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How to grow a palm tree


How to grow a palm tree |

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Introduce instant scale, shape and drama to your real estate by learning how to grow a palm tree. The only way to bring true tropical charm to the yard, these stylish beauties are surprisingly slow growing making them the perfect choice for coastal or southern locations. 

Grown in borders or in containers, palm trees add architectural detail to a garden and are perfect matched with other tropical plants and trees.

How to grow a palm tree

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With their distinctive fan-shaped leaves, palm trees are instantly recognizable. Adding a tropical vibe, they can add instant interest to the smallest of yards with their evergreen foliage and unbeatable stature. Requiring just a little care they can last for years and prove a striking and memorable focal point. Let us take you through the basics of growing palm trees.

Where do palm trees grow best?

Although undeniably tropical, there is a wide range of palm trees that will grow in your yard. While some prefer shade and will falter in direct sunlight, others need sun to keep them healthy and will simply wilt and die off in deep shade. To be certain of making the right choice for your property always check with the nursery or retailer before you buy. It’s also worth knowing that once palm fronds are scorched or damaged, they do not tend to recover so will need to be removed.

Wind is also a key issue for palm trees, and whereas most types can generally flex and bend in a strong gale or hurricane there are some varieties that are tougher and more wind tolerant. 

Jason Gilford from Architectural Plants says, 'Chamaerops humilis are so tough that they’ll grow in sun or shade. As with most plants the effect of shade is to draw the plant out (it’s looking for light) so the leaf stalks extend making the plant look open and elegant. Rarer and slower growing, Trachycarpus wagnerianus are remarkably well suited to windy gardens. We’ve planted a load of them at our nursery at the top of the drive – a constantly windy spot and they look perfect. They’re both good – just different.' 

If you do have space and strong winds are a problems Jason also suggests, 'planting in groves will also provide some additional protection for palms.'

What soil does a palm tree prefer?

As long as it’s free draining, palm trees tend to be happy in acidic, neutral or alkaline soil.

What temperatures will a palm tree grow in?

(Image credit: Sea Palms Estate / Nick Adams )

Most palm trees originate from tropical climates. Used to warm summers and mild winters, they are happy in zones where temperatures range from 95℉ (35℃) down to 78℉ (25℃). 

There are few types of palm tree that will tolerate cooler conditions. Chusan or Windmill Palm, the Mediterranean Fan Palm or Chamaerops humilis and Trachycarpus wagnerianus, better known as Wagners Fan Palm will cope with temperatures as low as 40℉ (4℃) and even a light dusting of snow.

How to plant a palm tree

Most palm trees are shallow rooted so it’s well worth considering this when siting your palm and avoid positioning a large tree near to the house, as they can fall over in very high winds or hurricanes.

When it comes to planting, chances are your nursery grown palm will arrive in a plastic pot or fabric covered rootball, if it’s very big. Dig a hole twice as wide as the rootball and deep enough so the top of the root sits just below the soil level. Carefully remove the covering from the pot, lower the palm into the hole and backfill. 

Planting is best done during the spring as this will allow the roots to establish before cooler weather and stronger winds arrive. 

How to grow a containerized palm tree

Varieties that thrive well in a container include the feathery Pygmy date palm which can grow between 6-12 ft (1.82-3.65m) outside in USDA Zones 10-11. For something smaller but just as quirky try the Ponytail Palm that will happily thrive on a patio in USDA Zones 9-11. The team at Lively Root say, ‘Although they look utterly whimsical, they are actually low maintenance and one of our favorite starter plants.’ 

‘Containers limit how large plants grow,’ say the team at Pennington Seed ‘so even naturally large palms stay manageable in pots.’ They also add, ‘For potted palms, choose a fast-draining, yet moisture-retentive potting mix designed for container growing. Choose a large container with drainage holes that is heavy enough to offset your palm's size so it won't tip over easily.’

