How big a palm could get in a pot?

[Mohsen]

I was browsing for palms in pots and I saw many really big ones in pots...

As I have far more palms that I could plant in ground I wonder How big a palm could get in a pot?

could it get to trunk stage ? how old could it get there?

Are those big ones in pot grow only in pots or as once someone from a nursery told me " growers got their roots to ground from the bottom of the pots and that's why the get that big...the roots out of pots will be cut and then the pots will be sent to nurseries for sell, so they couldn't get as that big only in pots..." ?

[Funkthulhu]

Well, I've got a couple Veitchia and Christmas palms, I guess I'll find out the hard way in a couple years (decades?).

[Pal Meir]

The Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris e.g. has many big and tall Phoenix canariensis which were grown up in pots (photo from Wikipedia):

And if you prune the roots you can keep many palms even for a century or more in pots (e.g. Chamaerops, Howea, Rhapis, etc.).

[Mohsen]

  On 4/26/2016 at 3:32 PM, Pal Meir said:

The Jardin du Luxembourg in Paris e.g. has many big and tall Phoenix canariensis which were grown up in pots (photo from Wikipedia):

And if you prune the roots you can keep many palms even for a century or more in pots (e.g. Chamaerops, Howea, Rhapis, etc.).

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Thanks Pal

so those Phoenix canariensis  grow in pot from seed? that's interesting ...also I remember you had a big ( with trunk) Archontophoenix in pot, did you grow that from seed? how often you changed its pot ?

and what do you mean by " prune the roots" , the roots that come out of the pot or something else?

once I read the root of a tree would grow and cover an area as the same of the canopy of that tree but when in pot it wont be like that ?

[Pal Meir]

Another example for big palms in pots (pic 1) I found in the Botanical Garden Berlin-Dahlem (pic 2). These Phoenix canariensis are potted in wooden containers that are ca. 1.2 m wide (pic 3). The seedlings are first grown up by the palms themselves (pic 4) and later planted by men in smaller pots (pic 5).

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

[Pal Meir]

  On 4/26/2016 at 10:20 PM, Mohsen said:

Thanks Pal

so those Phoenix canariensis  grow in pot from seed? that's interesting ...also I remember you had a big ( with trunk) Archontophoenix in pot, did you grow that from seed? how often you changed its pot ?

and what do you mean by " prune the roots" , the roots that come out of the pot or something else?

once I read the root of a tree would grow and cover an area as the same of the canopy of that tree but when in pot it wont be like that ?

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Here one example of root pruning (not recommended for all palm spp):

[DoomsDave]

Mohsen:

As Pal noted, you can keep some palms in large pots for decades. As long as they get watered enough and have periodic refreshment of the soil, it's surprising what you can do.

I recall a California grower keeping queen palms in 15 gallon pots with 20 feet of trunk (staked to keep them from falling over) for years. He had to water them multiple times a day, but they still grew.

[Mohsen]

  On 5/9/2016 at 8:32 PM, DoomsDave said:

Mohsen:

As Pal noted, you can keep some palms in large pots for decades. As long as they get watered enough and have periodic refreshment of the soil, it's surprising what you can do.

I recall a California grower keeping queen palms in 15 gallon pots with 20 feet of trunk (staked to keep them from falling over) for years. He had to water them multiple times a day, but they still grew.

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Thanks Dave...

Multiple times a day or a week? 

[Steve Mac]

I saw David Attenborough on 'The life of plants' last night. He showed what he said was the oldest palm in a pot in the world. It is in Kew gardens England and was planted in the pot in 1775. So it is about 240 years old. I forget what it was. You could probably find it on the web if you wanted to. 

[Pal Meir]

  On 5/17/2016 at 7:00 AM, gtsteve said:

I saw David Attenborough on 'The life of plants' last night. He showed what he said was the oldest palm in a pot in the world. It is in Kew gardens England and was planted in the pot in 1775. So it is about 240 years old. I forget what it was. You could probably find it on the web if you wanted to. 

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That is not a palm, but a Cycad:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1203029/Worlds-oldest-pot-plant-gets-new-home-epic-repotting-Kew-Gardens.html

[Pal Meir]

There are other potted plants that are much older than the cycad at Kew Gardens; e.g. this bonsai is 375 years old, so the cycad is not »world’s oldest pot plant«: http://blog.livedoor.jp/drazuli/archives/5791659.html

[Steve Mac]

Oh yes, thank you. David Attenborough needs a new script writer, I never did trust the English. 

