Caring for a Bismarckia indoors?

[Palmfarmer]

Hey, I recently got a bismarckia sent to me from sunny Veracruz Mexico. However i am in the mountains in Durango at 1890 meters above sea level a lot further north. due too it not being established here I Imidietly put it inside my house as the Artic blast was approaching in a southeeast facing window that gets a good amount of sunlight. 

Currently i have given it 1-2 liter of water every other day, its in a small growing bag but i plan on buying a pot for it tomorrow since the roots are showing trough the bottom. 

In februrary its spring here and i plan to plant it out in the ground then. Is there anything i Should do differently? is it a big chance it will go into shock now? . Will it go doormat? (the sun is pretty strong even in winter here) Any suggestions would be Appriciated

 

 

[Fusca]

Sounds like a good plan, but take care with the roots as they are quite sensitive to root disturbance.  If you plan to keep it in that spot indoors I would cut back on the water.  I'm sure you won't see much if any new growth before you plant it outside but once the hot weather returns it should grow well and appreciate extra water at that time.  I would also plan to keep it in the same spot where you put it in the ground and give it a lot of room since transplanting it would be very risky.  It looks good - just a little stretched out likely from being grown in shade.  Hope it does well for you!

Jon

[Kim]

What do you mean by "arctic blast"? This palm can tolerate some cold, into the high 20's F. Unless you truly mean arctic, like lows below 25F, I would place it outdoors under some tree canopy or roof overhang. I agree you are probably overwatering the palm, especially indoors in a plastic growing bag. Stretch out the watering. Since you intend to plant it in February, leave it in the bag -- disturbing the roots while repotting can kill this palm quickly.

[GottmitAlex]

What are your average lows during winter?

I do not think a bismarckia can survive in the ground in Durango.

[PalmatierMeg]

My initial research indicates winter temps, i.e., Dec/Jan "average" 69F/37F. That looks encouraging on the surface but Durango has historical lows down to 6F. Lows below mid-20s are problems for Bismarckias and 6F is certain death. The other thing I noticed is that summer "average" highs top out in low to mid 80sF. Bismarckias want very high heat and full sun, i.e., they love FL summers of 6 months over 90F and daily sun. Can they take a lukewarm summer followed by months of temps in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s? I don't know but I wouldn't bet my rent on it.

Bismarckias are drought tolerant so watch the water. They aren't known to make good houseplants because of their need for heat, sun and high light. I suggest you let it stay outdoors as long as temps stay above freezing. Don't repot or otherwise mess with its roots. Don't let its container sit on bare ground to prevent roots penetrating the dirt.

[Rickybobby]

I agree on the watering I only water my indoor bismarks when the soil down to my knuckle gets dry. Not every other day. I provide mine with 77f heat and led lighting and so far so good ! 

[Palmfarmer]

5 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

My initial research indicates winter temps, i.e., Dec/Jan "average" 69F/37F. That looks encouraging on the surface but Durango has historical lows down to 6F. Lows below mid-20s are problems for Bismarckias and 6F is certain death. The other thing I noticed is that summer "average" highs top out in low to mid 80sF. Bismarckias want very high heat and full sun, i.e., they love FL summers of 6 months over 90F and daily sun. Can they take a lukewarm summer followed by months of temps in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s? I don't know but I wouldn't bet my rent on it.

Bismarckias are drought tolerant so watch the water. They aren't known to make good houseplants because of their need for heat, sun and high light. I suggest you let it stay outdoors as long as temps stay above freezing. Don't repot or otherwise mess with its roots. Don't let its container sit on bare ground to prevent roots penetrating the dirt.

The Climate has changed a lot over the years so have a look at accuwheaters history for last year starting in March and go forward: https://www.accuweather.com/es/mx/jardines/392746/march-weather/392746?year=2019 as you see there is plenty of heat and for a long time and a pretty short mild winter in terms of daytime temps. Nighttime dips in the winter is the big problem here. Queens grow all over the place here and is planted out at a pretty big scale, Phoenix robelinis are also planted out a lot of places by the goverment, do you think that is a good enough indication? Time will tell. thanks for the input  If it does not work i will go for a Brahea armata but i hear they are very slow growing, but perhaps maybe not here? 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2019 by Palmfarmer

[GottmitAlex]

1 hour ago, Palmfarmer said:

The Climate has changed a lot over the years so have a look at accuwheaters history for last year starting in March and go forward: https://www.accuweather.com/es/mx/jardines/392746/march-weather/392746?year=2019 as you see there is plenty of heat and for a long time and a pretty short mild winter in terms of daytime temps. Nighttime dips in the winter is the big problem here. Queens grow all over the place here and is planted out at a pretty big scale, Phoenix robelinis are also planted out a lot of places by the goverment, do you think that is a good enough indication? Time will tell. thanks for the input  If it does not work i will go for a Brahea armata but i hear they are very slow growing, but perhaps maybe not here? 

