Bamboo Palm - Chamaedorea Seifrizii Commonly Known as the Bamboo or Reed Palm
The spring and summer rains can be a very welcomed event in the south Florida area. It seems off and on all of Florida goes under water restrictions…
Besides the rains helping any drought conditions, every year it helps push out new growth on one of my favorite palms and Top 10 plants… Chamaedorea seifrizii commonly known as the “bamboo palm” or “reed palm”. There is nothing like rainwater to water your plants with. It sort of works like a natural fertilizer! Generally it’s clean and just seems to have that little extra that makes “happy plants”
Palms grown indoors can get spider mites and mealy bug. Click here for our article describing an easy,
natural, safe solution…
Seifrizii as most palms… are grown from seed, which isn’t a fast process. The seed sprouts in about 9 months and the young seedlings are planted into small containers and grown in the shade. As the plants get larger they are then stepped to a larger size pot and placed out into the full sun.
Once the plants reach a salable size, which could take 2-5 years they are moved under shade to begin the acclimation process. Here the plants will spend the next 3 - 6 months where they’ll get their robe of dark green acclimated fronds.
What to do when you bring it home…
Most growers use a granular, time release fertilizer in growing their palms. Seifrizii is sensitive to soluble salts, so remove the fertilizer from the top of the pot and leach the soil thoroughly with water. Allow the plant to completely drain.
This plant likes to stay uniformly moist, remember that’s moist NOT wet. When the soil has dried down about one third or half way down from the top you should water the complete top of the soil. Make sure the excess water that can accumulate in the bottom of the planter is removed. These plants do not like to sit in water.
New plants can have a thick canopy… you should expect to lose of some of the interior foliage as the plant begins its acclimation to your indoor setting.
If you are over watering, you’ll usually notice the leaf tips begin to turn yellow and fall off as well as the new growth coming out very pale. The plant may also experience stem rot.
On the other side if you’re under watering the tips of Seifrizii will turn brown as well as the new growth. As with most palms the biggest problem with pest is mites. Regularly cleaning the plant’s foliage with a soapy solution will help reduce their attack.
Once your plant has become acclimated to its new interior home it can be enjoyed for a long time. Just remember to not over water the plant and provide as much bright indirect light as you can.
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