too much, they touch the roof and see their last moments.

Many of my palms too suffered the same fate when they touched the ceiling of my rooms or even of the staircases: Cocos nucifera, Dypsis lutescens, Chamaedorea elegans, Ch. metallica, Ch. seifrizii among many others.  The luckier ones found a new homestead in botanical and also zoological gardens or other institutions (like the Caryota above).

Ach du Lieber Gott, Pal  Meir,  Why don't you come and enjoy srilankan climate with us (User00 or me) ? 

You would be able to eat hearts of palm from your own trees - lol- 
Cocos and Caryota are tasteful

[Moose]

On 10/19/2015, 12:55:44, DoomsDave said:

Herr Meir makes it look easy!

He's in the same climate I was in Ohio, in the northern U.S.

It isn't easy to keep the palms happy and the Housekeeper of Doom  happy, too. That's why I moved to California. (I don't have any palms indoors, not even in my office in the Dark Tower in downtown Los Angeles.)

One thing that helps a lot is the use of florescent lighting indoors. It gives a lot more light. Another way is to put plants near a window for natural light (a skylight is even better). As Herr Meir notes, sometimes it's too dark even for that, so you will likely need some supplemental lighting from December to February.

Many people shut the lights off when they're not home to "save energy." Trouble is the plants need the light, so a timer is useful if you're gone all day.

Also, if you don't have a humidifier, it gets very very dry indoors in the winter time, so it helps to stand the palms' pots in water to moisten the air a bit. (Or, grow palms that will take the dry, like many Chamadoreas.)

Is there a photo of the housekeeper of Doom?

[Pal Meir]

55 minutes ago, Moose said:

Is there a photo of the housekeeper of Doom?

You don’t mean me? I am just inspecting my palms:

[DoomsDave]

The Housekeeper of Doom is anyone who thinks that your plants or other hobbies "make a mess" and should be banned, or, threatened with a riot, severely curtailed for the sake of "good housekeeping." (Make sure that HOD understands that the riot will be worse for housekeeping than the hobby. )

Of course, HOD's hobbies, obsessions, animals, fetishes, etc. never make a mess . . . .

[DoomsDave]

On 10/19/2015, 10:04:44, Pal Meir said:

Many of my palms too suffered the same fate when they touched the ceiling of my rooms or even of the staircases: Cocos nucifera, Dypsis lutescens, Chamaedorea elegans, Ch. metallica, Ch. seifrizii among many others.  The luckier ones found a new homestead in botanical and also zoological gardens or other institutions (like the Caryota above).

Good on ya mate!

You might want to dedicate a thread to that for our palm friends in Nebraska, etc. who will have the same problem as you, particularly with those Archie tuckeri seed I mailed en masse this past summer, and which have been likewise sprouting.

[_Rob_]

Tropical palms are my thing too, but it definitely aint easy. I pull most Indoors in winter for the more tropical species. Keeping palms is one, but keeping them looking nice is another...

Ive become a big fan of Chamaedorea (12 species) as they not only take a bit of dry but love the shade! C. metallica has been flowing and seeding in my living room....

As for the really ultra-tropical: I love the challenge!  I have 2 Nypa, 3 Lipsticks, and a bunch of small Joeys, and even Socratea, but they are tough to keep beautiful. I use an old mid size fish tank on the windowsill, above the central heating, and if you put 4-5 cm water in it, the Nypa love it. No extra grow lights, as i prefer not to end up in a weed-raid :). 

Dave's suggestion is also what i do: position palms together in a bigger tray with a small layer of water, to keep humidity up. No more than 0.5", otherwise roots will suffer. Watering regime us the most tricky bit with soil mix. Ive read Pal's topics with great interest and plan on doing experiments using Seramis, which is easy to get here.

Outside i protect all the ones that are considered "more cold resistant"  (for me that means -6°C and up): Trachycarpus, Butia, Sabal, Rhapidophylum, Jubaea, Chamaerops, and even Dates and Washingtonia) are staying in full ground with added protection, mainly against the water. Last couple of years ive been reasonably successful doing so.

Im an 8a at best i think, but usually rather wet winters. Over last 6 years we did recorded -14° C.

Future project will be Livistona and Chamaedorea (radicalis and microspadix) outside - with some protection of course.

[Moose]

On 12/5/2015, 7:44:48, DoomsDave said:

The Housekeeper of Doom is anyone who thinks that your plants or other hobbies "make a mess" and should be banned, or, threatened with a riot, at least severely curtailed for the sake of "good housekeeping." (Make sure that HOD understands that the riot will be worse for housekeeping than the hobby. )

Of course, HOD's hobbies, obsessions, animals, fetishes, etc. never make a mess . . . .

Explaining to the housekeeper of Doom the unique composting practices in the Garden of Doom might help.

[Pando]

On ‎12‎/‎5‎/‎2015‎ ‎4‎:‎44‎:‎48‎, DoomsDave said:

The Housekeeper of Doom

 

[cm05]

I try to keep my coconut outside as much as possible, it typically spends the day outside in a tiny greenhouse, as long as it's sunny, and it comes inside at night, unless it's relatively warm (50F+), which it's been lately. I have no other experience with tropical palms, but the palm is still growing so I must be doing something right. *knock on wood*