PLANTING A BOTTLE PALM TREE

Not all of us are lucky enough to grow bottle palms in our homes, but for those lucky of us who can, what a treat for them. These plants have their name due to the trunk’s strong resemblance to a bottle. The trunk is swollen and have rounded shape when young and becoming more elongated as the palm matures. Bottle palm referred to a true palm that is native to the Mascarene Islands where warm, soothy temperatures and loose, sandy soil form the plant’s habitat. Bottle palm plantation in northern climates is not recommended, as they are not frost hardy. Southern gardeners, however, should know how to grow a bottle palm tree and how to use this unique and beautiful tropical plant.

Bottle palm tree-WBM Foundation plantation

Introduction

 These Plants have an ability to develop all sorts of amazing adaptations to help them survive. Bottle palm trees have progress with thickened trunks topped with scaly crowns. The purpose is unclear but might have been it’s a natural water storage device. Whatever the reason, the trunk makes for a standout profile in the garden or even as a potted plant. Caring of a bottle palm tree is a low maintenance chore due to its slow growth and drought tolerance ability once established. The bottle palm is a true palm tree in the family of Arecaceae. Its scientific name is Hyophorbe lagenicaulis. The last part of the name of the bottle palm is from two Greek words, ‘lagen’ meaning flask and ‘caulis’ meaning stem. These palms only get 10 feet in height but sport fronds (leaf of a palm) that may grow 12 feet in length with 2-foot long leaflets. The trunk is smooth and grayish white topped with thin leaf scars from old, departed fronds.

How to Grow a Bottle Palm Tree
All the year Bottle palm trees require warm temperatures and prefer to the dry soils. They are mostly cultivated in Florida, southern California, Hawaii and other warm/hot climates. Northern gardeners grow the smaller palm trees in the containers and bring them indoors to avoid any frost. The site conditions which are suitable for the bottle tree palm care are sunny, well drained soil with plenty of potassium, either in small amounts in site or added annual basis as a feed. When planting a bottle palm tree, one should first dig a hole twice as deep and wide as the root ball. Add some amount of sand or topsoil to increase drainage and install the palm at the same depth it was growing in its pot. Do not hill soil around the stem. Add good quantity of Water at initial level to help the plant develop it’s roots. Palm tree can tolerate drought for short periods of time when there is no water available for it and it even withstands saline soils in coastal situations.

Care of Bottle Palm Tree

Firstly one of the key areas of bottle tree palm care is to protect it from cold. Tie up the fronds (leaf of a palm) gently and cover the fronds with some insulating material to avoid any frost, if there is a prediction of any cold temperature. Even a light cold temperature can cause fronds to die and brown. Bottle trees have not quality of self-cleaning, until the weather warms up to trim off dead leaves. Fertilize in early spring with a suitable or high potassium ratio food. Care before any pests attack and disease, and combat any signs immediately. Caring for a bottle palm tree is nearly effortless provided they are in good soil, bright light and and get moderate moisture.

Suitability in Pakistan

Commonly planted in parks and gardens.

Fruits

Fruits globose –oblong, purplish, spherical to oblong 1-14 cm long.

Flowers

Flowers appear in August in 3-4 clusters enclosed by two boat shaped spathes.

Uses

An ornamental palm tree.