Indoor palm: types, properties and care tips

The palm tree plant has a great decorative value manifested in the beauty of foliage. In recent years, they have become increasingly popular due to their large size and spectacular appearance. Some are suitable for growing indoors, while others are suitable for outdoors. Large potted plants, with their characteristic leaves, decorate apartments and offices. Such a plant can decorate almost any room. They are characterized by a variety of sizes and shapes.

Features of indoor palms

There are about 3,500 species of wild palms in the world. Of these, only about 20 varieties are adapted for indoor cultivation. In nature, most palms are distributed in the tropics and subtropics: Africa, some regions of Eurasia and Central Asia.

Beautiful appearance is the main quality of an ornamental palm tree. Outwardly, they are similar to wild plants, with the exception of a small growth. Some species are slow growing and retain fairly limited growth, making them ideal for apartments. Usually indoor palm does not exceed two meters in height.

Indoor palms differ in growth, the shape of the leaves and stem, and the density of leaf plates. The shape of the leaves depends on the species. Their leaves can be pinnate, fan, umbrella.

Palm trees home

Palm trees can have several trunks and are single-trunked and bushy. In the process of development, they can be changed by combining several stalks of the spray palm into one.

Additional Information! Palm trees are able to saturate the air with oxygen, which makes it easier to breathe in the room where they are located.

Types of indoor palms

According to external signs, plants are divided into different types. There are many types of palm trees to grow at home. Many of them can grow quite tall. However, palms usually grow slowly and don’t need to be repotted too often.

Which palm trees are suitable for growing indoors? Palm trees indoor names:

  • Hovea;
  • Rapis;
  • Areca;
  • Chamerops;
  • ropalostylis
  • indoor date palm;
  • North American “Washingtonia thread-bearing”;
  • Mexican Hamedorea;
  • Asian “Karyote”
  • Spanish “Cryosophila”;
  • Chinese Liviston.

The dwarf Phoenix date palm is an easy-to-care plant that has very narrow (compared to other palms) feathery, curved leaves. Widely distributed, and most people are familiar with its appearance. The plant is a shrub that grows up to about 2 m. It does not bloom at home.

Unlike other palm trees, Washingtonia grows very fast. The leaves look like an open fan, as they are dissected to a central point.

Palm Washingtonia

Fan-shaped leaves grow on opposite sides of the trunk – this makes the palm unusual and attractive.
Rapis is a multi-stemmed shrub with dark green leaves. Long stiff stems, without branches, with fan-shaped leaves divided into segments, the number of which varies depending on the species. Leaves with thin petioles, with rather conspicuous parallel veins and slightly serrated margins. Shoots grow rather slowly. Rapis low grows up to 1.5 m. This species is more popular among flower growers. High is usually used to decorate the interior of shopping and office centers.
Areca palm is a highly ornamental plant of large size. Stems thin, tubular. The foliage is pinnately dissected.

 Areca Palm

Requires high humidity. It has brightly colored leaves and cob inflorescences, quite large in size,
Howea or Kentia is a straight palm tree with beautiful curved dark green leaves. Usually several young specimens are planted in one pot to make the plant look more voluminous. It can reach a height of 2 m. Cirrus leaves on long strong petioles. At home, it does not bloom and does not bear fruit.
Chamerops is a fan palm that is easy to grow. This variety easily tolerates drought and cold and, under suitable growing conditions, can bloom profusely with yellow flowers collected in inflorescences.
Indoor bamboo palm is easy to grow and very popular in homes and offices. It is distinguished by long and knotty stems similar to bamboo stems, hence the name. It grows quickly and is quite easy to care for. Hamedorea has the shape of a bush, grows up to 1.5 m. The leaves are a rich green shade, fan-shaped. Long peduncles, in the form of panicles, grow from the leaf axils.
Kariota – these are peculiar palm trees distinguished by an unusual shape of leaves and original flowering.

 Karyota

The fan palm loves good lighting and high humidity, so keeping it in the house is considered problematic.

Ropalastylis palm with a wide trunk from which pinnate leaves grow. It has a very interesting appearance and does not require special growing conditions. Like other types of indoor palms, it requires a lot of free space in the room in which it grows. In apartment conditions, it does not bloom and does not bear fruit.

The Chinese “Livistona” is a fan palm, its leaf looks like a fan with many narrow parts that connect at one point. The lower part of the petioles is covered with spines. They reproduce well by seeds, grow quite quickly.

The home houseplant yucca is mistakenly called a palm tree, despite the fact that the flower has nothing to do with them.

Indoor yucca

Indoor yucca palm – herbaceous plants, one of the most common among indoor plants. They are easy to care for. They are characterized by persistent and tough foliage, with a smooth edge, almost always with a spike at the tip. Different types may have different shapes.

Palm tree care at home

Although there are a large number of species of palm trees, there are general basic rules for caring for them, and the complexity is no different from other plants.

