Palm trees rank in the top 5 indoor plants that add a tropical touch to your home while being easy to care for. Even with over 2600 species, most of them look very similar. With their iconic tall stems and big shiny fronds, they provide a tropical vibe to your place. Some people prefer to buy a baby palm tree from Floom to save both time and effort. It is possible to grow and care for a palm tree yourself indoors. However, growing them indoors will require some education, because it is always better to have some knowledge and guidance.
Palm trees require very little effort and oversight to grow indoors. But that doesn’t mean that without care your palm trees will thrive successfully. Yes, they can survive a little bit of neglect from their owners, and that is why everyone loves to have them indoors.
Why should you grow and care for a palm tree indoors?
The best feature of palm trees is that they can live with indirect sunlight. Being a plant, you may think direct sunlight is the only option, but not for this big fella.
This beautiful tree only requires some humidity, some distance from conditioned air, moist soil most of the time, and indirect sunlight.
With simple care, palm trees also provide various benefits indoors. Providing an amazing improvement towards the aesthetic appeal of your home, providing a tropical vibe for the guests. The look of a palm tree matches modern and antique interior designs. With looks, palm trees also care for you by improving the air quality indoors. As per NASA’s Clean Air Study, palm trees work as a filter for indoor pollution.
Palm trees love to repay the care provided to them; for example, the leaves work as a dust filter in your house. This tree can become your silent therapist; simply having one in your house can improve your emotional well-being. With emotional health being better, physical health will also take a step ahead. They are a natural humidifier, which means that they provide moisture and improve humidity.
Here is a summary of why you should care for and grow palm trees:
- Air quality will be amazing around you
- Helps in reducing stress
- Increase the beauty of indoors
- Best humidity manager
- Very low effort required to maintain them
- Improves your focus
How to Care for Palm Trees Indoors
Choosing the perfect palm tree
With over 2600 species to choose from, some are better suited for indoors than others. Some palm trees require extra care and effort; most of them are like camels and can survive harsh environments. Most of them are slow-growing species, so they won’t take up all the space in your home/office. Areca palms are a species that can grow up to 7 feet indoors, which makes them a suitable choice.
The Kentia palm is another classic option as an indoor, easy-to-care-for species of palm tree. Kentia palms can grow up to 10 feet indoors; however, they are lazy growers, so they won’t be a problem indoors. The date palms, also known as Phoenix palms, prefer indirect sunlight for perfect growth and don’t like being overwatered.
Date palms may be carefree indoor plants, but still they are not the most common indoor palms. The winner is obviously the parlor palm tree. Yes, the growth is very slow but absolutely the easiest to look after. With the reputation of being the easiest-growing indoor palm tree, the parlor palm should be your first choice if you are new at planting.
Required sunlight for maintenance of the palm trees indoor
Palm trees can easily adapt to lower-light conditions; they show up in their best state under indirect sunlight. Palm trees are commonly found indoors due to their adaptation to low light. They naturally love being in the shade, which makes them suitable for taller buildings, where direct sunlight is not always an option.
Every plant or tree has specific requirements for lighting to grow properly. With palm trees, lighting is one of the easiest parts to take care of. That’s why people mostly plant palm trees in taller buildings, often at a little distance from the windows. Even in winters, palm trees will thrive happily, just because they prefer low and indirect sunlight.
Watering frequency for palm trees
Palm trees are not as thirsty as other trees out there. Almost every plant requires water daily, but the same cannot be said for palm trees. If the first inch of soil of your palm tree seems dry, provide it with a little bit of water. Keeping your palm tree pot filled with water will cause the roots of your palm tree to rot, and the plant will die eventually.
Palm trees are very sensitive to water, so providing room-temperature water is the best way to keep them healthy. Using tap water, which can be high in salts in some areas, will be an easy way to kill your palm trees, so stay alert.
An important point to note while taking care of palm trees is to keep drainage holes in the pot. This will cause the excess water and moisture to pass out from the soil and prevent root rot.
Ideal humidity
As a tree, the palm tree also thrives outdoors, commonly where humidity is 50% to 60%. Minimum humidity can be 40%, but that is the absolute limit. Below that, the leaf will start browning and will be at risk of death. If leaves are starting to turn brown or becoming crispy, these are the signs that your plant is at risk.
If these signs appear, getting a humidifier is a quick solution; keep it near the plant to level out the required humidity. A humidifier will take care of your palm trees and also you, so getting a humidifier is a safe option.
Comfortable soil mixture
Indoor palm trees like parlor and majesty palms love soils that replicate their tropical environment. They demand soil that is moist and, most importantly, well draining. With every plant out there, soil requirements are different, and ignoring them, especially for palm trees, can lead to root rot, yellowing fronds, and even death.
The ideal mix for a well-draining and moist soil includes peat moss or coco coir, perlite or pumice, and compost. This mixture will help in preventing root rot and improving drainage for the maintenance of your palm trees. The loose structure of this soil will fulfill the oxygen needs of this plant, which will make it healthy.
Best Fertilizer and feeding schedule
Yes, palm trees require water and sunlight for care and maintenance, but that’s not enough. Like humans, plants also require fresh and healthy nutrients for a proper life. Picking the one on the first shelf at the supermarket is not a suitable option for the palm trees.
Search for a fertilizer that contains a proper ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for proper growth, while containing magnesium, iron, and manganese to prevent leaf burn. “Miracle-Gro Shake ‘N Feed Palm Plant Food” is a complete product for the nutrient requirements of indoor palm trees.
Picked the best fertilizer out there? But don’t forget about the schedule of fertilizing your trees. During spring to early fall, AKA the growing season for palm trees, you should fertilize it once every 6-8 weeks. But during the winter season, once every 10-12 weeks, or not at all, if your palm tree seems healthy.
FAQ Section:
1. How much time does it take for palm trees to grow indoors?
- Palm trees are slow like snails while living inside your home. This feature of the palm trees is why people love to keep them indoors, because they hate to be a burden in your space.
2. How to keep your palm tree pest-free?
- Check your palm tree often for signs of pests; small holes are a major sign that your palm tree is under attack. Use insecticidal soap for the safety of your tree, and make sure the water level, temperature, and humidity are accurate as per instructions.
3. How often do you need to repot your palm trees?
- Depending on the size and growth of the palm tree, it should be repotted every 1 to 2 years. If the roots are growing out of the drainage holes or start growing in circles, that means it’s time for a new pot.
4. Ideal time for watering your palm trees?
- Palm trees require water only when the top 1-2 inches of the soil are dry. Overwatering your palm tree is very harmful and will definitely lead to root rot.
