The owners of this apartment building must REALLY love their butias

[Fukuoka Scott]

Apartment building "Sun Court Butia"

[SM458]

They look good! 

[Fukuoka Scott]

Yeah they do very well here! Never seen them damaged. They grow very slowly though and big specimens like this are pricey!

[Scott W]

They can grow moderately with consistent fertilization and water. 

[RJ]

3 hours ago, Scott W said:

They can grow moderately with consistent fertilization and water. 

I’ve always been a bit shy with the water, thinking they liked it on the dry side. Do you suggest keeping the soil on the damp side? I have found very recently they do like a good shot of fertilizer though. Mine have all been in pots way too long and looked pretty ragged going in the ground. 

[Fukuoka Scott]

1 hour ago, RJ said:

I’ve always been a bit shy with the water, thinking they liked it on the dry side. Do you suggest keeping the soil on the damp side? I have found very recently they do like a good shot of fertilizer though. Mine have all been in pots way too long and looked pretty ragged going in the ground. 

I've only ever had one, and it croaked on me because I had it in shade and then moved it. But looking at the ones I see around Fukuoka, where they're a very popular palm, the ones that look best seem to be in well drained soil away from the coast. That said we get a lot of rain, comparable to the wettest parts of the southeast US. They always look beat up where they get ocean breeze. If you live in a dry area they would definitely appreciate a good soaking. I've been admiring this one in my hometown of E Paso since I was a teen in the 80s (there used to be a pair but I guess one died at some point). It looks happy so I reckon they're fairly drought tolerant... 

[Scott W]

11 hours ago, RJ said:

I’ve always been a bit shy with the water, thinking they liked it on the dry side. Do you suggest keeping the soil on the damp side? I have found very recently they do like a good shot of fertilizer though. Mine have all been in pots way too long and looked pretty ragged going in the ground. 

Mine are watered regularly, especially if it hasn't rained.  The ones in ground are also mulched and seem to appreciate that.  I did lose one butia years ago in an area that stayed too wet, so i wouldn't recommend keeping them super saturated. 

[RJ]

6 minutes ago, Scott W said:

Mine are watered regularly, especially if it hasn't rained.  The ones in ground are also mulched and seem to appreciate that.  I did lose one butia years ago in an area that stayed too wet, so i wouldn't recommend keeping them super saturated. 

That seems to follow what I was thinking. You’re probably in pretty sandy soil to, where I’m in more clay. 

[MarcusH]

18 hours ago, Scott W said:

They can grow moderately with consistent fertilization and water. 

I recently bought a Butia .  I'll follow your advice.  Right now I give it some water once a week .