Pot grown palm trees will need be kept in moist but not wet soil, as their roots require plenty of air and rot if left in waterlogged soil. Rather than just looking at the soils surface to determined how wet it is always probe with a finger to ensure it is cool and moist.

How to support a palm tree

Palms trees are naturally shallow rooted, and if planted in open ground will need supporting. Rather than relying on stakes and ties, which tend to slide down the smooth trunks opt for a timber brace system. Constructed from timber stakes and bridges and encompassing the whole trunk, it will provide much more support than a single lumber stake. 

How to nurture a palm tree

Providing they are thoughtfully positioned, most palms need little regularly attention.

‘We like to design informal borders, groves and distinguished avenues with beautifully fanned Jelly palms, spiky Chamaerops, slender Cordylines, and our favourite Chusan palms – the latter made even more elegant once you have stripped the trunk,’ says Jason Gilford, Architectural Plants Ltd. 

'Maintaining palms is all part of the experience and there’s nothing more satisfying than removing dead or damaged leaves to keep them looking their architectural best. Anything brown, yellow or spotty should be eliminated. Most spots do no harm to the plant but they look unsightly – you can treat with a fungicide.'

Jill Morgan has spent the last 20 years writing for Interior and Gardening magazines both in print and online. Titles she has been lucky enough to work on include House Beautiful, The English

Home, Ideal Home, Modern Gardens and Gardeningetc.com. Although much of her career has involved commissioning and writing about reader homes and home improvement projects, her

everlasting passion is for gardens and outdoor living, which is what she writes about for Homes & Gardens. 

Indoor Plant Care & Growing Guide

There are about 2,600 species of palm trees spread over 181 genera within the Arecaceae family of plants. Most are tropical or subtropical in origin, native to spots like South America, Asia, and the Caribbean. Most palms can be distinguished by their large, compound, evergreen leaves (known as fronds) that are arranged at the top of an unbranched stem.

In addition to their role as landscape trees in warmer climates, palm trees can be distinctive and wonderful indoor plants. Mature palms often adorn public spaces and foyers, adding an elegant and distinctly tropical air to the decor. At the same time, very small, immature palms can be used as a pop of greenery in homes.

It is tempting to think of palm trees as purely tropical plants—give them plenty of sunlight and water and they will be just fine. However, there are also desert varieties that will drown from too much water and still other varieties that cannot thrive without fertilizer. Careful research on the particular species of palm you end up choosing is essential to growing it successfully. As a general rule of thumb, most palms can be planted in the early spring and will grow slowly, often adding less than 10 inches of height a year.

Common Name Palm tree
Botanical Name Arecaceae family
Family Arecaceae
Plant Type Woody perennial trees and shrubs
Mature Size Varies by species; miniature to towering giants
Sun Exposure Partial shade
Soil Type Moist but well-drained
Soil pH Neutral to acidic
Bloom Time Year-round (rarely flower indoors)
Flower Color Varies by species; often yellow, orange, green, pink
Hardiness Zones 7-11 (USDA)
Native Area South America, the Caribbean, Asia, and more
The Spruce / Alonda Baird The Spruce / Alonda Baird  The Spruce / Alonda Baird

Palm Tree Care

In their habitats outdoors, palm trees grow best in full sun with annual fertilizer and don't require much water to thrive. However, young palm trees need thorough, regular waterings to mature into healthy plants. When grown indoors, palm trees need consistently moist soil that doesn't become waterlogged (so a pot with good drainage is essential).

Palms are a group of plants that includes thousands of species from various biomes all over the world, and each has its own diverse needs. There are tropical, subtropical, and desert species, as well as palms that grow in cold-weather climates like Alaska. Some are understory plants that prefer shade and a moist, dark environment, while others love heat and sunshine. A good rule of thumb, if you want healthy palms, is to make sure you feed them frequently—whether you're growing them indoors or outdoors.

