Kentia palm care guide

The kentia palm has dark green, arching fronds on slim stems. It comes from Lord Howe Island, off the coast of Australia. It handles lower light, dry air, and cool rooms better than most palms. That is why it fills hotel lobbies. It grows slow, lives for decades, and is safe for cats and dogs.

Light

Kentia palms grow best in medium to bright indirect light. A spot a few steps back from an east, west, or south window works well. They handle a dim corner too, but grow even slower there.

Hot afternoon sun through glass scorches the fronds.

Water

Water when the top 5 cm (2 in) of soil is dry. Water until it drains, then empty the saucer. In winter, it needs water less often.

Kentias do not like to sit wet. Soggy soil leads to root rot and black stems at the base. Read how to tell if a houseplant is overwatered or underwatered.

Soil and potting

Use a well-draining houseplant mix. Add a few handfuls of perlite or bark if the mix stays wet for more than a week.

Kentia roots are fragile. Repot only when roots fill the pot, every two to three years, in spring. Move up one size and do not break up the root ball. See how to repot a houseplant step by step.

Humidity and temperature

Average room air is fine. Kentias put up with dry indoor air better than most palms, but brown tips show up near heat vents and wood stoves.

Keep it between 16 and 27°C (60 and 80°F). It handles cool rooms down to about 10°C (50°F).

Feeding

Feed monthly in spring and summer with a palm fertilizer at half strength. Palm fertilizers carry the potassium and magnesium palms need. Skip feeding in fall and winter.

Pruning

Cut fully brown or yellow fronds off near the stem. Trim brown tips with clean scissors, following the leaf shape.

Never cut the top of a stem. Each stem grows from one point at its tip. If you cut it, that stem stops growing for good.

New growth

New fronds come up from the center of each stem as a tight spear. The spear opens over a few weeks. A healthy kentia grows one to three new fronds a year. That is normal. Do not try to pull the spear open.

Propagation

Kentia palms grow from seed, and seed takes months to sprout. Most nursery pots hold several seedlings planted together for a fuller look. You can split them in spring, but kentia roots resent it. Expect the plants to sulk for a season.

Problems

What you see	Most likely cause
Brown leaf tips	Dry air, salts in tap water, or dry soil
Oldest fronds turn yellow	Normal aging, or it needs potassium
Pale, bleached fronds	Too much direct sun
Black, mushy stem base	Root rot from soggy soil
Fine webbing and speckled fronds	Spider mites
No new growth for months	Normal. It grows slow.

Pests

Spider mites are the most common pest, most of all in dry winter air. Wipe the fronds with a damp cloth every few weeks to keep them off. Check for mealybugs and scale on the stems and under the fronds.

Pet safety

The ASPCA lists kentia palm as non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Varieties

• Kentia palm, Howea forsteriana, is the common houseplant. It has flat, arching fronds.
• Curly palm, Howea belmoreana, is its only close cousin. Its fronds curve up and arch more. It is harder to find.