Palm tree – for most people it is a symbol of well-being and a source of special pride. Slender and majestic at the same time, they give the interior a special “exotic” flavor.
In home culture, shrub species of indoor palms are mainly used, characterized by slow growth rates, adapted to low humidity and warm conditions.
Palm types
In nature, there are, according to various sources, from 2500 to 3400 species of palm trees – tree-like plants belonging to the Palm family, or Arecaceae, common in tropical and subtropical regions of both hemispheres. All palms, according to the shape of their leaves, which are often also called fronds, are divided into two groups: pinnate and fan-leaved.
Indoor palm – yellowish chrysalidocarpus in the photo
Chrysalidocarpus yellowish (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens) is a bushy palm tree up to 2-2.5 m high, with graceful feathery green leaves and yellowish petioles densely covered with small black scales and leaf sheaths.
As can be seen in the photo, an indoor palm of this species can produce side shoots that are used in propagation. In winter, it tolerates room conditions well.
Karyota – one of the types of indoor palm
Caryota palm (Caryota) has double-pinnate drooping fronds with triangular leaves, similar in outline to fish tails.
In culture, soft caryota (Caryota mitis) is grown – the leaves have torn edges, and burning caryota (Caryota urens) – leaves of a more “strict” triangular shape. The total length of the leaf is about 13-15 cm, the width is up to 10 cm. The height of this type of indoor palm tree can reach 2.5 m.
date palm
There are two types of date palm (Phoenix): Robelin date and Canarian date.
Date robelenii (Phoenix robelenii) – a low tree up to 2 m tall, with gracefully curved soft leaves up to 1 m in length. Each leaf has spines along the edges.
Canarian date (Phoenix canariensis) – with leathery dark green leaves, bending down only at the ends, due to which it can grow strongly in breadth (in room conditions it grows to a maximum height of 3 m).
Howea palm (kentia) and caring for it at home
Howea , or kentia (Howea) – a multi-stemmed palm tree with bright green openwork leaves up to 2-3 m long. There are mainly two species grown – Howea belmoreana and Howea forsteriana. Both species have a straight trunk (up to 2 m tall) with rings and beautiful, slightly curved fronds.
The leaves (feathers) of the kentia palm are also arcuately curved, diverge symmetrically. An adult, 12-15 year old plant with good care can have 12 or more leaves. Suitable for rooms with moderate temperatures.
The main feature of growing indoor palms is regularity. This process must be under constant control. Howea care at home should not be occasional, as all errors quickly affect the appearance of the plant. And to correct them later, given the large size and slow growth rate, is almost impossible.
All indoor palm trees are light-loving plants, but they need diffused lighting. The window sill is suitable only for a very young specimen; the older the palm tree, the more free space it will need. The temperature regime is directly related to air humidity: the higher the temperature, the higher the humidity should be. With a decrease in temperature, especially in winter, it is necessary to water more carefully, stagnation of water at the roots can lead to their decay.
It is possible to trim the drying leaves only after the stalk has also dried up, since after that the next leaf immediately begins to dry. It is impossible to care for howea at home, however, like other palm trees, without regular feeding. Fertilizers are applied once every two weeks, only in the warm season. It is better to use specialized feeding for palm trees.
Young plants are transplanted annually, at the age of 4-6 years every two to three years, older than 6 years every five years, annually replacing the top layer of soil in the container. Particular attention should be paid to the choice of capacity. Deep and narrow pots are best suited for palm trees, as the root system is represented by several long and thick main roots and a small number of lateral ones. It can be propagated only by seeds and some species by lateral offspring.
The hot southern sun and the surf blow from the fan palms, but only young specimens are suitable for room culture.
Care at home for palm rapis low
Rapis low (Rhapis humilis) – small fan-leaved palms that grow best in cool rooms, originally from China and Japan. They have rather strong straight stems covered with brown felt-like fibers that form a dense beautiful bush.
The leaves of the rapis low palm are divided into segments to the base. The length of each such segment is about 20 cm. The leaves are not as large as those of Washingtonia or Liviston, so it can be grown in less spacious rooms. And the whole plant as a whole is not very large, about 70-100 cm.
In culture, this plant is unpretentious. Caring for a room rapis palm at home is exactly the same as caring for a howea (kentia) palm. Of the special conditions, attention should be paid to the soil mixture with a slightly acidic reaction.