Bottle palm advice

[John2468]

Hey everyone!! I bought myself a bottle palm and I need some advice on how to care for it. Thanks!!

[Merlyn]

Are you planning on keeping it in a pot, or planting it?  Generally speaking Bottles (Hyophorbe Lagenicaulis) want lots of sun, water and fertilizer.  Palms should generally not have lawnscape sprinklers on them, as it can lead to fungal rot.  But otherwise a Bottle is a very adaptable palm in your area, and doesn't get too huge.  They'll get to around 6' total diameter and take many years to grow a lot in height.  And you can keep them in pots almost indefinitely, if you want a nice patio palm!

[PalmatierMeg]

Agree with @Merlyn. It should be hardy in the ground for you. My two in Cape Coral suffer only minor foliage damage in winter.

[John2468]

I’m planning to keep it in a pot for as long as I could. They get 5 hours of full sun and I water every week and fertilise every 2 months. It doesn’t get hit by sprinklers.

[Merlyn]

Gotcha, the Bottle is a great palm for pots.  The pot you have it in looks like a reasonable size for the palm's current size.  Somewhere in the 5-10 gallon is a good spot for these, and a slightly small pot isn't a big deal for Bottles or Spindles.  You could probably grow it in a pot that size for maybe 2 more years, then step up to a slightly larger one. 

For potted palms you want good drainage and a loose mixture.  This makes sure that water doesn't sit in there for hours (or days) and cause root rot.  A general mix recommended here is equal parts topsoil, perlite, and Turface MVP (fired / expanded clay pebbles).  That's what I use for my nursery and potted palms.  If you plan on having several palms in pots it would be worth stopping at your local Ewing Irrigation and picking up a bag of Turface MVP for $12 or so.  If you only are doing the one palm, then I've also read recommendations to use "Cactus soil" with about 30% extra perlite tossed in.  The key on all of this is to make sure that when you water it, the water sinks down through pretty quickly and the excess drains out the bottom.  If you pour water in the top and it sits there for a couple of minutes then the soil is too dense and will eventually rot the roots.

Here's a photo of one of my poor Bottles in a pot.  It got a bit frost burned in Dec/Jan, and I keep moving it around and neglecting it.  The pot is about 15" diameter at the top and 10" tall, and is narrower at the bottom.  If you get a new pot make sure it opens towards the top.  If you get one that narrows towards the top then it'll be a nightmare to repot it later.  You'll have to cut roots or break the pot to get it back out!

[John2468]

The plant is still in its nursey pot when I bought it, I lifted the plant higher and added more soil in the bottom. The soil I use is a mixture of Miracle Gro potting mix added with some orchid bark and more perlite.

[John2468]

50% potting mix, 30% orchid bark and 20% perlite

Edited March 9, 2021 by John2468

[Merlyn]

I'd guess that will work, though I haven't personally used Miracle Gro potting mix or orchid bark.  Miracle Gro's potting mix gets a bad rap here because it tends to compact and hold too much water.  But if you've added extra perlite and orchid bark it should work okay.  As long as it drains well, Bottle palms aren't too fussy!

[JLM]

1 hour ago, Merlyn said:

I'd guess that will work, though I haven't personally used Miracle Gro potting mix or orchid bark.  Miracle Gro's potting mix gets a bad rap here because it tends to compact and hold too much water.  But if you've added extra perlite and orchid bark it should work okay.  As long as it drains well, Bottle palms aren't too fussy!

Mine hates me because i didnt acclimate it to the sun correctly. The new spear looks nice though so looking forward to that opening maybe in May or June. Once i plant my Foxtail i will put it in the Foxtail's pot which is bigger. Currently its still in its nursery pot (2.25g), so the Foxtails pot should work nicely for it, and hopefully it wont blow over in a 2 mph wind gust once its in that pot lol

[John2468]

8 hours ago, Merlyn said:

Gotcha, the Bottle is a great palm for pots.  The pot you have it in looks like a reasonable size for the palm's current size.  Somewhere in the 5-10 gallon is a good spot for these, and a slightly small pot isn't a big deal for Bottles or Spindles.  You could probably grow it in a pot that size for maybe 2 more years, then step up to a slightly larger one. 

For potted palms you want good drainage and a loose mixture.  This makes sure that water doesn't sit in there for hours (or days) and cause root rot.  A general mix recommended here is equal parts topsoil, perlite, and Turface MVP (fired / expanded clay pebbles).  That's what I use for my nursery and potted palms.  If you plan on having several palms in pots it would be worth stopping at your local Ewing Irrigation and picking up a bag of Turface MVP for $12 or so.  If you only are doing the one palm, then I've also read recommendations to use "Cactus soil" with about 30% extra perlite tossed in.  The key on all of this is to make sure that when you water it, the water sinks down through pretty quickly and the excess drains out the bottom.  If you pour water in the top and it sits there for a couple of minutes then the soil is too dense and will eventually rot the roots.

Here's a photo of one of my poor Bottles in a pot.  It got a bit frost burned in Dec/Jan, and I keep moving it around and neglecting it.  The pot is about 15" diameter at the top and 10" tall, and is narrower at the bottom.  If you get a new pot make sure it opens towards the top.  If you get one that narrows towards the top then it'll be a nightmare to repot it later.  You'll have to cut roots or break the pot to get it back out!

How old is your bottle palm?

[John2468]

6 hours ago, JLM said:

Mine hates me because i didnt acclimate it to the sun correctly. The new spear looks nice though so looking forward to that opening maybe in May or June. Once i plant my Foxtail i will put it in the Foxtail's pot which is bigger. Currently its still in its nursery pot (2.25g), so the Foxtails pot should work nicely for it, and hopefully it wont blow over in a 2 mph wind gust once its in that pot lol

That happened to one of my pygmy date palms when I brought it out from full shade to full sun.  Most of the new fronds was brown. 

Edited March 9, 2021 by John2468

[Merlyn]

1 hour ago, John2468 said:

How old is your bottle palm?

I probably bought that one as a 1/2 price end-of-winter clearance from Lowe's in the spring of 2018, so it's been in that pot for about 2.5 years.  It's been neglected and not fertilized or watered, and the freezes here in Orlando set them back a bit.  So if you are actually watering it, fertilizing it, and not freezing it, then it should grow a lot faster for you! 

[John2468]

I bought mine on clearance for 20 dollars. I live in zone 10b in Hollywood, Florida so I don't have to worry about the snow or freezing.