Sabal - unpretentious competitor of dates and chamerops

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Palms today, when the assortment of indoor plants seems to be as extensive as ever, remain one of the most common decorative and deciduous crops. In addition, they are clear leaders among gigantic pets. But if palm trees such as dates, chamerops, and Washington are ubiquitous, then sabal, unfortunately, is not so popular. But this palm is much more hardy, unpretentious, easy to care for. The giant has a sabal and other advantages. After all, beautiful fans of leaves with a luxurious color can hardly leave anyone indifferent.

Palm tree with perfect fan-shaped foliage

Sabal today is one of the most fashionable medicinal plants. Preparations based on it, like oils extracted from palm wood, are advertised literally at every step. But the sabal's talents are far from limited to a beneficial effect on the skin and work of the prostate gland. And one of the most beautiful. The magnificent leaves of this palm tree easily overshadow any other foliage plant in the interior.

Sabal is an excellent example of a classic fan-shaped leaf shape. This representative of a huge family of palm trees is impressive in the first place: even in room culture, sabals reach a height of two meters. Since plants grow only the number of leaves, they maintain a stable height, but not crown splendor. In addition, the sabal grows slowly at a young age and only after decades begins to show greater activity. And on this parameter no other palm tree stretches with it.

Sabal leaves are truly luxurious. They can grow up to 1 m wide, ideal fan-shaped, which is only emphasized by symmetrical lobes and deeply cut plates. The dissection is very deep, up to ¾ length, the plates are rigid and successfully harmonize with the widening petioles at the base. Sabal leaves are straight, bend only with age, which allows us to evaluate their shape in all its glory.

Sabal in room culture is represented by two completely different in form of growth varieties. The differences between them are significant, but only in one parameter - the aboveground or underground type of trunk. But the leaves, sizes, and also the care requirements for all sabers are absolutely identical.

Dwarf Sabal (sabal minor) - A species in which the trunk is modified and fully develops underground. Above the substrate at this palm tree, only leaves rise in a kind of lush bundle. Crohn is very beautiful, usually uniform, rounded and thick. This sabal leaves are very bright, but colder, with a bluish-blue tint.

Sabal palmetto (sabal palmetto) - A classic palm tree with an elevated trunk, albeit quite short. Magnificent leaves in a spherical crown rise above a thin leg. The color of the leaves is saturated, but dark, with classic grassy hues and without a cold tint. The thick, sprawling crown of this saber seems massive and elegant at the same time. And the trunk is covered with the remains of cuttings of magnificent leaves. In nature, palmette grows several tens of meters, but in rooms it is also limited to two meters in height.

Sabal in the interior

This plant is large, it has been brought into the interiors for decades, and sabal requires first of all the correct presentation: treat this palm tree as a piece of furniture and a great accent. Like all large palm trees, sabals hide the space, visually reduce the size of the room. They must be used wisely, so that the plant does not suppress or overload the interior. Sabal needs space and an environment not overloaded with details.

Growing a sabal will not cause trouble even for inexperienced gardeners. This is one of the easiest palm trees to care for, for which the right choice of growing conditions and modest care are a sufficient guarantee of high decorativeness. Moreover, the sabal is almost the only palm tree that easily puts up with violations of care. Of course, only if deviations from optimal conditions do not become systemic and critical.

Sabal will forgive you the lack of watering, if you have to urgently leave, one-time overfill or lack of fertilizing. It is still not necessary to admit violations, but they will not be fatal either for the sabal or for its attractive foliage.

Conditions comfortable sabal

By its preferences for lighting, sabals can rightly be called typical palm trees. Regardless of the time of year, they need to be provided with the brightest lighting possible. These are photophilous plants that can put up with a sunny location, and even with the brightest places in your home. But just keep your palm from direct midday rays: they will leave spots on the leaves.

If you have acquired varietal sabals, especially varieties of palmettes of the last selection, then your plant will be able to put up with even slight shading. The lack of light for a sabal with an elevated trunk will not be critical, only the leaves will change color slightly, but the palm will not hurt and look worse.

As for temperature, here the sabal will pleasantly surprise you. In the warm season, he loves standard room conditions from 21-22 degrees and above, but he is not too afraid of the heat. But the selection of the winter regime of maintenance of this plant is better to pay increased attention to. Sabals prefer a cool wintering.

If you place this palm tree in a room with a temperature range of 10 to 15 degrees Celsius during the coldest time of the year, then it will become one of the most luxurious decorative and deciduous soloists in the interior. But in relation to the temperature regime, the sabal will show its plasticity and adaptability. Love for a cool winter does not mean at all that a palm tree cannot be grown at stable room temperatures.

Sabal will grow and show off at a temperature of about 15 and about 20 degrees, and even hotter conditions will not harm him. It is enough to compensate for the increase in temperature with a corresponding increase in air humidity, the correction of traditional watering for more plentiful procedures in accordance with the environment in which the plant is located. Hot wintering can also cause the tips of the leaves to dry out, but if you actively moisturize the air and spray the plant, then even such difficulties will not arise.

Sabals love fresh air. These palms can be grown as a garden cadre, keeping indoors only from the time of the cold weather until May, and as a combined culture, which is transferred to open places in the summer.

