Question
Help! My mother has bought me a cocnut palm plant, the only problem is it has come with no information on how to look after it. I don't know if i should re-pot it as it's only in one of those cheap plastic garden center pots, how how often do i water it, if re potting how, what temperatures does it require. Any help on how to look after this plant would be very useful please help me.

Answer
Gemma,

The best care instructions I can give you are move to Miami and plant it in your yard in full sun. This is an outdoor plant not a houseplant. That said, you might, might, be able to grow it indoors for a few years. You an repot it into a pot that has a diameter no more than 4 inches larger than the diameter of the nursery pot it is in now. Make sure the new pot has a drainage hole with a drain tray under it. You do not want to go to any larger pot or either the roots will rot or the palm will grow way to fast and you will not have room for it. Buy cheap potting soil and a bag of perlite which looks like little Styrofoam pellets(it is not  Styrofoam)and a bag of builders sand at Lowes or Home Depot un less you have other access to sand. Mix the potting soil, perlite and sand in equal quantities. Place some soil in the bottom of the new pot after covering the drain hole with a small piece of paper towel, then remove the coconut palm from the nursery pot and set it in the new pot centered on top of the soil in the pot. Then pack more soil around the rootball of the palm.  

Water it well so all the soil in the pot is moist and an hour later empty the drain tray. The palm can't sit with a drain tray full of water or the roots will rot. Then insert a bamboo skewer into the soil. 5 days later pull the skewer out, if the skewer is dry water the plant, if it is not dry wait a couple more days and check again.

This plant will eventually hit your ceiling and you will have to find it another home or throw it out. In Miami they get 80 feet tall. It needs as much sun as possible for as long as possible each day. Without enough sun it could eventually die. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene