Hardy Tropicals UK

Was looking forward to doing this inbetween christmas and new year, give me something to do but as I finished work yesterday I was eager to get started today.
Its only a fairly small planter, about 2.2m wide by 1.3m. Im sitting my new pot inside it and covering the pot so it wont be seen. The pot was too tall so ive had to lift some flags and dig out enough earth so the pot is not above the wall when finished. First job was to remove the decking I had cladded to the wall earlier this year.

Once the decking was off it was time to lift some flags and to my horror me and my dad put them down about 7 years ago but all the flags were laid on a sharp sand and cement mix at 6 inch thick What a nightmare trying to get through that! Once that lot was broken up and shoveled out and I had wiped the sweat from my face, I still had more digging to do so that the pot would be slightly lower than the wall. I dug another 12 inch of soil out where the pot was going. It was starting to get a little wet in the hole and I diddn't want the bottom of the pot sat in water so nipped to the builders merchants, got 10 x 40kg of 20mm limestone chippings and put the lot in the hole and leveled off. This gave me a thickness of 8 inch so atleast water wont be sat around the base of the pot now.
Sat the pot on the chippings and used some soil I had dug out to fill around the pot back to the level of the flags.
I will start the brick work in the morning, building to around 2 inches above the pot. I will then clad it all with decking again then get a 2 ton delivery of top soil to fill it up.

That quite a big pot.

Yorkshire Kris wrote:That quite a big pot.

750L

Looks like you're doing a proper job there Ste but why didn't you either just build a raised bed there or, more obviously, just plant into the ground?

I know planting in the ground would be much better but I dont want any palms perminent. I would like to take them with me if I ever decide to leave home although moving that pot when its full wont be easy

That makes sense I guess, even if you will need to borrow a crane.

well your work is always top knotch but it is a little half thought through i think.

like san says aboiut a planter,
if it is going to be there long enough to warrant it being in a pot that big you should have just made it permanent and bought in new for any new place imho.

I can foresee problems in a few years - the palm you put in it will send roots out through all the drainage holes, then the roots will thicken up and block the holes, and the palm will end up sitting in stagnant water. Not sure if there's any way round this (other than pulling the pot out and trimming off the roots regularly!).

Ste, i know your not a fan of permanent planting because of moving in the future but if you plant a few in the ground, i'm convinced it would be less hassle & do less damage to a palm by gently digging around a rootball and lifting out the ground than trying to yank a 750litre pot thats been incased & grown through. I've planted probably 3 times your amount of palms into the ground, and i'll probably move before you . I can see from your pics you do a pukka job but i think for all the hassle & hard work your palms wont be as healthy long term as mine. I will p.m you next year as i do contract work up your way & i'd love to pop & have a look at your setup if you were available. karl.

Ste, another concern is if the roots block the drainage holes completly & your pot does freeze, the whole 750l pot could become solid causing it to suffocate . For what its worth i would gather a collection of big pots but keep them to one side for transplanting when you do move on. karl.

Palms can be pot planted but this is usually a permanent thing where the roots are left to break through the drainage holes .
I think you are creating a very big job for yourself in the future.

GoggleboxUK wrote:Looks like you're doing a proper job there Ste but why didn't you either just build a raised bed there or, more obviously, just plant into the ground?

I'm planning to build a couple of raised beds myself using concrete blocks but I want to hide the concrete with coloured render and/or some kind of tile effect plus coping stone. Concrete blocks should keep the cost down as long as the render etc doesn't crumble and fall off the first signs of frost. I think something like that might look good in this instance if the planting was permanent Ste.

When I moved house in 2007 the removal lorry did two trips, one with all our household stuff and one with all my plants including a Trachycarpus in a very large pot roughly the same size as yours. I can understand why you want to nuture palms long term rather than buy new when you move. I'm sure they'll transport fine as long as you get a very big removal lorry

I understand what everyones saying and I know myself a palm in the ground would be much better than in a pot. I'll be 30 in 3 years so cant stay at home with the parents forever although I have no plans on going anywhere anytime soon
I already have another 11 pots which are buried so one more is neither here nor there.

About the roots going through the drainage holes and blocking them - This is a good point I have already drilled about 25 holes in the bottom as it only came with 3 tiny holes drilled. I could drill quite a lot more so even if some get blocked there will be plenty more holes for drainage. On the other hand, this subject got me thinking today and how does this sound - I could line the bottom of the pot (inside) with terram. This way water can still drain but nothing can grow through.

with a big pot like that you can drill some drainage holes in the sides aswell,
also you could do a few a bit larger too.