The difficulty will be in handling it as it gets bigger. They do grow quite a lot bigger than yours is now, making it impractical from the point of view of moving and repotting. I have one about twice the size of yours, and another 2 about 3 times that size. There's no way I could imagine having them in a pot. There comes a time when the ground's the most suitable container.

Thanks tropicbreezent. I know they grow huge, and that's probably my goal lol. Even though this palm is on a rooftop deck, I'd like so see it get bigger. Have you any advice on what would happen if I decide to leave it in the same pot for another 3 years? Will it die?

Eventually there will be only roots in the pot, and no soil left. At that point, the palm will decline unless you repot it or plant it... you can keep it going another year or two after that if you water nearly daily and fertilize it frequently (sort of hydroponic-type culture)... but eventually the pot or the plant will suffer (sometimes these simply explode out of the pot).

I agree, that's about how it will go. The root mat may also become so dense that water won't get through causing part of it to start to die off.

How about root pruning and keeping it in the pot? I root pruned a Cat Palm and it didn't seem to suffer any problems. I took more than half the roots off and put it back in the same pot. Didn't miss a beat. Its been about 4 months since I did it.

Jane

Chamaedorea seem pretty hardy when it comes to messing with their roots... but they are certainly rather exceptional in this quality.. .most other palms will NOT take to root pruning happily and many will croak rather quickly... that is unless you root prune them in the ground just taking their tips off, but leaving the deeper roots and the palm in place... that often works... but you usually need a good 6 months to let the roots start to regrow, and THEN you can move the palm. Still, doesn't always work.. .some palms just don't move well (this is from the ground... from pots, most move extremely easily).

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm not sure how I would do pruning since I cannot take it out of the pot, it is basically impossible. I'll see what I can do. Thanks again!

What a beauty, I asked simular and under advise I root pruned my Arecas, very successfully. You may need an extra pair of hands to helpl lol.

I have root pruned plants where the warning was, 'you will kill the plant.' I'm new to Palms but I find timing is key to root pruning. This is the best time of year to root prune. Take off half the root ball and use a little root-stimulator, put the plant back in the same pot with new soil. Put in a shadier spot.

Unless this is a plant you can't afford to lose, this is a way to maintain potted plants without letting them overwhelm you.

Jane

I think he wants to be overwhelmed by it, LOL. You could try to thin out the stems since taking it out of the pot would be too difficult. My largest only have 4 stems each (although, hundreds of seedlings underneath). With less trunks to feed you might get better height out of the remainder whilst still in the same pot.

It's definitely getting to a point now where it's getting too big for the pot (looks great though!). I would keep up on fertilizing it for now since it will have less and less nutrients available to it as it grows more. Eventually you will have to repot it though. I guess the only option at that time would be to break the pot as bad as that is. Hard to see what the pot is made out of, but I'm sure you can find a way to break it open if you have to. It should be okay in that pot for at least another year, but if you see it begin to decline, that's definitely the signal to repot it.

-Alex