Decisions!!!

When to say enough is enough!
How much money should you spend on pots and potting soil?
Chance of putting your back out of whack????
Sun pro- mix,3 cubic bag. $13 bag
Sta-Green,potting mix. 2cubic bag $7.95 bag
Used 24 gallon pot.$5
$26 bucks to repot one Majesty Palm.

So far today and yesterday,I repotted 3 coconuts,3 Majesty's ,1 MacArthur Palm 1 Triangle palm
1 back pain !!!LOL
These babies are heavy!!!!
Picking these out of the old pot,when the roots one let go!!!
Then lifting it higher to get in the new pot,then picking it all up to put on the cart to get it back outside,which barely fits thru a 36Inch door now!!!!

Help getting it out the door!!!!Looking for volunteers!!!!

Anybody????LOL

Don, maybe you should talk to placentiarita or Texasbigleaves. They build a hoop house and just take the plastic on or off. Most of their plants are in the ground. I am hoping to visit Rita, (less than 10 miles) before Fall to see if that could be a possibility for some of my area.

You are beginning to sound like DH. He counts the cost all the time and I keep trying to tell him it is cheaper than a psychiatrist.

Christi

Hi Christi,
I did that on one palm,with rope Xmas lights to keep it from freezing.
But for as many palms as I have,it's not practical,because it gets to cold
When they out grow these containers,it's time to donate to the Zoo,here they put the tropicals into there rainforest.
In 2004 when I had my last heart attack,5 by-pass,they came out and took my plants,dug them right out of the ground,and took a lot of huge potted plants,that I couldn't lift,and gave me a $10,000 tax right off!

What Medicaid doesn't pay for Psychiatrist!!!LOL

You are just too successful at growing them. Did you read PalmBob's article on the Sullivan Garden this week? Amazing.

Yes I did,wow to have a palm garden in Hawaii!!!!
Guess I can dream!!!!!
I guess you could say,I'm doing the same only in containers!!!LOL

It's for sale for only $800,000. Chump change for a guy like you. hahahaha

I could always just write a check!!!!LOL

While you're at it write one for me. Couldn't be any worse than one of mine. On the palms, why don't you move more to understorey palms. There are quite a lot of really beautiful ones, with a lot less back-breaking effect.

Who do I make that out too!!!!LOL
I have plenty of them too,and there getting big as well,with roots coming out the drain holes at the bottom of there pots also!!!!
But when I landscape my yard for the summer rainforest look,I need the big palms to make a good showing!!!
You know I always thought palms were very slow growers,until I started growing them,I have a king thats only 3 yrs old and is already reaching the 7 to 8ft range.
My parlor palm is 10 yrs or more and is over 4ft.
I'm probably have 50 or more different varieties now,and there is no stopping once you get this far,you just keep wanting more!!!!!

Just keep in mind that you are ultimately doing a very good deed by sharing with the zoo. Children and adults alike benefit from your generosity. I hope they give you recognition for all you have done to help them. Of course, my 6X8 Easy up Greenhouse wouldn't be of much use.
Since we have combined our yards, my neighbor and I are going to visit Rita's before cold weather to learn how she does her hoop houses. Only way to go.

You haven't posted pictures in a long time, Don. Let's see your beauties.

Christi

BTW I don't know how to operate this new Mac or Facebook. But, yesterday I found a place that said to click here to send pictures to Facebook. I did. Posted 155 pictures of my yard. Over kill for sure. Don't know how I did it so I don't know how to "un-did it".

You need to add me to your facebook so I can see your pics!!!
Here is a pic I just took a few minutes ago,of the 3 yr old king,the sphere is about 9ft now,just under the soffit of the house!!!

Heres the parlor palm,and to the left is a reed palm and in the far back you can just catch
a leaf of the Golden cane palm.

Here's a Fiji palm and it is already 5 ft or more,the palms really seem to like the 75* to 85* weather than the 90* weather,with all the rain were having,there really been growing well!

