I hate to hijack other people's videos, but since no one from Seabreeze Nurseries seems to answer questions, I guess I'll just butt in. (I've been an interior landscaper for 30 years, and I have a RU-vid channel, theFicusWrangler, on indoor plant care, in case you want to check it out.)The first point this video makes, that palms growing indoors like to get dry, is pretty close to the mark, although I would say that they want their soil to get ALMOST dry, rather than dry. How do you know when the soil is dry? Lifting the pot is one way, but an even better way is to test the soil moisture with a probe or moisture meter that can reach well into the soil. Lifting is most useful when you are sure of how pot weight translates to soil moisture. How do you water?A glass of water vs. a hose; here's my take on that. Pouring on a glass of water is never going to provide enough water for a plant in a 14" pot, unless you do it every day or so; however, many people are not going to have the time, patience, or place to drag a plant outdoors to water it with a hose. For most people, their indoor plants are in saucers or liners, especially the big ones. The plant should be watered using a watering can, and enough poured on that a 1/2 inch to an inch of water comes through and collects in the saucer - no need to drain this off, the soil will absorb it in a few days, or it will evaporate. Minerals collect in soil and need to be rinsed out - the buildup of minerals (also called build up of salts, or salinity elevation) actually doesn't come so much from the water, unless you live in a spot where the water is so hard or treated so much that you can't drink it, as it does from unused fertilizer salts.(I cared for plants in the New York City area, and the Tampa Bay area, and always used plain tap water.) If the tap water is too hard, too treated, or runs through a softener, you might want to use rain water, or bottled or distilled water - otherwise tap water is fine. Avoid fertilizing more than 2 or 3 times a year. You can also leach the soil once or twice a year, if you feel so inclined, but probably not necessary. Avoid repotting palms unless they've grown so big the pots are falling over. They have delicate root systems, and don't much like repotting. Watering once a month - not good general advice, because the amount of water a plant uses is so dependent on the amount of light it's getting - the less light, the less water; the more light, the more water. This palm appears to be in an indoor corner, not near a window - thus the light is very low. In addition, this is a Christmas palm, which is a common name for an Adonidia palm. Adonidia palms don't make very good indoor palms because they require higher levels of light - probably one reason this one is so small. The amount of brown tips on the leaves, which several commentors noted, may come from the general stress of trying to live in a spot that's too dark, in soil conditions that are too dry. (Although it is true that brown tips on the leaves of palms are generally a sign that the soil is too wet.) Christmas palm. As I said above, not a good indoor palm. Another commonly sold palm is the majesty palm, which also is not good for indoors. (They grow quickly, which is why they're so cheap, but they're outdoor plants and don't adapt to the low light indoors. If you have one indoors, either you have lots of light, or you just got lucky.) Good palms for indoors are the parlor palm (Chamadorea elegans,) bamboo palms (Chamadorea erumpens or seifrizii,) areca palm (Dypsis lutescens,) kentia palm (Howea fosteriana,) lady palm (Rhapid excelsa,) and fishtail palm (Caryota spp.)
My cat palm does just fine with water filtered through a "Zero" water filter. It's the only brand I know of that takes out all dissolved solids- including fluoride.
GunDog Jr. The flooding of the pot washes away most deposits. The deposits from the flooding or "flushing" will be minimal compared to glass cup watering.
I use this method in my bath tub/shower for my palms- i just put a rag around the drain to catch any dirt or mulch that comes out. its too cold here to put them outside. but it does work well. i have a 6 yr old potted coconut palm and some others doing well.
I've had palms for many years and I never allow the soil dry out completely and I water my plants thoroughly until the soil is saturated and then let it dry out about 90% before watering again.. My palms and cacti are very happy and healthy, I water them all the same way. 🌵🌵🌵🌴🌴🌴🌿🌿
I'm just getting into plants. Bought my first palm fr home depot and now know I am watering her (yes her) all wrong!! I have been giving it a half a bottle of water every other day! Crazy because i associated palm with palm tree (like in Florida) and figured it need lots of water and sun. Thank you for this! I live in an apt so I will get a plant waterer and Do the drainage procedure over the sink. Thank you for this!
Great video. Sound advice and practical reasoning. I'm amazed by previous comments about water from the tap and water from the hose. Everyone who responded in confusion are missing to point all together. For instance, if you wash a muddy rag in water that never drains, the rag will still have mud. If you let the water drain as you wash the rag, the flowing water will remover mud gradually and your rag will get cleaned. This brings us to the point if the video. When watering your plant, whether from a tap or hose, allow water to flow to flush out contaminants that would have been trapped in the soil from a previous watering. The error some people make is when they don't leach or let water flow through the soil, as in using a drinking glass to add just enough water to the plant (typically from a tap). When you don't flush the soil with flowing water (typically a hose), this eventually leads to build up of contaminants the plant leaves behind after absorbing only the H2O. Those contaminants will change the soil's ph and negatively affect the plant's health. The author of the video referenced tap and hose not to defrenciate the quality or type of water, but to emphasise the volume of water you get from the diferent delivery mechanisms people typically use when watering their plants. If you don't get this, It's like being confused and thinking that when someone says water from a faucet and water from a tap, they are talking about two completely different types or quality water. I just spent all his time writing this for people who should know better.
