Dwarf dypsis lutescens

[happypalms]

A nice looking palm the dwarf variety. They will never flower, the only way of propagating them is by cutting them up. This one you would get 4 clumps if you attacked it with a reciprocal saw. I might have to do just that! 

[PalmatierMeg]

Be very careful trying to separate clumps. They are very prone to rot when cut. I've lost enough to rot that I refuse to attempt to separate them again and risk losing the whole palm. Maybe someone can provide instructions on the best way to do so. Hacking at it with a reciprocating saw makes my blood run cold.

[happypalms]

On 4/14/2026 at 1:09 AM, PalmatierMeg said:

Be very careful trying to separate clumps. They are very prone to rot when cut. I've lost enough to rot that I refuse to attempt to separate them again and risk losing the whole palm. Maybe someone can provide instructions on the best way to do so. Hacking at it with a reciprocating saw makes my blood run cold.

I shall take your advice. Perhaps just cut in half might be a better approach, and iam wondering if i could hose the soil out and break it apart using secaturs. 
Did you ever get any to live? 

[Palmarum]

On 4/11/2026 at 9:56 PM, happypalms said:

... This one you would get 4 clumps if you attacked it with a reciprocal saw. I might have to do just that! ...

I have seen smaller dwarfs divided that way, but they were much smaller, like in a 3-gallon pot. A plant that size, with a power saw, good luck. Might be better with a very large hand saw, fine tooth blade, kept as sterile as possible before, during and afterwards. A large, curved, sharp, bladed tool pushed in with a cleaving action might be better. A power saw could cause too much collateral damage.

Taking it out of the pot, washing the soil off might unveil possible lines of division that could have roots untwined and therefor bases that could be carefully popped apart with a prybar... maybe. A lot of time involved. You could easily kill the entire clump just in the attempt for equal sized divisions.

Search for small, stable suckers on the outer edge that have their own roots and where you could cut them free from the rest of the plant and repot. Less risk to the overall plant, but the separated suckers have a smaller chance of making it.

Could pot up the entire plant possible inducing it to sucker more, giving more attempts. Even if it did flower, the seed will unlikely be true to variety.

You could also get similar sized, regular Areca Palms and practice methods on them first to see what works.

I have not tried it myself, but divisions I have seen were planted in a sterile mix like total perlite to get them to root. They were also liquid fertilized with an agent to induce root production. 

Ryan

[happypalms]

On 4/15/2026 at 7:44 AM, Palmarum said:

I have seen smaller dwarfs divided that way, but they were much smaller, like in a 3-gallon pot. A plant that size, with a power saw, good luck. Might be better with a very large hand saw, fine tooth blade, kept as sterile as possible before, during and afterwards. A large, curved, sharp, bladed tool pushed in with a cleaving action might be better. A power saw could cause too much collateral damage.

Taking it out of the pot, washing the soil off might unveil possible lines of division that could have roots untwined and therefor bases that could be carefully popped apart with a prybar... maybe. A lot of time involved. You could easily kill the entire clump just in the attempt for equal sized divisions.

Search for small, stable suckers on the outer edge that have their own roots and where you could cut them free from the rest of the plant and repot. Less risk to the overall plant, but the separated suckers have a smaller chance of making it.

Could pot up the entire plant possible inducing it to sucker more, giving more attempts. Even if it did flower, the seed will unlikely be true to variety.

You could also get similar sized, regular Areca Palms and practice methods on them first to see what works.

I have not tried it myself, but divisions I have seen were planted in a sterile mix like total perlite to get them to root. They were also liquid fertilized with an agent to induce root production. 

Ryan

Thanks for the advice greatly appreciated. As you suggested I might go with just a few suckers if any have a few roots. The sterile medium sounds the go. I just did a Areca vestria to see how that goes it’s sitting in a shallow tray of water with seaweed solution. Thanks for the tips! 

[PalmatierMeg]

agree with @Palmarum