How to best display your palm depends on its specific size and growth habit. Many are perfect indoors as corner-specimen plants or foyer plants. Likewise, palms do very well in groups with smaller potted plants clustered at their base. Wherever you locate your palm, try to avoid placing it somewhere that experiences a lot of traffic brushing against or pulling on the fronds, as this will weaken (and possibly kill) the plant.

Keep in mind, your palm will likely not flower indoors, either. Many of the common species won't live long enough to flower or reach a mature size when kept as houseplants. Remember, some of these are full-fledged trees in the wild, so the lack of flowers is more than offset by the majestic spread of the plant.

If you take good care of your palm, there is a possibility that fronds could be brushing against your ceiling after a few years. Unfortunately, you can never top-trim a palm tree, as all palms grow from a central tip. If you remove the growing tip, the plant will die. So if you have a nearly-mature palm bursting from your house, congratulations—the next step is to seek a nearby hotel or office building looking for a wonderful interior plant.

Watch Now: How to Grow and Care for a Kentia Palm Indoors

Light

One of the reasons palm plants are such common houseplants is that they can easily adapt to low-light conditions. Most palms are tolerant of (or prefer) shade and may fail to thrive if they receive too much direct sunlight. Low-light palm species prefer bright indirect light but also can tolerate less light, especially during the winter months.

Soil

The best soil for palm plants is a loose, porous mixture, like a combination of peat moss, leaf mold, and shredded bark. You can buy a cactus or palm soil mixture specifically made for growing palm plants—otherwise, they will grow just fine in a general-purpose commercial potting soil. If you're someone who tends to forget to water your plants, mix some peat moss or vermiculite into the general-purpose potting soil to help retain moisture.

Water

Good drainage is essential for healthy palm plants. Just because palms live in warm (sometimes tropical) regions does not mean they enjoy being waterlogged. In fact, many palms grow best in slightly sandy soils with ample drainage. Never let a palm's root ball sit in water and allow the plant's soil to dry out in-between waterings. You can also choose to plant your palm in a vessel made from terracotta or clay to help wick excess moisture from the soil.

Temperature and Humidity

Few palms will thrive in truly cold temperatures, and some, like the coconut palm, cannot tolerate any cold at all. Cold-hardy palms include the parlor palm and kentia palm, which explains why these are among the most popular indoor palms. As a general rule of thumb, palms prefer temperatures no lower than 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

Fertilizer

Feed your palm regularly during its growing season. If possible, choose a palm fertilizer, which contains all the required micronutrients for a healthy palm, as well as extra potassium and manganese. Potassium deficiency is especially common in palms and can result in yellowing or brownish fronds. If you notice your palm turning, it may be time to increase your feedings.

Types of Palm Trees

There are hundreds and hundreds of different palm trees out there, with some better suited to an indoor environment than others. Some of the most popular palm trees for indoor growth include:

Pruning Palm Trees

The temptation to trim fronds is hard to resist, but many species of palms draw nutrients from old fronds long after they have begun to yellow or brown. It's a very common mistake to over-prune palm trees, which can weaken the overall plant and rob it of valuable nutrients. In general, remove only fully browned leaves and never cut your palm down to just one or two new fronds.

How to Grow Plam Trees From Seed

For most palms, air layering, cuttings, and division are typically not effective for propagating new trees. Usually, the best way to start a palm tree is from seed, which can be obtained through either a seed catalog or from a flowering tree.

Your first step will be to sprout the seed, which you can do by placing it in a container at least 4 inches deep with a thin layer of soil. Place the container in a warm, humid location while you wait for it to sprout—depending on the varietal, it can take two months or more for the seed to sprout.

Once the seed has sprouted, move the palm somewhere with abundant light and continue allowing it to grow. Feed the palm with a weak liquid fertilizer a few months into its growth period. Once the palm has grown several sets of leaves, you can transplant it into a larger container.

Potting and Repotting Palm Trees

Only repot a palm when it is completely pot bound. Palms often have shallow root systems and do not appreciate being disturbed frequently. Many of the most common palm trees grown indoors want to become trees, and you can slow down growth by keeping them slightly pot-bound. If you don't repot your palm every year, it will grow at a more manageable rate.

