Getting your palms and cycads out of their pots and into the ground

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To my surprise, many palm and cycad collectors leave their plants in pots. Sometimes even in the ugly black containers that they were grown in. And while this is usually not fatal to the plants, it certainly isn't how to get the most out of them. Of course, if you live somewhere that gets below freezing, like England, I can understand. But I've seen people do it here in Arizona, and even in California.

Leaving your palms and cycads in pots is like keeping a goldfish in the bag from the pet store instead of letting him go free in the aquarium. In a tiny container, there is more chance of fatal fluctuations in temperature, there is a greater chance of disease, it more difficult to feed, that sort of thing.

This is what you need to do -

• Buy your plants small. Digging a hole for a fifteen-gallon pot is quite a task here in Arizona where the ground is mostly clay. By the way, when I dig a hole, I start a bit, fill with water, let it sit, dig a bit out, refill, etc. Even a five-gallon container plant takes several hours. Buy them small, care for them well, is the best way to go. They will grow!

• Invest in premium-quality potting soil. After all of that back-breaking work, this is no time to put in cheap *dollar store* potting soil. Go to Home Depot and get the good stuff. The stuff with moisture crystals and plant food in it. And get a lot more than you think you need - then you won't have to get as much when you go back for more.

There is an old expression, *dig a $100 hole for a $50 plant*, and it really applies. Give your palms and cycads a home!

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