Can Parlor Palms growing outdoors be moved indoors?

[alanpaul]

I live in Southern California and planted a large stand of C. Elegans in my yard about 25 years ago.  The plants have thrived and I've divided them several times.

The large stand is about 80 square feet, plants are up to 8 feet in height.  I also have about twenty 15-gallon pots. As you can see, they are quite healthy.

Now, I need to remove them for a house addition. I thought the large stand could be broken into 24- or 36- inch boxes and sold to hotels or restaurants. 

I had one potential buyer but he told me that these plants cannot be moved indoors.  Is that true?

 

[aabell]

Those are huge for C. elegans, which doesn't clump by itself either. Definitely another species, I would guess maybe C.. costaricana. Very beautiful!

Regardless though, Chamaedorea are tough and usually don't mind being dug up, divided, repotted, moved, etc. Most species also do well indoors by palm standards, depending on the conditions, but still can have issues with spider mites and other pests. 

All of that to say, definitely worth trying, I don't think the transition would be a problem if done properly. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Those are beautiful. I would try save them for sure. It would be a major job to divide and pot those up to be sold. Harry

[DoomsDave]

@alanpaul nice to meet you!

You certainly have a nice passel of palms there. You already know that. Heck, I'd come get them off you, except I don't have the room!

Bless your heart for being a good daddy for them, over 25 years!

Those aren't C. elegans; they're another species. I suspect C. costaricana, but there's other possibilities, like C. seifritzii, etc. Elegans are single trunked; if you find a clump it's because someone had a bunch of babies they never separated. The leaves on yours are entirely different, obvious in one quick look. Chamadoreas are mostly tough things, though.

I think you'll have two general courses of action, which might depend on when you plan to proceed with your room addition, along with other factors.

First, if you're in a hurry, you could have someone just come and dig and get them. I wouldn't expect much, if anything in the way of payment, but a professional will find happy homes for them. They'll take time to dig, pot, establish and sell. But, your palms will find forever homes eventually and you won't have to worry about them. They'll be out of the way while you do your room addition.

Or, second, you could do it yourself. Sounds like you're well-prepared to do that, especially with all the fifteen gallon pots you have, and your having rassled with them over time. If you decide to do that, I'd get some potting soil in bulk (there's a place called Whittier Fertilizer in Whittier, among other places that sells bulk "planting mix" or potting soil.) I suspect you'll want to get a whole yard of soil or close. You could buy bags at Big Orange, but that'll cost a lot more. You could put the soil in your big pots if you can't put it in the back of a pickup truck for transport.

Dig up the clumps, put them in the pots, keep them watered and wait. They should root in relatively quickly. Keep them out of the sun and the wind. Nudge the bases with your hand; when they're solid to the touch, they're rooted in.

Where in LA are you? That could make a big difference in terms of day-to-day care, especially in warmer weather. If you're in Brentwood or "the west side" south of the Santa Monica mountains, with a mild coastal climate, it's a lot more forgiving, and you'll have an easier time with less vigilance. If you're in the "valley" i.e., Van Nuys, Woodland Hills, etc. north of the SM mountains, it's going to be a much tougher go because of how dry and windy it can get. In a place like that barriers against the wind will help a lot.

In either case, your chances of success are excellent over the long term.

I wouldn't restrict myself to eateries or hotels to market the palms, if you're so inclined. Maybe also look at nursing homes, etc. If you decide to dig and save them, you can sell them when the time comes on Craigs List or Facebook Marketplace. Or, maybe even here!

One possible bugaboo with raising these palms indoors is spider mite, a really vexatious pest that browns plants indoors in dry conditions. I've learned this the hard way myself, alas, from other palms. Chamadorea elegans resists spider mites; I honestly don't know about yours.

In any case, if you have questions, ask! And, let us know what you do. Sharing will teach all of us.

[alanpaul]

Thanks to all for identifying the species -- I never expected to get such knowledgeable replies so promptly!  

Thanks especially to Dave for the advice on selling. To keep my life simple, I'm going to start by looking for professionals who do indoor landscaping who will take what they want.  Otherwise, I'm in contact with a couple of nurseries and will repot myself if need be.

 

  

[alanpaul]

I did some research into related species and identified them by their morphology and seeds as c. hooperiana.

https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Chamaedorea_hooperiana

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Those are either Chamaedorea costaricana or Chamaedorea pochutlensis. I would buy them all if I could but unfortunately I'm in northeastern mexico.

[DoomsDave]

  On 12/19/2024 at 10:21 PM, alanpaul said:

Thanks to all for identifying the species -- I never expected to get such knowledgeable replies so promptly!  

Thanks especially to Dave for the advice on selling. To keep my life simple, I'm going to start by looking for professionals who do indoor landscaping who will take what they want.  Otherwise, I'm in contact with a couple of nurseries and will repot myself if need be.

 

  

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If you like, I can put you contact with someone I know who I'm pretty sure will be interested as well. He runs an outdoor palm nursery near me, and I think he'll be able to sell your plants once they get reestablished.

Those don't look like hooperiana to me; those have floppy stems and need support. Yours are much more upright looking. Unless you've got them wired or otherwise supported.

[alanpaul]

Thanks Dave -- I would appreciate your connecting me with your nurseryman.

The leaves look more like costaricana but the seeds are green rather than black -- although that may be because they are immature.  I seem to recall black seeds in years past.