There are a lot of great plants available at your local nursery
or garden center. Most of them do well if you learn a little something
about them.
That's one of the reasons we publish this information. The goal
is to help you learn more about caring for your plants.
Hundreds of plant care emails hit the desktop every week. Sometimes
there is a clear theme or question that hits at certain times of
the year.
Other times there has been a question about a plant or plants that
just keeps coming up.
As I said there are lots of plants that can be used indoors. But...
every so often a plant is "introduced" to the market and
quite frankly it is a mistake. The plant is a failure and no matter
how hard you try, you never seem to get the plant to look
good.
So what plant am I talking about?
Ravenea Rivularis - "The Majesty Palm"
Outdoors in south Florida the plant can do very well in the landscape.
But it has a few requirements - lots of water, bright light or full
sun and feed it heavy.
Any of our thousands of readers will recognize right away that
the "Majesty Palm" goes against general indoor plant practices.
It wants LOTS of:
Inside the plant yellows easily, draws mites like a magnet, and
its appearance declines very rapidly.
Why would growers introduce plants that don't do well and why would
nurseries or garden centers carry such a plant?
A few reasons:
Growers, your local garden center or nursery are always looking
for something new to offer. In order to have a plant that can be
sold inexpensively, growers need plants that grow fast. Garden centers
need plants that fit certain price points.
Unfortunately, garden centers and nurseries are sometimes "stuck"
with what the corporate office orders. The problems of the "majesty
palm" being a good interior plant is not being laid at the
feet of the garden centers and nurseries.
It's just one that shouldn't have been grown or sold to the indoor
market.
Although I'm not going to win any fans and certainly not any praise
from growers for this "recommendation" I've got to call
it as I see it.
DON'T BUY a Majesty Palm as an indoor plant unless you are looking
for a challenge in plant care.
There are many other indoor palms that do much better:
- Chamaedorea elegans 'Bella' - Parlor Palm
- Chamaedorea Sefrizii - Bamboo Palm
- Howea Fosteriana - Kentia Palm
- Rhapis excelsa - Lady Palm
Every week our mailbox is littered with questions and problems
that people experience with the Majesty Palm. Don't think you're
alone, even growers have problems making them look good.
In fact some of our weekly readers are interior plantcapers and
I'm going to ask them to sound off a little on this one... you're
welcome also.
Remember that buying a big plant that's cheap doesn't mean you're
receiving a good value, maybe you're buying problems.
Sponsored by - Indoor
House Plant Secrets
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