Hi Guys for people in Vancouver BC, I saw in Garden Works today they have coconut palm and date palm as indoor plants, I like them very much, but before purchase I would like to know if it is possible to keep them as in door plants in Vancouver area cause we don't get a lot of suns. Especially coconut palm, I would like to know if I can keep them without artificial lights. Thanks
I agree that the coconut palm is a little trickier to keep indoors, partly due to its eventual size. However I have both the pygmy date palm and the coconut palm and I find that as long as you provide them with the proper conditions - lighting, humidity and temperature - they will grow. During the summer and early fall months I place all my tropical palms outside to benefit from the warmth and natural sunlight. During the rest of the year that are inside with 'sunblaster' fluorescent lighting to help offset the lack of natural light. FYI, the date palm they have is most likely a pygmy date palm - Phoenix roebelenii - , which is much smaller in size than the date palm - Phoenix dactylifera
Thanks for the replies. to clarify the date palm I saw was a pygmy date palm with 3 trunks. pmurphy, how many watts of sunblaster is needed to keep 3 4-foot palms? and how many hours per day? Do you think they can survive without the artificial lights? Thanks
Without artificial light I doubt they would stay healthy for very long. I use 4ft units mounted to the ceiling above the plants: T5HO COMPLETE KIT (which includes the electronic ballast, 6400K lamp, power cord, jumper plug and mounting clips). It is a 4ft unit; 54W / 6400K I put these on timers so that I can regulate how many hours of light they receive. I usually leave them on for a minimum 12 hours a day; 6AM to 6PM but gradually increasing the length so that by the time they go outside they are up to about 15 hours a day. FYI the sunblasters are not big or bulky so they are not difficult to put up or take down for storage; and if taken down the mounting clips are not overly visible. You can also easily connect several units with the jumper plug to run them in tandem if you have a large area you wish to cover. And you should be able to buy these units at any nursery or garden center....I believe about $30 - $50 depending upon the size. Once the lighting is taken care of the rest if fairly easy: do go below "normal" room temperature and a little misting once a week will keep them growing. And mine definitely enjoy spending the summer outside.
