Kentia palm: care, location & propagation

The easy-care Kentia palm is very popular as an exotic houseplant. We reveal how to properly plant and care for the Kentia palm.

The Kentia palm impresses with lots of green (Howea) and offers a visual eye-catcher in the office or at home. But not only her sight is refreshing, because she is also said to be one of the best air-purifying plants. What should be considered when caring for the Kentia palm and how to propagate the Kentia is explained below.

Kentia palm: origin and properties

The Kentia palm is also called paradise palm and is basically a real rarity. It originally comes from a small island off Australia. Only there does this genus occur in nature. Today, however, it enjoys great popularity as an ornamental plant worldwide and can be found in homes and offices. By filtering pollutants and increasing humidity, the Kentia palm supposedly purifies the air in the home. the 

Howea is also a very slow-growing houseplant, which, however, spreads rapidly. But how big does the Kentia palm get? In nature, the Kentia palm reaches a size of up to 17 meters, while as a houseplant it grows to a maximum of three meters tall and up to 1.5 meters wide. With proper care, it grows about 20 centimeters per year.

The Kentia palm is actually only naturally at home on the approximately 15 square kilometer Lord Howe Island. Over the millennia, the genus has produced only two species that occur there together. Forster's Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) comes from the coastal area. The further you climb, the more people mix Howea belmoreana into the forest with me. Both species occur at altitudes of up to 450 meters above sea level. There they form light green, panicle-constant flowers in the summer months, which are rarely found on the Kentia palm as a houseplant.

Kentia palm or golden fruit palm:

Whether it is a Kentia palm or golden fruit palm can be seen by looking closely at the leaves. The leaves of the Kentia palm are imparipinnate, which means that a single leaf sits at the end of the many opposite pairs of leaves: the terminal leaflets. This is missing in the paired pinnate leaves of the gold fruit palm. Here, however, you can find black and yellow dots on the rachis, also called leaf spindle, which the Kentia palm does not have.

Although there are some differences in the care of the substrate and water requirements, both palms are considered very easy-care houseplants.

Plant kentia palm: location and requirements

In order to give the Kentia palm a location where it feels comfortable, you can use its natural habitat, the subtropical forests, as a guide. It is therefore best for temperatures to remain above 15 °C all year round, in summer they should be around 20 °C. In warm temperatures, the Kentia palm can also stand outside, but not in the blazing sun - Howea forsteriana prefers a bright, semi-shady location. This also applies to the space in the apartment. The more shady the location, the fewer leaves are formed. In addition, high humidity is necessary for the Kentia palm to feel comfortable.

The substrate should be well drained and slightly acidic. It is best to mix potting soil – for example the peat-free one Plantura organic universal soil - With sand in a 1:1 ratio for improved water permeability. The same applies to Howea belmoreana. Under the substrate you should create a drainage layer - for example made of expanded clay. It is also possible to plant the Kentia palm in Hydroponics in expanded clay to keep. With hydroponics, overwatering is nearly impossible and it can even be watered ahead of time.

tip: Keeping in hydroponics also automatically increases the humidity in the environment.

Cultivate Kentia palm

Caring for the Kentia palm is not that difficult. If you stick to a few measures when caring for your Kentia palm, the plant can even live up to 50 years.

Pour right

On a subtropical island surrounded by sea, the air is expected to be fairly humid. This actually makes the Kentia palm the ideal plant for a bright bathroom. Alternatively, you can of course simply spray your plant with low-calcium water from time to time - this also helps against dust on the leaves. You should use low-lime water or rainwater for watering. The water requirement of the plant is rather moderate. Therefore, water regularly, but only when the substrate has dried well on top. In winter you can reduce the amount of water a little. However, the roots should not dry out. Waterlogging is also not tolerated by the Kentia palm, which is why you should remove any water that has collected in the saucer after watering.

Fertilize Kentia palm

In the growth phase, the Kentia palm needs fertilizer so that it can continue to grow healthily. You should therefore add some liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water every four weeks during the spring and summer months. If you want to use a biological fertilizer, ours is a good choice Plantura organic indoor and green plant fertilizer which has a high organic content and provides nutrients in the right ratio for green plants.

