Chamaedorea plumosa

Growing Notes

Avoid full sun in inland areas.Chamaedorea plumosa is a fast-growing (once the trunk forms) single-stem species that makes a respectable small palm tree, and excellent in any exposure in coastal climates from deep shade to substantial sun—if generously irrigated in the latter case. It tolerates temperatures a little below freezing and is not for frosty areas.Palms are generally heavy feeders, and this palm just loves fertilizer. To keep the leaves bright green, they should be fertilized at least three times a year. Almost any fertilizer will please this plant. Try a fertilizer that contains micronutrients, if you see yellowing new leaves or yellow spots on the leaves. 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 turn yellow or 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, your palm trunks will resemble bamboo cane.

Special Interest

This palm’s plumose leaves give it a soft, full look. It’s surprisingly tolerant of low-light conditions.

Links

• Ultimate Guide for Palms of the Bay Area
• iNaturalist
• Palmpedia