Palm Tree Plant Care

Saving your Palm Tree

One of the most frequently asked questions we get is about palm trees. Why did its leaves turn brown? Palm trees seem so easy, until they're so hard to keep alive! This is because we think we know how tropical plants live, which leads us to the browning of your palm trees leaves. We end up giving our palm trees too much light or too much water. 

The most common places people buy their trees are from garden centres or IKEA. If you have, note that it will take some time for the chemical fertilizers to wash out of the soil. It is important for you to plant your palm tree in a new, fresh environment; a new planter pot with fresh soil mix. If you’ve had your palm tree for a while and don’t use chemical fertilizer, take a close look at its potting soil. This will involve checking the soil to see if the palm tree is maintaining a moist environment. Fresh top soil with a layer of peat moss will keep your palm tree in the perfect environment! To keep your indoor palm plants looking good, trim off the brown tips of your palm tree. 

Understanding your Palm Tree

Palm trees make beautiful house plants! They make your whole living space feel so comfortable, and if you live in Canada, like we do, make your space feel tropical indoors. Not to mention palm trees clean your air! This summer I rescued three palm trees, using the app BUNZ. It's an app we use to trade old possessions for new ones or plants! The following is what we've discovered to ensure your palm tree gets optimal care. Like all plants there are three things that are vital to keeping your palm tree alive! 

Soil Mix 

If your plant is in a nursery planter pot or from a garden centre you will need to repot it. Shake the current dirt away from the roots of your plant to rid it of the existing soil mix. Palm plants don’t like to be repotted, that is why it is important to pot them right the first time. We recommend to wait to repot your palm plant until it has outgrown the planter pot if you have received it from another plant owner.

The best soil for growing palm trees in pots is a loose soil mix. Palm trees will grow just fine in a regular potting mix but try to at least mix in one of the products I will mention next. Ideally, you will want to use a combination of peat moss, leaf mold, and shredded bark. With this you can mix in a cactus or palm soil. Put your remaining soil mix in a container box so it does not become stale. If you’re one of those people who tends to forget to water your plants then be sure to mix in peat moss and use vermiculite as a base layer or rocks. 

Water 

Palm plants can go without occasional watering, similar to cacti. However your palm tree will grow its best when watered on a regular basis. Palm trees prefer their soil to be evenly moist, especially during the summer months. This is their active growing season, which means their soil needs to keep moist. Allow the soil to dry out only slightly between waterings in the summer. During the winter, you can let the soil dry out a bit more between waterings.

We recommend a layer of peat moss on top. Peat moss will help keep the moisture in. Like all plants, drowning your plant by overwatering is not good either. There is a balance. Put your palm tree in a pot that has drainage holes in the bottom, this will help to prevent overwatering. If you're struggle with giving your plants the right amount of water, you can look into getting a soil moisture gauge or indoor watering device to help you get it right! 

Light 

In fact, most indoor palms prefer the shade. Palm trees do not do well with direct sunlight. This is odd to think considering where you see most palm trees is in sunny, warm areas. For Canadians, this is perfect, since most of us don’t have a lot of direct sunlight in our homes! Place your palm tree in an area where it will receive light as the room fills but not directly near a window. If you put your palm tree outside during the summer, make sure to keep it in the shade so it won’t get sunburnt.

Palm trees prefer bright indirect light, tolerating less light, however they won't survive in complete darkness. If there’s no natural light in the room, you’ll need to add a grow light.