Indoor palm trees: care | Gardening On

What are the care of indoor palm trees? These are plants that are widely used to decorate homes, but for them to look beautiful it is important that they are properly cared for.

Therefore, below we will tell you how to water them, when to change their pot, and much, much more so that, in this way, you can show off your palm trees.

Where to put indoor palm trees?

The first thing we have to do when we get home with our palm trees is to find the best place to put them. East you have to meet these conditions if we want them to feel comfortable:

• be very clear
• there should be no drafts (fans, radiators, air conditioning)
• be wide enough so that its leaves do not rub against anything

For example, a good place could be the living room, next to a window through which light enters. Likewise, and although it is frequently used as a decorative element, never plant or introduce a palm tree in a pot that does not have holes in its base. These pots are pretty, but as the water accumulates inside, it makes the roots remain waterlogged, something that they do not like at all.

What pot and substrate do they need?

We have said that pots without holes are not suitable for palm trees, but then… which ones are? So that they can continue to grow, they need one that measures about 7 to 10 centimeters more of the one that measures the one that it has at the moment, and that of course has drainage holes. The material with which it is made is indifferent: both in a plastic one and in another made of clay, the plant can be fine.

And as a substrate, we will put one for green plantslike the brands Flower o Westland for instance. As its main attraction is its leaves, we want them to be green, which is why this substrate is ideal for palm trees, as it contains specific nutrients for the production of leaves.

How often do you have to transplant them?

The pot change It will be done when the roots come out, or when they can already be seen growing very close to the drainage holes.. They must be transplanted carefully, in spring, trying not to manipulate their root system too much.

When and how to water indoor palm trees?

The palm trees that are kept indoors are, in most cases, tropical or subtropical. This means that they are plants that live in places where the climate is warm but not extreme, and it usually rains relatively frequently. When they are cultivated, it is necessary to ensure that they do not lack anything, but So that problems do not arise, we must water only when necessary.; that is to say, although in its natural habitat it rains, for example, every day, if we watered it daily we would end up losing it.

Therefore, we must check the humidity of the soil before wateringsomething that can be done by inserting a thin stick to the bottom, and if when you take it out it comes out with little or no soil, it means that it is dry and therefore it has to be watered. Another thing that can be done is to take the pot: when it has not been watered for many days, the soil weighs little, but when it gets moist again, it weighs much more, so that this difference in weight can serve as an orientation guide to know in what time should we hydrate our palm trees.

The time has come, we will pour the water to the earth. Likewise, you should continue watering until the water comes out of the pot’s drainage holes, because that way we will know that the watering has been done correctly. But, in general, you have to hydrate them twice a week in summer, and every 2 or 6 days the rest of the year. Also, if we have put a plate under them so as not to dirty the furniture, we will drain it later.

What relative humidity do they need?

In addition to watering, it is important that they have the relative humidity they need. And it is that if it was low, the tips of the leaves would turn brown and later the entire leaf would dry up. Therefore, if it is less than 50%, we must spray them daily with good water, from rain or suitable for consumption.

But beware: if you live on an island or in an area where the humidity is very high, you should not do itsince otherwise you would favor the appearance of fungi, which would damage the leaves.

When to pay indoor palm trees?

It is necessary to pay them while they are growing; namely, as long as the good weather remains and temperatures remain above 15ºC. We will use a liquid fertilizer that is specific for palm trees or green plants, since this way we will see its effects in a short time (normally in a matter of a few days).

We can use for example the Flower or the Compo, but if it is for palm trees, the brand is not something we have to pay too much attention to. Of course, you have to fertilize them as indicated on the product packaging, since otherwise we would burn the roots.

Do they have to be pruned?

Palm trees are herbaceous plants (megaphorbias) that do not tolerate pruning very well. That’s why, all you have to do is remove the leaves that are completely dry or brown with scissors that we will have previously cleaned with a little water or, if preferred, with a damp cloth. This can be done whenever necessary.

We hope that these tips on the care that indoor palm trees need will be useful to you.