Typically, palms are known by three names; Arecaceae, Palmae, or Palmaceae. The plant belongs to the family perennial flowering plants of the monocot order and includes all kinds of patterns, such as climbers, shrubs, tree-like, and stem-less.
The plant currently has 181 genera with 2600 species, and palms are largely distinguished by the large, evergreen leaves, known as fronds. These leaves are assembled at the top of an unbranched stem. Besides that, palms can inhabit almost every type of habitat, be it rainforest or desert, making this the primary reason they are houseplants.
Here’s how you can look after your palm plants:
Sunlight
Palm plants comfortably survive low sunlight conditions. This is one of the reasons that palm plants are common houseplants. They mostly require a shady place, or either way, they’ll suffer in direct sunlight. Therefore, this fact must be taken into view when choosing a place to keep the palm plant.
Palms need bright but indirect light on them. Make sure that you put your plant in the shade, or otherwise, it may get a sunburn.
In winters, it’s not a problem if the plant doesn’t get ample light. But keep in mind that they can’t sustain without light. You must provide grow-light if there is no natural light for the survival of the plant.
Watering
Palm plants don’t want the water to stay in the pot, and water shouldn’t overrun their root balls. Don’t be mistaken because they live in a warm or tropical region they need more water. That’s not true. The fact is they grow adequately in sandy soil with ideal drainage.
Temperature
Temperature varies in different species of palm plants. Some palm plants develop in cold temperatures while others, such as coconut palm, can’t withstand any cold at all. The parlor palm and kentia palm are famous indoor plants that prefer a cold habitat of about 50 Fahrenheit at night.
Plant Nutrition
Palm plants need light, well-draining, and porous soil, a combination of peat moss, leaf mold, and perlite or shredded bark. These barks help to aeration and drainage of the soil. Cactus and palm soil mix, which is particularly made for palm plants, can also be used; otherwise, palm plants can grow naturally in commercial potting soil.
Palm plants grow well with fertilizer having NPK of ratio 3N:0.4P:1.7K, provided to other ornamental plants. Palms may suffer because of the nutrients deficiency in sandy soil. You must provide fertilizer to the plant 4 times a year. If any essential nutrient such as magnesium, potassium, and nitrogen is insufficient, the plant may appear unhealthy and weak.
Toxicity
Most palm plants are not toxic and not considered poisonous to pets of the family. However, the famous Sago palm plant is known for being poisonous. Pets and children must stay away from it.
Air-Purifying
Indoor air pollution is a serious matter to take notice of. Major health issues such as “sick building syndrome” can arise.
Palm plants best purifiers. They better the air quality by filtering pollutants.
Pygmy date palm and bamboo palm are useful for air purification. They are effective against formaldehyde and Xylene – both chemicals are deadly to human health.
Repotting
Palm trees have shallow roots, and they don’t prefer being disturbed. Therefore, you should only repot a plant when it’s in the pot. Most indoor-grown palms want to become trees. You can slow down their growth if you don’t repot it each year, preventing it from growing rapidly.
Common Issues
The most common issue in indoor palm plants is brown tips that appear at the top of leaves for three causes:
- Less watering – making the soil dry.
- Over-feeding or surplus fertilizer – causes an increase in mineral salts.
- Direct sunlight – burn leaves.
It would be best if you trimmed off brown tips to avoid this issue.
Diseases
Some household palm plants such as cat palms, parlor palms, and majesty palms are resistant to pests, which are scale, spider mites, and mealybugs. To avoid these pests, you should increase the humidity level, and you must apply neem oil.
Moreover, moist soil leads to fungal and bacterial diseases, so it should be partly dry.
Final Thoughts
Palms are an attractive addition to one’s home and worth the care. Indoor Palm plants are easy to keep and care for. They can effortlessly grow for years in an adequate environment. To keep your palm plant healthy, you should water the plant sufficiently, feed it occasionally, cut the brown tips, and clean it regularly.
