Growing chamerops humilis in pots

[dave2166]

I have finally succumbed and bought a couple of chammys which I intend to put into pots which are around 18 inches cubed

I would to know from the experts what I shouuld plant them in as thru appear to be in a sandy soil mix
I was thinking of top soil and some sharp sand mix or a JI compost
I'm not too concerned about the weight as the less the pot can move the better
size wise both plants are about 3 feet in total

[delboy12]

Hi Dave just put them in ji no 2,mine were fine for 5 years just planted it out in the garden.

[Adam D]

JI no 3 for me with extra added grit.

The palms have always been fine (down to -8Cish).

The only time they have snuffed it was the dreadful winter we have just had.

[Dave Brown]

A loam based mix is better IMO. It dries out less quickly

[dave2166]

dave

by loam do you mean JI or a mix a top soil and grit/ sharp sand??

sorry to be a pain but being a palm virgin i dont want to be doing anyhting which is going to cause me problems down the line

[Adam D]

Dave,

JI is loam-based, quite a different compost to multi-purpose compost. Particularly when wet!

[dave2166]

adam

yeah ive got loads of JI3 , use it for lots of succulents mixed with perlite and or grit

what started me thinking was that the chammy's in pots are already in what looks like very sandy soil, as you might find in greece or spain. not much humus in it at all, and so i wondered if a topsoil mix might be better, especially as it will wet better when dry
or do i just go for a few more bags of JI3 and a bit of grit.
like you i get very wet spells living on the west coast and whilst they are hardy to -8 or so i dont want them getting frozen in wet pots come the winter

be gentle with me i'm a palm virgin...

[musa_monkey]

If you keep it in a pot be prepared to buy a deeper one later. They develop serious "legs" The roots on mine are incredibly strong (strong enough to hold the plant upright) and it pushes itsef out of the pot. Need to buy a larger/deeper one for mine ready for next season.

[DaveP]

THe JI (provided it's of a good quality) and grit will be fine. I ought a small, 30cms high plant in 2001 and potted it up using 3 parts JI No3 and 1 part horticultural grit. It s still in a (much larger) pot and has a 1m trunk. MM is right about those roots - they can push the plant 30cms and more up into the air ... actually, those 'stilt roots' can look quite cool!

[sanatic1234]

Since reading this topic i have just been out to check my potted chamerop humilis and i was shocked to see it needs re-potting again already i only potted it up 2-3 months back and already the roots are making an entrance through the holes. It is a pretty big pot as well. Looks like I'm going to have to re-pot before the winter really sets in..

[Adrian]

Raise you pot on feet and the roots will air prune, dont repot it this year now.

[sanatic1234]

I will do that adrian when you say raise the pot on feet you mean so that the pot isnt touching the floor.

[DiCasS]

San, you can buy the little feet from garden centres (definitely Wyvale) which raises the pot an inch or two off the ground. I normally use three to a pot. Not much money to buy, last ones I bought I think they were about 50p each. Or cheaper still, little blocks of wood would do, anything to raise the pots.

Di