Too Long in the Same Pot?

[Pal Meir]

I start with two examples of palms which were obviously much too long in too small pots. The first are two Chamaedorea metallica var. pinnata twenty years in 12x12cm plastic pots, and the second is a Syagrus weddelliana four years in a tiny 8x9cm clay pot:

[Josh-O]

well, in your case do you have much of a choice but to keep them in pots? maybe bump them up in size?

They are wonderfully grown and you experience doe show Pal  

[Hamal]

As long as you keep them in soil that contains only small amounts of organic material that will probably work just fine. And if the organic material decomposes very slowly like pine bark, even better.

If you use small pots like in the case of the Syagrus weddelliana, I wonder to what extent the speed of growth is affected or how it compares to the same species grown in a bigger pot, as the palm is limited as to the amount of roots it can build. The more roots it can build, the faster it will grow.

In any case, your palms look absolutely wonderful

[Pal Meir]

The two Ch. metallica I gave away in 2008, still in the same small pots for 26 years. I have to check, if they are still alive.  — The main problem with the tiny pot of that L. weddellianum was that it couldn’t keep water longer than for only one day, even if filled up with water to the top of the pot. And in 2011 I was almost one week out of home …†

[RobustaEnvirons]

You're palms look very nice indeed! Magnificent. I too have an interest in keeping palms potted for long periods of time. You've shown its definitely possible to keep one in a pot long-term. Interesting to learn of, in this forum. 

[Coco Bonsai]

woow... interesting... I like it, this is the other unexpected bonsai palm....  

I've tried to make like this for coconut tree....  

 

[Pal Meir]

30 minutes ago, Coco Bonsai said:

woow... interesting... I like it, this is the other unexpected bonsai palm....  

I've tried to make like this for coconut tree....  

Your Coco look really fantastic!  I have tried bonsai like growing (with root pruning etc.) only with Chamaerops and Trachycarpus wagnerianus. One of the Chamaerops is now for 30 years in the same small 18x18cm pot.

[Alcibiades]

On 31.1.2016, 12:52:31, Pal Meir said:

The two Ch. metallica I gave away in 2008, still in the same small pots for 26 years. I have to check, if they are still alive.  — The main problem with the tiny pot of that L. weddellianum was that it couldn’t keep water longer than for only one day, even if filled up with water to the top of the pot. And in 2011 I was almost one week out of home …†

Watering is the main problem if the pot contains only roots and only a small amount of soil. 25 years is crazy but your beautiful palms show that it is not as impossible as i would have thought.

I can only offer the other extreme. I had to repot one of my plants 5 times now in the last two years.

Edited February 14, 2016 by Alcibiades

[Pal Meir]

42 minutes ago, Alcibiades said:

Watering is the main problem if the pot contains only roots and only a small amount of soil. 25 years is crazy but your beautiful palms show that it is not as impossible as i would have thought.

I can only offer the other extreme. I had to repot one of my plants 5 times now in the last two years.

To avoid a similar sad experience as in 2011 with the Lytocaryum in the small 8x9 cm pot I repotted my newer Lyto weddellianum palms twice within two years, starting with 8×9 cm clay pots in April 2013 I repotted them in January 2014 in 12×12 cm clay pots and again in May 2015 in 14.8×17.4 cm plastic containers:

[RobustaEnvirons]

On 2/14/2016, 3:24:51, Pal Meir said:

To avoid a similar sad experience as in 2011 with the Lytocaryum in the small 8x9 cm pot I repotted my newer Lyto weddellianum palms twice within two years, starting with 8×9 cm clay pots in April 2013 I repotted them in January 2014 in 12×12 cm clay pots and again in May 2015 in 14.8×17.4 cm plastic containers:

How did you know when to repot them again?

[Pal Meir]

9 hours ago, RobustaEnvirons said:

How did you know when to repot them again?

When they looked too big for the smaller pots.  And I wished to avoid such sad experiences like that one with my Syagrus weddelliana …

[Josh-O]

On 2/20/2016, 4:51:54, Pal Meir said:

When they looked too big for the smaller pots.  And I wished to avoid such sad experiences like that one with my Syagrus weddelliana …

what do you use to fertilize your palms with?

do you use and fungicides for root drenching for preventative  maintenance?

thanks,

Josh-O

[Howeadypsis]

If you trim the roots you could put them back in the same pot. Keep em small. Ive seen coconuts kept small this way.

[Pal Meir]

5 hours ago, Josh-O said:

what do you use to fertilize your palms with?

do you use and fungicides for root drenching for preventative  maintenance?

thanks,

Josh-O

Only a liquid NPK fert 7+3+6, no fungicides.

[Josh-O]

5 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

Only a liquid NPK fert 7+3+6, no fungicides.

 ?

have you tried liquid kelp?

[Pal Meir]

7 hours ago, Josh-O said:

?

have you tried liquid kelp?

Not yet.

[Howeadypsis]

At the moment I'm trying baby bio for all my plants, NPK 10.6, 4.4, 1.7

[Pal Meir]

This pot too got a bit too small for the Phoenix roebelenii:

[Pal Meir]

Here a further example: Two 5 years old Lytos in a Ø12xH10 cm plastic pot, just fitting to the Wedgwood pot from 1909..

[Howeadypsis]

Does trimming the roots suit most palms?

[Pal Meir]

25 minutes ago, Howeadypsis said:

Does trimming the roots suit most palms?

I don’t know if »most« palms, but in case of very many species it works, even as in that example with the very tender L weddellianum. But in case of Chamaerops and Washingtonia or most Phoenix and Trachycarpus spp you can keep the pot size small by a quite »brutal«  root trimming.

[Howeadypsis]

4 hours ago, Pal Meir said:

 in case of Chamaerops and Washingtonia or most Phoenix and Trachycarpus spp you can keep the pot size small by a quite »brutal«  root trimming.

Thats good to know