Needle Palm

Needle Palm Care

Rhapidophyllum Hystrix

What is the plant

The needle palm, Rhapidophyllum hystrix, is a perennial shrub native to the southeastern U.S. Although it is native to this warmer region, the needle palm plant is actually very cold hardy and gardeners further north prize it for giving their beds and yards a more tropical look. It puts out multiple stems, with sharp needles that give the plant its name, and slowly grows into a large clump that may be approximately 6 feet (2 m.) across and high. The leaves of the needle palm are glossy and green and the plant produces red drupes and tiny flowers that may be white, yellow, or brownish-purple. Naturally, the needle palm grows on shaded and wooded slopes or along streams. Many gardeners like to plant it under trees, especially live oaks.

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Humidity

Normal

Lighting

Part Sun

Temperature

min 14°C

Hardiness zone

6 - 10

Difficulty

Medium

How to Care for the Plant

Water
When the top substrate layer is well dried, plenty of water is poured to thoroughly soak the soil of the deep pot. However, waterlogging should always be avoided, as it allows the formation of mold in the substrate and favors root rot. The casting rhythm depends entirely on the outside temperatures, the growth phase of the plant and the sunlight.
Pruning
The needle palm is not cut at the top because there is the vegetation point. Brown leaves can be removed after complete drying with a sharp knife, because only then the plant has withdrawn all reserve materials from the leaves. If brown leaf tips are removed, leave a small withered edge to avoid further withering of the leaf.
Fertilizer
After repotting is not fertilized, provided that pre-fertilized soil was used. Otherwise, the plant is supplied with nutrients every fortnight with a liquid fertilizer (alternatively granules, fertilizer sticks, etc.). Suitable is a special palm fertilizer, a fertilizer for green plants or another, nitrogen-stressed fertilizer. Fertilization takes place only during the main growth phase of the coniferous palm from April to late summer. Fertilization is stopped just a few weeks before the start of the rest period in winter, and watering is also reduced.

Disease diagnosis

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Sunlight
The needle palm tolerates a sunny to full sun, but should always be used slowly to the full sunlight to avoid a leaf burn.
Soil
Like other representatives of the palm genus, the needle palm prefers a substrate of potting soil and coarse sand that is mixed with gravel, lavagrus or expanded clay. Loose and airy, well permeable to water, but providing sufficient support, most palm species cope much better in a substrate mixture than in regular potting soil. The commercially available palm earth takes this into account, but it can also be further embodied. Peat should be avoided if possible, because it can burn the roots. But clay and humus can be added to the substrate in small quantities. Too much pre-fertilized soil should be avoided, since palm trees basically only have a very low nutrient requirement.
Temperature
The temperature minimum of -15 degrees Celsius should not be undercut in the short term. If the needle palm spends the rest period in the house, then the room temperature is ideally at 8 degrees Celsius (+/- 5 degrees). The location of the needle palm should always be bright in winter. After hibernation, the plant is slowly getting used to the sunlight again.