Here is a quick overview on what Parlor Palm plants require, along with some advice on how to maintain their health.
Can tolerate low indirect light and thrive in medium to bright indirect light. Unsuitable for direct, hot sunlight. Find out more about these lighting needs.
Water once every two to three weeks, letting the soil dry up in between applications. In brighter light, water more frequently, and in less-bright light, less frequently. Here are some further advice on watering plants.
65 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer at home, up to 85 degrees. The Parlor Palm is comfy if you’re comfortable.
How quickly do Parlour palms grow?
A popular indoor plant for a long time was the parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans). When transported back to the United States from Central America, this gorgeous plant with deep green leaf quickly gained popularity as an interior palm. It develops in beautiful clumps that conceal the narrow trunks beneath light-textured leaves.
Although it is occasionally possible to locate single-stalk specimens, the palms are typically planted in tiny clumps to mimic palm-like shrubs in attractive pots. Because the fronds can live for up to 40 days after being plucked from the plant, they are frequently used in floral arrangements, Palm Sunday decorations, and wreaths. Slow-growing parlor palms might take years to reach their maximum height (2 to 6 feet indoors and 6 to 16 feet outdoors).
Does the parlor palm grow slowly?
The tiny indoor palm known as the parlour palm (Chamaedorea elegans) has lovely light green fronds. Neanthe bella, parlor palm (spelled differently in the United States), good luck palm, chamaedorea palm, and dwarf mountain palm are some of its other names. It is a native of Mexico and Guatemala. Since Victorian times, when it was displayed in the parlour, the best room in the house, it has been a well-liked house plant. A clump of numerous young plants is frequently sold with it.
The parlour palm requires little maintenance and may survive in dry, low-light environments. It can filter and purify stale air and is a good air purifier as well. It grows very slowly and can occasionally erupt in tiny yellow flower sprays that are followed by mature black fruits. Dogs and cats are not poisoned by parlour palm.
Grow your parlour palm in house plant compost in a bright area that is shielded from direct sunlight for the best results. During the growing season, water frequently, and feed every month. Keep the compost dry over the winter. Repot plants in pots in the spring.
How do you increase the size of a parlor palm?
The parlor palm is a fantastic plant for novice or inexperienced gardeners because it is reasonably simple to grow. The plant can withstand extreme conditions, such as low light and cold temperatures, and thrives in indoor settings. The parlor palm is also reasonably resilient to neglect because it doesn’t require frequent watering.
You can either start a plant from seed or purchase a plant at a nursery if you wish to grow a young parlor palm. A parlor palm can be multiplied by being split at the root, however this can be stressful for the plant. The plant should be grown from seed, but for novice gardeners, this can be a challenging and time-consuming operation. Purchasing a young, healthy palm produced from seed from a gardening center or nursery is the most convenient option for the majority of homeowners. Parlor palms are frequently inexpensive and, given their extended lifespan, their initial cost is frequently insignificant.
You can replant your parlor palm as necessary in progressively larger containers in the spring. Only repot when absolutely necessary. Because of its delicate root system and dislike of excessive handling, you should try to handle this plant as little as possible. Plants should only be moved once the present container is entirely filled with roots.
Use a container with adequate holes punched into the bottom during repotting. Additionally, make sure the potting mix you select provides plants proper drainage. The parlor palm isn’t choosy, but for the plant to thrive, its roots need to have good drainage. Hannah Blanc explains how to plant a parlor palm correctly.
You must provide your plant with the ideal habitat to encourage healthy growth once it has been established and at ease in its new location. Although the parlor palm is a fairly adaptable plant, there are some conditions you may establish to promote and boost the growth of your plant.
- For optimum growth, maintain the palm at a temperature of about 65°F in a typical room.
- Don’t keep your plant below 50°F for an extended period of time.
- The parlor palm prefers moderate indirect light, yet it can also thrive in less lit spaces.
- To make sure that the soil has enough nutrients during the plant’s growing season in the spring, summer, and fall, feed your plant once every two weeks with a diluted liquid plant fertilizer.
- The parlor palm prefers a small amount of humidity in the air, so regularly spraying your plant with water might help it stay healthier overall.
- When the soil starts to dry out, water your plant, being cautious not to overwater.
- Your plant will need more water in brighter light, whilst it will need less in dim light.
- When your plant’s growth slows in the winter, use the least amount of water possible.
The pros at rifgarden can teach you more about growing parlor palms indoors.
My parlor palm can I place outside?
When roots start wrapping around the outside of the root ball, prepare to repot the parlor palm. Every few months, remove the plant from its container to inspect the roots. Repot plants when necessary in a pot with a 2–3-inch–larger diameter than the previous one. Add an all-purpose fertilizer on occasion, but only in the spring and summer.
In the summer, parlor palms can be relocated outside. They should be shielded from the sun, as it will burn the foliage. In hot, dry weather, pick a sheltered outdoor spot and water frequently. When nighttime temperatures drop below 55 degrees Fahrenheit, bring your plant back inside.
Do I need to prune my parlor palm?
Popular and simple to maintain indoor plants include parlor palms, commonly referred to as Neanthebella palms. Only a few members of the vast palm family are suitable as indoor plants. One of the select plants that does a superb job of adjusting to typical indoor settings is the parlor palm.
The Parlor palm features graceful, green leaflets on arching fronds that give this palm a canopy shape like feathers. A mature plant may produce sprays of tiny, yellow flowers on tall stalks above the foliage if given enough light. Just take the flowers off when they start to turn brown because the seeds that come after the flowers are rarely viable and aren’t worth saving.
