Caryota Mitis stem removal

[Harry’s Palms]

There has been discussion on the forum about cutting out terminal stems after flowering with this Caryota species. My experience is that they continue to send out puppies after the stem is removed . I have a few of these around my house that I have done this with over the years. Last year the one out front flowered and this year I cut it down …don’t want that thing to fall. It is very heavy for its size . Ask @DoomsDave what happens when an unplanned fall occurs! Harry

I left a few feet of stem in the ground 

Removal went pretty smooth , not my first of this procedure….wont be my last! No special tools required!

Neighboring Chrysalidiocarpus Decarii can now have a bit of room.

[Phoenikakias]

Your decaryi rocks! How often do you water it and what kind of soil does it grow in?

[Harry’s Palms]

1 hour ago, Phoenikakias said:

Your decaryi rocks! How often do you water it and what kind of soil does it grow in?

Thank you . It’s been there about 20 years , grown from a one gallon plant. It gets quite a bit of water because of the Roystonia next to it . I have two , the other one is a bit smaller , not much . Both get water at least once a week , more in the hotter months. My soil is mostly fast draining shady dirt that gets an organic top soil amendment every year . There are a lot of limestone rocks in our soil. The rocks you see around the garden all came from the holes I dug to plant palms when the house was new. Harry

‘The other Decarii in the court yard. Planted a couple of years after the larger one. Lots of water on both of them . Most of the year here is arid and dry. Coldest winter temp in 28 years is 38f up on our hill. Harry

[Phoenikakias]

19 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Thank you . It’s been there about 20 years , grown from a one gallon plant. It gets quite a bit of water because of the Roystonia next to it . I have two , the other one is a bit smaller , not much . Both get water at least once a week , more in the hotter months. My soil is mostly fast draining shady dirt that gets an organic top soil amendment every year . There are a lot of limestone rocks in our soil. The rocks you see around the garden all came from the holes I dug to plant palms when the house was new. Harry

‘The other Decarii in the court yard. Planted a couple of years after the larger one. Lots of water on both of them . Most of the year here is arid and dry. Coldest winter temp in 28 years is 38f up on our hill. Harry

I have been growing one since a seedling in my cold frame. Now I must plant it out, since it has overgrown both pot and surrounding shelter. Planting spot will be slopy with clayish - rocky soil. Any practical advice?

[Harry’s Palms]

That looks ready for planting out . However , it looks a bit stretched out so , as you know , will probably get shorter fronds for a while if planted in full sun. The soil , as far as I know , should be well draining , so maybe dig the hole much deeper than needed and add some organic garden soil mix with a sandy loam under and around  the root ball so it isn’t sitting in clay . As the soil additive breaks down , it should help with loosening the clay a bit . Here , in my area, they seem to be fairly easy to grow once established. Parts of my yard were rock hard , not so good soil , when I planted them and they did fine . They were a bit smaller than yours but sun grown . Over time , amending every year , the soil has become looser and water drains quickly after they are watered. I manually water with a hose , slowly allowing the water to pool up then watch it drain ….repeat . They get that at least once week , more when it gets really hot. Harry