Golden Cane Palm (Dypsis lutescens) Grow Notes

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Written by National Tropical Plant Nursery | 10 March 2011

The Golden Cane Palm, Dypsis lutescens, is one of the most popular and attractive of all palm trees. It is very easy to grow, and especially attractive due to its bamboo look. Golden Canes are clustering palms, with up to a dozen ringed, bamboo-like golden coloured trunks. Foliage is evergreen, of fine texture, and yellow-green in colour.

Golden Canes grow to a height of around 4 meters in the ground. They are excellent palms for some shade around the swimming pool or the home, as their rootsystem is non-invasive. They are also very adaptable and can be grown in full sun to part shade. These Palms are excellent for screening, they are fast growing, and are very bushy, creating a screen quickly and efficiently. Golden Canes can be pruned to shape & size to form a tidy, dense hedge.

The Golden Cane, although very adaptable, is best grown in rich soil high in organic nutrient. It looks best when watered during dry periods, but is very drought hardy once established. Select a well draining position which has good water retention properties. It is easy to grow and great for landscaping!in a well draining but moist position. These palms are fairly cold hardy but should be protected from frost.

Golden Cane Palms are suitable for container growing, as an indoor palm or out on the patio. Just make sure you use well draining potting mix and fertilise regularly.

Some additional general garden plants grow notes:

ON ARRIVAL:

Soaking:

When you receive your plants, unwrap your palms carefully, and give their roots a good soak in seaweed solution or water for a couple of hours. You can pour left-over seaweed solution on the plant after you have potted it up.

Pot size:

Our large Golden Canes in 8lt bags should go either straight into the ground or in a very big pot at least twice as big as an 8lt bag. They are sun hardy so are ready to go straight into their final position. The smaller Golden Canes are suitable for 200mm pots. Choose the right pot size for your plants. Don’t choose a huge pot in the hope the plant will grow faster, as it won’t!

Potting mix:

Use a well draining potting mix which is of good quality. You can mix your own, or purchase a pre-mix from garden centres.

Fertilising:

All plants appreciate good, nutrient-rich soil, and will grow well with a regular application of the right fertiliser. It is best to find a fertiliser specifically designed for the type of plant you are growing. We generally use a slow release fertiliser (such as Osmocote) for most plants, and also add lots of organic matter to the soil. Plants thrive with regular application of blood & bone,Dynamic Lifter or other organic fertiliser, which adds to your soil. You can also add slow release regularly to really kick them on. Some foliage plants will love a regular feed with liquid fertiliser, as it is both absorbed through the foliage, and the soil. Cacti and succulents need special care when it comes to fertilisers as they can be very sensitive. Use a diluted form of liquid fertiliser or organic fertiliser only.

Watering:

Make sure you water in your plants really, really well! You need to get air bubbles out of the soil, as roots die when they come into contact with air bubbles. This might cause them to die back, prohibits them from thriving and might even cause death. It is one of the most important things to do when re-potting plants! Once watered in, water your plants regularly. The rate would depend on the pot size. Most leafy plants will give you an indication of when they need watering, but it’s best to not let it get that far. You can stick your finger in the soil to check, the soil should feel moist to your second knuckle. If it feels dry, water. It is best to water when the plant needs it, and water well, rather than watering small amounts. This will stop the roots from developing properly. Make sure you don’t overwater to avoid root rot and cloggy soil. Cacti and succulents don’t need as much water. Most plants need less water during winter. Pots will need more watering than plants in the ground.

Position:

Our large Golden Canes are ready to go into their final position in your garden. For the smaller plants, it’s best to keep them in a protected position away from heat, sun, draughts etc. until you see some new growth, such as a new shoot or leaf. Once they have accustomed to their new climate and environment, you can start adjusting them to their final position in the garden, or pot. Slowly adjust them to full sun, and keep them protected from frost and wind for as long as possible. Some plants, such as Dracaena draco, Cycads, Cacti and most Succulents can be placed in a sunny position right from when they are young. Growing plants up in pots until they’re nice and strong will ensure a good start in the garden, so we recommend growing them in pots for a while first. If you are planting them out, ‘tree guard’ are a good thing, and so are structures around the plant with shade cloth. Make sure you mulch well when you plant them in the garden – mulch conditions your soil, protects roots and saves water!