The ornamental plant industry is swamped with incredible plants, especially palm varieties that have dominated the space for years. Now, you will discover a new kid on the block in plants and landscaping, catapulted by the revolutionary Cat Palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum).
The Cat Palm is a game-changer for the ornamental community. The Cat Palm is in the sweet spot between two prevalent palms, the Areca and the Kentia Palms. Its year-round availability creates reliability for different landscaping needs, while ease of growing and maintenance makes it a great bargain. TAK Global is leading this Cat Palm revolution with its 20-ha production farm in Costa Rica. It guarantees year-round availability and premium quality Cat Palm plants for exporters and retailers within the chain.
Read on to learn why this is a plant on steroids, and why the Cat palm trend is here to stay—and the best thing is: You can be part of it, too!
The Main Advantages of the Cat Palm:
- Low Maintenance: Cat Palm’s foliage remains dark green and lush without frequent trimming, unlike the Areca, which often requires maintenance to remove yellowing leaves at the base.
- Aesthetic Appeal: With a compact, bushy form, the Cat Palm offers a balanced, appealing look similar to the Kentia Palm, avoiding the “pot of tall grass” appearance seen with Areca Palms.
- Resilience in Transit: The Cat Palm’s durability allows it to arrive with minimal trimming or recovery needs, reducing labor costs for growers and retailers.
- High-Altitude Quality: TAK Global’s high-altitude nursery fosters strong, firm leaves, enhancing the Cat Palm’s hardiness and aesthetic qualities.
- Versatile Use: The Cat Palm adapts well to indoor and tropical outdoor settings, making it an appealing choice for diverse landscaping needs.
- Cost-Effective Choice: Priced between the Areca and Kentia, the Cat Palm provides great value with its combination of low maintenance, durability, and visual appeal.
What Makes the Cat Palm a Plant on Steroids?
The Cat Palm, scientifically known as Chamaedorea cataractarum, is a small, attractive palm native to Southeastern Mexico and Central America. It is commonly referred to as the Cascade Palm or Cataract Palm. This palm is top-rated for indoor use due to its lush appearance and low maintenance requirements. It is also a perfect palm for an outdoor plant in the tropics.
We could talk about its lush and dense foliage with graceful presence, but that's just part of what makes this palm a palm on steroids or a game-changer. Its longevity and hardiness make the Cat Palm easy to work within the trade as a grower and a re-seller to consumers.
The Cat Palm remains fresh for a long time, whether in transit or on arrival.
The Cat Palm Has Dark Green Leaves That Stay Fresh
Cat palms impress the most when compared with growing traits of competing palms like the Areca. Their compact size, bushy growth, and lush, dark green foliage, a bit less dense than the Areca, make them a better statement palm when grown indoors. Cat Palm leaves stay vigilant and dark green, whereas often, Areca Palms turn yellow more quickly. Cat Palms require minimal maintenance compared to Areca Palms. Though they can withstand prolonged dry periods, the foliage of Arecas tends to turn yellow, and trimming or pruning regularly is needed to maintain its appeal, whereas the Cat Palms do not.
Because the Cat Palm is a bit less dense than the Areca, its appearance is more like the Kentia palm, not just "a pot filled with tall grass," as many plant wholesalers name the Arecas. Its appearance is closer to the more highly appreciated Kentia palms.
The Cat Palm Has all the Specs to Arrive Better
The Cat palm is the sweet spot between Areca and Kentia Palms because it requires much less labor upon arrival. It arrives with lots of vitality, and almost no trimming is needed. The Cat Palm holds better in transit, translating to less recovery time and labor for the grower. Logistically, TAK Global commits to a timeline of 12 weeks until the Cat Palm plant reaches the final consumer—and that is very quick!
Freight lasts for 3 weeks until arrival at the respective importing grower. Then, only 8 weeks of recovery, repotting, and rerooting are necessary. Within this 8-week timeframe, the Cat Palm plants would be at the trader's point, and then you need a week to get to the retailer and at such a level that the plant is available for purchase by consumers.
With the 20 ha production area, TAK Global can alternate production cycles to ensure all-year-round availability.
The Cat Palm Is Priced in the Sweet Spot
While it’s already making waves in the cut foliage segment, the Cat Palm is here for the ornamental plant throne. Its ability to better adapt to various environments than the Arecas and still look good makes the Cat Palm an indispensable choice for designers and landscapers. Whether used as ground cover, for outdoor landscaping, or as a statement piece in indoor spaces, the Chamaedorea Cataractarum brings a fresh, modern appeal that’s hard to ignore. And its price is just between the Areca and Kentia Palms. Expected to be available to your flower shop, garden center, or mass market retailer soon!
TAK Global is the largest grower of the Cat Palm, grown in the best location, with a great production model and unmatched quality.
Coming From TAK Global Is the Difference
The altitude of Tak Global's nursery in Costa Rica is pivotal in producing Cat Palms of superior quality.
Located at a higher elevation, the nurseries from TAK Global benefit from a unique microclimate, where cooler temperatures and regulated sunlight exposure contribute to the plant's resilience and aesthetic appeal. This environment naturally slows the plant's growth, leading to a denser leaf structure and a firmer stem. The cooler air and moderate sunlight intensity also encourage the formation of darker, richer green leaves that are visually striking and more robust and resistant to environmental stress. Additionally, the gentle fluctuations in temperature across day and night cycles at higher altitudes enhance leaf thickness, improving the plant’s water retention and reducing susceptibility to wilting. These conditions foster a durable, healthy Cat Palm that stands out in quality, making it highly attractive to commercial buyers and individual plant enthusiasts.
TAK Global is the largest grower of the Cat Palm, grown in the best location, with a great production model and unmatched quality.
Production and Logistical Timelines of Cat Palm From TAK Global
How does the Cat Palm come to your nursery, trading grounds, garden center, or flower or plant shops? It all starts with seed collection.
Seed collection and germination on plugs take roughly 13 weeks, after which the plugs are potted to a bottomless pot to the fertile grounds. Rooting, maintenance, and further growing continue in a 14cm pot for another 60 weeks. Afterward, harvesting, repotting, and rerooting are performed to multiply the Cat Palms in preparation for export. The repotting and rerooting last for 6 weeks, and within another week, packing and shipping follow.
Regarding logistics, TAK Global guarantees that the Cat Palm plant will reach the end user (the consumer) in 12 weeks. Freight takes 3 weeks to get the importer or grower. Compared to competing palms, the quickest turnaround time for healing, repotting, and rerooting at the receiving grower is only 8 (!) weeks. The Cat Palm plants would get the trader's point within the allotted eight weeks, then the retailer a week later; at this point, the plant would be ready for customer purchase.
Cat Palm Is a Win Against its Rival Palms Areca and Kentia
The dominance of the Areca Palm in the ornamental space won't be long; the entrance of Chamaedorea Cataractarum is here for a (big) share of the cake. The new kid on the block hits better quality, has growing standards, and has higher prices than its rivals.
Cat Palm is an excellent option between the prevalent Kentia and Areca Palm, not only in terms of pricing but also in terms of labor intensity, resilience, and hardiness. Cat Palm's quick recovery periods and compactness make it easy to scale up during repotting. Scaling up with Cat Palm is easy, and one can have enormous volumes in the greenhouse because of the excellent availability at Tak Global.
TAK Global brings you the Cat Palm storm, grown with passion, sustainably, and,... for you!
