When Is An Indoor Palm...?
Jšrg is growing a lot of outdoor palms indoors.You
can too...
Jörg Schumann, Rathausplatz 2,09247 Röhrsdorf, Germany
Chamaerops No.32 Autumn 1998
If you ask this question in some nurseries, you will
surely get the answer: Kentia, Date-Palm, ParlourPalm, Washingtonia
and Areca-Palm. That is to say: Howea forsteriana, Phoenix canariensis,
Chamaedorea elegant, Washingtonia filifera and Dypsis lutescens
Well. If you ask a palm fan, these list will completed by some Dypsis
sp., Archontophoenix sp., more Chamaedorea sp., Livistona sp. and
Ravenea rivularis, perhaps some would add Veitchia and Ptychosperma
Mostly that's all.
Some members may recall my article in issue 28. In
my opinion it may be interesting for tome palm-freaks to have a
look to the background of my palmy flat. In 1998 my palm collection
hat nearly doubled and there are more than 200 species in my flat.
Among of them are tome species I'm very proud of it, like Socratea,
tome Calamus, Hydriastele wendlandiana, Itaya amicorum, Desmoncus
giganteus, Linospadix albertisiana, Marojejya darianii and and and...
Maybe tome of you would like to cultivate these palms
(or others), but have not tried it to far, because these are 'normally'
not palms for indoor cultivation. You may be right, but have you
ever tested the theory?
Because I don't have a garden or a greenhouse I began
8 years ago to cultivate difficult palms indoors. If you provide
the palm with indoor conditions you certainly have to be more careful
with regard to light, warmth and humidity. This includes of course
watching exactly how the plants respond if the conditions are incorrect.
Yet, it takes a lot of time but it's worth it!
However, I have to say something more: directly behind
one of my windows there it a home made indoorgreenhouse (3,Om high,
1,Sm x 1,Om wide) where grow the most difficult species where they
get extra humidity and special light or shade. But: in former times
up to 1997 they are growing well without it.
Let me say tome words about my palmy flat. In my bedroom
are alto some palms but they have to put up with the same conditions
that suit me! And they teem to put up with it quite well. No heating,
no special light, and normal humidity. So here you can find my Trachy's,
Phoenix, Livistona, Ceroxylon, Chamaedorea, Butia, Jubaea, Brahea,
Rhapis, Sabal and Synechanthus fibrosus Also in the winter there
are no problems, because I also would not allow myself to be frozen!
In my living room I try to get a average humidity
of 60 to 70%. This involves spraying once or twice a week. Here
are 3 'normal' windows but no additional light. Inside my indoorgreenhouse
are perhaps 100 palms up to 1,2m tome seedlings and many just germinated
palms. Here it it nearly constant 24 deg.C and an average humidity
of 80 % and some low-energylamps, which are on for up to 16 hours
a day.
Did you ever consider building an indoor greenhouse?
If you clear the hurdle called family (I think the real palm-fan
always bat to clear this hurdle!) you really can start. You can
make it at complex or at simple at you like. I only can remember
my decision. From the idea to planting it takes only 48 hours. Some
timber, nails, screws, foil and time for doing handicraft, are all
you need. And it was accepted, by plants and family too! If you
are not good with your bands, you alto can use a tall aquarium,
but without the fish. By using special lighting it can be highly
attractive. At soon at it is done you can start with even the most
difficult palm species. In my indoor-greenhouse there are at the
moment for example Wettinia sp., Johannesteijsmannia sp. and Metroxylon
sp., the last surely not for very long!
But let me tell you something else. It's also good
for germination of palm seeds. You can't know exactly the viability
hut I had only one complete failure and that was with Bactris setosa
seeds. The germination times quoted in different literature are
often much shorter in reality, for example Beccariophoenix madagascariensis,
Areca vestiaria and Verschaffeltia splendida starts germination
within 2 weeks after sowing, whereas Chamaedorea seifrizii took
6 months and Licuala spinosa and Hydriastele wendlandiana really
took 12 months to makes me happy. Well, I was ready more than once
to throw them away! If you want to try seedgermination, let me tell
you something: Don't throw away the seeds until they are mouldy.
It is often worth while to wait a little longer. But I think this
is not the problem for a palm-freak. By talking about seed germination
it seems to be important to have absolute darkness and higher temperatures
for making germination times shorter.
Let me come back to my question in the headline. It's
simple: An indoor palm is an indoor growing palm. Sometimes there's
only one problem. Try it! By my experiences I can give you some
suggestions to try. All these will do well:
- Nephrosperma vanhoutteanum
- Nearly all Veitchias
- Astrocaryum sp.
- Arenga sp.
- Pseudophoenix sp.
- A lot of Dypsis, especially the 'tristichous'-species
- Cyphophoenix
- and many more.

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