We got a shower this afternoon but even better than that it is in the 70's after a month of over 100. You're right about the sigh of relief. New obsession is begonias. The two rex I have were in the shade with plenty of water but the leaves crisped anyway. The humidity has been in the 20's for a couple of weeks and that hurt them more than the 100's in temps. Just now learning about them. Should have put them in a tray of gravel and water. Next time.

I don't know how to ask you to be my friend. I think I would need your screen name. I'll try to figure it out.

Christi

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30445938&l=2c3bced35c&id=1529007187

See if that works. I would never have done this on purpose. I know just enough about technical stuff to get me in trouble.

Christi

Same here,and I'm always in some kind of trouble!!
Sent u a invite!.I think!LOL

Tropicman, may I suggest coco peat coir, it's a little expensive, but last for up to 8 years, Ed

Ed
Are you talking about buying it as a sheeting,or in a bag?
I have seen it for sale on rolls of sheating material,but not as potting soil in a bag.

Don't know where I picked this up. Probably another thread here on DG.
Wad newspaper to go into the bottom of pots, especially the large, heavy ones, put in soil and plant as usual. The newspaper will compost and in the meantime it will hold water and the pot is lighter. Works for me.

Christi

Only thing when it composts,,that will leave a space where the paper was,and everything will sink to the bottom except the roots at the base of the tree.They might end up showing when everything settles!
I know a lot of people use those packing peanuts,to fill in the spaces instead of soil which makes the pot a lot lighter,but then the wind blows over tree and pot,that is the problem I was having before I potted up.
I just need to eat my cheerios before I try picking a pot of the size up again!!!!!LOL

I thought I had found nirvana when I started using "peanuts"...NOT. Every plant that I tried would up being stunted. That's out of the question now.
Pretty happy with the newspaper thing.

Wonder why???
If it works for you stay with it!!!!
Papers don't last long here with 7 parrot cages to clean everyday!!!!LOL

Coco peat comes in a few different sizes small bricks, compressed, 5 kg bricks, compressed, which I've been using, and 28 Lb. bales, compressed, which is what I just started using, it's the best deal, and the best Quality, nothing compares to Coco peat coir, here's the link, Ed http://www.groworganic.com/item_PSO114_Coco_Peat_45_Cu_Ft_Brick.html?welcome=T&theses=5293046

I often put half coconut husks or else the "cloth" from the base of coconut fronds in the bottom of pots. The husks I drill holes into so that like the "cloth" it allows good drainage but still retains sufficient moisture. Additionally it lightens the pot and prevents soil from washing out of the drain holes in the bottom.

Coco peat coir, is the soil, just mix a little Perlite in it, Ed

Thanks for the info,it is not used here in the trade,so how long have you been using this?
Are you having to fertilize a lot more often than if you were using a potting mix?
How do you keep your plants from blowing over,it is so much lighter?
Were talking big palms here 10ft more in height.

The only time it's light is when it's bone dry, I have eight foot foxtails in it, yes you have to use more food, I use Maxicrop, liquid seaweed, and liquid fish, the Kelp solution is a must for palms, Ed

I have these Hyophorbe indica in it, Ed

They look real healthy too!
I'll do some checking,and see what I can come up with,I'd like to try some.
Thats a lot of different fertilization,I have been using fertilome palm tree fert,along with fish emulsion.
Thanks again for the info!

Just two, the liquid seaweed, is the Kelp solution, thats just what Maxicrop calls it, Ed

Have or do you use the Carl pool palm fertilizer?

No, I haven't, but I'm sure that's fine, but you still need the kelp solution , for it's minor elements, there are off brands, I have seen, Ed

I;ll check our locals to see if they offer it here,I don't think they do,so will probably have to order on line.
I use a lot of the filtered water from the filters from my fish pond,that seems to keep the foliage nice and green.

I've heard of other people doing that, that sounds like a good idea, Ed

I just thought I'd share this link where I have purchased the kelp solution, Edhttp://www.planetnatural.com/site/maxicrop-liquid-seaweed.html

One capful per gallon of water,must be strong stuff!!!

That's why I built a 1700+ sq ft greenhouse. Licuala grandis

Ernest-august's Chamie