Although this palm can handle dry indoor air, more humidity will be better for its health. Once a week, give the plant’s leaves a thorough spray with room-temperature water to assist maintain the humidity level.
Because Parlor palms originate from a terminal bud, do not prune this palm. This single point of growth will stop growing if it is pruned. However, it’s acceptable to remove old, brown fronds.
One of the few palms that thrive in low light is this one. It is the perfect houseplant or office plant due to its tolerance for low humidity and lack of light.
Low to moderately bright but not direct sunshine, light. The leaves may be receiving too much sun if they become yellowish-green.
Average room humidity with intermittent misting with water that is room temperature.
Average room temperatures range from 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit (18-27 degrees C). Keep the leaves away from heaters, air conditioners, and windows that are cold.
How frequently should a parlor palm be watered?
In order to keep the soil properly moist and prevent it from becoming waterlogged in between cycles, parlor palms need one to two top-down waterings each week in the summer and once every one to two weeks in the winter. Prior to watering, smaller parlor palms need dry topsoil. Wait two inches of dirt to dry out before watering larger, more mature plants.
LIGHT
This plant is tolerant of low light, which is one of the reasons it makes such an excellent indoor plant. In fact, I’ve previously cultivated this plant in a room without windows.
It is unquestionably one of the plants that can withstand this kind of care! But remember, I did have the overhead illumination on. Nothing can develop when it’s dark out!
Even though they can withstand very little light, giving your parlor palm greater light will help it grow the fastest. I’ve been growing a specimen parlor palm for a number of years, and it has developed into a quite lovely plant.
My eldest Chamaedorea elegans is growing in a window with an eastern exposure. It receives some morning sun, and the rest of the day is illuminated by bright indirect light.
This palm won’t thrive if it is exposed to sunlight all day, but 2-4 hours of direct sunlight indoors is OK, especially if it is the kinder early sun.
Other parlor palms that I have grown in a big bathroom, a few feet from a window with an Eastern exposure, and they thrive there as well.
This plant can grow in a variety of interior environments, making it very adaptable. Just be cautious not to expose them to too much sunlight.
These plants thrive in windows with a northern exposure as well as eastern windows. With windows facing the west or south, I would exercise caution. If necessary, deflect any extra direct sunlight coming through the latter two exposure windows.
REPOTTING
You should be aware that parlor palms, like many other palms, have relatively shallow roots. When you do repot, try to stay away from using extra-deep pots.
For parlor palms, I like to use a really well-draining potting mix, and you can easily find everything on Amazon.
I often use a potting mixture designed for citrus and palms. This potting mix has produced excellent results for me.
Alternatively, you can use a high-quality all-purpose houseplant potting mix and supplement it with some gritty sand, larger-sized perlite, or—even better—pumice. You will have great drainage, which is what parlor palms need.
Any packaged potting mix I purchase, I usually add either some perlite or pumice. Your plants will appreciate it.
Making your own unique mixes is always enjoyable, but ultimately, you should do what feels right for YOU.
WATERING
Never let your parlor palm rest in water, please. As I would advise for ANY indoor plant,
Depending on the size of the pot, I prefer to let the top inch or two of my parlor palm soil dry out before I water it again. Then go ahead and completely wet the potting media, letting the extra water drain away.
Any extra water that gathers in any trays you may have under the pot should be discarded.
The soil around palms should never be fully dry, especially not for long periods of time. If you do this, your lower fronds may turn yellow and finally turn entirely brown. You might also have dry, brown tips on the fronds.
FERTILIZING
Every time I water, I like to fertilize my parlor palm with a weaker solution. I love to use this method for all of my indoor plants. I won’t have to think about when I last fertilized because of this!
During the primary growing season, I will fertilize using a decent, balanced all-purpose fertilizer. From roughly February or March through October.
During the gloomier seasons of the year, when growth virtually stops and the days are short, I withhold fertilizer.
Check out my blog post about fertilizing to learn about all my favorite fertilizers and how I feed my houseplants.
FLOWERS
Yes, parlor palms do routinely bloom indoors. Nevertheless, this has both blessings and drawbacks!
You can be rewarded with a spray of yellow blooms after your plant reaches the appropriate stage of development. Throughout the year, my specimen parlor palm frequently blooms for me numerous times.
The small yellow “balls” in the flower sprays frequently fall to the ground and make a mess, despite how gorgeous they are!
In order to prevent a mess on my floors, I will let them bloom for a while, but once I see some of the flowers beginning to drop, I will simply chop off the inflorescence spray.
But keep in mind that a plant will only flower if it receives enough light. Before flowering, the plant must also be mature enough.
PALM PESTS
Spider mites occasionally damage these plants. Keep your plant healthy and pest-free by regularly cleaning it, whether by misting it or rinsing it out in the sink or shower.
I discuss three risk-free methods you can employ to get rid of spider mites. These plants are generally pest-free, although during the winter when the air is particularly dry, they may be vulnerable to spider mites.
HUMIDITY
I genuinely think that this plant is the most tolerant of interior settings, which is one of the reasons I favor it over all the other indoor palm plants.
For this palm, more humidity is undoubtedly ideal, although most interior environments are quite suitable!
Please click on that link to learn more about how I feel about how to improve humidity for indoor plants.
Everyone, that’s it! You now have all the information need to cultivate Parlor Palm. It is a lovely indoor palm that, given the right care, can survive a very long time!
Searching for a Parlor Palm to buy? Etsy is one of my favorite and most useful one-stop sites for purchasing almost any plant. Today, take a look at the Parlor Palm assortment (link to Etsy).