Areca Palm Care
Common Name: Areca Palm
Scientific Name: Chrysalidocarpus lutescens
Lighting: Moderate to Bright
Watering: Heavy
Feather-like green fronds radiating from several trunks characterize the Areca Palm. This houseplant is beautiful when new, however overtime the Areca Palms attractive appearance can diminish slightly. Fronds when bigger may droop and bend over. The Areca Palm is a slow grower. It will grow wider before taller.
Tips of the Areca Palm may also turn brown. The browning tips of the palm are normal. All of the Areca Palms that I have had, the tips did turn brown eventually. One main area to beware of with this palm is that you should only prune off dead branches. If you clip the browned tips you will stop the growth of that branch.
Requires bright indirect light so keep it within 5 to 8 feet from a sunny window. If put in too much direct light, the fronds may get burnt from the sunlight. When a frond becomes yellow or dead like in appearance be sure to remove the entire frond.
The Areca Palm requires heavy watering; however do not allow the plant to sit in water because this could lead then to root rot. The Areca Palm will wilt drastically if you allow the soil to dry out completely. On a good note, once you water it, the plant will stand back up. This houseplant is extremely sensitive to salts and minerals, so if your home uses a water softener, water from a source that does not go through the softener first, such as an outside faucet. As most tropical plants, an occasional misting will make your plant look and feel healthier.
A common pest to this plant is the spider mite. If the appearance of spider mites is present, try misting the plant twice daily with a soapy water mixture. If this does not work, go to your local plant or hardware store and try a professional grade pest remover.
Overall this plant requires a great deal of attention to maintain its beautiful appearance. However with its majestic like appearance and ability to fit into any decor all the work may be a great payoff.
Please feel free to share your comments and experiences with this plant.
Labels: palms
posted by drayas @ 9:58 AM
137 Comments:
I bought an Areca Palm last month and I'm new to caring for houseplants. So far my Areca is still alive! When you say that dead branches should be removed, do you mean pull the entire frond out from the root or do you mean just snip off the frond branch from where it meets the soil? I found one frond that is completely dead but am unsure how much I need to remove. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
Hello,
You can snip the dead branch where it meets the soil. Pulling from the root may disrupt the plants other roots.
Glad to hear that so far so good. Palms can be tricky plants. They have a mind of their own sometimes.
Thanks,
drayas
hello friend..
thanks for the information and tips. i have recently purchased an areca palm. i, like your previous comment am fairly new to keeping a crazy big indoor plant. i was told that snipping the brown tips will stunt growth.. exactly what will stop. also i love it very much and would love to see it thrive. any more tips would be great.
thank you
nolan f.
Nolan,
Usually if you snip the ends of the fronds that have browned, the new ends just brown, and continues until you have to cut the whole branch off.
Since the ends of Areca palms usually brown, you would end up with nothing left, fairly fast.
The snipping of the ends stunts growth, because the palm then begins to put all its energy and resources into repairing where you snipped, thus not using energy elsewhere on the plant to grow say in size or color.
Good luck,
Thanks,
drayas
Hi I have my areca palm for a few weeks and recently I notice that on all the stems there are red or brown spots all over. I was able to scratch a little bit off. Do you know if there is something wrong with the palm? Thanks
Hello,
It sounds like your Areca Palm has been infested with either scale or a type of mite. Try spraying the plant with a soapy dishwater mixture twice a day. If after 3 to 4 days, the spots are not lessening, go to your local garden center for a pesticide safe for houseplants.
Please let me know how things turn out.
Thanks,
drayas
We bought an Areca Palm for work it has lots of light and we transplanted it. Now a few of the leaves (or branches of leaves)are turning yellow. What am I doing wrong??? Would not enough watering cause this? Its a big plant about 3-4 ft. tall. How often should I water?
You are probably not doing anything wrong. Many times when you transplant a plant, it will go through a short shock period from the move. My guess is that's what is happening.
If the plant is being underwatered, it will wilt/shrivel so I don't think you're doing that. Do watch how much light your Areca Palm is receiving. Aim for bright indirect light.
Please let me know how things turn out.
Thanks,
drayas
I bought an Areca Palm tree and after few months it started to go yeallow until it dried out completely. I was watering it once a month and it was standing in a bright room with heavy sunlight in the morning. Palm tree was standing about 5 feet from the window. What caused it? Not enough watering or heavy morning sunlight? I bought another Areca Palm and want to make sure it stays alive for a long time. Thank you.
Natalyny,
You said you watered it once a month, I'm assuming that's a typo and you meant once a week. If your palm appears to droop or wilt, it is not receiving enough water. Areca palms prefer heavy watering, so you want to keep the soil moist all of the time.
I don't think the lighting killed your plant. It most likely was the watering. Be sure to also mist your plant every day or every other day. They prefer high humidity levels.
Hope you have better luck this time,
drayas
I appreciate you page! How often and with what do you feed these palms?
Thanks,
Keith
Keith,
I use Miracle Gro Houseplant Food (water soluable). I mix it with the water as instructed on the bottle once every month or two.
Thanks,
drayas
Areca palms make great hedges...once our fence was lost in Hurricane Wilma...we decided to plant Areca Palms close together around our property and now have a great hedge and the birds love to nest in them. We now have a great tropical hedge and privacy!
Adding Milorganite fertilizer to the soil of the Areca Palm will help to keep the plant green and help with yellowing. It brings the bright green back.
gr8day98,
Thank you for sharing!!
drayas
Great things I have learned from this blog. But exactly how aften should you water the Areca Palm? Keeping it moist all of the time, is that watering everyday or maybe about 3 times per week or so..?
Thanx for all the info.
How often you water your palm depends on how much water you give at a time. The first week or so, you'll have to test until you nail it down. Water it one day, then keep checking daily or every other day. If the soil is dry to touch at about 1-2 inches in depth, water again.
Hope that helps.
Thank you,
drayas
Arecas and other house plants will begin to show "tip burn" on the leaves as the salts in the water build-up in the root zone. I always recommend that if you are using anything as indoor plants, you buy two and rotate them out doors about every month or so. Outside, you can flush the salts out of the root zone with heavy watering of the same water you use indoors. It's the quantity that pushes the salts out of the drain holes.