 

 

I suggest get a thermometer and take note of the day's highs and lows.  

The truth is it's getting colder before it's getting any warmer. 

Edited November 15, 2019 by GottmitAlex

[Jeff985]

I think it’ll do fine there. A couple years ago Houston experienced a hard freeze. The western suburbs dipped down into the teens. All bismarkias that I know of survived. About a third of the queens in that area died and I don’t know of any roebeleniis that survived in that area. The ones in the pictures are in Rosenberg, TX, west of Houston. They would have experienced 16-18f with freezing rain. 

[GottmitAlex]

Best of luck to you!

[Jim in Los Altos]

11 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

Hey, I recently got a bismarckia sent to me from sunny Veracruz Mexico. However i am in the mountains in Durango at 1890 meters above sea level a lot further north. due too it not being established here I Imidietly put it inside my house as the Artic blast was approaching in a southeeast facing window that gets a good amount of sunlight. 

Currently i have given it 1-2 liter of water every other day, its in a small growing bag but i plan on buying a pot for it tomorrow since the roots are showing trough the bottom. 

In februrary its spring here and i plan to plant it out in the ground then. Is there anything i Should do differently? is it a big chance it will go into shock now? . Will it go doormat? (the sun is pretty strong even in winter here) Any suggestions would be Appriciated

 

 

Looks like you have plenty of summer heat for Bismarckia if this chart is accurate for your area. I’d be a bit concerned with unusual cold if it goes below low 20s for a maturing Bismarckia and below mid 20s for a very young one. It’s easy to throw frost cloth over it while it’s young if needed. If you plan on planting it in February, I’d leave it in its bag. No sense disturbing it and possibly stressing it by repotting. Water when the soil feels dry a couple inches down. It’s best to water thoroughly so water is flowing from the drain hole freely and then let it dry out several days. I have a really big one in my SF Bay Area garden in partial sun. We don’t get a whole lot of heat here but it doesn’t seem to matter but our winters are mild (no frost usually). 

[GottmitAlex]

7 hours ago, Jim in Los Altos said:

Looks like you have plenty of summer heat for Bismarckia if this chart is accurate for your area. I’d be a bit concerned with unusual cold if it goes below low 20s for a maturing Bismarckia and below mid 20s for a very young one. It’s easy to throw frost cloth over it while it’s young if needed. If you plan on planting it in February, I’d leave it in its bag. No sense disturbing it and possibly stressing it by repotting. Water when the soil feels dry a couple inches down. It’s best to water thoroughly so water is flowing from the drain hole freely and then let it dry out several days. I have a really big one in my SF Bay Area garden in partial sun. We don’t get a whole lot of heat here but it doesn’t seem to matter but our winters are mild (no frost usually). 

Yeah that's Durango, TX. Not Durango, Mexico.

 

 

[sonoranfans]

If its a nightime dip and the air is dry these can take to the low 20's.  I had a few in arizona and it hit 21F, one of 4 died and that one was near a rose garden(big mistake).  That was a short cold spell, it was 55F for a high that day and it went above freezing an hour after sunrise due to the desert sun.  These dont like continually wet roots, keep them away from flower beds if you want them to be really happy.  I would not plant one of these near a queen because adequately watering a queen may mean killing the bizzie or significantly reducing its stress resistance to cold.   A happy bismarck grows DEEP roots and if the soil doesnt dry cycle deep, they cant do that.

[richnorm]

14 hours ago, Palmfarmer said:

. Queens grow all over the place here and is planted out at a pretty big scale, Phoenix robelinis are also planted out a lot of places by the goverment, do you think that is a good enough indication? Time will tell. thanks for the input  If it does not work i will go for a Brahea armata but i hear they are very slow growing, but perhaps maybe not here? 

 

 

Yes, that is a great indication.  Give them as much sun and airflow as you can. Braheas (like Biskarckias) do best when planted in the ground and then grow at a similar rate in heat deprived climates.  I remember well being told not to bother with Bismarkcias but I tried anyway and it worked. None of my plants have seen 30c!

[Jim in Los Altos]

16 hours ago, GottmitAlex said:

Yeah that's Durango, TX. Not Durango, Mexico.

 

 

Looks like Durango, Mexico’s climate is better than Durango, TX. There’s certainly a lot more heat there than I have in Los Altos.