Care Tips
Habit: An upright to slightly arching palm growing up to 1.5 m tall indoors producing medium green pinnate leaves with yellowish stem bases. Plants will not produce flowers indoors.
Temperature: Plants grow best between 15 to 25ᐤ C and temperatures below 4ᐤ C may result in the death of the plant. Avoid placing plants in windy or drafty locations which can lead to less attractive plants.
Light Exposure: Indoors, plants will grow well in bright, indirect light to some exposure to direct light. If placed in too dark of a location, leaves will yellow rapidly and the plant will start to decline.
Watering: Areca palm likes a moist growing medium but not soggy; water only when the top 5 cm of soil feels dry to the touch. Always check the soil moisture first but as a rule of thumb watering once or twice a week in the rainy season, once every two or three weeks in the cold dry season and twice a week in the hot dry season.
Fertilising: Give plants a well balanced fertiliser once or twice a month during the hot dry season and rainy season but not during the cold dry season when plants are resting (semi-dormant).
Pruning/Repotting: Remove yellowing leaves and withering stems to keep the plant tidy. Areca palm may need dividing every four to five years; clumps can be cut in half or quarters and repotted into appropriately sized pots.
Pests/Diseases: Thrips, mealybugs, whitefly, spider mites and scale may attack plants; while fungal pathogens cause rot and leaf-spot diseases.