new kentia palm

I decided to replace the Monster Plant with an indoor palm.  I did a bit of research and decided on a Kentia palm from Lord Howe Island which is meant to be superb for indoor use.  Other palms, such as the majestic palm and the coco palm, I was specifically warned against as making bad houseplants.

I let my wallet win out over my sense and went to the B-store (a large, popular chain of hardware stores I shall not name) for the palm.  But there I was surrounded by majestic palms, coco palms, and Alexandra palms for sale as already huge, advanced specimens as tall as I am.  I finally found just two Kentia palms.  They cost a good third more than all of the others and they were half the size.  Once again I am reminded that when you go to the B-store, you shop at your own risk.  They are not at all interested in selling you the right product for your needs, they are interested in selling as much as possible at maybe, at best, 5% or 10% cheaper than elsewhere.  The "expertise" of their employees is shockingly bad and they are particularly known for selling plants out of season (such as continuing to sell tomato seedlings into the fall, or months before they'll be happy outside).  Only go there if you know exactly what you want and don't need any help, otherwise you'll walk out quite pleased with yourself having bought a majestic palm that will promptly die.

I felt doubly guilty because I ended up buying the pot from a nice garden shop because I didn't like the pots at the B-store ... and their Kentia palms were only $5 more than at the B-store.  And when I got it home and potted it up, I found this.  What you see in this photo is a small, very compact root ball of quite dense clay that was resting in the plastic pot of potting mix.  Thankfully it's not really root bound (when the roots constrict into a too-small pot), but I'm a little worried it'll have trouble spreading out into its new home.  But again, that's what you get when you risk buying something from the B-store.

But enough about that store, look at my lovely palm tree!  It'll keep growing to some height, but slowly enough that it should be with me for years.  I'm very happy with my little palm tree ... and even better, the cats are unimpressed which should mean they leave it well enough alone!