Areca palms have a naturally yellowish tint, but all plants will pull in their chlorophyll when they are stressed; causing further yellowing, I've found.
Plants growing outdoors also have less insect infections, probably because of the moving air and parasitic insects that feed on them.
Don't be discouraged; growing plants indoors is harder than outdoors, so you have to watch for signs of trouble more often. Last resort is to re-pot the plant in clean fresh soil; shake the old dry soil off the roots; don't try to pull the plant out or you'll damage the small feeder roots. Good luck.
this is my second palm in two years and seems like i am about to loose it again.Even new growth turns yellow before getting mature. I pulled dead section out it seemed to have rot and mold on it, althogh i do not water it ofern at all. I do have it planted in Miracle-Gro® Moisture Control® Potting Mix. Could that be hurting my plant? I'd relly hate to loose another one. Please help!
Hello,
Areca palms can be challenging. To me you must have everything in place in order for them to look good. So go through the checklist.
1) Does it receive enough light? I can safely say it's probably not receiving too much light, otherwise your fronds would be browning instead of yellowing.
2) Is it getting enough water? These plants require heavy watering, so check if the soil is dry 2 - 4 inches deep. If it is, then it's time to water again. Or you may be overwatering it. With the mold and root rot, this may be the case. But if you follow the little depth check, that should solve that.
3) Another reader provided this tip: "Adding Milorganite fertilizer to the soil of the Areca Palm will help to keep the plant green and help with yellowing. It brings the bright green back." So you could try that as well.
4) Areca palms require high humidity so give the plant daily or every other day mistings to help.
The Miracle Gro soil shouldn't be a problem. I use that in all my plants without problems but it does hold the water better in my opinion so maybe you water less.
Does your pot allow excess water to drain out into a tray? If not, the roots might be sitting in water and that could be a problem as well.
Please keep me posted.
Thanks,
drayas
What you describe is a root problem, I'm sure. Could the plant have gotten too cold? That trauma would cause the plant to stop growing and fungi will destroy the new cells in the crowns, quickly in cool conditions. The "yellowing" is a sign the plant is pulling in its chlorophyll to save it, just as deciduous trees do in Fall.
It's almost over, and I would re-pot the plant in new soil and remove any stems where the crown pulls out. You will see and smell the fungus in the roots. Treat the whole plant with a fungicide, especially the crown, and keep it in a warm location. Pray.
Denis
Hello,
Thank you for all of the wonderful information!
We have an areca palm which seems to be growing quite fast. The pot we received it in has three plants in it. Should we transplant or separate them? Will they die or simply stop growing if we leave them in the same container?
Hello,
Many times when a plant has overgrown their pots, their new growth will slow or stop. If they are still growing fast, I would leave them be. Then when the time comes either split them up, or put them all together in a larger pot.
If you decide to split them, be careful not to rip their roots.
Thanks,
drayas
Hi!
I have had a small areca palm in a pot for several years. It is doing very well, shooting up tall sprouts that unfold. Then it shot up two "loops" that had small green nodes on them. Now those are blooming (I guess) as they have turned a beautiful bright yellow. They're still small, though. I understand that it is probably blooming, so my question is should I just leave them? Or is there something I should do with them (or could do with them)? Thanks!
Enjoy the bloom!!!
You don't have to do anything special with the bloom. If you would like to try and collect the seeds from it, wait until the fruit is extremely overripe. Then clean and dry the seeds. However, you must quickly replant the seeds. Typically they do not store well.
Hope that helps. Any pictures to post here on the Areca palms page would be great!!
Thanks,
drayas
Im Sure you get this all the time, the leaves on my Areca palm are all rotten or brown, i keep it in a room at least 10-15 degrees is this what is causing this or is it just me. Thanks
Sean,
What do you mean you keep it at 10 - 15 degrees? Not Farenheit right??
How much do you water your palm? If the foliage is turning yellow and kind of a mushy brown you may be overwatering your plant.
Let me know.
Thanks,
drayas
Whoa! Thank you SO SO SO much! I just bought an Areca, and I was so worried once it started to curl and brown at the ends! Turns out it's normal! Whew! The misting tip is great too, I will start doing that!
Sorry about the miss hap, yeah, the room teperature is 10-15 degrees, ive found out that the tips going brown where normal from where i bought it.
One more question: will they ever recover over time? thanks.
Sean,
The browning is there for good unfortunately until the whole frond dies.
Thanks,
drayas
I just brought an Areca Palm and I wanted to know when it would need re-potting . any signs? It is not tall at all about 12-14" only. Thank u.
Dear Drayas:
I just bought a gorgeous Areca palm and pray I can do it justice. Thank you for all the wonderful tips. I've put your site in my "Favorites" so I can reread your instructions as needed.
Thank you.
Amit,
I usually repot once every 1 to 2 years. If the plant is becoming root bound, then it's a good sign. So if you loosen up the soil and try to pull your plant out of the pot, does it seem like the root base it to the edges? If yes, then your plant is probably ready to be repotted.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
drayas
is it common for the areca to have black specks on its trunks - all our branches seem to be speckled - is this a disease or is it normal. we have it as a houseplant
Barbara,
I wouldn't say the black spots are normal. It sounds like your Areca Palm may be infested with some type of pest. Try spraying the plant with a soapy dishwater mixture twice a day. If after 3 to 4 days, the spots are not lessening, go to your local garden center for a pesticide safe for houseplants.
Any of my readers witness this problem? If yes, please share.
Thanks,
drayas
Depending on where the Areca palms are, the problem could be what is called "cold spotting". Considering the season in the Northern hemisphere, that condition is normal when palms are subjected low or freezing temps. for short periods of time. Fungi thrive in cool conditions, believe it or not, and you will see that spotting on leaves, particularly on less hardy species, but also on tougher, thicker leaflets of even the most cold-hardy. I have never found a way to remove the spots, but the new leaves will emerge without the problem, as temps. rise.