Common Pests and Diseases

Indoor palms trees are often prone to potassium deficiency, signaled when the oldest leaves begin to die back, beginning with the tips. A controlled-release potassium supplement is the best treatment. But if the tips of all leaves turn brown, it is often due to excessive fertilizing.

Like other houseplants, spider mites, mealybugs, and scale insects can be a problem, especially if your palm trees are kept close to other houseplants that may be infected. Keep an eye out for telltale signs of infestation and treat the plant promptly using insecticidal soap or horticultural oil such as neem oil.

Article Sources

The Spruce uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

  1. Indoor Palms. Clemson Cooperative Extension.

  2. Palm Diseases and Nutritional Problems. Clemson Cooperative Extension, December 20, 2017

  3. Over-Pruning Harmful to Palms. Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida.

  4. Broschat, Timothy K. Palm Nutrition and Fertilization. American Society for Horticultural Science, 19,4,690-694,2009. doi:10.21273/HORTSCI.19.4.690

We grow a palm tree in an apartment

Russia is predominantly a northern country. Maybe that's why palm trees are so popular with flower growers who grow indoor plants. They bring a bit of southern exoticism into our everyday life. Most representatives of the palm family look very impressive, so interior designers are willing to use them in their work. Almost all representatives of the palm family are tall, they occupy a fairly large space in a home or office. Most palm trees come from the tropics or subtropics. In their natural habitat, palm trees are not limited in growth, so they often reach enormous sizes. In some species, only leaves grow up to 17 m with a two-meter width. But they grow slowly, many species do not require complex care, so flower growers in our country have long and successfully grown many varieties of palm trees in urban apartments. Although the optimal place for growing such plants in captivity is, of course, a winter garden.

There are many types of palm trees that are often found in our apartments. Flower growers call such varieties - house palm trees, cultivating them as houseplants. Depending on the shape of the leaves, home palms are divided into two large groups:

How to care for indoor palms

Usually, palm trees cultivated as indoor plants need a large area. It is advisable to place them in the living room or in the spacious hall. Even if the variety you grow is not too tall, the palm remains a solitary plant, all interference must be eliminated. Keep in mind that cats are often a big threat to house palms, as their leaves can be a welcome treat for pets. Indoor palm trees need minimal care, regular and timely watering, periodic feeding with nutrients, removing dust from the leaves. A certain difficulty can only be caused by a regular transplant, and then when the plant has already reached an impressive size.

A native of the tropics needs light

Palm trees need to be grown in a bright room, into which the sun's rays freely penetrate all day. At the same time, oddly enough, tropical palms prefer bright light, but diffused. Not all of them love direct sunlight, most of them even need shading in the hottest period of spring and summer. It is necessary to protect plants from the sun from 11 o'clock to noon. For shading, it is enough to use light tulle, covering the window with a translucent curtain. But shading is needed only in the summer. From August until the onset of spring, palm trees are not afraid of the sun's rays.

Often palm trees are placed in the dark corners of the room, thus making a big mistake, since there are no indoor plants that would love the shade. There are only shade-tolerant ones. In addition, most palm trees have a fairly spreading crown, which requires uniform lighting. If this condition is not met, then the leaves will grow asymmetrically, which will worsen the decorative effect of the plant. So even a meter away from the window, it's time to think about lighting the palm tree with artificial sources.


Linear LED lamp UNIEL for seedlings and flowering 35W IP40 housing white

Temperature range

It is different for tropical and subtropical palms. The first must be kept warm in winter, while the temperature should not fall below 16 ° C. But excessive heat is also not needed, 24 ° C should be the upper limit. But subtropical palms in winter are kept in rooms with a lower temperature, about 8-12 ° C. Palm trees of any variety do not like drafts, which adversely affect their development. Especially dangerous is the cold air that enters the room during winter ventilation, when both the window and the door are open at the same time. The root system of a palm tree is very sensitive to cold, so pots and planters in which they grow cannot be placed directly on a cold windowsill or marble tile floor. To avoid hypothermia of the root system, a pot with a palm tree growing in it is placed in a larger one or in a wooden barrel, and the space remaining between the walls is insulated by filling it with expanded clay or moss.

