Palm plants bring a tropical touch, feeling of peace, and tranquility to any space. They are usually low maintenance and thrive well as houseplants.
One of the most important things to consider before buying indoor palm plants is their mature size potential. Many palms can grow quite tall. This growth can become an issue for small spaces or low ceilings.
Most of which can be grown in containers or pots. Because even fast-growing palm varieties grow more slowly in containers, transplanting them is necessary only once every one or two years when the plant is in danger of becoming root bound or top heavy. Plants grown in greenhouses, however, may need transplanted more often. Palms can be transplanted during the spring or early in the summer and generally tolerate transplantation well. How to repot a palm plant ?
Are palm trees good indoors?
Palm trees are great indoor plants due to their tropical beauty and low maintenance requirements. They’re also less-susceptible to pest infestations and can thrive as indoor potted as well as outdoor plants.
Indoor palm trees are also good air purifying plants and typical indoor environments are great for most species of palms to thrive. These plants typically need warm temperatures, coupled with moderate humidity and lighting. Such conditions are quite easy to achieve in an interior space.
how to repot a palm plant
How to repot indoor palm plant
Select a new planting container for the potted palm. Choose a heavy container that will support the weight of the palm and make it approximately 4 to 6 inches larger across than the current container. Select a deep container, approximately 12 inches deeper than the root ball of the palm.
Step 1: Get Ready to Repot
Minimize the repotting mess by doing the repotting in the yard. In addition, you can spread out newspapers and repot on top of them, which makes cleanup easier.
Step 2: Water the Palm First
Water the palm before you actually repot it into a new container and soil. Keep adding water until it runs out of the bottom drain holes of the old pot and wait approximately one hour after watering before repotting the palm.
Step 3: Prepare the Pot
Use a clean pot that is about one size larger than the current one. If you’re repurposing a pot, be sure to wash it with soap and water before using. Fill the pot about a quarter full with a fertile, well-drained potting mix and moisten the soil.
Step 4: Check the Palm’s Root System
Grip the palm by its lower base and pull it from the container. Check the roots for wrapping, since wrapping roots can impede healthy growth. If some of the roots have begun wrapping, snip through them using clean pruning snips.
Step 5: Plant the Palm
Place the palm in the new container’s center once you’ve surveyed the root system. Fill the container with potting mix and firm the soil around the palm’s base. Make sure you aren’t planting the palm deeper than it was originally.
Step 6: Provide Needed Light and Water
Add water to the container until it runs from the bottom drain holes. Water again when the top inch of soil becomes dry, since palms prefer a moist — not soggy — soil. Place it in the same light conditions provided previously. The palm grows in full sun to partial shade outdoors and prefers a bright indoor location.
how to repot a palm plant
How to Grow Plam Trees From Seed
For most palms, air layering, cuttings, and division are typically not effective for propagating new trees. Usually, the best way to start a palm tree is from seed, which can be obtained through either a seed catalog or from a flowering tree.
Your first step will be to sprout the seed, which you can do by placing it in a container at least 4 inches deep with a thin layer of soil. Place the container in a warm, humid location while you wait for it to sprout—depending on the varietal, it can take two months or more for the seed to sprout.
Once the seed has sprouted, move the palm somewhere with abundant light and continue allowing it to grow. Feed the palm with a weak liquid fertilizer a few months into its growth period. Once the palm has grown several sets of leaves, you can transplant it into a larger container.
how to repot a palm plant
How to care for indoor palm plants
Place the potted palm plant in a bright location, with indirect sunlight, and in well-draining potting soil. Indoor palm trees thrive when soil is moist—never too soggy or too dry. Water the palm plant when the top part of the soil has dried. Fertilize occasionally, keep humidity levels high, and in average room temperature.
Brown leaf tips are the most common care issue with indoor palm trees. To avoid brown tips developing on the fronds, don’t over-fertilize your palm plant, keep the soil moist, and increase room humidity. Most websites advise pruning the brown tips of palm leaves; however it can cause the whole frond to die. You should prune the whole leaf if it’s dead and turned brown.
