How to grow and care for a Kentia palm
Kentia palms (Howea forsteriana) are elegant plants, perfect for UK homes. With their long, arching fronds and low-maintenance nature, they’re ideal for beginner gardeners. These tropical palms are native to Lord Howe Island off the east coast of Australia, where they thrive in a subtropical climate, but they adapt well to indoor environments.
Kentia palms grow best in moist but well-draining soil and require a humid environment. Mist their leaves regularly, group them with other plants, or use a humidifier to replicate their natural conditions. Indoors, Kentia palms grow slowly but can eventually reach up to 3 metres tall, making them a stunning feature plant. Kentia palms are not toxic to cats and dogs.
Top 5 Kentia palm care tips
- Place your Kentia palm in medium to bright, indirect light.
- Kentia palms prefer a free-draining soil-based compost or houseplant compost mixed with grit.
- Water only when the top 2–3 cm of soil feels dry, and don’t leave the plant sitting in water for long periods as this can cause root rot.
- Feed monthly during spring and summer with a liquid indoor plant fertiliser for healthy growth.
- Keep your Kentia palm away from radiators and draughts, and mist regularly to maintain humidity.
Shopping list
- A Kentia palm
- Soil-based compost or houseplant compost
- Horticultural grit
- Houseplant liquid feed
- A cover pot for indoor growing
- A spray bottle for misting
- Insect spray for pest control
Growing Kentia palms indoors in pots
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Kentia palms thrive in pots, making them ideal indoor plants.
- Pot selection: Choose a pot with drainage holes, approximately 5cm larger in diameter than the nursery pot. Place it on a drip tray or inside a cover pot.
- Light requirements: Kentia palms do best in a bright spot out of direct sunlight.
- Planting: Part-fill the pot with soil-based compost or houseplant compost, adding grit to improve drainage. Gently remove the plant from its nursery pot, position it in the new container, and backfill it with compost until slightly below the level of the rim.
- Watering: Water thoroughly and tip out any excess water from saucers or cover pots.
- Repotting: Kentia palms grow slowly and only need to be repotted when rootbound (i.e. when you can see roots growing through the drainage holes of the pot). Repot in spring into a slightly larger pot.
Growing Kentia palms outdoors in the UK
Kentia palms need temperatures above 10°C to grow well, so while they can grow outdoors in the UK in summer, they’re best planted in pots that can be moved indoors over winter. Their preference for humid, shaded environments makes them ideal for growing alongside ferns or other tropical plants to create a lush microclimate.
Select a shady or dappled sunlight area. Protect the palm from direct afternoon sun, which can scorch its leaves. Choose pots with good drainage holes and use a loam-based compost or a houseplant compost, mixed with grit to improve drainage.
Water outdoor-grown Kentia palms regularly, especially during warm or dry weather. Grouping them with other plants can help increase local humidity levels.
How to propagate a Kentia palm
Kentia palms are easy to propagate by division.
- Remove the plant from its pot.
- Check the rootball for any stems that come away from the main plant naturally, making sure they include some roots. Alternatively, use a sharp knife to cut a stem off the main plant together with some roots.
- Pot up the new sections into individual pots filled with loam-based compost or houseplant compost.
- Water well and grow on.
Kentia palm problems
Kentia palms are resilient, but like most houseplants, they can occasionally encounter pests or show signs of improper care.
- Common pests:
- Scale, mites, and mealybugs: These pests may appear at the base of fronds or on the underside of leaves. Check regularly and treat infestations with insect spray.
- Yellowing leaves:
- This is often a sign of overwatering. Allow the top layer of soil to dry before watering again and ensure the pot has adequate drainage.
- Browning leaf tips:
- Browning leaf tips on Kentia palms can indicate low humidity, underwatering, or exposure to cold draughts. Mist regularly, water appropriately, and relocate the plant if needed.
- Brown leaf fronds
- Kentia palm leaf fronds do occasionally turn brown and die, and these can simply be cut off the plant. If large numbers of leaves start turning brown, this may be a sign of overwatering. Remove the brown leaves and allow the compost to dry out before watering again.
FAQs
Kentia palm vs Areca palm: what’s the difference?
Kentia palms and Areca palms both make beautiful indoor plants. Kentia palms grow taller than Areca palms and can tolerate colder temperatures. Areca palms produce new shoots from their base, so grow wider than Kentia palms. They are also more tolerant of low light conditions.
How often should I water my Kentia palm?
It’s important not to overwater a Kentia palm as this can cause root rot. Allow the top 2-3 cm of compost to dry out between waterings and empty any standing water out of saucers or cover pots so that the plant does not sit in waterlogged compost for long periods.