Palm trees such as cariota, areca, coconut, acanthophenix, and chamedorea need warmth even in winter. They need a fairly high temperature and high humidity. Wintering in cool rooms should be chamerops, trachycarpus, washingtonia, etc.


How to water palm trees

All representatives of the palm family, including varieties that grow naturally in arid places, love moisture. In the summer they need to be watered almost every day, and plentifully. In winter, watering should be moderate. But only palm trees that grow in loose soil with a light texture and good drainage can be cared for in this way. The main rule that must be observed when watering is that until the next soil of the upper part of the pot, in which the palm tree grows, must have time to dry. Whereas in the depths, the soil mixture should always be slightly moist - not to be confused with damp! It is necessary to choose the frequency of watering, taking into account the air temperature in the room. For example, if a palm tree is kept in a cool room in winter at a temperature of only 5-7 ° C, watering should be carried out extremely rarely. It is enough once every one and a half or even 2 months, sometimes it can be completely replaced with light spraying. After watering, the soil in the pot should be periodically loosened.

Humidity control

Palm trees need a fairly high humidity, the optimum humidity level for them is 40-50%. To ensure it, plants need to be sprayed regularly. This procedure is especially necessary on the hottest days of summer, but in winter - only if your home or office is intensively heated. Excessive dryness of the air can adversely affect the condition of the leaves: their ends will dry out, the plants will lose their decorative effect. You need to spray the palm carefully, directing the sprayer onto the leaf from both sides - both from the top and from the bottom.


Humidifier SCARLETT SC-AH986M22 3.8l 300ml/h white

In winter, in urban apartments, the humidity is about 20-25 percent. In such a situation, spraying becomes only a measure to reduce the criticality of the situation, while watering should not be increased against the usual volume of moisture for this season. The fact is that excessive moisture still does not compensate for the effect of dry air on the condition of the plant. Buying a humidifier can help. Or, at worst, you can hang wet sheets on the radiators. If the palms are still small, then it would be good to place a container with them on a wide pallet filled with wet expanded clay or sphagnum.

Proper transplantation of palm trees

When planning a transplant, you need to prepare the optimal soil mixture to fill the new container for your plant. It should consist of two parts of humus-leaf soil, 2 parts of light clay-soddy soil, 1 part of peat, 1 part of sand, 1 part of completely rotted manure. All this must be mixed by adding a little charcoal to the mixture. Thus, the soil will turn out to be very nutritious, the plant will develop fully. If you take ordinary soil, for example, from a garden or garden plot, or another version of a poorer soil mixture, then it will be impossible to achieve the ideal state of the palm tree, its active development.

Transplantation is carried out in the spring. Young palms that are not yet three years old require an annual transplant. If palm trees cross this line, then they can be replanted every 3-5 years. These plants, like many others, do not like transplanting too much, but if it is done correctly, then the palm tree feels good. An important condition for a competent transplant is the choice of a suitable container for planting. The state of the root system of the palm tree will help determine the pot. If its roots grow in width, approaching the walls of the pot, then the next one must necessarily be of a larger diameter. If the growth of the roots is directed downward, then you can choose a pot of the same diameter as the previous one, but its height should be greater. If during the transplantation process you see that part of the plant's roots are damaged or sick, they are removed, being careful not to damage nearby healthy tissues. Before transplanting palm trees into a pot, you need to place high-quality drainage and a pillow of 3-8 cm of compost. The thickness of the last layer depends on the age of the palm tree and the size of the pot. After that, the plant is placed in a new container and covered with prepared soil mixture. Immediately after transplanting, plants, even if they belong to the sun-loving group, should not be placed under direct sunlight. A couple of weeks after transplanting, watering the plant should be moderate.

