Pachypodium lamerei, the Madagascar palm: light, watering and a winter without leaves

Pachypodium lamerei is one of those classics almost everyone ends up buying. Although it's called the Madagascar palm and looks like a spiny palm tree, it's a succulent in the Apocynaceae family, not a cactus. A care guide I found sums up the essentials well.

In its habitat it can reach 3 or 4 meters, while in a pot it usually stays between 30 centimeters and 1.5 meters. It needs plenty of light and heat, with daytime temperatures of 20 to 30 degrees; below about 15 degrees it may drop its leaves and go dormant. Losing its leaves in winter is normal, and it sprouts again when the heat returns.

Watering is the delicate part. Because it stores water in its stem, it tolerates drought better than excess. In spring and summer, water once or twice a week, letting the substrate dry out between waterings; in autumn and winter, every two weeks, or not at all if it's resting. The article identifies root rot as the main cause of death for this species.

For the substrate it proposes an airy mix of black soil, leaf mold and tepojal, or a cactus mix with gravel or pumice. Repot every two or three years, and wear gloves because of the spines. Fertilize only in spring and summer, with cactus fertilizer at half strength once a month.

To propagate, it recommends soaking seeds for 24 hours before sowing them in spring. I like that the text is clear about what makes this plant suffer most: too much water and too little light.

Source: JardineriaOn