I maintain that the fungi are everywhere in the environment, but aren't a problem until plants, and other organisms, are stressed.
Denis
I have had an Areca Palm plant for around 2 months. THe plant was alive and heatlhy when i first bought it, but over the past month some of the leaves have withered and died. I believe I water the plant enough (around 3 times a week). The plant is in a pot with some peaty soil, but it is not a drained pot - could this be a reason why the leaves are dying? What sort of soil would you suggest for this plant?
Thanks for your help
No drainage is probably your problem. If you can pull the plant out of the pot, you can smell the roots and you'll know if they are healthy or not.
Take it outside and put it in a container where you can flush the root zone good, just in case there's a salt buildup, but also to open up the root mass, a bit. If they can't get some air in there, they will begin to rot.
The peaty soil should be OK, but last option to save house plants is always to re-pot in fresh soil that can drain.
Hi, I have a large Areca palm, I know that the tips naturally go brown. But they keep getting longer and longer sections. Its on every leaf. Is it normal for these brown areas to be about 5cm?
Did someone say this was caused by a build up of salt in the roots? I must admit I have already trimmed the ends once. Any tips would be great. Thanks Lister
What is a safe leaf shine to use on Arecas ?
Denise
Denise,
I use a Leaf Shine by Miracle Gro. You spray it on and wipe down right away.
Thanks,
drayas
To get good answers, you should say where you are located. That tells us a lot.
Tip burn is caused by salt build-up in potted plants that are not watered heavily enough to force the salts from the root zone. You can't do that indoors, so the only cure is to take them outdoors and flood the root zone regularly.
Most successful indoor plant growers in S. California, where the water is loaded with salts, picked up mostly from agriculture fertilizer run-off along the Colorado River, find that the problem can be avoided by rotating plants outdoors for about a month. It works well if you have two of each plant, one in and one out.
Another thing you will notice is that there will be fewer insect problems with plants outdoors.
Denis
I have an areca palm that is planted outdoors. It was thriving and beautiful until a recent freeze. All of the fronds have fallen off and now only the stalks remain and appear to be rotting. Should I cut the stalks below the root?
Can any of my readers help the person above. I have no knowledge on care for these palms outdoors.
Thanks,
drayas
My Areca Palm has developed some white coconut powdery bits on some of the branches from the root up. Any ideas what the cause of this might be and if it is serious?
I just received an areca palm from my mother in law and I just wnated to know if there was any way that I could pull it a part and put it in to some other pots?
The white powder is definately something. Try spraying the plant with a soapy dishwater mixture twice a day for 3 - 4 days.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
Yes you can split your palm up into different plants as long as you do not need to break any of the roots. Carefully seperate it. If the roots get broken it may not come back.
Thanks,
drayas
Get a magnifying glass and check to see if the white coconut bits move or have legs.
Denis
Hi, we just got an areca from an office, and now we don't know what to do with it. If we can replant it outdoors, how do we do it, and will it survive one of our canadian winters? thanks a lot. We have it on our backyard deck right now in a pot.
jenn,
Areca palms are palms, therefore I don't think it will survive a Canadian winter. They are native to tropical environments. They need temperatures above 55 degrees from what I've read.
Thanks,
drayas
Hi, I have read a few of the comments and I fear i may have let my palm sit too long in still water, a lot of the fronds turned yellow and have eventually died I have removed the dead ones and repotted in a larger pot, I have put it in a pot with at least six inches of gravel on the bottom to act as drainage however the pot itself does not drain, is this sufficient or do I need a pot with drainage, there is still plenty of healthy fronds, can i reverse this or is it too late, please help!!
I recently purchased two Areca Palms for indoors (I live in central FL). Over the past few weeks I've noticed that some of the outer "shoots", even though they look very healthy, are falling over at the soil level. If I tug on them gently, they don't give way and still seem to be rooted. Any ideas on what is causing this. I water once or twice a week. The largest one sits on a window wall of an east facing window. The other, small one, is about 8 feet from an east window.
Thanks for any insight you can provide.
Deb Z.
Hello,
The gravel on the bottom will provide sufficient drainage. The gravel allows the excess water to site within the rocks therefore keeping your palms roots out of the water.
Give it some time. Keep me posted.
Drayas
Deb,
It's hard to say. It sounds like you are providing the plant with sufficient water. So basically it is just like the new fronds are not strong enough to stand up?
Thanks,
drayas
I just bought a new, large Areca palm. Four of the fronds, growing from the largest stalk, are so tall that they droop way over making the plant off balance. Should I remove these huge fronds? If so, where do I cut? ~Linda
Linda,
If the fronds are healthy I wouldn't remove them. Could you stake them?
Thanks,
drayas
I also just purchased an Areca Palm. It is big. Some of the fonds are also very large and make the plant lopsided. I am afraid it will fall over. I am pretty sure I will have to repot this in a larger pot. That might be the reason? Also the bottom stems are a little yellow with dark spots. The leaves do not have those spots. Is that a mite problem?
Help. I have an areca palm and its big and beautiful, I recently re potted in into a larger pot and now I'm noticing a yellow fungus or sap in the soil. I remove it and a couple days later its back on the surface. It doesn't seem to be affecting the health but its not nice to look at. Does anyone have any ideas of what it could be?? I'd appreciate any advice I can get. Thanks
Hi,
It's great to see that there is a blog on Areca Palm care. I purchased an 8'+ Areca Palm last week and since then, some of the leaves started having a brownish tip which I presume have been progressing ever since. I understand that the size of the palm is a bit larger than the space available in my apartment which leaves the upper portion of some of the branches no other choice to bend to the sides or rest on the ceiling/wall. The reason I purchased such over-sized palm was... well, the palms were on sale: $15. How could have I said no. :)
I had to transplant from the original plant container to the bigger one anyway. I had two bags of top soil (and don't know if it was appropriate) which I dumped into the contain after carefully transmitting the palm/root bundle into its current contain -- extremely difficult job. The top soil appears to be "wet" for a few days when I water it. However, I am starting to believe that I should water the plant more frequently (more often than once every 3 days) and the reason I say this is because the deeper I poke the soil, I notice that is dry. I do "spray" the leaves lightly once a day though (is this wrong?)
