Slender Palm (Carpentaria acuminata) 4 seeds

Slender Palm - Carpentaria acuminata

Carpentaria acuminata originates from the rainforest areas of Australia's Northern Territory, where it grows in flat lowland areas near lakes and rivers. This species can reach heights of up to 20 m, its growth is very fast. The trunk is smooth.

The leaves can be up to 6 m long. White flowers adorn the plant throughout the year, its fruits are oval and have a dark red colour. It is better to avoid these fruits, as their juice can cause allergic reactions.

How to grow the slender palm

• It thrives in full sun or partial shade. It is necessary to "accustom" the palm to pure sunlight. Bear in mind that even window glass prevents the penetration of pure sunlight. Moving an indoor-grown palm directly outdoors into direct sun would have fatal consequences for it. It prefers moisture, which means that in temperatures above 25°C the plant likes constantly moist soil. At temperatures below 22°C, reduce watering. Do not overwater the plant, as this could lead to root rot. The minimum winter temperature is between 16-18°C, but ideally 18-22°C. If you summer the plant outdoors, choose a sheltered location.

• Sowing is carried out year-round. First soak the seeds in warm water for at least 3 days. Change the water daily. Then plant the seeds in a substrate composed of perlite and peat in a 1:1 ratio. Sow shallowly. Seeds germinate in 2-3 months in constantly moist substrate. This should have a higher than room temperature, approximately 26 degrees Celsius. Transplant plants approximately 10 cm tall into their own containers.

• The ideal base for most palms is a mixture of compost soil or peat with a slight proportion of clay component and yellow, dug sand. It can be purchased directly as substrate for palms. The basis is of course good drainage at the bottom of the container.

• Regular fertilising of palms from March to September every 2 to 3 weeks is essential. It is better to fertilise more frequently in lower concentrations than occasionally with a strong concentration of fertiliser. Before applying fertiliser, it is necessary that the plant is watered. Do not apply fertiliser into the palm heart, do not fertilise on leaves, do not fertilise sick plants, do not fertilise small seedlings either, do not fertilise freshly transplanted plants for several months.

  During the growing season, fertilise every 3 weeks. It is advisable to use Humvit fertiliser, which does not pose a risk of plant overdose. It can be alternated in spring with Fytovit. In summer with Hahrmavit. Always apply only one third of the given fertiliser amount than stated in the instructions.

• Animal pests are biting and sucking insects and their larvae that suck sap from leaves and drain energy, which weakens the organism and leads to plant death. Mealybugs, scale insects and armoured scales can be recognised by brown hard shells on the plant. The plant becomes stunted, leaves fall off and a sticky coating appears. The cause is always dry air. Protection is spraying with Savel preparation. The shells can also be scraped off and affected areas treated with an alcohol swab.

  Woolly aphids, mites and thrips create white cotton-like nests and slimy secretions on the underside of leaves. The cause is again dry air. Smear white tufts and individual specimens with oil, humidify the air, or use special sprays, e.g. Biool (oil emulsion) or Mospilan 20 SP or Sumithion super in combination with Applaud WP, Actellic 50 EC, Talstar 10 EC, at least 5 sprayings (every 2 days).

  White insects that fly away at the slightest disturbance, sticky and deformed leaves, spots on leaves. These are all symptoms of whitefly infestation. Whiteflies love humid heat, so they appear most often in greenhouses. Protection is to provide plants with a cooler and more ventilated environment and use yellow sticky traps or sprays: Applaud 25 WP in combination with Sumithion super, Mospilan 20 SP.

  Plants are also attacked by aphids. Suitable protection includes spraying with soap solutions or spraying with Pirimor 25 WG or Fast K180, Aztec 140 EW, Agrion delta preparations.

  Spider mites create webs on the upper or lower side of leaves. Leaves turn yellow and later dry out. It is advisable to use insecticides in spray form (Vertimec 2x 5ml - works almost immediately) Fast K 180, Apollo 50 SC, Omite 57 EW.

  Fungus gnats are black flies whose larvae are translucent and have black heads, they love humus and peat and usually attack and destroy the roots of young plants. Protection must come immediately, otherwise there is no chance of rescue. Hang yellow sticky traps (Stopset traps), use insecticides in spray form (Decis), at least 5 sprayings (every 2 days).

  Before winter storage, it is advisable to carry out preventive spraying against fungal diseases (Fundazol 50 WP, Novozir MN, Polyram WG, Rovral 50 WP, Kuprikol 50). Most fungal diseases manifest when the plant is too weakened by unfavourable growing conditions.

  Among the most common palm diseases is sooty mould. This manifests as a sticky blackish surface on leaves. Protection is to remove contaminated leaves, spray with Novozir MN.

  Grey mould creates a grey-white coating on plants. The most suitable protection is to cut off affected plant parts, ventilate the room where you grow the plant and use protective agents such as Novozir MN, Ronilan, Dithane.

  Rust manifests as red-brown spots on leaves, shoots may soften. Affected leaves need to be destroyed and must not be sprayed when watering, otherwise rust spores spread further throughout the plant. Protection is carried out by spraying with Baycor 25 WP, Polyram WG.

Photo sources:
By Tanetahi - Photograph taken with digital camera., CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=46060943
By Aleksasfi - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13262170