Chamaedorea metallica
metallic palm
Metallic palm. Pewter hued fishtail leaves over single-stems for shade or part sun, understory. Great in feature pots with shiny glaze, and indoors. Plant in little groves.
 |
height |
2–5ft |
 |
width |
1–3ft |
 |
tolerates |
Coast, Drought, Narrow Planting, Pots, Neglect |
 |
water
needs |
Low – Moderate |
 |
water
info |
This palm should be watered deeply every week or two once it’s established. It tolerates a rather dry condition, though it would prefer not to dry out completely. |
 |
hardy
to |
30F |
 |
exposure |
Deep Shade – Part Sun |
 |
indoor
outdoor |
Outdoor |
 |
drainage |
In Ground: Cactus Mix, In Pots: Cactus Mix, Tolerates Sandy Soil |
 |
fertilizing |
Palm Fertilizer |
 |
origin |
S Mexico |
 |
california
native |
No |
 |
sunset
zones |
16, 17, 21–24 |
OUTDOOR EXPOSURE GUIDE
Full Sun
Six or more hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.
Part Shade
Three to five hours of sun beams directly landing on the plant's leaves.
Part Sun
One to two hours of sun beams directly landing on the plants leaves.
Full Shade
The plant is never fully lit by sun beams,
but is in a bright spot or has dappled sunbeams playing over the leaves throughout the day.
Deep Shade
The plant never has dappled light on the leaves, and is in a place that feels dim, even on a nice sunny day.
SUNSET ZONES MAP
Growing Notes
Palms are generally heavy feeders, so if you want them growing quickly and looking their best, they should be fertilized at least three times a year. Fertilizing at spring equinox, summer solstice and fall equinox will allow for a winter rest. Be sure to feed your palm with a fertilizer that contains micronutrients, especially if you see yellowing leaves or yellow spots on the leaves. Be sure your palm fertilizer contains micronutrients, particularly magnesium.
Special Interest
This solitary palm will grow only one trunk during its lifetime. If you have a pot with multiple trunks in it, that’s because multiple separate palm trees were germinated in the pot. The good news is that you won’t need to thin out suckers over time to maintain the number of trunks you started out with.
You can prune off older chamaedorea leaves when they start to look ratty, or wait until they are completely dried up. Either way, once the leaf sheath (the part of the leaf that wraps around the trunk of the palm) dries up, you can just pull it right off, exposing the green trunk. Once this is done.
This palm’s juicy lush look is an absolute must-have when creating a tropical garden in a temperate climate. Mix it with other broad-leafed flowering plants like cannas, hedychiums, philodendrons, or monsteras.
More Info
This plant would make a good houseplant if it had been grown in a controlled greenhouse with houseplant soil. This ‘greenhousing’ ensures that plants who come home with you are well acclimated to indoor life, and also that they don’t have any pests. It is common for outdoor plants to have other passengers as well, such as earthworms or centipides that don’t necessarily hurt the plant, but aren’t welcome indoors.
If you consider yourself an expert gardener, you can of course attempt to transition this plant indoors. In that case you’ll want to strip all the soil from the rootball, wash the roots clean and then spray the entire plant (leaves, undersides of the leaves, all the cracks and roots) with a mix of one tablespoon of rubbing alcohol in a cup of water. Repot the plant in the appropriate sterile soil/pot and take extra care as it transitions to the indoors, especially looking for pests and treating at the first sign of problems. Always consider the risk that any bugs could also affect other houseplants you have nearby.
For some plants, we sell two versions: outdoor-grown and greenhouse-grown. If you’re looking to grow this plant indoors, feel free to ask our staff if we have a greenhouse-grown version in stock!