[necturus]

It may not even be the oldest cycad in Europe. The Hortus Botanicus in Amsterdam has an Encephalartos altensteinii that's around 300 years old:  http://dehortus.nl/en/Eastern-Cape-Giant-Cycad

Both are amazing specimens!

 

[NorthFlpalmguy]

I've seen 100-200G pots for oaks and routinely see 6+ft  clear trunk palms in pots (25-65G). It's more of a hassle for growers to keep and stake I bet is why you don't see more of them and most landscape palms at that size transplant fairly easily so no need to keep in pots.

[Cape Garrett]

  On 4/29/2016 at 3:04 PM, Pal Meir said:

Here one example of root pruning (not recommended for all palm spp):

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I never had the guts to root prune.  Can I do this with Rhapis excelsa?  I have a huge 22 year old in a pot but really need to repot for the past say 8 years.  These are indestructible palms!  

[rice]

  On 5/31/2016 at 12:35 PM, Cape Garrett said:

I never had the guts to root prune.  Can I do this with Rhapis excelsa?  I have a huge 22 year old in a pot but really need to repot for the past say 8 years.  These are indestructible palms!  

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Hi,

I recently divided my Rhapsis excelsa into several specimen. To do this I had to entagle the roots as far as was possible but some pruning was necessary as well. So far, none if the now individual plants seem to be bothered by it.

It wasn't a very big plant though, biggest stem only 80cm I guess..

good luck!

 

[JT in Japan]

  On 4/29/2016 at 3:04 PM, Pal Meir said:

Here one example of root pruning (not recommended for all palm spp):

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Pal, what was the reasoning for this type of pruning. Was your goal to keep the plant small, or fit into a smaller pot? Or was it to help the palm grow newer, healthier roots and thus get bigger over time?

Thanks, JT

[Pal Meir]

  On 6/2/2016 at 12:59 AM, JT in Japan said:

Pal, what was the reasoning for this type of pruning. Was your goal to keep the plant small, or fit into a smaller pot? Or was it to help the palm grow newer, healthier roots and thus get bigger over time?

Thanks, JT

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My reasoning was to keep the container as small as possible, so that I could manage its transport alone.

[LouM]

Admiring Phoenix canariensis at the Luxembourg gardens.   I don’t know how they do it with Paris winter climate?  

[Jubilation]

My goodness where do they store these overwinter and how much light would tthese need

 

and mostt important how big are these pots  I need to buy a few of their size

[PalmsInBaltimore]

they store them in winter at the Orangerie

https://jardin.senat.fr/en/history-heritage/heritage/the-orangery.html :

"The current Orangery is located in the western part of the garden, and dates back to 1839. It houses some 180 specimens in boxes, including 60 citrus trees, mainly bitter orange (34 in number), as well as date palms (19 phoenix, 7 chamaerops), oleanders (46), and pomegranate (24). The oldest and most beautiful specimens of bitter orange trees are displayed in the garden every year, from May to October, along the south façade of the Palace. Their age is estimated to be around 250 to 300 years.

"In September, all the plants, except for the palm trees, undergo pruning to limit their size, maintain a regular spherical shape, and remove as many flowering and fruit-bearing structures as possible, as their development would overly tax the plants."

[PalmsInBaltimore]

  On 4/29/2025 at 8:53 PM, PalmsInBaltimore said:

they store them in winter at the Orangerie

https://jardin.senat.fr/en/history-heritage/heritage/the-orangery.html :

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this part is also worth quoting from that link (emphasis theirs):

"Palm trees are replanted more frequently since the 4 cm thick oak panels can no longer withstand the extraordinary growth of the roots after 7 to 8 years.

"The soil is reduced by 10 cm on each side and is then placed in a new or restored box of the same dimensions, with a strong iron or cast-iron frame for the oldest models (1856).

"Once the box is closed, a soil mix rich in organic matter is compacted in successive layers inside the wooden panels. The heaviest boxes, such as those for large palm trees (weighing 4.5 tonnes), are transported in the garden using a flatbed carriage. Since 1996, the carriage tractor has been equipped with an electric motor to reduce noise and atmospheric pollution."