Hell yeah thank you for sharing!! I wouldn’t say that I’ve exactly killed a bunch of palms, but I’ve tried to save a few and failed. This is what i needed to know!
Tap water and hose water are the same. When you use 75% RO water and 25% tap water and spray or mist it and spray off the dust on the leaves outside with a house periodically the tree restores its vigor. If your pot is well drained most of the salts dump out in the bottom catch tray which you should dump out after watering. I've been using RO water for years on my plants and they've put out quite a bit of growth.
When I got my two palms,I opened the boxes and took them out.Started to water them and the biggest roach came out of one.I have never seen such a big cockroach and the color was a Sandy color.Could he be a Madagascar hissing cockroach?We don't have this type of roach in Georgia.
Allowing water to drain through the pot will make no difference. You're still adding salts from watering by hose. The salts are insoluble and get trapped by and cling to soil particles. Either use rainwater or change the soil every year to avoid too much build up of salts. By the way I still saw brown tips notably at 5:32. The main cause of brown tips is when the air.or soil gets too dry. Palm leaves need to be sprayed daily when it's warm. Central heated homes in winter is a major cause of leaf tip browning.
paul benson The amount of salts in one watering is very low that the plant can't even feel it, the problem comes when salt from let's say 50 times of watering stays in the soil.
Jeanne Leslie well, that's why you should wait untill the dirt is very dry. Most weight on a heavy plant comes from the water in the dirt. You could also change the pott. A glazed clay pott is much heavier than a plastic pott.
Jeanne Leslie you right, imagine all plants to take out once a months and winter time hahahaha btw pants the to be move every time , this video is too much a bit, I think is the best way to water plants a still water or hot water to keep cool down the watering or leave it a water for couple days and than watering , that's my opinion , I think is more easy
I tried following these instructions and my bamboo palm suffered. The method of watering with a pitcher works fantastic. I don’t let them dry out at all- quite the opposite. I also spritzed them with water. They are thriving!
I am not sure where this was filmed....... but where I am from if you are on city water your garden hose will be attached to city water too. the rest was very informative. thanks
Don't try that "let it dry out almost completely" with a Majesty Palm or you will have something ready for the compost heap, and not a decorative indoor plant.
Majesty palms have no business being sold as houseplants in the first place. Do not buy them. Their botanical name is Ravenea rivularis- "rivularis" means "of the river". The big box stores just sell them to die, knowing you'll come back and buy more :/
Lori Reynolds he just said it. Being of the river surely they need river levels of water constantly and if you can't provide that environment then give up. They will die for sire!
Ylere Moulende thank you! Strangely? I’m having more trouble with my Cat palm than I am with my majesty palm. I use tap water but let it sit out for days like you do for fish tanks. Then give my majesty palm a little water every couple of days. My Cat palm seems to drink tons. I also spray them with water every day and that seems to help a lot. I wish I could try your method. Just can’t carry them around like I’d need to.
Thank you for the information. It was very helpful and realistic for people who just want to have a couple house plants.Not to be a gardener. Thankfully -If you have nuthing nice to say, why say anything at all?
That's an awesome tip - thanks for sharing. Fair to say that this method of 'cleansing the soil' also applies to other indoor potted plants other than palms?
Thx for the tips. I have had my majesty palm for a little over a year and I noticed so many brown leaves, I cut alot of them off. I wanted to know if you can let them sit out in rain water on a stormy day just to get watered?
Majesty palms do better outside on a patio (unless below freezing) than indoors. Majesty palms do well in high humidity but poorly in indoor low-humidity situations. You can partially compensate with a daily misting. But easier to grow outside.
Now I know where I was going wrong! Thanks. One question though, what do you do regarding fertilising your plants? I guess a slow release fertiliser is out of the question because you will drain the soil of fertiliser everytime you take it outside and "flush" the soil
meiso712: Fertilizer is always helpful, even with indoor palms. Every time you water, they are feeding. Jane: You must ALWAYS have a hole at the bottom. Do not use a pot with no drainage as this will drown the palm. hernan78k: No plate underneath! This allows the water to be "wicked" back up into the pot which leaves behind min
True but u can barely tell. U would literally need to 'inspect' the plant to see. It's not unusual for any plant to have some brown here and there. I know...the point is that he said there is "no brown" ✌
I’m curious on what kind of soil you use and if he is any composter fertilizer… I’m sure it’s some kind of well draining soil but just curious what your opinion on specifics are
If it's a Trachycarpus, or any, cut away the dead limbs. If all limbs look dead, cut away at the trunk in 1" at a time until you see live tissue. if you're above the meristem,you'll see "characters" or " half moon rings" Leave it at that, water it. if it's still alive, you'll see "culumns" rising in 2 to 4 days. those columns are the spears rising. Good Luck.