The reason I am sharing my uneducated plant caring is that I have been noticing the leaves started having brownish tips and so far, several of them have entirely died and I had to cut them off -- although the actual branches appear to be healthy, but then again, for someone who has never taken care of a plant, the definition of healthy might be a bit off center.
A few pointers: The palm is located by the window with the shutters shut all day long, room temp is between 70F - 80F and at night around 60F - 65F. I have a fan running during the day so I do not know whether a perpetual "drift" may cause harm to the palm. I know at some point I have to "hang" some of the branches by a thread or a string to the ceiling or a wall to remove stress off of the palm.
I have included a few photos to explain the situation as I may be unable to clearly explain the gist of my point. I have taken several pictures from the branches, trunk of the palm, and leaves. So my plea is, is my palm at good hands or is it doomed to wither out in near future? ;)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/29204260@N08/
For Aria:
I doubt, from the photos, that it is an Areca Palm. They are clustering, many stems, and your's looks like one trunk.
If so, it may need more sun, but one week should not stress it that much. More likely, you damaged the roots, moving the plant, but it looks OK. If some roots were torn or broken, the plant won't have quite enough capacity to service the old total surface area, it did before the total root mass was reduced. It may need a little "haircut" to balance the leaf surface to roots ratio. Big root loss requires big haircut. Rule of thumb.
Take a fuller photo of the plant and try to get a positive identity. There should be no spines, even tiny ones on the stems. My bet it that it is a "Majesty palm", Ravenea rivularis, which is not a houseplant, likes it hot and dusty, and is going to grow into a giant palm. Google: Ravenea rivularis
Denis
Help! My areca palm of 2-3 feet tall has white sap oozing out of the stems and fronds. It leaks over everything nearby and is very sticky. I've tried spraying with soapy water, to no avail. Any ideas? The plant is about 4 years old, the leaves are green and growing, and this has been happening for several months now.
I bought a very large 7 foot areca, repotted it in a slightly larger pot but I noticed that the whole plant is leaning to the side. It was straight when I repotted. Is it possible that it's too top heavy for its roots? It's in a room with great light from 2 directions.
Hello,
Yes, it's very possible the plant is too heavy. Find your palm a nice plant stake or as I use a nice looking stick and stake the plant up. This will keep it straight as well as give it support. The plant won't be straining to stay upright.
Thanks,
drayas
HI!!!
Thank you soooo much for all the tips!!! i have an Areca palm and when i first got it the leaves had brown ends and unfortnatly i wasent suposed to but i cut the brown off. and its not been growing very much. do you think that would have somthing to do with it?? and if so how do you sugjest that i deal with it??? thanks you have no idea how much its helped!!
Kristen
I have a few areca palms and they appear healthy. The problem is the leaves are dripping sap/scales?? onto my couch and carpet. Does anyone know how to remove the sap without damaging the fabric.
Kristen,
You cutting the ends didn't help your palm, but it doesn't hurt it tremendously either. My experience with palms is they grow slow. Keep providing your Areca with proper water and lighting and maybe once a month some houseplant food.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
I do not know how to get the sap off. Any of my readers know how to get the sap from a palm off furniture??
-- drayas
Hello my name is Xavier. I have also like the many others have just purchased an areca palm. Is it also called a Hawaiian Palm? Anyway so its quite large already 13 in high. What do you mean by snipping off the branches when they turn brown? Do you mean the whole stem? or just the leaf part? And my room its quite dark so is it bad for the plant?
Hi
I have had an Areca Palm for many years and has always grown beautifully. A year an a half ago the plant just stopped growing and now has just three leaves and one shoot which has never opened. no more leaves have died..but no more have grown.. I have re potted six months ago. Is there anything I can do to revive him?
Thanks
THis is a very good plant to have in the house - both a humidifier and air cleaner...
see the article at the link attached to my name.
Xavier,
If the branches become mostly brown, you'll want to prune the whole branch off. Trimming brown edges will only give you more brown edges so try to stay away from that.
In terms of light, this palm usually prefers bright light so you may have some issues if the place you have the plant does not receive enough light.
Hope I answered your questions,
drayas
Ruth,
Have you tried giving the plant some houseplant food?
Thanks,
drayas
I recently bought an Areca Palm. We have a cat and I'm curious if the Palm is poisonous to animals. I have not seen it listed as such.
Wow you sure get a lot of problematic Areca Palms! So Id appreciate any help you can give for my palm...
I purchased an Areca Palm about 8 months ago but since winter has come on and the central heating has been turned on the leaves have started to dry up. Even new shoots just go dark green and then full brown and dry up! Is it the dry heat and lack of watering? I was watering every week/two weeks which is probably under watering before.
Ive tried watering it more and daily misting it which I didnt do before but it still seems unhappy.
Ive tried moving it to the bathroom where it is much lighter (the living room was quite dark) and more moist but the leaves are still drying out and browning off. Will it just take time to heal or am I doing something wrong? Should I make it warmer in the room?
Also someone else here mention brown spots on the trunk stems, I seem to have a bit of this too. The good thing is I have no browning of leaf tips on the healthy leaves!
Please help because during the summer this plant was so happy and bright green.
I live in the UK. xx
Hello,
From the various sources I've checked, this plant is NOT poisonous.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
It sounds like a humidity / watering issue. Over what time period have you made all of these changes? Basically make once adjustment and wait two weeks to see a full effect or not. The browning usually means the plant is not recieving enough water or humidity. I would aim to water once a week or so and run a humidifier.
Please keep us posted.
Thanks,
drayas
Hi I am a college singer and heard that the Areca Palm is greater for increasing humidity, often dubbed "the living humidifier". Would it be too hard to maintain in an 12x18 room? Thank you! :-)
Hello,
Thanks so much for this great read! This is my first time ever trying to care for a plant...lol I think I got some great advice from here. IS this blog still going on?
