Information About Indoor Palm Trees
While Indoor palm trees can add texture, beauty and a tropical feel to any indoor environment, not all palms are created equal. Palms are not difficult to maintain, but there are some specific care requirements. Size, type and available natural light are important to consider when choosing just the right indoor palm for your home or office. Putting the right plant in the right place can save you money and avoid problems in the future. Does this Spark an idea?
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Size
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Determine what size space you have for your indoor palm. While some palms grow slowly, and may never outgrow a small pot on a tabletop, other palms can quickly outgrow their space. Consider the mature width, height and rate of growth when deciding on a palm. Learn whether the palm is a single trunk palm or a clumping palm. Clumping palms spread out, not up, and can quickly outgrow a pot and the space it occupies. Think long term about how large it will be in several years. Also consider the size and growth habit of the fronds, and whether they may eventually grow into walkways or seating areas.
Light Requirements
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Available natural light is important when choosing an indoor palm. Some palms require a bright, sunny location, while other tolerate lower light levels. Too little light can cause loss of lower fronds, or a plant that is stretched from growing toward a light source. A light meter can help you determine how much light you have, so that you can match it with the light requirements of your palm. Normal home or office lighting does not provide the spectrum of light that a palm needs to grow properly.
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Types
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Parlor Palm or Neanthe Bella, Chamaedorea elegans, is a slow-growing dwarf palm with more shade tolerance than any palm. Its growth is shrubby, with multiple "canes." A perfect desk or coffee table plant, it is easily confined in a pot less than 8 inches in diameter. This palm and its cousins, Bamboo Palm, Chamaedorea erumpens, and Reed Palm, Chamaedorea seifrizii, are tolerant of low light, but are very cold sensitive, and should be kept away from drafty windows and outside doors. Bamboo Palm and Reed Palm grow several feet taller than the Parlor Palm, especially in bright light.
Kentia or Sentry Palm, Howea forsterana, is tall and slender with large, arching fronds. It does better in medium light, and is less cold sensitive than the Chamaedoreas. A slow grower, this palm is capable of reaching the ceiling over time.
Other palm species suited for growing indoors include Lady Palm, Rhapis excelsa; Areca Palm,Chrysalidocarpus lutescens; and Chinese Fan Palm, Livistona chinensis; all with different growing requirements.
Care
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To avoid dry, brown leaf tips and margins, palms need consistent watering and regular feeding. Soil must drain well. Keep soil relatively moist, watering when the top inch of soil is dry. Soil can be kept drier during winter months, when growth has stopped.
Use a soluble fertilizer at one-quarter strength from late winter through early autumn. Do not allow fertilizer salts to build up in the soil by keeping the palm too dry.
Pests
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Spider mites are a problem in the dry indoor air, so keep the palm fronds clean. Keep spider mites under control by spraying fronds daily with water and monthly with insecticidal soap.
Mealybugs appear as white, cottony masses at the junction of the leaf and stem of the fronds. Control mealybugs by spraying or dabbing with isopropyl alcohol.
Several scale insects attack palms, with each requiring specific controls. Systemic insecticides are generally the best treatment, although Asian Scale is controlled best with oil sprays.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit Home palm image by Tasha from Fotolia.com
