Too small to plant?

[DALION]

I was wondering since palms grow better in the ground should I plant one? I have seven so losing one wouldn't hurt. I was thinking of planting one in the ground with some shade cloth protection and seeing if it would survive and flourish better than those in the pot. Any thoughts?

[Cindy Adair]

Plenty big enough to fend for themselves in Puerto Rico, but better listen to the Cali growers about your conditions.... Nice seedlings!

[Kim]

What is it? Dypsis...?

[Kostas]

If planted in an area with well amended soil and suitable light conditions,it should do great in the ground. But since its a baby,and probably of a slow growing species,its not really very convenient to plant somewhere you have to protect it with shadecloth. It ends up pretty hot and dry under it which is not the best,and long term(it will take at least a few years to start looking like something that can fend for itself,so the long term counts) its quite probable to lose it in such a setting from a mishap . Plus cats like it under low shadecloths and can be found sleeping on seedlings like this one,much to the seedling's detriment. I have planted much tinier seedlings in the ground and have done fine while their potted siblings died,but its only convenient and viable when planted in suitable conditions for their likings,where you need to do nothing other than stand back and forget about it(but not that much that you step on it,speaking of experience but thankfully they can survive even that if the soil is good and soft). There, they really flourish and grow faster and robust,elsewhere,they perish.

Good luck with it!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Don't, I learned the hard way this Winter, lost several things to missteps.

[Sabal Steve]

I've been planting small palms (and leaving them in the pots) this winter, time will tell... I've been making lots of slices down the sides of the pots for the roots to eventually escape. If done right, root damage should be absent, and it probably wont realize that it's in the ground till summer.

Edited January 21, 2014 by Sabal Steve

[DALION]

What is it? Dypsis...?

I forgot to mention its a teddy bear triangle cross.

[Kim]

Teddy triangles are pretty tough, but those are really small. Pot up each into a separate pot and keep protected until larger. They do need to be separated, but I wouldn't plant such small palms now. I lost a lot of small Dypsis doing just that.

[KennyRE317]

Ive planted a handful of seedlings including one tribear, archontophoenix myolensis and Beatrice to name a few. The archontos have been in the ground for 2 months with a couple hours of direct sun. The tribear is in full sun and all my potted ones are going in full sun for the summer. I had one seedling last year that went through the entire summer in full sun without a sweat

[KennyRE317]

Just looked at your photo, those are quite a bit smaller than mine, mine are more like small 1gal plants

[DoomsDave]

Dalion:

I'd pot them up in individual gallon pots, then plant them out when they grow to size.

Little bitty plants like yours are a bit fragile, and I'd give them a bit more time. (If you end up with more than you need, you can always sell one or so to me! Or plant them at Bell HS . . . )

[Hammer]

Dalion:

I'd pot them up in individual gallon pots, then plant them out when they grow to size.

Little bitty plants like yours are a bit fragile, and I'd give them a bit more time. (If you end up with more than you need, you can always sell one or so to me! Or plant them at Bell HS . . . )

Or donate them for auction to benefit PSSC!

[DALION]

Dalion:

I'd pot them up in individual gallon pots, then plant them out when they grow to size.

Little bitty plants like yours are a bit fragile, and I'd give them a bit more time. (If you end up with more than you need, you can always sell one or so to me! Or plant them at Bell HS . . . )

I'm sure I'll have one to give you. I bought extras just to make sure I had one or two survive. I do plan on putting one at Bell High. I want to leave a living legacy that also allows others to enjoy one of my passions.

[DALION]

Dalion:

I'd pot them up in individual gallon pots, then plant them out when they grow to size.

Little bitty plants like yours are a bit fragile, and I'd give them a bit more time. (If you end up with more than you need, you can always sell one or so to me! Or plant them at Bell HS . . . )

Or donate them for auction to benefit PSSC!

I'll have enough to do that too.

[Palmdude]

I've had just as good results, maybe better with three gallon pots as in the ground with many seedlings. I think the black pots in the sun warming the soil up seems to do the plants well. The ground stays colder longer. Also you're much less likely to step on a. Three gallon pot.

I wish you a 100% success rate with those baby's!

[Peter Pacific]

Dalion,

I have a couple of red triangles in full Guatemalan sun and they're fine. But, sometimes it's difficult to be patient and I tried this experiment with a few Tahinas that I have. I have six, three I planted very small, about the size of your triangles, and three remained in the pots. The ones in the ground slowed, at least what I can see above ground, tremendously and the three in pots are gorgeous. I'm sure it's all about the roots and water drainage...the sandy soil doesn't hold any moisture and the palms in the pots stay a little wetter. Perhaps you may want to leave them in pots a little longer. Red triangles also like fertilizer so give them as much as possible.

Good Luck, Peter

[LilikoiLee]

"Plus cats like it under low shadecloths and can be found sleeping on seedlings like this one,much to the seedling's detriment"

I am too chicken to put anything smaller than a 1 gallon plant in the ground. When I do plant something small we put a cylinder shaped wire cage over it to keep the cat away. We put shade cloth over the cylinder if the plant is not ready for sun.

Lee

[Pedro 65]

Dalion, they are "Ideal"planting size but wait till spring and erect a little S/clothe above and make the bed nice n deep so the young roots to venture down easily, in ground is better than in pots...

