palms????

Culture & Society Forum

ok, so my wife wanted a palm in our "under renovation" back yard. i dislike palms. so to be a good loving hubby, i went out and found a special on pygmy palms and bought EIGHT of the darn things. my question to anyone with more knowledge than me (that's everyone) how do you restrict the growth of a pygmy palm? by potting it? my local nursery has no idea. so anyone who knows how this can be done, HELP!

I found that they grow 6 - 12 feet. Those are pretty big. And the nursery had NO clue what to suggest. That's a real surprise to hear.

I just asked my boss and she was saying that she's pretty sure that you would want to talk to a nursery (who knows what their talking about) and you can get barriers, that are down in the ground (like cement) that keeps the roots from spreading, and therefore, keeps the trees from growing.

thanks Kris! we have a real bad nursery for sure! a friend told me last night that they can be kept at 5-6 feet ( which is what i'm looking for) by using a clay pot in ground. but i need to do further research before i commit to the pot idea, which may be correct, but i like to get alot of info prior to planting.

Exactly, do some research. Just make sure that whatever pot you use is strong enough to hold the roots that we try to grow.

In Arizona they (the true pigmys) grow very slow... one friend has had three in a cluster near a pool for 30 years and I think they have grown maybe 2 feet... they are still under 5 ft today.

I think all plants depend on genetics... I brought a "bush miniature" hibiscus and it was supposed to grow at most to 4 ft but I need to keep cutting it every few months

Water is key... for palm trees in arizona we don't water them at all. I had queen palms which I never watered and they grew like grazy. So check a good garden book and see what the watering schedule should be, and stay below that... most people overwater because they leave the auto-irrigation on even when it has been raining.

I have never seen palm trees in a pot here... it would cook them... but growing three together restricts them just as if they were in the pot... just allow some space for the trunks to grow together rather than into each other... then they get lopsided leaves, not symmetrical. A good looking grouping has two sort ones and one a bit taller growing at slight angles away from each other.

thanks helen! am still looking for a good book on palms. you'd think in socal that would be a given. guess i need to get outta town and go to a bigger city, maybe riverside and look some more, but i was wondering about the cluster plantings, good idea. if it takes that long to get them up, i'll be in kentucky by then, but one always wants to leave one's handiwork in good shape

three of my baby palms have died! i'm depressed!

I'm sorry to hear that.... go to a garden shop that really knows their stuff and talk to them about everything. Ask about the climate of where you are, if there should be partial shade on these palms during the days, watering, etc...

kris- just got back from there. the original place that knew nothing, really knew NOTHING! the lady i just talked to said i probably got some bad palms as the rest are doing fine in the same soil, feed, watering, etc. anyway, i'm putting in pavers on our back patio, as soon as i break up the existing concrete, ooooooooooh my back! do you know anything about the pavers? i'm doing alot of research, but have yet to meet anyone who has actually done the work. i'm interested in comments or suggestions

No, I'm sorry, but I don't. We've heard OF them, but that's it. I wish that I could help you out. But, I'm glad that you did go and talk to someone who does know. I knew that you would find that this other place didn't know squat.

Grets... just checking in with you. Have you had any success with the Palms??