How to Take Care of Tropical Palm Plants in the House

Care of tropical indoor palms is minimal.

If you want to add a tropical feel to your home, but do not live in a climate that can accommodate the growth of tropical palm plants outdoors, bring some of the tropics indoors. Tropical palm plants, such as the Kentia palm and the bamboo palm, are ideal choices. Care of tropical indoor palms is minimal, requiring little more than attention than the average houseplant.

Things You'll Need

• Grow light
• Water
• Fertilizer
• Insecticidal soap
• Oil spray
• Larger pots

Instructions

1. Provide the tropical palm plants with plenty of bright light. Indoor palms require at least six to eight hours of bright light per day. If you do not have access to a window that provides bright indirect light, situate the palms under grow lights that will mimic the rays of the sun.

2. Water the tropical palm plants regularly, making sure that the soil is moist at all times. Allow the water to run through the soil and out the drainage holes in the bottom of the pots each time you water.

3. Feed the tropical palm plants a diet of palm tree fertilizer. Fertilizer spikes specifically designed for tropical palms will provide the plants with the nitrogen, magnesium, iron, copper, sulfates and potassium that the plants need to thrive. Follow the label instructions for allocation amounts and time frames.

4. Remove pests such as scale insects from your tropical palm plants using an insecticidal soap. Spider mites, another common palm pest, will require the use of an oil spray, applied according to manufacturer's instructions.

5. Repot the tropical palms into larger pots as they outgrow their present containers. You will know it is time to repot when you notice the palm tree's soil drying out faster than usual or notice roots sticking out of the pot's drainage holes.

Tips & Warnings

• Pinch off dead leaves with your fingertips. Removing dead foliage will encourage new growth.

• Avoid Majesty palms and Areca palm plants, which do not grow well indoors.

• Do not set tropical indoor palms in direct sunlight. Continuous direct sunlight can burn the fronds and cause permanent damage to the plants.

• Do not overwater the tropical palms. Palm trees cannot tolerate standing water and can develop root rot.

References

• Dave's Garden: Indoor Palms
• Tree help: Palm Trees
• Plant-Care: Indoor Palms Like Rhapis, Kentia, Chamaedorea All Add A Tropical Look To Homes

Resources

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden: Palms in the Parlor