Cut kentia palm

A pruning of the Kentia palm is not necessary. You can only remove brown leaf tips or dying leaves, brown leaves can be cut off at the base near the trunk. If only the tips of the leaves are brown, you should never cut into the green area of ​​the leaf, as the browning will then continue. Rather leave a small brown fringe on the leaf. It can also happen that the Kentia palm becomes too wide. In this case, it is important that you never cut the palm tree back in the middle, as this is where the new leaves are formed. At most, remove the lower leaves right at the base. To curb growth, you can also remove a few side roots when repotting.

Diseases and pests of the Kentia palm

The pretty plant is easy to care for, but it can still happen that pests or diseases spread on the Kentia palm. It is normal for the older, lower leaves to wilt over time. However, if more and more leaves are discolouring, there is a need for action.

• Brown leaf spots: It is probably too cold for the Kentia palm. Then move the plants to a warmer location. Too much sunlight can also lead to leaf spots.
• brown leaves: If the Kentia palm gets brown leaves, waterlogging is often the cause. Then it should be repotted and watered less.
• withered leaves: If the Kentia palm has dry leaves, you should pay attention to whether the dried leaves are brown or green. In the case of brown leaves, waterlogging is probably also the cause, dried-up green leaves are caused by drought.
• Brown leaf tips: If the leaves of the Kentia palm have brown tips, the humidity usually needs to be increased. Spray the palm tree regularly with water or place a bowl of water on the heater.
• Yellow leaves: If the Kentia palm yellow leaves, there is usually a pest infestation. spider mites or scale insects mainly occur in dry air. Douche the plant with water and increase the humidity. Even with a lack of light, the leaves can turn yellow.
• Sticky Traces: thrips and Mealybug leave white spots or a sticky film on the Kentia palm. Again, the pests should be washed off immediately.

At a glance: How do I care for a Kentia palm?

• Water regularly but moderately with lime-free water
• Increase humidity with water bowls or spray bottle
• Dust off leaves from time to time
• Fertilize every four weeks in summer
• Check for pest infestation if necessary

Propagation of the Kentia palm: offshoots, seeds and Co.

Unfortunately, propagating the Kentia palm is not as easy as with many other indoor and garden plants. Because new leaves only grow out of the top of the trunk, there are no Kentia palm cuttings to use for propagation. For the same reason, it is also not possible to split a Kentia palm. Propagation only works via seeds. Getting your own palm tree to sprout is rather difficult. The palm grows very slowly and takes a long time to reach fertile age. Even then, it is unlikely that the Kentia palm will develop flowers. In order to grow young Kentia palms from seeds, you should therefore purchase seeds from stores. This must be fresh, as the ability to germinate is quickly lost. But be careful: Success is not certain and takes a lot of time.

Instructions – Grow Kentia palm from seeds:

• Purchase fresh and vital seeds in stores
• Soak the seeds in lukewarm water overnight
• Fill the planter with coconut fibers or potting soil
• Moisten the substrate with a spray bottle
• Press seeds about 2 cm deep into the substrate
• Keep the planter moist and warm at around 25 °C until germination
• Cover the container with cling film and ventilate regularly
• Germination after about three months

Hibernation: Is the Kentia palm hardy?

In winter, the Kentia palm is in a dormant phase. It should then still be in a bright position, but it gets water less often and no fertilizer. Water only enough so that the root ball and substrate do not dry out completely. The temperature should not fall below 15 °C. Since the Kentia palm does not tolerate the dry heating air very well, you should pay particular attention to high humidity and regularly use a spray bottle.

Is the Kentia palm poisonous?

Again and again the question arises whether the beautiful Kentia palm is poisonous to cats, dogs or humans. However, we can reassure you: the Kentia palm is not poisonous to humans or pets. The plant does not contain any toxins, so the Kentia palm and cat can be kept together in the home.

If you are more specific for non-toxic houseplants If you are interested, see this article for more information.