Question
I have a seifrizii palm that I got in June of this year.  It came in a 14" pot and
the nursery potted it into  a 16" pot with drainage holes that I provided.  They
told me it would not be a problem to pot up a size (although now I wonder if
that was correct).  It has some stems that have bent in the middle so that the
whole stalk falls over.  When I feel the stems, they sometimes have a hollow
feel like the inner part has collapsed.  I have had some fronds turn brown
previous to the stem problem and just trimmed them off thinking this was
just a normal reaction to changes in their environment.  The fronds whose
stems are affected  look quite healthy past the bent area with firm stems,
green fronds and new growth.  I wait to water until the top third of the soil is
dry.  It is several feet away from a large northeast window with no window
coverings on it. Is this stem rot? and what do I do about it?  I did just move it
to a location with brighter indirect light to see if it does better.  Should I do
anything about the pot size?  Please help!

Thankyou,
Karan

Answer
Hi Karan,

The nursery should have known better, but obviously they did not. Unnecessary repotting is the most common cause of plant failure. Not only does it stress the plant at a time when it is undergoing the stress of moving to a new environment, it also greatly increases the chances of root rot.

I have never seen a 14" Chamaedorea seifrizii (bamboo palm) that needed a larger pot. It can happen, but it is rare.

What appears to be stem rot is really root damage that is depriving the stems of the water and nutrients that they need. The stems start to collapse and then everything above the collapsed stem will gradually die.

If is is just a few stems that are affected, you may be able to salvage the plant by moving it back to a 14" pot and removing all soil added by the nursery. If it is many stems, then it may be beyond recovery.

If your bamboo palm is within 3 feet of the northeast window, that should be adequate. Otherwise it will need more light. This plant must have very bright indirect light all day long and a few hours of direct sun is even better.

When properly potted in the right sized pot and with no soil added to the top of the original rootball, then it is best to water thoroughly when the top inch or two feels dry.

I am really sorry that you were the victim of bad advice. You might consider returning it in exchange for a 14" seifrizii that is not up-potted.


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Horticultural Help, NYC

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