Royal Palm (Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) 3 seeds

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

A palm that is exceptional in its appearance and very suitable for indoor growing. Originally from Australia. It grows up to 25 meters tall, with bright green, feathered leaves up to 2.5 meters long. The trunk is smooth, surrounded by distinctive leaf rings that are thinner and more widely spaced. It produces small red fruits that are very decorative but inedible. This magnificent palm is ideal for representative spaces. It is undemanding to grow.

How to Grow King Palm

• Requires a bright location, but not direct sunlight. Tolerates partial shade to full shade. During the growing season, the king palm is demanding in terms of watering. The substrate must not dry out during the growing period. During dormancy, keep the soil moderately moist, watering only after the substrate has dried slightly. Tolerates frost down to -6°C for short periods. However, it's advisable to maintain year-round temperatures of approximately 8-16°C.

• Sowing is done 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 consisting of a 1:1 ratio of perlite and peat. Sow shallowly. Seeds germinate in 2-3 months in constantly moist substrate. The substrate should be warmer than room temperature, approximately 26 degrees Celsius. Transplant plants that are about 10 cm tall into their own containers.

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

• Regular fertilization of palms from March to September every 2 to 3 weeks is essential. It's better to fertilize more frequently at lower concentrations than occasionally with strong fertilizer concentrations. Before applying fertilizer, the plant must be watered. Do not apply fertilizer to the palm heart, do not fertilize on leaves, do not fertilize sick plants, do not fertilize small seedlings, and do not fertilize freshly transplanted plants for several months.

  During the growing season, fertilize every 3 weeks. It's advisable to use Humvit fertilizer, which prevents plant overdosing. It can be alternated in spring with Fytovit. In summer with Hahrmavit. Always apply only one-third of the given fertilizer amount as indicated in the instructions.

• Animal pests include biting and sucking insects and their larvae that suck sap from leaves and drain energy, weakening the organism and leading to plant death. Mealybugs, scale insects, and armored scales can be recognized 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 involves spraying with Savel preparation. Shells can also be scraped off and affected areas treated with an alcohol swab.

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

  White insects that fly away at the slightest disturbance, sticky and deformed leaves, spots on leaves - these are all signs of whitefly infestation. Whiteflies love humid heat, so they most commonly appear in greenhouses. Protection involves providing plants with a cooler and more ventilated environment and using 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 sprays with soap solutions or preparations such as Pirimor 25 WG or Fast K180, Aztec 140 EW, Agrion delta.

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

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

  Before overwintering, it's advisable to carry out a preventive spray 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 unfavorable growing conditions.

  Among the most common palm diseases is sooty mold, which manifests as a sticky blackish surface on leaves. Protection involves removing contaminated leaves and spraying with Novozir MN.

  Gray mold creates a gray-white coating on plants. The best protection is to cut off affected plant parts, ventilate the room where the plant is grown, and use protective agents such as Novozir MN, Ronilan, Dithane.

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