We have two. They were bought in 20l bags and have been in teh ground for about 2 years. They've trippled in size and look fantastic. They get an occaisonal feed of dynamic lifter and regular watering (drip irrigation). They cannot be transplanted so one theyre in, theyre there forever. They grow huge but look realy speccy, especially against green foliage.

adamharbeck
mine is about 5 gallon it has been transplanted once
you just have to be very careful with the roots.
it is the silver variety

I bought one a couple of years ago while in the Florida Keys. It is in a pot about two feet deep and one foot deep. I keep it coolish and dry in the winter (between 60 and 70 F.) and keep it outside from April through October in a sunny position. So far, I have not had any trouble keeping it alive and growing. The leaves are a beautiful bronze color now and it is beginning to push new growth. Yes, I have heard that they are vertually impossible to transplant because their roots are so sensitive. Frankly, when I brought the plant though, I didn't even know if it would survive--strictly an experiment. So far, it has passed the test of time (at least two northern winters). Good luck!

It's in a small container, probably the one from seed. I would like to put it in a larger container so it can grow, should I do this?

topher2006

Your right about being carefull with the roots whilst repotting, but you can pot on. I was talking about once its in the ground, Very sensitive tap roots apparently.

oh yeah.. but man aren't they pretty palms ?
i love mine !

We need to differenciate between "transplanting" Any plant should transplant easily if it's potted and you dont disturb the roots. I've never lost a palm due to transplant shock. Now moving from the ground where you have to cut some roots is a whole diffirent story.

njoasis and others

I have 2 seedlings in 3 gal pots, also kind of an experiment. There's mention of transplant shock, root disturbance, yada yada.

My goal is to grow a healthy plant, and keep it a manageable size indoors in the winter. Some say it can't be done, but has anyone here really ever even tried to keep one in a pot, say up to 25-35 gallons? - sure, it will be slower and smaller than typical, but it should be healthy nonetheless. I am also doubtful that when it gets that large to fit a 25 gal container, that some root pruning to encourage new feeder roots for more efficient nutrient and water uptake cannot be done successfully.

I will have to prove myself wrong, as I have yet to see or hear someone else prove otherwise.

There are many horticultural myths around, that have been systematically debunked. I keep my cycads and cactus in pretty much total darkness all winter - no problem. I did the same with a CIDP (Phoenix canariensis) - no problem. I kept a Majesty palm indoors overwinter - I could have watered and fertilized more, but otherwise - no problem.

Experimenting is not only fun, but it's the only way to learn about our hobby.

x

please explain how you kept your majesty over the winter
thanks

It remained in it's summer pot (prob about 20 gal), potting mix is 50-50 topsoil and perlite; placed next to a tall SW window, watered weekly, fertilized 1/4 strength Algoflash weekly, sprayed leaves every other day with mix of palmolive soap and canola oil.

Did not see a single mealy, spider mite, or other bug all winter. The plant looked at its worst (light colored and weakened new growth) in early spring as I was ready to bring it back outside. I know the plant is a nutrient/ water hog so I think I didn't feed enough through the course of the winter.

Next time, I will fertilize and water more frequently, and just as important, an occasional watering has to be heavy enough to flush out salts that have accumulated, so this should be done probably outside to let the water drain out.

My Phoenix roebelini, D decaryi, R regia, A alexandriae and CIDP did not have nearly the same degree of weakened early spring growth, so I tend to think that the R rivularis (Majesty) is particularly finicky about water and nutrients, but this can be overcome.

How this palm responds to transplanting into larger pots and some root pruning? I can't answer that one yet.

My new scheme for growing palms going forward will be to pot them up with a mix high in perlite, into a plastic pot with many holes all along the sides, and this pot is then submerged into another larger standard pot with typical soil mix. Every other year, the inner pot will be pulled out, the roots poking through the holes will be trimmed and sprayed with fungicide, and replanted back into a larger pot with fresh new mix. Theoretically, new roots will grow, minimal shock since the rootball has not been damaged, and the new roots will handle water and nutrient uptake well.

I think the right time to try this would be when the pot size is too big to bring into the house or when the palm itself starts to get too tall to fit in the house. The root-pruning scheme "should" slow down growth, but keep it healthy. We'll see how it goes. I don't know if anyone has ever attempted something like this. It is similar to Bonsai, but not as drastic, and the goal is not to miniaturize, but to slow down a bit.

At some point, some species will outgrow pots no matter what, but after having gone through the process you can start over and know what to expect the 2nd time around...in the meantime, donate your large plant to a local mall or garden center.

Hi Xerophyte, I know this is a very old post, but just came across it and was wondering how your majesty palm took to root pruning. How did you go about it and what was your experience? Thanks!