If your palm tree is already old enough and its roots protrude strongly from the pot, and transplantation is not yet planned, then they should be covered with wet moss on top. Since adult palm trees are rarely transplanted, while they actively consume nutrients and the soil in the pot becomes depleted, even if you regularly feed the plants in spring and summer, experts recommend removing the top layer of the earth every year, replacing it with fresh soil mixture or compost.


Soil soil universal Zhivaya Zemlya 25l

How and with what to fertilize palm trees

Fertilizers should be used only during the growth period, and not during the dormant season. Palm trees are fed every 2-3 weeks, using fertilizers intended for decorative leafy plants. Before fertilizing, the earthen lump must be well moistened with water. For top dressing, you can use fertilizers such as Ideal, Giant, Uniflor-growth, etc. Palm trees are not fertilized in autumn or winter. Top dressing is also not carried out within 2 months after the palm tree is transplanted into a new soil mixture.

Plant hygiene

To protect the palm tree from attack by pests such as thrips, aphids and other species, each leaf must be regularly wiped with a damp sponge. If the plant is small, then it can be completely immersed with leaves in a warm solution of Persian chamomile or green soap. The leaves are kept in the solution for 30 minutes, then they are washed with warm water. In winter, palm trees, as we have said, need to be sprayed. In summer, they can be taken out into the rain or placed in the shower, if the size of the plant allows it.

How palms are propagated

You can try growing palm trees from seeds. This does not guarantee 100% success and not everyone succeeds. The fact is that the seeds of these plants lose their germination capacity in a short time. It takes about 20-30 days to germinate fresh seeds. If the seeds are already 3-4 years old, then, under the condition of soil heating, they germinate even later - this will take from 2 to 4 months. It is better to buy fresh seeds, and do it in serious flower shops.

Before sowing, large-sized seeds with a hard shell are carefully filed without damaging the inside of the seed. If the seeds are small, and their shell is also hard, then you need to place the material for 3-4 days in warm water, the temperature of which should be approximately 35 °. The best time to sow seeds is late winter or early spring. Seeds should be soaked in warm water before sowing. Pots for seedlings are prepared small, not exceeding 15 cm in height. Otherwise, the roots of developing seedlings grow rapidly down. The bottom of the containers should have one or more holes so that excess moisture flows out through them after watering.

Each pot is supplied with drainage, after which it is filled with a soil mixture, which includes soddy soil, diluted with coarse sand in a ratio of one to three. A layer of 4 cm thick is poured over the soil mixture, consisting of pure river sand. Palm seeds are sown in it, deepening them by no more than 2-3 cm. There should be a distance of 3.5 cm between the seeds.

From above, the soil is covered with a thin layer of moss, this allows you to maintain its wet state. Germinate seeds at a temperature of 22 ° C for subtropical palms, but if you have sown seeds of tropical varieties, the germination regime should be higher - 28-30 ° C. Watering seedlings should be carried out daily, the water temperature should be warm or room temperature. When the first leaf of germinated seedlings grows to 8 cm, small palms are transplanted into pots with a wider diameter of at least 9see. They need to be filled with a soil mixture, which includes 2 parts of humus, 2 parts of leafy and three parts of soddy soil, as well as 1 part of sand. Good drainage is preliminarily laid at the bottom of the pot. Too long roots of seedlings are not shortened, but simply folded in a spiral and covered with soil mixture. The rest of the seed should never be removed; it will nourish the young plant for some time. The soil after planting should be compacted and watered abundantly.