Hello,
The Areca palm is a great humidifier, however that is a large room. How big is your palm? I'm not sure on specifics but I would say with that large of a room you may need two palms. Don't quote me though!
drayas
Brian,
Glad you found some help here. Yes this blog is still active. I moderate comments to prevent spam so it may take a few days for your comment to appear. If questions are asked I try to answer them the best I can or I ask my readers to help out.
Thanks for reading,
drayas
Hi same singer who commented before. I was thinking about buying a palm and also perhaps putting a small bamboo on the desk near my bed and maybe placing a peace lily on my dresser. I figured why not mix it up :-D. Also someone was telling me it's bad to put plants in the place where you sleep. As a biology major I am pretty sure that's false, but I was wondering if you had anything to say about that topic? Thanks!
-College Singer
i bought an areca palm from Ikea in Nov. it was doing well, then suddenly about 1/2 of the fronds turned brown and dried out. i live in new york city and have the plant about 3 feet away from a south facing window. the heater is by the window and is turned on almost all day. i assume the air is too dry so will put my humidifer under the plant every other week. i also realized that i have not been watering it enough (only once-twice per week), so just started watering more frequently. can you diagnose what is happening? is there anything else i can do to save my plant? will these "brown frond" palms eventually brown all the way and then die? if so, i'm going to lose 3/4 of my plant. please help! thank you!!!!
Hello,
Having recently read about the great humidifying properties of this plant I am interested in putting some in a (darkish) recording studio to help keep the room at a reasonable level of humidity.
Will this palm survive in these conditions ?
If not could you recommend a more suitable plant to help clean the air (and humidify) ?
Thanks
Kim
I bought an Areca palm tree last June. I was so proud that it was surviving! We repotted it into a larger pot (it is a big palm, about 6 feet in height). Now, lots of palms are turning brown so I cut them at the base. It is not growing well now. Some new shoots do not open but seem to bend at the base. It takes a long time for one to open, even if it does. I think I may have root rot. Seems the base is turning brown and soggy. Should I repot it again? I water it about once a week. I save all my rain water so there is no salt water in there. I mist it about 3 times a week or more.
I have had an Arecal Palm for years(at least I think it's that and not a Parlor Palm). I am thinking about changing the media to hydroculture methods. Any suggestions?
I have this older Areca palm that did well in my old home. Nice green and fluffy.
I moved, and I seem to have broken it. It went well for the first 6 months then it started being odd.
It's still green but it's a lot wider, and shorter. The big leaves on top died off or lowered and there are like 7 or so smaller leaves that struggle for light at the bottom - they don't look so good.
In hopes to revive it, I installed a permanent light on top of it, an ultra-efficient 24h/day LED full spectrum white (roughly some 40W light). It seemed OK for a while then started widening more.
I water it once a week, but water collects in the tray if I do it more often. I think the water is OK, since it was fine for 6 months.
Any idea why it started spreading out instead of growing up? I'm afraid to tie it together at the bottom for feat I'll kill the small leaves.
Oh, and, I've seen comments that the Areca tends to spread when older. I thought plants didn't retire.
What now? More light? Less water (and more often)? More light?
I have had my Palm for almost 4 years.. It was doing great till it slowly started to 'diminish'! It used to be nice and full and now it looks really sad. I am not sure what is happening to it, I'm not doing anything differently than I used to. I asked a plant shop what type of plant food it requires and the lady said Cactus plant food? She also said to re-pot it in Cactus soil as well. Is that correct?
Thank you in advance for your response!
-MB
Hey hello everyone I have been caring for my areca palm 6 yrs and was just loving it, It really makes a decor statement, unfortunately for me you never expect the unexpected a wall devider that I had up fell today crashing down on my Palm my heart sank there it lay one branch snapped right off, it only had 3 but it gave such a look it was about 5ft high I took the top right away and put it in water...my question is will it root?I know the branch won't grow now it will probably will die and we will be down to 2 and 2's don't give the right appearance any Idea's on weather I can root the top and replant?...Greiving
Drayas,
I just bought a 6' Areca about 5 days ago. I got a new planter for it and watered it moisten the soil. I spray it about 4 times per day with a spray bottle to keep the fronds moist. I keep it right by a window which recieves direct light for about 1 hour and very dull light for the remainder of the day. I bought a 60Watt plant bulb and keep it on my ceiling fan to supplement the plants light needs which remains on for about 6 hours per day. The room temperature is about 65 degrees F. The planter that I keep it in DOES NOT DRAIN. I can not tell if there is any water in the bottom of the container.
The leaves have begun to shrivel, crisp, and become gray/brown in color. I have checked the soil and it is moist to about 5 inches down (as far as I could get). Am I drowning this plant, starving it of light, or both??? Thanks.
College Singer,
I don't see why putting plants next to your bed would be a bad thing. Plants help purify the air, I would think it's a good thing.
Thanks,
drayas
Holly,
The brown fronds will probably die all the way off. You actually would be better off, cutting those damaged fronds off near the bottom of the plant. They will continue to suck nutrients and energy away from the healthy fronds.
The water and humidity levels were most likely the cause of the browning.
Thanks,
drayas
Kim,
Areca palms prefer moderate to bright light conditions so it may not do the greatest in a dark room. You could try it. Otherwise visit my post on Air Purifying Houseplants for other options.
Thanks,
drayas
Jan,
If the base is soggy it may have root rot. Repot it and see how bad the root rot is. Root rot is hard to reverse. Repot, use brand new soil and if you're using the same pot, wash it with hot, soapy water first.
Keep us posted.
Thanks,
drayas
Hunel,
I do not have any experience with hydroculture methods, but if you do give it a try, please come back and share your experiences.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
I would have to say that the cause of your Areca palm spreading out is a lighting issue not water. However with what you've said, the light should be helping. I would try to stake some of the fronds up, so they don't snap off. Are the fronds weak at all, like they can't support themselves?
-- Drayas
MB,
I've always fed all my houseplants, regular houseplant food, but I don't see why cactus plant food would be any worse. In terms of the soil, I would use regular potting mix. I may be wrong, but palms and cactus's have totally different environments, therefore I'd think the same soil would not work for both. However, houseplants never cease to amaze me. Sometimes you can do everything wrong and they look great and do everything right and they die.