Pete

[Phoenikakias]

If planted in an area with well amended soil and suitable light conditions,it should do great in the ground. But since its a baby,and probably of a slow growing species,its not really very convenient to plant somewhere you have to protect it with shadecloth. It ends up pretty hot and dry under it which is not the best,and long term(it will take at least a few years to start looking like something that can fend for itself,so the long term counts) its quite probable to lose it in such a setting from a mishap . Plus cats like it under low shadecloths and can be found sleeping on seedlings like this one,much to the seedling's detriment. I have planted much tinier seedlings in the ground and have done fine while their potted siblings died,but its only convenient and viable when planted in suitable conditions for their likings,where you need to do nothing other than stand back and forget about it(but not that much that you step on it,speaking of experience but thankfully they can survive even that if the soil is good and soft). There, they really flourish and grow faster and robust,elsewhere,they perish.

Good luck with it!

Don't, I learned the hard way this Winter, lost several things to missteps.

That's what are rabbit cages also for...

[DALION]

"Plus cats like it under low shadecloths and can be found sleeping on seedlings like this one,much to the seedling's detriment"

I am too chicken to put anything smaller than a 1 gallon plant in the ground. When I do plant something small we put a cylinder shaped wire cage over it to keep the cat away. We put shade cloth over the cylinder if the plant is not ready for sun.

Lee

With all the coyotes in my neighborhood I have never seen a live cat.

Dalion, they are "Ideal"planting size but wait till spring and erect a little S/clothe above and make the bed nice n deep so the young roots to venture down easily, in ground is better than in pots...

Pete

That's what I was hoping to do in the spring with one or two to see if it out grows the potted ones.

[Stevetoad]

I was hoping you would plant it out. I have 3 the same size and was thinking of planting one out too. Now I'm not so sure

[DALION]

I was hoping you would plant it out. I have 3 the same size and was thinking of planting one out too. Now I'm not so sure

Steve I will plant one out. Even though we have this summer like winter right now I dont want a cold spell to kill it so I am going to wait until late February to plant it. I'll make sure to take pics of the progress and post them.

[Palmdude]

ThAt would be an interesting experiment, I'd love to see the comparison in growth, of course they would need to be next to eachother, receiving the same light so that all things are equal except for pot vs ground. Of course soil conditions would be different but I guess that's one of the factors involved in the experiment ))))

[Pedro 65]

Dalion,

do Palms in their natural environment grow in pots

Good size Palms in pots is for the Nursery industry and "most" people planting palms "should" plant a good size palm BUT if your into Palms and you "will care for them", you will get much better results and faster growth by planting the size you show, they look 12"high , and already have the pinnate leaves.

Dalion, I "could rave on" but to shorten a rave , here is 2 fine examples of keeping a small palm in pot then potting on on compered to going "in ground" at young suitable size.

Below pics of palms in pot near in ground palm "are the same age"

Palms in pics are Clinostigma harlandii and Dypsis sp hybrid ( which grow fast and your palms are Dypsis hybrids)

Your call Dalion, but Palmtalk to me is about "grabbing good info AND sharing good info.

All best in "your decision"

Pete

[Kennybenjamin]

Sorry off topic here but Pete do you know the parentage of that hybrid?

[Pedro 65]

Sorry off topic here but Pete do you know the parentage of that hybrid?

Ben, I bought it off the late Great Rich Trapnell as Robusta/Tokoravina in 2007 as seedlings ( 51/2" pots but v small, below pics show the 2007 Rosebud list, the hybrid is circled with 20 near it)) which the seed came from the Big Island Pete

Its certainly a hybrid as its "much faster' than whats "called canaliculata" which is the big dark green Dypsis in background

btw Ben...note the "Twist" in the leaf

[richnorm]

I use hanging baskets turned upside-down to protect from falling debris and animals and wooden surrounds to hold mulch and provide a little extra shelter.. You have a few so no harm in trialing a couple in the ground, you might learn something.

[NApalm]

DO IT!!! (in spring)

[DALION]

Well, I did it. After looking at the 10 day forecast I decided to just plant a couple out in the garden. Here is what they look like after they were planted. Let's see what it looks like in the year and years to come.

[Stevetoad]

Well done.

[MattyB]

Overpotting stuff in too big of a pot can sometimes be detrimental, but I did just that with my tribear, and it is thriving. These are strong growers. I think yours will do great!

[Sabal Steve]

Overpotting stuff in too big of a pot can sometimes be detrimental, but I did just that with my tribear, and it is thriving. These are strong growers. I think yours will do great!

I agree with this. I've overpotted things because I thought that a bigger pot would speed growth and let the roots flourish, but the palms sit there and do nothing for a while - at least with some of the ones that I've tried. The CIDP's did fine though.

[DALION]

Overpotting stuff in too big of a pot can sometimes be detrimental, but I did just that with my tribear, and it is thriving. These are strong growers. I think yours will do great!

Those were seed grown into that pot. I put them in there once the seeds sprouted. The picture was when I was debating to plant some out or just repot. I have now planted two and potted the others into gallon containers. Now to see which grows faster.

As you see in the pictures one has protection via shade cloth and the other is exposed. Both are in very sunny areas so lets see what happens. If I need to shade the other one due to it burning in the sun, I will but I'm thinking it will be just fine without the protection.

[DALION]

Overpotting stuff in too big of a pot can sometimes be detrimental, but I did just that with my tribear, and it is thriving. These are strong growers. I think yours will do great!

I agree with this. I've overpotted things because I thought that a bigger pot would speed growth and let the roots flourish, but the palms sit there and do nothing for a while - at least with some of the ones that I've tried. The CIDP's did fine though.

Maybe what you thought was just sitting there and doing nothing was actually "focussed root growth." Not everything is at it appears.