Joey palm (Johannesteijsmannia altifrons) needs repotting

[piping plovers]

I was wondering why my potted Joey palm (Johannesteijsmannia altifrons) was not sitting level on the shelf, until I picked it up and noticed roots growing out and under the pot (photo below). Am dreading having to repot it knowing how they dislike any root disturbance.  However, last autumn I was having to water it every 4 days or so and it used to be able to go 10 days without watering, so I knew the time was coming for a bigger pot.  I last repotted it 2 years ago when I adopted it in April 2017 (Photo below).  When I received it from grower it was potted in a wet peaty mixture, awful media for the plant.  I repotted it in 2017 and the root ball completely crumbled and I had a bare root Joey in my hand; yes, I felt a wave of panic. I figured it was doomed after that but it has flourished ever since.  Photo below taken this week (May 2019).  It put out its largest leaf ever and sending another one up.  In the coming weeks I’ll remove it from pot and send along photo of the roots while I decide what to do about the next pot size.  It really enjoys the summers outdoors in New England; it is a surprisingly low maintenance houseplant and I am also surprised that it grows even in the winter months.

[PalmatierMeg]

They are very root sensitive so you must take care not to jostle them too much. When I repotted mine I sliced my black plastic pot apart with a razor knife and removed it piecemeal from the rootball. That included cutting off the bottom without disturbing any roots protruding through drain holes. Then I transferred the plant to a waiting (plastic) pot with new soil mix. I recommend you don't invest in decorative ceramic or resin pots that will have to be broken or wrestled with next repotting time. Better to sacrifice a pot than to lose your valuable palm. When you repot maintain the soil line on the stem - do not bury the stem deeper than it was.

Both of my altifrons survived and are doing well today. Good luck and keep us updated.

[piping plovers]

Thank you PalmatierMeg, as always, for your timely advice and thoughtful reply.  Yes, I am 100% with you on the easily cuttable plastic pots.  I remember reading a post awhile ago about the Joey's roots adhering to a pot and then quick demise after the difficult repotting.  I have been resigned to using a cheap nursery liner pot that I can easily deconstruct when repotting time comes.  The liner can always go into a heaver, more decorative cache pot if needed.  Yes, I will keep you all updated on this project.  How long have you been growing your altifrons in containers?

 

[PalmatierMeg]

1 hour ago, piping plovers said:

How long have you been growing your altifrons in containers?

One for about 4 years. The second for 2-3 years. They are slow growing

[Missi]

GREAT JOB!!!

I somehow repotted my first Joey altifrons, and later my J. magnifica with surprisingly no issues at all as well. However, I have the benefit of the Florida heat and relative humidity (repotted late spring when regular rains started). I was extremely gentle when removing them from their original pots (usually I like to reuse pots, but these I cut) and I used a very very coarse potting media with just a pinch of organic potting soil and fine pine bark. Their pots sit in shallow pans of water. I have a J. lanceolata and hope it does as well as the other two species.
Another note, since reading somewhere that they grow in soils with limestone, I've put my altifrons out in the shadehouse and water it with my icky alkaline Florida well water as an experiment. I also put it in part sun and after a couple toasted leaves, it is actually doing quite well. Prior to that I watered it with only rain or distilled water and kept it in shade.

I love Joey palm chat! Thanks for sharing your info and photos with us!!

[piping plovers]

Thank You Missi for the kind words and for sharing your experience with repotting the Joeys.  I love Joey Palm chat too.   Also, what an interesting experiment with the alkaline well water; I am curious to know how that works out for you.  The J. lanceolate that you have, was that very difficult to find?  I read online that they were extinct in the wild.  If so, you are now a steward with the noble responsibility of helping to carry on this amazing palm species!  When I was in SWFL last winter I made a trip across to Homestead and did see some J. magnificas at a nursery.  Too large to bring home, though.  

