The Madagascar palm tree, or Pachypodium lamerei, complements your area for rich tropical emotions with an arid touch. It is among the most unusual potted plants available. This tree is essentially a succulent rather than a genuine palm, which generally requires less care due to feeding and temperature. Although the Madagascar palm flourishes in direct sunshine, it may also be used as an interior potted plant with proper lighting. Before introducing this resilient plant into your home, here’s some of what you need to learn about Madagascar palm care.
What is Madagascar Palm Bonsai?
As its name indicates, the Madagascar palm is a tropical tree endemic to southern Madagascar. It has a tall silver stalk with prickles and wide, floppy green leaves growing on top of it. Its trunk may grow 6 feet long indoors and 20 feet long outside. The Madagascar palm could cultivate white petals whenever cultivated outdoors, but it seldom develops if maintained indoors. Upon blossoming, grown plants tend to spread out.
The Madagascar palm will most probably be slender once you acquire it. Until you stimulate splitting, it normally takes several years to start branches at the tip, but that’s also whenever it starts to blossom, creating groups of gorgeous, delightfully fragrant white flowers with a yellow core reminiscent of plumeria petals.
Since it is commonly stated that the Madagascar palm blooms only infrequently inside, one must differ. It takes forever: ten, fifteen, or even more years. It will blossom at a far earlier stage outside in a suitable hot environment, but the circumstances are perfect. Because they aren’t inside, the tree moves slowly.
Whenever you examine the wood near the base of the spikes closely, you’ll discover that it appears silky and shiny. It has an emerald tint and, like the foliage, performs photosynthesis. As a result, even though the blades are missing, which is common, the tree could still photosynthesize.
When the drought arrives, the Madagascar palm sheds its fronds every year, then produces leaves and stems when the rainy season returns. Trees appear to differ greatly inside. Several drop their foliage, while others shed a little but keep a few, while others have a complete crown of greenery throughout the year.
You’ll even come across mature, spreading shrubs with some barren limbs, some of which are still lush. In the cold season, freezing temperatures and less misting can cause complete hibernation and thus foliage decline; year-round warmth and fertigation stimulate the tree to keep at least certain fronds.
How To Grow a Madagascar Palm
The Madagascar palm tree may be cultivated indoors, in pots, or directly in the field. The most crucial conditions are adequate sunlight and ground that drains quickly. Because this is easier to care for in pots, these trees are an excellent option for a distinctive and eye-catching pot plant.
These shrubs have a distinctive shape, with spikes running the length of the stem. They can reach a length of 24 feet and a width of 2 feet when grown outside, but don’t fret. You can also cultivate them as a tropical plant! It’s why the plant is commonly referred to as a Madagascar cactus.
The Madagascar palm is a fairly simple tree to grow. They may be cultivated from pre-soaked seedlings that sprout in just a few days. Planting your Madagascar palm seedlings in the springtime is good. These trees have a remarkable capacity to recover after being chopped, allowing them to be cultivated from clippings. A shrub that has gotten excessively long might be divided into two or three separate stalks.
Soil
A fast-draining soil is required for the Madagascar palm tree. A cactus or subtropical mixture would’ve been perfect, or you might increase flow by adding fine soil or grits to conventional garden soil. Ensure the bottom of your box has good drainage so that any moisturizing ingredients may pass.
Light
Because this is a sun-loving succulent plant, you can place it in the brightest position. They’ll perform admirably in strong light, but you must eschew anything deemed “moderate” or below. During most of summertime, these plants produce practically the whole of their new shoots. Thus, you can take your plant within during the late fall, wintertime, and early spring before transferring it out to a sunlit position.
Water
Succulents have a popular misconception that they don’t require much water. They’ll last for more than certain plants with greater wagering requirements, but even the hardiest succulents won’t grow in this environment.
If you want your Pachypodium to thrive, feed it frequently throughout the summer season when the ground burns out. Scale back in the wintertime to avoid the roots decaying in the chilly weather and just water minimally. At most, once instead of rarely every month.
Repotting
They take a long time to exceed their containers, but if your Pachypodium begins to sway or tumble due to growing top-heavy, you may compost it. A basic soil mixture will be enough, but if you would like to be especially cautious, add some sand to help with flow. Alternatively, you can use a succulent/cactus fertilizer solution marked. You may repot your tree at any month of the year, but be careful since the spikes on the stalk can be unpleasant if you grip it incorrectly.
Visit our shop for the best bonsai pots if you’re thinking of repotting in a new one.
How to Care for Madagascar Palm Bonsai Tree
Adequate Lighting
It prefers direct sunlight as a succulent, but it may also withstand light shade outside. Ensure your Madagascar palm provides a burst of reliable sunshine if you want to retain it inside. A Madagascar should be placed near a south- or west-facing pane on the interior. Turn your pot to obtain equal amounts of sunshine; alternatively, it may become twisted as it strives for daylight in one direction.
Sufficient Watering
If you pick a colder, less sunny place, you will require more water than if you chose a warmer, less sunny area.
Proper Temperature
The coldness bothers Pachypodium plants. Always stay away from temps below zero. Because it cannot take cold, keep your Madagascar plant at a temperature above 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If you reside in a chilly climate, take your tree inside if it is normally kept outside. To boost development, give your palm tree concentrated liquid potted plant compost in the springtime.
Ample Feeding
You don’t have to water these trees too often. Maybe once or twice over the summertime may do.
