Areca palms can tolerate some shade but thrive in direct, bright light. Keep away from draughts and direct sunlight, which will scorch the leaves. Areca palms require a warm environment, ideally between 18 and 24 °C, with a minimum of 10 °C in the winter.
How to plant an areca palm
Plant in a pot with drainage holes and compost made from dirt. If the areca palms get rootbound, only repot them in the spring into a little larger container (you will see roots coming out of the bottom of the pot).
Caring for an areca palm
In warm weather, this may happen rather frequently when the top few centimeters of compost have become dry. As areca palms are sensitive to the contaminants in tap water, it is best to use rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water, especially if you reside in a hard water area. Make sure the compost is evenly moist but not drenched, and allow any extra moisture to drain away. Wintertime irrigation is reduced, keeping the soil slightly damp.
Areca palms require a humid atmosphere, so spritz the leaves with tepid water a few times per week or place them on a pebble tray filled with water. During the growing season, feed your plants with a balanced fertilizer every few months.
Periodically wipe the leaves to remove dust. Your plant can be quickly fixed by being placed under a gentle shower, or even better, by being placed outside in the summer rain.
How to propagate an areca palm
The best method of areca palm propagation is via division. A clump near the edge may come away spontaneously when you repot the plant in the spring. As an alternative, you can remove a clump with a sharp knife. It should ideally have four or five stems with roots. Replant in a new container with potting compost.
Growing areca palm: problem solving
Areca palms frequently have brown leaf tips, which can happen for a number of reasons. The plant might have been submerged, the air is too dry or cold, or all three. Cutting into green growth will just result in the creation of new brown points, so only the brown tips should be removed.
Lower leaves that have aged naturally develop yellowing leaves. If your areca palm has many yellow leaves, it may be because it is receiving too much direct sunlight. It might also be the result of submersion.
Brown fronds at the base are typical; simply remove them. Areca palms do not like to sit in cold, moist compost, which may be the cause of their widespread brown leaves.
Sunburn could be the source of brown patches. Remove your plant from the sun’s direct rays.
Lack of humidity may be the cause of dull, dull leaves that have lost their sheen. suggest that the plant is receiving too much light; relocate to a more shady area.
Areca palms may be harmed by red spider mite. Fine webbing will cover the plant’s leaves and stems, and the upper surface of the leaf will start to mottle. With a magnifying glass and close inspection, you may find mites and eggs on the undersides of the leaves. Improved airflow increases humidity. Use sprays with fatty acids or plant oils as an alternative.
Mealybugs could be an issue.
Watch out for insects on the undersides of leaves that resemble white, fluffy blobs. Use a cotton bud or moist towel dipped in a pesticide containing fatty acids or plant oils to wipe them off. Keep inspecting the leaves since mealybugs can be challenging to get rid of.
Scale insects, which are tiny, 6mm long, brown sap sucking insects, may also be seen. Remove using a cotton bud or piece of cloth dipped in a pesticide with fatty acids.
Is direct sunshine required for areca palms?
The leaves of areca palms can be damaged by direct sunshine, thus they need bright, indirect light.
Although comfortable indoor temperatures range from 60F (16C) to 75F (24C), abrupt temperature fluctuations or chilly gusts may cause brown patches on the leaves. Expect this plant to grow between 6 and 10 feet (2 and 3 meters) tall indoors.
In USDA zones 10 to 11, where the winter lows are kept above freezing, these plants can survive outside all year. They could reach heights of 12 to 30 feet (4 to 9 meters) outside.
How frequently should an areca palm be watered?
We may infer a little deal about the Areca Palm’s water requirements from the fact that it is native to a warm, tropical region.
In order to thrive best, the areca palm demands damp soil, which is also its natural environment.
This means that during the spring and summer, you should water your areca palm at least twice.
The Areca Palm is in its growing season in the spring and summer and requires a lot of moisture and minerals.
You should alter your watering routine and water the Areca Palm less frequently in the fall and winter.
You should check to see if the soil is dry before watering your plant because it’s easy to overwater your palm throughout the winter.