 

[piping plovers]

I finally repotted my 1 gallon size Joey this evening.  Some pics below.  My choice of pot sizes were either a 2 gallon nursery pot or a home-made tall 1 gallon (3 pots stacked on each other, super-glued,  with bottoms cut out for the top 2 nested pots).  Pic below.  Before even looking at the root ball I assumed that the 2 gal would be too big; I didn’t want the Joey swimming in all that mix. The stacked gal pots gave me more depth without changing the width.  When I removed the root ball it was clear that the roots were seeking to go lower more so than wider (pic below).  Hopefully I made the right choice not using the 2 gal.  Do you think the roots will be too confined not going wider?  I figure this repot will buy me another year or so while I search for a better pot rather than my home-made solution of stacking pots.  I was losing daylight and will post a better pic of the final repot soon.

[piping plovers]

To better display the added depth of the stacked pots, am uploading repotted Joey pic with improved lighting today...and hey, if this works out for Joey I may have 12 stacked pots or something in the future ;))

[Missi]

On 5/24/2019 at 10:12 PM, piping plovers said:

Thank You Missi for the kind words and for sharing your experience with repotting the Joeys.  I love Joey Palm chat too.   Also, what an interesting experiment with the alkaline well water; I am curious to know how that works out for you.  The J. lanceolate that you have, was that very difficult to find?  I read online that they were extinct in the wild.  If so, you are now a steward with the noble responsibility of helping to carry on this amazing palm species!  When I was in SWFL last winter I made a trip across to Homestead and did see some J. magnificas at a nursery.  Too large to bring home, though.  

 

Thank you!

I acquired my J. lanceolata from Floribunda (same place I acquired my J. magnifica)! Suchin had posted a pic of their large specimens and I was instantly in love with them. I inquired whether they had any available. Low and behold, they did! This August I will have had it for 2 years. Inquire with them! Perhaps they still have some. Might not show up on their online inventory is they have a small quantity.

 

EDIT: What a great idea to make a deeper pot! When I repotted my altifrons, I potted it into a pot that was probably a bit too large for it. It's doing just fine though. However, I use very little organic potting media with it - mainly clay balls, black lava stones, some other fine baked clay pebbles and turface, coarse pumice, super fine pine bark, then a pinch of potting soil. IMHO, you made a good decision using the pot you chose.

[piping plovers]

Thanks Missi for that info on your inorganic Joey potting mix; I liked the "pinch of potting soil" for good measure.  LOL.  Also, I appreciate the info on Floribunda.  I recall seeing Floribunda mentioned in the forum posts over the years, but it just didn't register with me that they were a palm grower--I was probably thinking floribunda roses or something.  I will try to find a J. lanceolata.  

AND NOW, if the forum community will just humor me with one more crazy photo of my Joey  :))  I found this nice ceramic cache pot with a big drainage hole to set the Joey in.  It masks the gawky "home-made" pot rim and adds stability, visual weight.  Photo below.

 

 

[piping plovers]

Update on my 3 stacked pots idea.  Well,  three months after repotting I was surprised / disappointed to see a large root poking through the drainage hole.  I suppose I shouldn't complain about root growth, but I was hoping this repot would be fine for a few years as I get uneasy disturbing the Joey's roots.  I decided to stack 6 pots total to give depth but not width.  Seems to me that the roots like to be deeper than wider on this plant.  Some photos below:  I cut off the bottom of the pot, added mix to 3 more stacked pots and then just slid the joey (still in the original 3 pots) on top of the new 3 stacked pots.  I think that adds 3" of root depth without too much additional width.

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

Looking very happy, beautiful palm your growing 

[piping plovers]

Thank you!  Am enjoying the challenge of growing this potted palm.

 

5 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

Looking very happy, beautiful palm your growing 

 

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

12 minutes ago, piping plovers said:

Thank you!  Am enjoying the challenge of growing this potted palm.

 

 

One day I'll be up for the challenge =) I definitely need some more experience with less fussy palms haha 

[realarch]

Looking great Joe! Not one of the easiest palms to grow. I’ve seen fairly large ones here that have been in pots ‘for years’, and look great.

Tim

[piping plovers]

On 12/26/2019 at 1:18 PM, realarch said:

Looking great Joe! Not one of the easiest palms to grow. I’ve seen fairly large ones here that have been in pots ‘for years’, and look great.

Tim

Tim, Thank you!  It's good to know they can stay in the same pot for years.  And Hilo, HI - what an enviable growing location you are in.