Find Your Ask the Expert: Indoor Palm Tree
I recently purchased an indoor palm tree (about 6ft now). After about two weeks in my home a few of the leaves are turning yellow. I water it once a week. Can you help? Thanks.
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Hey Jamie,
Thanks for the quick response. I know there are no insects..no webbing..or sticky substance. And no scale. All of other palms are doing great. My caryota maxma grew over 1.5 ft in height this past year. So maybe too good.lol. My Bismark seedlings are near the baccriopheonix and are have no problems. I’m leaning more towards perhaps an iron deficiency, just seems odd that it’s only this one species of palm. Hate to loose any plant due to improper care, but these especially as seeds for these palms are no longer available. If you looked them up then you see they are a beautiful palm and extremely rare and costly. Currently I am sprouting Cuban royals and howeas. They do make nice gifted plants to other gardeners in my neighborhood come springtime. I reside in central NY so fresh seed isn’t always easily attainable. As I had mentioned previously, I am running out of room, but if I can fit one in and it a good home for it. I do. Healthy plants make for a healthy home. Thanks again Mark
P.S.
If I can offer any assistance to anyone feel free to just ask. Mark
Hi,
What’s the best way to remove a yellowing frond? Is there a specific way to do it without damaging the rest of the plant?
If it is an indoor palm, you will remove the frond by cutting it off about 2-3 inches from the trunk.
Hi,
Some palms do this naturally,as they Lise lower fronds newer ones grow. Some palms just aren’t good as house plants, ex: majesties, coconut…Here in upstate NY , I grow alot of palms from seed, most spend their Spring and Summer outside in a protected area. Even though some may grow in full sun, they do burn quickly if not acclimated properly.
Yellowing fronds again could just be the palm going through it’s life cycle, or depleted minerals. I would first look for any webbing(mites) if the air is dry. In the case you see webs, use a mild dish detergent diluted with water of course and spray the palm with it. You may have to do it a few times but it should end that problem.Just make sure to also check other plants in your home.
If it’s mineral deficient, even though I’m not a big fan if them, jobes has a palm fern stick that may help. What I do, as I have many different types of palms, is I use a time release palm fertilizer. Because these are not ground planted, but potted I only use a few grains per pot a couple times a year,Remember only a few grains away from the base of the palm, don’t want to burn the roots!
If the fronds are older fronds turning yellow, as I said could be the normal growth of the palm. In that case I would leave it until it is turning brown, as the fronds is still producing chlorophyll. Then I would cut the fronds from the tree, but without getting too close to the trunk. Some palms drop their older fronds leaving a ring around the trunk. Ex: royal, king. Indoor palms do not hold as many fronds as they do planted in the ground.
As a suggestion, if you are about to search the www. I would look at a site called palmtalk. Many palm growers there, that are more than willing to help with any problem. There is a section on potted palm, and it is free if you would like to join in the conversations or you can just read what others have to say. There are also sections on other tropical plants as well as a free section, where many growers share plants and seed, which usually are pretty easy to germinate
There are many reasons why the leaves of an indoor palm might be turning yellow. The most obvious one is not enough light or too much dust. Dirt likes to stick to the long leaves, which makes the natural processes of photosynthesis impossible. After some time the leaves just start to yellow and fall down. Lack of nutrients like nitrogen, manganese or magnesium can also cause the leaves to turn yellow. In some rare cases the yellowing can be caused by a pest or a disease, but treating those can be very tricky, I would try the most obvious causes first.