How do I take care of my "outdoor" potted Majesty palms?

Question

I recently purchased 3 majesty palms and repotted them to pots for outdoors. I put drainage rock in the bottom of the pots, some packing popcorn above that for additional drainage, then some landscape felt (to seperate the soil from the popcorn) and then the potting soil. I put mulch/pine straw on top of the soil to keep the soil from being baked during the day..... They will get full sunlight most of the day and I live in the land of humidity (GA) and plan on misting daily and watering every other day. I think I have enough drainage so the roots won't sit in water. In the winter when it gets colder, I plan on bringing them into the garage (have 5 windows in there) - and other than giving them palm food every couple of months - should I be doing anything else to make them happy?

Answer 1

nope they should be good. it may get some leaf damage in a unheated garage, but it is worth a try and they are cold tollerant to about 20 degrees so they will be okay.

if in an unheated garage dont wate too much though and stop giving them plant food in september so they wont be growing this winter. young leaves will brown faster sometimes than old ones and damage to the young leaves will cause problems so if it isnt watered as much it wont make as many leaves.

in the spring take is out and begin to slowly give it more and more water. once back to normal watering you can add plant food maybe around may or june

Answer 2

You've generally got the basics right,  inlcluding giving them palm fertilizer, which gives them all the nutrients that they need.  Don't let it dry out between waterings, as it soils need to be consistently moist, if possible - though your mulch will help with this.

Watch out for infestations, and treat them at the earliest point.  Spider mites can sometimes be a problem, especially in hot dry conditions.  Insecticidal soaps work on mites, even though they are not an insect.

Don't feed them during the winter, give it a winter break.  And aim for maximum light during this period, so that they don't get weakened - your garage may be OK for this.  

Hope this helps.  Good luck!  Rob