In the fall and winter, you should water your Areca palm typically once a week to once every ten days.
Why are my areca palm’s leaves fading to brown?
Although the Areca Palm (Dypsis lutescens) makes a fantastic interior palm tree, it does have a propensity for developing brown leaf tips. The good news is that finding the root of the issue is rather easy, enabling you to solve it and stop your Areca Palm’s tips from becoming brown in the future.
Why do the leaves and tips of my Areca Palm have a brown tint? The tips and leaves of the areca palm turn brown as a result of overwatering, underwatering, inadequate lighting, excessive fertilization, low humidity, fluoridated or chlorinated water, bug infestations, or unneeded repotting. Finding the root of the issue is crucial to solving it.
Continue reading for a detailed explanation of how to pinpoint the cause of your Areca Palm’s brown tips and leaves, as well as the measures you can take to cure the problem and restore your plant to health and beauty.
Check out my book, “Houseplants Made Easy,” to learn how to cultivate gorgeous plants that thrive year after year and prevent brown tips on all of your indoor plants.
Is the areca palm a healthy houseplant?
Light. These plants can handle full sun when grown outside, although they prefer bright, filtered light. Areca palms thrive indoors with exposure to bright light from a south or west-facing window.
Do I need to remove the Brown palm leaves?
Both too much and not enough water will harm palm trees and cause leaf browning and yellowing.
The majority of palms prefer to have 50% of their soil dry before being irrigated. Always be sure the soil needs water before applying it. Wash the saucer thoroughly, then drain any extra water. Overwatering can cause yellowing and eventually root damage.
When the leaf tips dry out and turn brown, this is a typical issue known as “tipping.” The most frequent culprit is tap water, which has salts, chlorine, fluoride, and other potentially dangerous substances in excess. Use distilled water or rainfall to avoid this.
If you start to see salt buildup as a white crust-like coating on the soil’s surface, you can flush the soil a few times a year. To accomplish this, remove the top layer of dirt and water your palm slowly but liberally with a volume of water that is roughly four times that of your pot. Before repositioning your Palm, allow the water in the pot to completely drain and remove any extra water from the saucer.
Nutrients in the potting soil are replenished by fertilizer, but too much fertilizer can cause leaf tips to become brown and compromise plant health. Only fertilize palm trees in the spring and summer when they are actively growing. Palms that are dormant don’t require more fertilizer. Use palm tree fertilizer at the rate suggested on the box. Keep in mind that more fertilizer is not always better. Never fertilize dry soil because doing so can cause the roots to burn.
Warm temperatures are necessary for palms to thrive. Despite being often kept warm, indoor plants are nonetheless susceptible to cold harm. Plants should be kept away from windows and doors that draft because the cold air can brown the tips of the leaves. In the winter, keep plants away from windows because leaves contacting the glass might freeze and become brown. Avoid placing items directly in an air conditioning vent during the heat.
Throughout the growing season, palms grow new leaves. A palm tree leaf gets dark as it nears the end of its natural life, starting at the tip and continuing until the leaf is entirely brown and falls off. The brown tips are normal and not cause for alarm if only one or two leaves are browning and new foliage is still coming in.
The right way to remove any brown tips from your plant is as follows:
- Amass your resources. Paper towel, some rubbing alcohol, and a pair of well-kept scissors or pruning shears are all required. (The alcohol wipes included in first-aid kits are excellent!)
- Before starting and after each cut, wipe the sharp scissors or pruning shears’ blades with rubbing alcohol. The blades should be wetted with water before cutting if you are simply removing brown, crispy leaves that have become that way due to aging, a lack of moisture, or sunburn patches. This will help to avoid damaging vital tissue.
- At the base, close to the stem, or at the soil, remove any leaves that are completely brown or yellow. Make sure not to tug on the leaves as this could harm the plant’s vital components. Remove only the afflicted section of the leaf if only a portion of it is brown or yellow.
Important: When pruning, take care not to take more than 30% of the entire plant. To avoid removing an excessive amount of leaves at once, you might need to prune in phases.