How to Grow a Palm in a Pot

Palms can be grown in pots and kept indoors or moved outdoors in nice weather. Although there are many different varieties of palms, they all require the same basic care. Palm plants are hardy when potted and cared for correctly. Many varieties can live years in a pot with the right environment and care. Before you start enjoying your container palm, make sure the pot is the right size and repot the palm if necessary.

Things You'll Need

• Container
• Peat moss
• Course sand
• Perlite
• Pine bark
• Pumice
• Topsoil
• Fertilizer

Instructions

1. Choose a container at least 12 inches deep and 6 inches in diameter. Mix a medium of one part peat moss, one part course sand, two parts perlite, one part pine bark, one part pumice and one part topsoil in the container.

2. Make a hole in the center of the medium. Place the palm roots in the hole and cover them with the soil. The soil must not cover more than 1/2 inch of the stem where the roots and stem come together. Palms planted with the stems covered too deeply can die.

3. Place the palm in a location where the daytime temperatures are between 75 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Night temperatures must not drop below 65 F.

4. Put the tree in a location with partial shade to full sun. Palms will do very well in southern exposures or eastern exposures. Palms can tolerate four to six hours of direct sunlight when planted in a container.

5. Apply 3-1-2 (nitrogen-phosphates-potassium) slow-release fertilizer once a month during the growing spring, summer and early fall months. Do not fertilize during winter months.

6. Water the container palm when the top inch of the soil is dry. Do not keep the soil wet, but just moist to the touch. The top soil may be dry, but 1 inch down toward the roots, the soil may still be moist and not need watering.

References

• University of Florida IFAS Extension: Container Production of Palms
• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Indoor Palms