The washingtonia is a very tall palm, so much so that it can exceed ten meters in height, and it will do so in a few years if the climate is warm and it has water at its disposal. In fact, when conditions are very favourable, it grows at a rate of between 50 and 70 centimeters per year, sometimes even more. Therefore, it is interesting to ask if it can be kept in a pot.
For many the answer is clear: a resounding no. We are talking about a plant that is not only tall but also has a trunk that measures at least 40 centimeters, so it is logical to think that it would cost a lot to be beautiful in a container. But let’s see whether a potted washingtonia palm tree or not.
What does a potted washingtonia need?
La washingtonia, both the robusta and the filifera, as well as the hybrid filibusta, they are palm trees that not only grow fast but are also very easy to care for. They live in a part of North America where temperatures can be very high, and where there is little rain. Therefore, they are genetically prepared to resist drought, and even to grow in soils with few nutrients.
This is interesting to know if we want to plant it in the ground, but if we have it in a pot we will have to pamper it a bit. You have to think that, since you are only going to have the soil that fits in said container, it is going to dry quickly. Consequently, we do not have to neglect irrigation.
Also, several things must be taken into account that we will tell you below:
Choose a pot according to its size
As far as plants are concerned, the size is very important, because if they are put in pots that are too big, there is a greater risk of drowning, since they would have much more soil than they need at that moment, and also we watering them would add more water than their roots are capable of absorbing. Therefore, we don’t have to be in a hurry to plant our washingtonia in a big pot.
It is best to go little by little, and go transplanting it every 2 or 3 years into a larger one every time. Now, how big does it have to be? As it is not always easy to know, it is convenient that you be guided by the diameter of the root ball or root loaf; that is, if for example it measures about ten centimeters in diameter, the new container should measure about 17 or 20 centimeters wide by more or less the same height.
Give it a suitable land
It is true that the Washingtonia palm tree is not demanding, that it grows in poor soils and that it can also do so in fertile ones. But if we are going to have it in a pot, we must use a substrate that allows it to grow well. Its roots do not tolerate waterlogging, so the soil we choose should not be heavy.since otherwise it will take longer both to absorb the water and to dry.
Therefore, I recommend using the universal substrate or for green plants of the following brands: Flower, fertiberia, Westlandthe weedness for example. If you want to buy one, you just have to click on the links that we have given you.
Water your potted Washingtonia palm from time to time.
Image – Wikimedia Commons / Alexander Bayer Size
You have to water it regularly as long as it doesn’t rain. Especially during the summer, when temperatures are higher, care must be taken that the soil does not remain dry for too long, otherwise the plant will dry out. Thus, We recommend moisturizing it an average of 3 times a week if it’s hot, and once or twice a week the rest of the year.
Now, how is it to be watered? It is best to wet the soil. You have to pour water until it comes out through the drainage holes of the pot; in this way, we make sure that all its roots are hydrated.
Fertilize it during spring and summer
It may seem counterproductive to you to fertilize a palm tree like this one that is grown in a pot, but if it is not done, it will run out of nutrients in a short time. Also, there is a little trick: you have to use slow release fertilizers so that these nutrients are released little by little.
In case you want to use fertilizers like Flower that you can buy here!, you have to take half the dose indicated on the package. For example, if it says that you have to dilute 10 ml of product in 3 liters of water, you will put 5 ml of fertilizer in those liters of water.
Is it possible to grow it in a pot for life?
We have seen how it is cared for, but now we are going to talk more about keeping it in a pot always. And, to see, in my opinion, it is very difficult. In some nurseries I have come to see specimens of Robust Washingtonia and filibusta about 3-4 meters high in pots about 100 centimeters in diameter by about 70-80 centimeters high, and they were fine. But We are talking about plants that exceed 20 meters when they are on the ground.
Another issue is its roots. These are non-invasive, so they are not capable of breaking anything. But when they occupy all the space they have in the pot, what will happen is that their growth will stopand if they are not planted in a larger one or in the ground, there will come a time when they will weaken and begin to die.
Therefore, If possible, I advise you to plant them in the ground.. And if this is not the case, then you have to think about buying a pot as large as possible, at least 1 meter in diameter that measures the same height, as it will need it as it grows.
