Wodyetia Bifurcata in Pot

[nitsua0895]

Does anybody have experience with growing these in pots? Do they prefer lots of moisture or drier soil? And whay type of PH do they like? I used a mixture of potting soil, perlite, and then a light layer of sand on top. 

I've been looking up their native enviornment and it seems they receive lots of rain during part of the year and then experience a very dry period as well so I assume they would tolerate drier conditions. 

 

 

 

[Phoenikakias]

Imo it needs a good amount of acid soil, but medium should have also nothing less than excellent drainage. I have a very positive experience so far with a start with pumice and then adding amounts of a very light mixture consisting of coir, zeolite, perlite, pine bark (yes again) and some organic soil.  I use also an organic fertilizer.

[sashaeffer]

In a pot outdoors?  or in?

[nitsua0895]

21 minutes ago, sashaeffer said:

In a pot outdoors?  or in?

Outdoors from March-November and just brought inside during winter nights while it's still small enough to pick up.

 

1 hour ago, Phoenikakias said:

Imo it needs a good amount of acid soil, but medium should have also nothing less than excellent drainage. I have a very positive experience so far with a start with pumice and then adding amounts of a very light mixture consisting of coir, zeolite, perlite, pine bark (yes again) and some organic soil.  I use also an organic fertilizer.

What's the best way to acidify soil in your experience? 

[jreich85]

I can't speak for soil acidity, but I am growing a few in pots right now in a topsoil/ peat/ sand/ perlite mixture and they seem to like it. I actually keep them fairly wet, even since I brought them indoors in early January. Their pots are actually coffee ground containers.

[sashaeffer]

22 hours ago, nitsua0895 said:

Outdoors from March-November and just brought inside during winter nights while it's still small enough to pick up.

 

What's the best way to acidify soil in your experience? 

I love this species of palm and they love being outside during the summer months in my climate. They look good, grow fast.......but they hate being indoors and can be a spider mite magnet as well so while they decline just from being inside, the spider mites are sucking them dry. Those are just challenges to over come. First  DO NOT water much at all when indoors, and while they love sunlight don't put them close to a window where spider mites like it too, but keep away from window but in as much bright light as you can. A palm collector friend of mine told me she has/had a double together in a pot in Canada and she keeps hers in a unheated, but well insulated barn that doesn't drop below 40f and she doesn't water it all winter. She has to S L O W L Y ease it out into the sunlight and warmth in the spring time. She did say she lost one of the two from a longer cold spell. Even then she said it never looks great in the summer as it takes too long to recover.

All that being said, I have a 6ft one that I was keeping inside again this winter and while it was pushing a new spear quickly, the leaves on existing branches were not looking good and I was fighting spider mites. Since the palm was only $15 to buy I stuck it out in my garage to over winter with my cold hardy potted palms in hopes it would go into some sort of hibernation and it seems to have done just that. Spear slowed it's growth and no more decline of leaves....and no spider mites in the coolness of garage.

 

Two yeas ago I bought and planted seeds which have come up nicely into small palms and these will never ever go outside so all they know is indoor environment. So far...they look great but just don't grow as fast. Time will tell.

[nitsua0895]

4 minutes ago, sashaeffer said:

I love this species of palm and they love being outside during the summer months in my climate. They look good, grow fast.......but they hate being indoors and can be a spider mite magnet as well so while they decline just from being inside, the spider mites are sucking them dry. Those are just challenges to over come. First  DO NOT water much at all when indoors, and while they love sunlight don't put them close to a window where spider mites like it too, but keep away from window but in as much bright light as you can. A palm collector friend of mine told me she has/had a double together in a pot in Canada and she keeps hers in a unheated, but well insulated barn that doesn't drop below 40f and she doesn't water it all winter. She has to S L O W L Y ease it out into the sunlight and warmth in the spring time. She did say she lost one of the two from a longer cold spell. Even then she said it never looks great in the summer as it takes too long to recover.

All that being said, I have a 6ft one that I was keeping inside again this winter and while it was pushing a new spear quickly, the leaves on existing branches were not looking good and I was fighting spider mites. Since the palm was only $15 to buy I stuck it out in my garage to over winter with my cold hardy potted palms in hopes it would go into some sort of hibernation and it seems to have done just that. Spear slowed it's growth and no more decline of leaves....and no spider mites in the coolness of garage.

 

Two yeas ago I bought and planted seeds which have come up nicely into small palms and these will never ever go outside so all they know is indoor environment. So far...they look great but just don't grow as fast. Time will tell.

I'm able to put mine outside almost every day of the year but about 40 nights a winter I have to bring it inside when the temps drop to 25-32F. I'm glad I don't live very far north but we have such long and humid summers that it's frustrating I'll never be able to plant mine while I live here.

The black pot I have it in now can get really hot when the sun is out no matter what the temperature is so will overheating be a problem during the summer months? As for watering I'll probably just rely on rain unless we go a long time without it. 

I've had mine for two months and so far it hasn't pushed out a new spear. I'm going to apply some organic fertilizer soon and hope that speeds it up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sashaeffer]

Well while the palm itself loves heat and sun maybe you can paint the pot white? or surround it with other smaller potted palms/plants to help shade it? Not sure what the heat tolerance of the roots would be. I do know they love their water in the heat of the summer and almost can't over water them.