You indicated that this Christmas Palm has been inside for 2 years if I recall correctly. What size was it when you started it? I am wanting to purchase one, but I would want one that is as big as the one in the video! Also, can you recommend a good place to purchase one?
Ive got a tiny neanthebella palm and they Were healthy and green with new shoots then i separated them and The leaves and stem turned brown gradually, they're getting enough light. I just threw them away, i've Only got a little batch left and Its still green. Also i thought you needed to mist the leaves regularly because of the spider mites. Anyway, most of my Palms are dead lol
Ive heard majestic palms need to be moist always but i end up killing every plant from over watering..im trying to see if my peace palm will come back she turned blk as soon as i watered it
Nina b: Bugs can be a problem indoors. That is why you allow the soil to dry out in between waterings... it creates a less liveable environment for them. Coffee grounds works well too.
I think he might be using contained rain water in the hose. At least that is what a lot of people do, collect, contain and then use rain water for their plants. Would be smart to mention that though.
I have a cordyline that I just purchased a few days ago..I notice yellow spots growing on the leaves, is there anything I can do about that? thank you for your time.
I do this for my ravenea and its thriving then repeat once a week. I also use palm food and E salts for magnesium. I also heard to fill two buckets and let sit out to unclorinate it maybe I dont need too.. So Today I notice milipedes in soil what to do?!!!!
OMG I DO EXACT OPPOSITE LOL! Letting water run through drains all nutrients from the soil! I literally put my plants up on a plant stand and CAPTURE ALL THE mineral rich WATER and put it back!
I've been hearing mixed info, some people say let them dry out in between watering, others say they like to stay a little moist. I just got a cat palm (its a type of parlor palm i think) and i just wanna know how to properly water it 🙄. It is a tropical plant, so common sense tells me that a tropical plant wouldn't wanna be dry.
Please sir. I have an areca palm and I'm having every issue you mentioned. It's winter here and my plants are dying. I water them like 3 times a week. And now they are Browning and they now have the white on them the white things on it lol forgive me I love them so much please help me. I will do as you say
Ylere Moulende hey im having the same issue with brown tips n white stuff n many leaves seems hollow out and there some tiny holes in it.. I dont live in cold country... im still puzzled
Makes sense to me, but what if my indoor palm is 9' tall and I live in a top floor condo? Is there something else that can be done besides bringing the plant outside? Would water from a brita pitcher be better than tap water?
Here this shows another good reason to use a pot that has a hole in the bottom for a good draining. I almost thought it would be OK to use a pot without a hole. Or, maybe I should use purified bottled water or spring water only when I water the plants in a closed pot. Can anybody answer this question?
Jane Lee You have to use the pot with holes, the best pots wholes on the wall, just half inch higher then the bottom .So some water can stay a little bit long time to dry out.
Get a drill and a masonry drill bit and drill a couple holes in the bottom to drain water. I do it with terra cotta pots that don't have drain holes already.
It's a fairly complicated way and not really suitable for larger plants. At home I have some plants that weigh in at 80 to 90 kg (including container) when watered.
Only problem with this method of watering is when a it comes to winter you can't take your tropical plant out side to water For the people who live in the colder areas of the glob
I'm really not sure about this advice, first of all hose water is still tap water so that doesn't make any sense. Some plants are very sensitive to overwatering and I have personally lost my most precious musa ae ae due to leaching I decided to do, root rot has developed after doing so. Letting it dry completely maybe is beneficial for certain species but some palms don't like to dry out, generally speaking you let the top layer of soil dry out before watering rather than letting the whole pot of soil dry out. I think the most important thing is that no potted palm likes to be overwatered.
I over used tap water and its starting to brown - is it a lost cause or salvageable. Also I dont have a hose I live in the city, will bottled water work =/
Tap water from a glass gets soaked up by the soil like a sponge and leaves behind all its minerals and salts. Tap water from a hose leeches through the soil, removing excess minerals and salts and leaves a minor amount behind. You wouldn't thoroughly rinse your kitchen sink sponge by adding a few drops of water with an eyedropper, you would run it under the faucet..
Once a month? Keep palms dry? 🤔 I bet this palm is no longer living I have palms twice the size of these and they love a good drink once a week. I even have sand for top soil. Hose outdoors? Sir... that’s still tap water 🙄 this guy shouldn’t make plant videos. These plants (trees) are tropical they love water. PS you have brown tips. That’s what palms do🤦🏽♂️ I have 3 huge palms all healthy and love water. Areca palms love a drink once a week. My Yucca loves a drink every other week.
