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Will cast iron plant choke out Rhapis and Chamaedorea?

southlatropical

By southlatropical
in DISCUSSING PALM TREES WORLDWIDE

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southlatropical Community Regular

southlatropical

Posted
Posted

I like to use the shade loving cast iron plant (Aspidistra elatior) throughout my landscape. I think it looks great in mass plantings and it keeps the weeds out. I have some C. microspadix and C. radicalis (trunking) along with Rhapis excelsa and multifida that will be planted out sometime next spring and would like to use cast iron plant to fill in between them.

Fordoche, LA

USDA zone 8b

National Arbor Day zone 9

AHS zone 9

Sunset zone 28

Gulf Coast climate with long hot and humid growing season, but short winters are cold and wet with several frosts. Typical lowest temp of between 22F-26F each winter with around a dozen or so nights below freezing.

DoomsDave Grand Master

DoomsDave

Posted
Posted

Doink!

I'm curious to know myself, and, frankly a little fearful.

Aspidistra (yeah, yeah, kiss my . . . .) is a tough thing, and, where it's happy, tends to run amok. At least here in California. And while not much can crowd out Rhapis and Chamadorea, Aspidistra could turn out to be one of those few plants that can.

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southlatropical Community Regular

southlatropical

Posted
  • Author
Posted

But if it does not choke them out. You could plant the rhapis and forget about it without even having to weed around that slow growing sucker. Aspidistra roots are pretty shallow and they do not require much in terms of nutrients.

Fordoche, LA

USDA zone 8b

National Arbor Day zone 9

AHS zone 9

Sunset zone 28

Gulf Coast climate with long hot and humid growing season, but short winters are cold and wet with several frosts. Typical lowest temp of between 22F-26F each winter with around a dozen or so nights below freezing.

Tala Rising Star

Tala

Posted
Posted

no worries for the Rhapis, they grow off runners that penetrate the tiniest openings. I've planted them w/ the cast irons for many yrs, often in confined beds, never any issues. But the c/i plants will intrude on Chams, they don't have much of a root system. But for their purposes they don't need much room, they root on limestone rock in many habitats. You should be fine w/ radicalis and microspadix. Its the dainty species I would try to block off room for.

- dave

mnorell Veteran

mnorell

Posted
Posted

I use Aspidistra here among Rhapis, Livistona, Cham. microspadix and radicalis, Sabal, and many, many other plants. They are never any trouble. And if their shallow, skinny little rhizomes move too close to your beloved palms, they can be cut easily with a spade and offending portions removed, repotted/moved etc. These are one of the delights of the landscape here IMHO, and you shouldn't try to find any excuse not to use them! Just make sure they're not growing in the sun. They look horrible, bleached and tattered there. Too often they are grown unwittingly under these conditions with very poor results. In shade, a well-maintained Aspidistra is trouble-free, slow-moving and invasiveness would take you several years of paying no attention whatsoever to them.

Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

Eric in Orlando Grand Master

Eric in Orlando

Posted
Posted

Nothing will choke out R. excelsa once it gets going. Its a vigorous spreader.

Eric

Orlando, FL

zone 9b/10a

southlatropical Community Regular

southlatropical

Posted
  • Author
Posted

That's great. Rhapis and Aspidistra planted together would be nearly zero maintenance.

Fordoche, LA

USDA zone 8b

National Arbor Day zone 9

AHS zone 9

Sunset zone 28

Gulf Coast climate with long hot and humid growing season, but short winters are cold and wet with several frosts. Typical lowest temp of between 22F-26F each winter with around a dozen or so nights below freezing.

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