How to grow a palm tree from seeds. Reproduction of a palm tree division of a bush

Author: Galina Goncharuk Category: indoor plants reprinted: Last amendments:

Content

Prices for indoor palms on the Internet are striking in their diversity. Once I looked at one of the online auctions, and there the wonderful Date Palm is being sold for 400 hryvnias. But Hamedorea is much cheaper. But the problem is that you want, as in the famous cartoon - everything and more. Therefore, such a decision would be quite logical: what can be grown with our own hands, we will propagate and grow it ourselves. Not all palm trees are easy to grow, especially from seed. They hatch for a long time, and they do not soon give the first sprouts. But flower growers are not looking for easy ways. Growing a palm tree is not an easy process, but an interesting one. There are two options: from seeds and the method of dividing the bush.

How to Grow a Palm Tree from Seeds

Growing a palm tree from seeds is probably the most curious and exciting activity that a florist can be interested in. For example, I was very curious: it will germinate - it will not germinate. And since it takes more than six months to wait for an answer, the further the interest, the stronger.

I will tell on the example of Hamedorea seeds. But, in principle, other types of palm trees can be grown in this way. Especially we like to grow date palms.

When buying seeds, you should immediately pay attention to the packaging and expiration dates. Because old palm seeds have very low germination. If they are packed a year ago - do not buy - they will not rise.

For sowing palm seeds, you can take plastic disposable cups (100-200 ml) and make drainage holes at the bottom. We pour soil into them, consisting of sheet earth (1 part), perlite (1 part) and vermiculite (1 part). The mixture should be 1-2 cm below the rim of the cup.

Palm seeds are pre-soaked in water for 5 days. We clean it from the remnants of the fleshy shell. And we file the hard coating a little with the help of an abrasive stone or a file. All this speeds up the germination process.

We water the soil in a cup and bury the seeds of Hamedorea (or other palm tree) into the soil, one in each cup with the sawn part down. It is not necessary to cover the earth.

Then we arrange a greenhouse for seeds - we put a plastic bag on the cup. So moisture will not evaporate from the ground. We put the cups with seeds in a warm (at least 25-27 ° C) and well-lit (at least 10-12 hours) place.

Now we are waiting for the seeds to germinate. We water constantly. We ventilate once a day. And we are waiting. For a long time. The seeds of some palms germinate from six months to 9 months.

When the sprouts are 2-4 cm long, transplant each into an individual permanent pot using palm soil. The first year, a young palm tree should be well shaded from direct sunlight.

Propagation of palm trees by dividing the bush

Not many palm trees propagate by branching or dividing the bush. Of the widespread ones, for example, Hamedorea. Other types of palms are either impossible to propagate in this way, or too troublesome.

But in the case of Hamedorea, propagation of palm in this way is preferable than from seeds. This way you will get results faster. If you have to wait about six months from the seeds of the sprout, then 4-6 weeks will go to rooting by dividing the bush. And after 4 months you will get a young plant.

Separation of the young bush from the main one should be carried out during the growing season - best in May. At this time, transplantation of already mature palms is usually carried out. So, during transplantation, you need to separate the young branch, which is located on the side. It is better to take a process no higher than 25 cm, so that it takes root more easily. Also, a young Hamedorea bush should have flexible stems, a fully formed small branch and its own roots.

We release the roots of an adult palm tree and a process from the ground (so that it was clear where to cut). Carefully separate the young bush with a knife, while cutting the connecting roots as close as possible to the main part of the palm tree. Sprinkle slices with charcoal, crushed into powder.

In a pot (small size) pour soil for palm trees or a mixture of leaf humus (2 parts), soddy soil (1 part) and perlite (2 parts). We place a shoot there, water it and sprinkle it with soil. We also plant an adult plant, but already in fresh soil.

We put the young Hamedorea for rooting in a warm place (temperature about 30-35°C). If possible, you can make a frame over the pot from a thin wire and pull a transparent bag over it to make a greenhouse. This is especially recommended if the house is not very warm even in May. If without a greenhouse, then the desired humidity can be provided by constant spraying.

Watering is also needed frequently, but as the topsoil dries out. This is important, as excessive watering can rot the roots. In this way, watering the branch differs from watering the seeds - it needs a lot of soil moisture.

If you did everything right, then the new Hamedorea palm will take root in a month.

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