HOUSEPLANTS > HOWEA - FORSTERIANA
IN THIS GUIDE
KENTIA PALM GUIDES
Brown Leaves
The Kentia Palm is the quintessential ‘ Parlour Palm ’ of the Victoria era and is still very popular as a houseplant today .
Growing it indoors here , so far from its aboriginal chain of mountains on an Australian island , is actually a very easy affair to do , which accounts for its enduring popularity with houseplant growers in temperate climes of the Northern Hemisphere.1Howea forsteriana ( F.Muell . ) Becc.(n.d . ) . Kew Royal Botanic Gardens . call back June 20 , 2023 , fromhttps://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:667434-1
Overview
PreferredBright but indirect light
ExposureSheltered
Height8 – 12 MiB
Spread4 – 8 M
Bloom TimeJuly to August
PreferredSand
MoistureWell - run out
pHAcidic to neutral
The Kentia Palm , which run by the Latin nameHowea forsteriana , is native to Lord Howe Island , Australia.2Downing , A. , Atwell , B. , Marais , K. , & Downing , K. ( n.d.).Lord Howe Island Palms . Macquarie University . Retrieved September 12 , 2023 , fromhttps://www.mq.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/1217293/Plant-of-the-week-Lord-Howe-Island-Palms-Howea-spp.pdf
Seed exports from the island of this species first began in the 1870s and these palms presently became the acme of manner , seen in many of the swankiest palaces , hotels and homes.3Hutton , I. ( 2002 , August 23).The History of Howeia . The European Palm Society . Retrieved June 14 , 2023 , fromhttp://www.palmsociety.org/members/english/chamaerops/013/013-05.shtml
While the Kentia palm can be grown alfresco in warmer temperate climates as well as tropical ones , it is most commonly grow as a houseplant in the UK .
It has an RHS hardiness evaluation of H1A , intend that it is best grown indoors or under chalk throughout the whole of the year .
Most of the time , Kentia Palms are sold as coinage type and not as advert cultivar .
The speciesHowea forsterianahas been given an Award of Garden Merit by the RHS .
Another related to metal money , also from Lord Howe Island , isHowea belmoreana(Belmore Sentry Palm ) , which is rather standardised but middling smaller .
This can also be a enceinte option for indoor polish .
Kentia Palm Care
Kentia Palms do have the reputation of being comparatively easy to develop .
However , for grow them successfully as houseplants , you do want to understand the stipulation that they need to thrive and the fear that they require .
The central detail that you need are limn below :
Kentia Palms need a location indoors that has smart but collateral light .
They like to be in a fond environment , ideally one with temperatures between 18 - 24 ° C .
Temperatures ideally should not drop below 15 ° C and certainly not below 12 ° C .
A shiny and well - heated lav can be the perfect situation for a Kentia decoration because , in addition to liking warmth , these palms also care a moderately humid environment .
These medal should be potted up into a container occupy with a ground - based originate medium ; unify with some gumption or grit to better drainage – or with composted barque and leaf mould in adequate parts .
It is essential to irrigate fairly during the summer month , earmark the palm to dry out out , but it is also important to make certain that you do not overwater and that supernumerary urine can always run out away freely .
This is because waterlogging can be a major takings for this plant .
Over the winter month , only piddle sparingly .
It is mostly a good approximation to feedHowea forsterianawith an constitutive liquid plant feed once a calendar month during the summertime , while the industrial plant is in dynamic growth .
A balanced liquid plant feed like a compost tea can be ideal .
Plant expert Dan Ori shares that watering with spigot water can make the compost alkaline , which is not desirable for Howea :
“ Top - get dressed the top level of compost each spring with fresh ericaceous compost is often enough to offset the result of being watered by tap H2O as well as provide accessible nutrients for the flora , ” he suggests .
With Kentia Palms , no pruning is required .
Kentia palm tree are propagated by seed , which is sown into a het propagator that ply temperatures for germination which remain above 19 ° C .
Though not impossible , it would be challenging to grow your own Kentia Palm from seed and , of row , it would take a long clock time for them to grow into the larger houseplant that most people desire .
Therefore , mass will mostly buy Kentia Palms in pots .
Often , the plants that are purchased are actually several seedlings all in the same potentiometer to give a riotous and bushy visual aspect .
While Kentia Palms are not particularly prostrate to pest or disease problems , they can have offspring with flushed spider tinge , thrips , scale insects and other coarse indoor pests .
Despite this , Kentia Palms are not prostrate to problems if they are grown in the ripe environmental condition and provided with the right precaution .