Keep us posted,
drayas
Hello,
Unfortunately, Areca palms are difficult to replant. I've never been able to root them in water and from other articles I've read they are started from seed only.
Sorry,
drayas
The gray brown foliage could mean a few things. Is the stems of the palm squishy? I'm worried you may have stem or root rot starting.
-- drayas
Miscellaneous answers:
Areca are a family of palms which include many species. What most have are now classified as species: Dypsis lutescens. Google that name and find out all about them. It used to be classified in another family which was long-worded and hard to pronounce, so Dypsis is better for us. Easier,to say. Also called Butterfly Palm, Golden Cane Palm, Madagascar Palm, etc. depending on the local names; that's why they have botanical names; everyone knows what you are talking about anywhere in the world.
They are tough, 27F doesn't bother them, surprisingly,and like most plants, will decline if given too much "care". They grow in full sun, and are not dark green normally, but when in dark areas, all plants increase the amount of chlorophyll in their leaves to help get the most out of the minimum light.
Cold temps will "burn" them and the look resembles heat burn, as the cell tissues are burned by heat transfer, in or out. Once the tissue is burned, get rid of it because it becomes a target for disease or fungi. Palms only grow from the crow of each stem, so when the crown dies, that whole stem will never recover, so cut it off. Once the plant, any plant, is damaged, it goes into shock and stops growing. Never fertilize a sick plant, or over water it! Plants that are not wet have fewer problems. The leaves will tell you if the plant needs water; they droop, close-up or dry up. Fertilizers are salts and only healthy growing plants can handle salts.
Clustering palms can be propagated by dividing the root ball. Seeds are the normal way, but for indoor plants, dividing them is the easiest. Trim them back to a few healthy stems, because damaged roots will reflect back in the head leaves, so don't expect a weaker root system to support the many leave stems it had before.
Brown, then black, leaf tips are caused by salt build-up in the root zone. Cut off the black tips, but realize that the salt in the root zone is causing the problem, and you need to flush them out with lots of water, outside, where they can dry out and you can do it again, and again. Or transplant them into new soil mix. Tolerate the burn until the weather warms up, if you live where it's cold. The important thing is that you understand that salts in the water, esp. from Colorado river water= S.Calif and Arizona.
Sap: Normally it is part of the protection system, where broken or punctured tissue is injected with the sap to seal it off. If the plant is growing, a sign of health, the sap should stop, but it can probably clean-up with alcohol.
Yellow green is the color of a happy Areca's leaves, with plenty of light (Golden cane palm).
Stems that are too long will bend, normally. Tie them together with green nursery tape or cut the big ones down.
Enough.
Denis
Drayas,
No, the palms are not weak and in fact their are actually standing up more than normal (original droop of the fronds is receeding). The leaves are turning dark green, and beginning to crisp and shrivel like I said in the previous post. What do you think the problemo could be?
Thanks,
Brad
Hello! I believe from what I have read and see here that I have an Areca Palm plant. I learned much reading what was already written but I am unsure how to proceed. I Desperately want to keep this plant alive as it was one my co-workers sent when my Mother passed away.
It was beautiful, alive, and green when we got it home to Minnesota in December so it is quite cold here, pretty much 9 months out of the year cold. It seemed to do fine and then it started to turn brown so I thought it was to close to a heat source and moved it.
I water it at least 2 - 3 times per week, even bought those water bulbs to help keep the soil moist. The palms on this plant are all brown but they are not wilting. I know it needs more sunlight from the reading, but is there anything else I can do to revive this plant? The stems do not show any signs of rot and they seem strong to the touch. We keep our house at about 70 degrees.
I am going to buy a larger pot and replant because I believe part of the issue may be too much salt in our water. I will make sure to rinse the root, kind of hard in February due to the cold but I will do the best I can.
Any additional advice is most welcome!
Thanks,
Jennifer
I hope you're not tired of answering questions about Arecas! We bought one that is almost too enormous for our room. I've read elsewhere that one shouldn't trim a healthy frond. There are about five fronds that stick out too far into the room. Tips on pruning? Thanks!
i recently bought an areca palm and noticed a couple of the branches had snapped and were drooping down, sort of in the middle of the leafy section. i`ve just snipped it off were its snapped but wondering if the whole frond needs cutting off from the root. any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
I am usually very good with houseplants except for this palm. After reading your article, I have the water softener to blame! Thank you very much.
I bought an Areca Palm from an outdoor nursery in FL. It is healthy and about 4' tall. I was digging around the roots to see if I could easily divide one of the trunks off the "mother" trunk to start a new plant and found groups of little white eggs between the roots. Or at least they looked like eggs to me. They are smaller than a popcorn seed and only seem to be around the root masses and there were tons. What is this and what should I do? This plant is kept in my bedroom here in WI and is creeping me out. I can't find any information on eggs in the roots of this type of palm.
I have an areca palm and when i bought it it had these funny green things coming out near the base of the stalks with green balls on them.. they proceeded to dry out and when i touch them they get kinds dusty.. is this some type of reproductive structure?
Laura
Dear Draya,
I have been reading your blog for the past month and find it incredible. Thank you very much.
I also very much enjoy reading Denis' comments on the plants, very very helpful.
This is my case:
One cold -with snow showers- evening in February we found an Areca palm that had been left on the street and we rescued it. The pot shows it was bought in Ikea. I looked up your blog and saw what seemed some mites and washed it with soapy water. The brown/yellow spots have almost dissapeared. Some still remain.
I have taken the plant outdoors twice when it has not been very cold and flushed it with water (we live in Geneva, Switzerland).
We keep it near a window where she gets about one hour direct light (all my windows get direct sunlight at one time or another). I mist it and follow all your care advices.
However, the few fronds left are turning yellow (the stem) and then the leaves seem to cocoon, then turn dark green, then brown and then they completely dry up.
There are only three frods left.. is this plant losing its battle?
I cannot upload pictures so I was wondering if you could help me.
