* Posted by borialice 8 (My Page) on Fri, Jul 14, 06 at 17:42

I recently purchased two baby Madagascar Palms. Never having repotting experience with these, I was terrified when I was repotting (already being difficult with the thorns), when about 75% of the root system completely tore away from the plant. I fear I have killed these as they now look black at their base and feel somewhat spongy. If I have killed them, I would like to buy two more and try again, but not until I get some up potting tips.

borialice -

did the spongy condition start AFTER repotting? or was it present before the repot?

this is my guess: the plant you bought was suffering from root rot which is why the roots pulled away so easily when repotted. i would take it back and demand a replacement. if however you did treat it so roughly as to pull away "75% of the roots", the rot would have set in as it didnt have enuff root to draw up the water you gave it. this seems less likely as you would have been aware of the reduced root system and adjusted watering accordingly...so i go back to my original thought - you bought a damaged plant. this is why i always immediately repot new purchases and check the condition of the roots.

as for potting tips - i am growing my first pachy now and dont have a grand knowledge of them, but i would suggest a quality soil mixed with perlite for good drainage in a clay pot. the esteemed Mr. Harris tells us these lovelies should be treated as tropicals with lots of sun and plenty of water during their growing season. HTH - Jo