Note! Experienced flower growers advise buying small young plants so that they are much easier to adapt to new growing conditions and changes in care. Over time, they will increase the green mass.

Location

All palm trees need good light, but their young leaves are very tender and should not be exposed to direct sunlight. They will leave burns that the plant cannot get rid of.

Diffused light

When the sun is at its most active, plants should be shaded, for this a simple curtain is suitable. Ideally, plants should receive diffused light. Some palm trees are shade tolerant.
Temperature
Palm flower room loves warmth. Representatives of the Palm family live in different climatic zones, and for some of them the thermometer readings should not fall below 18 degrees. Sudden changes in temperature should also be avoided, as the plant may die. Palm trees love fresh air, and respond with gratitude to the airing of the room, but do not tolerate drafts.
Watering and humidity
Water the home palm moderately throughout the year. Watering should be carried out regularly, but not too often, the soil in the pot should have time to dry out. They do not like drying out of the base or overflow, they respond very gratefully to spraying. The soil should be moist, but not wet. The pot should have a drainage hole through which excess liquid flows. To prevent stagnation of water in the ground, you can use large gravel or expanded clay at the bottom of the pot. After watering, it is advisable to loosen the soil mixture.

Note! Soft water is suitable for irrigation. When using tap water, the soil will be saturated with salts, which is why the plant will need an annual transplant, which negatively affects its condition.

Soil and fertilizer
Indoor palms prefer nutritious and loose soil. Plants do not like frequent transplants, as these actions damage the root system. For this reason, you should immediately choose the right soil.
Top dressing is carried out once every 2-3 weeks. This is enough for palm trees that grow indoors. Plants grown in the garden require more frequent feeding (once a week). Most often, universal fertilizers for houseplants are used, but organic ones, such as humus, can also be used (it should be applied much less often).
Transfer
As the tree grows, the root system in the old pot narrows. In such cases, a transplant is required. The new pot should be slightly larger than the previous one for the free development of the root system.
 Transplant

A drainage layer should be laid at the bottom of the pot: expanded clay, coarse-grained perlite or polystyrene. The soil should contain peat, humus, and some sand. Remove the plant from the old pot along with a clod of earth, shaking off the excess. The soil should then be lightly compacted. After transplanting, the plant is watered abundantly, and kept in the shade.

Experts do not recommend replanting palm trees more often than once every 5 years. If the plant is large and cannot be transplanted, the top layer of soil should be changed annually, but in such a way as not to damage the roots.

Important! It must be remembered that palm leaves should not be cut under any circumstances. Removing even one leaf plate can lead to the death of the entire plant.

Propagation of indoor palms

For the reproduction of indoor palms, small side shoots that are available in adult plants are used.

Growing from seeds

It is also possible to grow them from seeds. This method is considered the most laborious and time consuming. Planting palm seeds is recommended in late winter or early spring.

Growing palm trees from seeds

Large grains of some varieties of palms intended for sowing should first be soaked in water for 3 days and then lightly pierced in several places to facilitate their germination.

Important! Seeds must be fresh, as a long storage period significantly reduces their ability to germinate.

Planting should be done in good soft soil with a high peat content. A small amount of sphagnum moss should be placed on the seeds as fertilizer.

The top of the pot is covered with plastic wrap (before the seeds germinate, it is important to create a greenhouse effect). After the appearance of the first true leaves, the seedling should be transplanted into a new pot, as the root system of the plant develops quite quickly.

Diseases and pests of indoor palm trees

Palm trees are susceptible to many diseases which, if left untreated, can lead to plant death. The most frequent diseases.

  • Root rot appears when the soil is too wet, which happens with frequent and abundant watering. The leaves turn yellow and then fall off. The plant should be removed from the pot and any affected roots cut off, then soaked in a fungicide solution containing copper and zinc for 20 minutes. Place the palm in a new pot with new soil and water again with the fungicide.
  • Stem rot occurs due to irregular watering. It is characterized by the appearance of wet dark spots on the leaves. Treatment usually does not bring the desired results and the plant dies.
  • Penicillosis affects young leaves. Dry spots appear on them. This is a fungal disease that can be treated with antifungal medications.

Spotting on the leaves caused by fungi and bacteria is important to notice in a timely manner, since in the last stages of the disease the plant can no longer be helped.

Spotting on the leaves

Most often, domestic palms are affected by insects such as spider mites and mealybugs. At the same time, traces of cobwebs appear on the plants, the leaves curl and dry. To combat these insects, you can use specialized preparations or use folk remedies: an infusion of horsetail, onion, garlic, or an aqueous solution of laundry soap. Sprayed once a week until the pests are completely destroyed.

Decorative palm goes well with other plants. They can be seen in many institutions and gardens around the world. Growing at home does not require large expenses and a lot of time, you just need to know the basic rules for caring for decorative palm trees.