Many thanks
Laila
I JUST BOUGHT AN ARECA PALM FOR MY DESK AT WORK, IT SITS BY A WINDOW OUT OF DIRECT LIGHT AND THE SOIL HAS BEEN MOIST SINCE I BOUGHT IT, THOUGH WHEN I PURCHASED IT THE SOIL WAS VERY DRY. I HAVE HAD IT FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS AND EVERY BRANCH EXCEPT THE VERY CENTER ONE IS SO DRY THEY CRACKLE WHEN I TOUCH THEM AND THEY ARE TURNING BROWN. WHAT SHOULD I DO? DO THE DEAD PARTS FALL OFF ON THEIR OWN, AND WILL NEW ONES GROW BACK?
Someone just gave me an areca palm in a 1.4 quart pot. How quickly do they grow? I don't have any problem monitoring & watering every day, but should I re-pot soon?
Thanks.
Hey, thanks for all the information you provide on the site! I never knew that about the browning tips of the leaves--I've just been snipping them out--whoops! My question though is that I noticed yellow fungi like stuff at the crown of my palm and do not know what to do now after I removed it. Any ideas? I live in Hawaii and it is in an outdoor pot. Thanks
Jennifer,
Instead of repotting, try just using untreated water from now on. The repotting could hurt the plant if it's not doing good already. Once it seems to spring back some health give it a little houseplant fertilizer.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
We'll now pruning the Areca isn't something I'm really familiar with. So I did a little digging and found this article.
Can an Areca be Root Pruned.
Not sure if this will help you.
Denis - My loyal helper (THANK YOU!) - Any pruning tips!!
Thanks,
drayas
You can save a lot of worry and prayer by doing a simple test on almost any plant, to see if it is viable. Using a fingernail, or some small knife, remove a bit of the outer tissue of the stems (bark) and check for green tissue, underneath. If there is none, the stem is dead; remove that stem or cane.
In fact, a distressed plant is better off with less leaf mass to support. If sick, 90% of plants will show it, and "you can tell".
If a plant was exposed to freezing temperatures long enough for the water in the cells to freeze, the ice formation will expand and break the cell walls, generally killing that section. Leaves can come back, but not on dead canes or stems. Root cells can survive more easily because the earth around them has to freeze first
Generally, the best thing you can do for a sick plant, is give it a "haircut". Cut it back and you relieve the stress; keep cutting until you get to green tissue. Simpler, you can see if the stem bends; if it is dead, it will snap and break. This is true for roots too. Remove the dead tissue (that snaps) and keep the top area proportional to the remaining root mass. New stems should come up from a living root system.
You may not want to have the plant in your living room after it is cut back; put it someplace where it can rest and recover, --if the roots are alive. With few or no leaves, it needs little light or water. Too much water can induce rot, and cool, wet conditions cause fungi to thrive. Once new leaves start to emerge, gradually bring it back to some sunlight.
Healthy areca palms have a yellow tint, as they are not shade plants and do not need as many chlorophyll cells. The house plants we like, are usually natives of the under-canopy (jungle) world, where they produce wide leaves saturated with chlorophyll cells to compete for the available light.
Water: The leaves will close to reduce water loss area, first, so that signals their stress. Just look at it; it is screaming by that time. It's not rocket science; they signal their condition and it's up to you to use your brain to read the signals. If it looks dry, believe me, it is. Pick the plant up and you can tell if it is too dry.
Regards,
Denis
Denis,
As always, THANK YOU!
- Drayas
Hello,
How do I attach a photo to a request for advice? Thanks.
Mark
Mark,
I don't accept photos to much because of all the virus stuff. There are a bunch of different free photo hosting sites you could put a picture on such as Flickr or Photobucket.
Otherwise can you describe what the problem is?
Thanks,
drayas
Hello again,
Yes, I can lay out the problem; I just thought a photo would be more eloquent! I've got a tall areca palm (the longest fronds are 7' to 8') in need of repotting since I can see about two inches of root above the soil line. The current pot is 11 or 12 inches across. Questions: Should I repot now or wait until the end of summer (which seems to be general advice for a lot of house plants)? How much bigger a pot should I be using?
Thanks.
Regards,
Mark
I need some help with my palm. I have read through all the comments and mine is a combination of many of them. I bought mine at 4ft tall last year. in the garden center it was all green and lovely with no brown tips. almost half of the leaves died as i wasnt aware of how much you had to water it (ALOT!!) I never let the soil dry out now nor is it water logged. The new shoots that come up are dead before they even open. All the tips are now browning more and more further and further down the leaves and they have started to curl. I have had a good look at it today and found some dead roots in the soil. I tried to cut them down but as a pulled it to one side slightly the root came out of the soil with the slightest of ease. I have also noticed that the base of some of the bigger stems have brown/black speckles on. Is my plant sick? I really need some advice, there's not much of it left!!!
Hi there. I bought a Areca Palm (i think) from IKEA. At least that is what they called it on their website. You can see here:
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/46804005
This little guy is only about 9 inches tall, 6 when i got it a year ago.. I actually bought two, and kept them in the exact same conditions but one died and the other lives. The dead one actually has ONE little sprout left, which I am trying to nurture.
Anyways, my question is.. There are these medium sized round balls INSIDE of the roots. I broke one open to see what is inside of it, and just more dirt. Are these seed shells from a baby plant? Or did ikea put those in as food or something.. I never noticed them before today.
They are DARK black and perfectly round, about the size of a pencil eraser.
Too much water, especially during the cool months, is just as bad as too little. With a sick palm, remove canes where the crown pulls out, then remove the dead, rotting roots. Easy to tell, if you have any living roots that aren't rotten yet, from fungi. Sniff test will confirm. Remove all dead tissue, top to bottom, and re-pot in new clean mix, no fertilizer until new growth starts, then small amount. Hydrogen peroxide in crown of palms will bubble when it hits fungi protein, ditto in the roots. It won't hurt the plant, but will kill fungi. Bubbling stops whit no more fungi.
Without good drainage, plants will drown; quicker in cool weather. Fungi will spread quickly. Some vinegar in water will keep soil slightly acid and kill residual fungi. Check pH with pool or aquarium test paper. Denis
when u say soapy mist what kind do you mean?
thank you drayas for the helpful tips.
