Unknown Palm in Boca Raton, FL and gradual thinning

[agt]

How you guys doing.

I got these palms for my deck in Boca Raton a while back and they were pretty large. I forget the name of them when I got them, unfortunately, so if anyone knows what they are that'd be really helpful. They've also been gradually thinning out and I was wondering if there was anything I could do to help bring them back to shape. This might because they get fried by the sun with having a southern exposure and sometimes it won't rain for weeks in the winter. The third picture is when I got them back in November 2017 and the first two pictures were taken in June.

Edited July 1, 2019 by agt

[NOT A TA]

Looks like Chamaedorea cataractarum, "cat" palm to me. They look (in the early pic) like they were grown in mostly shade then put out in full sun possibly accompanied by occasional drought. I'll suggest you get the pots on some wheels and move them behind the walls where they'll get the most shade during summer periods when you're less likely to be down here. If they have to get some full sun then morning sun would be better than afternoon sun.

Tell whoever waters them when you're not around not to be afraid of over watering them as long as there's drain holes in the pots that allow excess water into the trays. Water every couple days unless they get a lot of rain. Tell whoever waters them that if it's rained enough so there's water in the tray skip watering a day.  If you get some wheeled stands for them you'll also reduce the marks left on the deck floor because it won't stay wet as long and you won't get the round black mold marks.

If there's no one to water when you're not around look for a shady place behind the walls to put them where water from rain drips off of the wall cap garnishment. That way even if there's a small amount of rain you'll get more water to the plants. Aside from that maybe a bottle fed slow drip when you're not around.

[PalmatierMeg]

Cat palms need a lot of water. If they get that water they can take some sun exposure. If not, you should keep them in shade while you are not there. They aren't good candidates for long term neglect. On the other hand, they are plentiful and cheap as dirt in FL so you may consider buying them when you return for Season, then discard them when you return to RI, i.e., treat them as annuals.

[agt]

14 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Cat palms need a lot of water. If they get that water they can take some sun exposure. If not, you should keep them in shade while you are not there. They aren't good candidates for long term neglect. On the other hand, they are plentiful and cheap as dirt in FL so you may consider buying them when you return for Season, then discard them when you return to RI, i.e., treat them as annuals.

I see. I haven’t been there since March. Unfortunately have school up in NE. What do you think is a good plant to put there long term if I’m not going to be there?

[agt]

3 hours ago, NOT A TA said:

Looks like Chamaedorea cataractarum, "cat" palm to me. They look (in the early pic) like they were grown in mostly shade then put out in full sun possibly accompanied by occasional drought. I'll suggest you get the pots on some wheels and move them behind the walls where they'll get the most shade during summer periods when you're less likely to be down here. If they have to get some full sun then morning sun would be better than afternoon sun.

Tell whoever waters them when you're not around not to be afraid of over watering them as long as there's drain holes in the pots that allow excess water into the trays. Water every couple days unless they get a lot of rain. Tell whoever waters them that if it's rained enough so there's water in the tray skip watering a day.  If you get some wheeled stands for them you'll also reduce the marks left on the deck floor because it won't stay wet as long and you won't get the round black mold marks.

If there's no one to water when you're not around look for a shady place behind the walls to put them where water from rain drips off of the wall cap garnishment. That way even if there's a small amount of rain you'll get more water to the plants. Aside from that maybe a bottle fed slow drip when you're not around.

Thanks for your response. I’ll definitely try and find some shade on the deck that blocks some afternoon sun and possibly try wheels.

Edited July 1, 2019 by agt

[PalmatierMeg]

8 minutes ago, agt said:

I see. I haven’t been there since March. Unfortunately have school up in NE. What do you think is a good plant to put there long term if I’m not going to be there?

Something a bit more drought tolerant like a pygmy date if you want a palm, or maybe an agave (ovatifolia) or other succulent. But I don't understand why you want to abandon and neglect any plants on an outdoor terrace for 6-9 months of the year. What happens if, and God forbid it has, a major hurricane slams into the the FL East Coast? Those plants will turn into flying missiles. Trust me, that happens and I live here year round to witness it.

When you return to Boca - one of the most upscale, high-class places I've ever visited - you may want to check into businesses that would be willing to lease, deliver and later pick up potted palms and other plants to decorate your terrace while you are here. They may also provide care for them. When you go back to RI, the plants go home too, until next Season.

[agt]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Something a bit more drought tolerant like a pygmy date if you want a palm, or maybe an agave (ovatifolia) or other succulent. But I don't understand why you want to abandon and neglect any plants on an outdoor terrace for 6-9 months of the year. What happens if, and God forbid it has, a major hurricane slams into the the FL East Coast? Those plants will turn into flying missiles. Trust me, that happens and I live here year round to witness it.

When you return to Boca - one of the most upscale, high-class places I've ever visited - you may want to check into businesses that would be willing to lease, deliver and later pick up potted palms and other plants to decorate your terrace while you are here. They may also provide care for them. When you go back to RI, the plants go home too, until next Season.

Yeah Boca is really nice. I would never wanna abandon a plant. I should’ve mentioned that there is usually somebody down who able to watch the plants from October-April It’s just not me. It’s just during the summer months that nobody’s around. Although I would like to be down there cause it’s still isn’t that warm here in RI. The plant rental is a good idea I forget such services exist. I’ll honestly probably wait to do anything because of how infrequent I’m there and I don’t want to buy plants just to leave there unless they can thrive without anyone there. I would also make sure they’re inside if there’s a hurricane. Wouldn’t want them to be flying missiles ha.

[agt]

Ultimately decided to buy some seeds in addition to the palms from earlier.  Planted 4 pygmy date palm seeds into a pot in late July and have started to see results.

[agt]

Pygomy dates getting bigger and cat palms are looking better