Giant and impressive sabals will be a magnificent decoration of the balcony, terrace, and relaxation areas in the garden. At the same time, this palm tree is not too afraid of precipitation and drafts (but not in an extreme embodiment) and feels more than comfortable in the gardens. The main thing is to take into account that in the fresh air the lighting is completely different, and like other plants, Sabal must be provided with partial shade (it corresponds to the solar location in the room).

Sabal care at home

Sabal is a sun-dependent plant. If you do not turn the container with a palm tree, it will bend, the beautiful silhouette will be somewhat disturbed. Therefore, try to rotate the plant regularly to maintain an even distribution of leaves in the crown.

Watering and Humidity for Sabers

Sabal does not like waterlogging, excessive irrigation and poor soil permeability. Therefore, procedures for him should always be infrequent, carried out taking into account the rate of drying of the substrate in the pot.

Even in winter, it should not completely dry out, but watering should be light and only support a slightly moist soil condition. But in the period of active growth sabal is rarely watered, but abundantly, so that the substrate remains moist, but between the procedures the upper and partially middle layer of the soil dries. The classic frequency of watering is 1 time in 4-5 days in the summer and 1 time in 7-8 days in the winter. It is better to drain the water from the pallets immediately after the procedures.

Sabal calmly puts up with the driest "atmosphere" in the house. It is vital to increase air humidity to at least 60-70% only when wintering in hot conditions. The rest of the year, it is better to focus on the condition of the plant and the air temperature in the room. So, in the summer, the sabal will not refuse to spray, especially if it is outdoors.

About the need to adjust humidity to compensate for other uncomfortable parameters, the sabal signals yellowing leaves. Installation of humidifiers or trays for saber is not necessary (and even ineffective due to the size of the plant). It is better to humidify the air exclusively by spraying, while during the procedure, moisture must fall on all sides of the leaves.

In addition to spraying, only this palm will gratefully respond to regular rubbing of the leaves. Once a month in autumn and winter, and every week in summer, clean leaves from accumulated dust. Wipe greens only with a soft sponge.

Saber Feeding

Feeding this palm tree is necessary only during the period of active development. From October to the end of February, feeding for saber is prohibited, and during the period of active growth, fertilizers are applied once a month or 2-3 weeks. For this plant, special fertilizer mixtures for palm trees or complex fertilizers for decorative and deciduous plants should be selected. Suitable for sabal and fertilizer mix for yucca or dracaena.

Sabal, unlike many other palm trees, responds well to long-acting fertilizers. This palm can be grown with minimal care, if you use special capsules or mineral sticks.

Sabal transplant

To change the capacity and substrate for this plant is not an easy task. And the thing is not only that Sabalas are large plants and require skill because of their weight and size. After all, these palm trees do not tolerate root injuries and can die due to an incorrect, rude approach. Sabals are not transplanted, but transshipped. At the same time, select the frequency of the procedures only if necessary by the plant itself, and not according to a specific schedule.

Even young sabals do not always need to be transplanted annually, and adult palm trees do not transship at all more than once every 3 years, and preferably every 5-6 years. Arrange in advance with assistants: one person can not cope with a sabal transplant.

Sabals can be transplanted only at the very beginning of the active growth phase, in March-April. Focus on the signs of complete filling of the substrate with the roots: transship the plant only if the roots begin to crawl out of the hole.

In years when sabal is not transplanted, the topsoil needs to be renewed. Carefully loosen the top of the substrate in a pot, remove the old soil without touching the roots and without touching them and pour on top the same layer of new substrate.

Sabal Substrate: this palm can only develop normally in clay soil. But since the sabal is sensitive to stagnation of moisture, does not tolerate waterlogging, the specific texture of the soil will need to be compensated by a powerful layer of drainage. The composition of the substrate also needs to be given increased attention.

The older your sabal is, the more turf soil it needs. Young plants are planted in the mixture from equal shares of foliage, humus and sod soils with a half share of sand, but with each transplant the proportion of sod land is better to increase. Special substrates for palm trees (even for yucca or dracaena) are great for sabal.

Capacities for Saber: this palm should be planted in large pots, not only the size of the rhizome, but also the heavy crown of the plant. Please note that containers must be stable. Often this palm tree is planted in tubs. But the main thing is that the pots should be equipped with either one large drainage system or several drain holes, and the width of the container should be less than the height. Containers increase by 2-4 cm compared to the previous one.

Saber pruning

This palm can withstand partial pruning of leaves when needed. If, due to problems with care or improper selection of growing conditions, dry patches, tips, spots appeared on sabal leaves, then damaged patches can be safely cut with sharp scissors. But cutting should be carried out not “live”, but leaving a thin strip of dry cloth over the green part of the leaf.

Pests and diseases:

thrips;
scale insects;
spider mite;
feltman.

It is better to deal with insects by combined methods - manual cleaning of leaves and spraying with insecticides.

Common problems in the development of the saber:

yellowing of the leaves with prolonged repeated drying of the substrate or a combination of dry air and high temperatures;
the appearance of brown tips on the leaves during hot wintering.

Sabal breeding methods

Independently propagate this palm tree can only be seeds. They germinate for a very long time, and young plants grow slowly. If you decide to grow sabal on your own, the first thing worth stocking up is patience. Germinate seeds in a mixture of chopped moss, peat and sand with constant lower heating and high humidity.