I've read almost all the comments are replies on this post, and i just wanted to mention that you might have neglected another issue - spider mites. areca palms are very attractive to spider mites.
For the people who's got dry, browning (yellowing) fronds, if you are giving it the right amount of water and light, check for spider mites. they are tiny! they look like dust to the naked eye, and make web on the underside of the leaves. Mites suck the chloroplasts out of green cells and leave a mottled appearance.
if the leaves of your palm look something like this http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95/rsemper/palm_prune2.jpg
Be sure to check for spider mites.
Hi, just got a arecn palm i was wondering how much water to give it and when to water and feed it.
Areca Palm is one of the 3 major plant types highlighted in the healthy indoor air movement.
6-8 of these plus a half dozen Mother-In-Law's tongues and some money plants provide enough clean air to keep a grown human adult breathing clean air indefinately.
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/02/ted-2009-how-to-grow-your-own-fresh-air.php
aloha i live in Hawaii and have a large Areca palm hedge around my house - about a year ago they started to look sick i have been trying every thing - i just had someone tell me to try Miracid? the soil here is very sandy - i try organic fertilize and mulch maybe not enough? anybody have any tips.
Mahalo!!!!!!
I have two 3' potted arica palms. I want to rotate them--one inside for a few days the other outside reccuperating with 50% of the day in sun. How many days can I leave one inside?
With aloha,
Kerry
I have what I think is an areca Palm. I bought it at a Walmart about 2 yrs ago. It lives outdoors an I live in N. California. I haven't had any issues with it so far but do have a question... Near the base of the plant I see yellow/orageish pods with what looks like white seeds in them. What are they and could they be dangerous? I have a 3.5 yr old who plays outside around the plants.
Thanks,
Court
I bought an areca palm about a month and a half ago and all of the leaves are browning. Could it be fertilizer burn or what? (P.S.The soil is very heavily fertilized)
I'll comment on all 3 posts this AM.
Areca (butterfly) palms are quite tough, can tolerate quite a bit of maltreatment, sun or shade, and a wide range of temperatures. You can keep it indoors for two months, I'd say. Indoor plants develop insect problems more readily than plants outdoors, with lots of air-flow. Most greenhouses have big fans to keep the air moving.
When you see the scale and aphid infestation develop, move them outside. Ants bring most of those sucking insects, and they'll usually be there when you see the "suckers". Control the ants and the bugs go away.
Think of fertilizers as what they are, SALT compounds. Plants don't need a lot of fertilizer, despite what manufacturers say. Browning leaves, usually start as tip-burn, and it's caused by a toxic root medium. Beside fertilizer burn, very "hard" water, like in the Southwest, cause salt build-up in the root zone, normally. Indoor plants don't get enough irrigation to force the salt out of the roots, and that is the main reason for moving them outdoors. Flood the roots with lots of water or change the potting mix to fix.
Those pods are very probably seed pods; they follow flowers, and usually are food for birds, and critters that spread the seed. When ripe, many are very tasty, and, as we learned in Survival School, if the birds eat them, you can too. Children will not like the unripe fruit, and I wouldn't worry there. Few plants are deadly toxic, and seeds are meant to taste good or the plants wouldn't reproduce.
Denis
Hi guys! I just got an ARECA PALM and an Parlour Palm from supermarket.At the moment they are in the same pots I bought them and they are v small.
I was wondering if i can repot them together in one single pot.Would they survive together in the same soil or I have to keep them in their separate pots.
Thank you.
Hi,
I've had an Areca Palm for almost a year. The branches are starting to get brown. Now I understand that this happens because I placed it close to the windows. I have a question you mentioned that it needs lots of water. Could you be more specific? How often and how much? I have 3 Arecas together around 5-6 feet tall.
Thanks
Chris
I bought an Areca Palm a couple of months ago for my office. It has been doing good until the last couple of weeks. One of the branches fell and a couple of the other branches are starting to turn yellow then brown about halfway down the branch. I water it about two to three times a week. It is right beside a window, but not in front of it. But I do put it outside for a couple of hours once a week. Please help. I don't want it to die! Its beautiful when it is healthy.
I have grown palms commercially for 20+ years. Dypsis lutescens (Areca)are tropical, but extremely tough. Left alone, they are close to bullet-proof. Most people over-water and fertilize to kill houseplants.
To save it, I would recommend that you let it dry, if wet, and re-pot it in fresh soil mix and wash some of the old soil away, gently. It sounds like the root zone is being burned with salts, the most common danger. If the roots are damaged, they will break or snap when touched, just like the "canes" above. Remove all wood that is not green. You can tell by bending it. The dead canes will not grow back; all new growth will come up from the roots.
Arecas can take full sun, but leave it to rest and recover in a little shade, not dark. Don't be afraid to give it a hard haircut. You want new growth, but it may be too late, so don't expect a miracle. We all learn best, the hard way.
Remember, soggy soil kills, unless in hot weather and wind, and fertilizers are salts. Potted plants need very little and only when they are growing! When they're dormant, even with leaves, fertilizer is poison.
Denis
Re: "sap"
I'd try a lanolin-free mechanic's hand cleaner or Goo Gone. First scrape some sap onto your hand and see if either of those products dissolve it or change its viscosity. If that works then try the product on a hidden part of the fabric.
Kerry
I purchased an areca palm 2-3 months ago and it was doing fabulously until about 1 month ago when the ends began to go brown. Before discovering trimming the brown ends off was a no-no I did so with gusto - I'll admit. Once full and glorious It has sadly reduced to about 8 to 10 frongs and I am very worried Im going to lose the entire plant. It also has black spots on the branches down at the base which I hadn't really noticed before. Should I be worried about that? How can I bring this poor plant back to life - lighting / watering / feeding / care - wise??? Please Help!!!
Please, Please, Please help I have ahad my Areca Palm for 3yrs and over the last few months had problems will brown leaves etc... I think I now have that under control but I now appear to have tiny little flying insects running and flying around the soil and it is becoming increasingly irritating!
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