These indoor palm plant care tips from a pro gardener will keep your tropical oasis thriving.
Dean Schoeppner
Palm trees bring a touch of the tropics to your home and dont need much to thrive.
However,indoor palm plantsdo need the right conditions to be their best.
Credit:Dean Schoeppner
Here are an experts secrets to keeping your indoor palm healthy.
Decide where you plan to put a palm and assess the sunlight that spot gets, OGwin says.
This is especially true in the winter when the air is dry.
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Some types of palms are fussier about humidity than others, though.
Fishtail palms have sensitive leavesand will do much better if placed near a humidifier, she adds.
Dont Overwater
Overwatering is a common problemwith palms.
Keep the soil consistently moist but not soggy.
Let the top inch of soil dry out between waterings.
Be sure to assess the soil visually and by touch before watering.
Pick the Right Potting Soil
Palms need loose, well-drained soil.
OGwin recommends using a potting mixture formulated for cactus, palm, and citrus plants.
This trio of plants has similar soil needs, so companies offer a mix that suits all three.
If you buy a palm already in a pot, ensure its in the right soil.
Either one causes trouble if not replaced with more suitable soil.
Give your plant a slow-release fertilizer formulated for palms that includes iron, manganese, and zinc nutrients.
Feed the palm twice a year during its growing season in the spring and summer.
Palms go dormant in the fall and winter, so dont feed them while theyre sleeping.
Over-fertilizing is a common problem in the winter months, OGwin says.
Too much fertilizer can cause brown leaves.
Marty Baldwin
6.
Patrol for Pests
Like many houseplants, palms can be susceptible to pests.
Palms can getspider mites and mealybugs, which are tough to eradicate, OGwin says.
Periodically examine your palm plant for signs of trouble.
Mealybugslook like white, sticky masses and are usually found where the leaf meets the stem.
Spider mites look like tiny white dots on the leaves.
If the spider mite infestation is severe, youll see fine webbing on the undersides of the leaves.
The alcohol kills them on contact.
If you see spider mites,apply neem oilevery two to three days until the infestation is gone.
When buying a new palm, inspect it for pests before bringing it home.
