For more than a century, gardeners have been growing indoor palm trees; this is a green miracle on window sills. Tall varieties are known that look spectacular in rooms with high ceilings and small, up to one and a half meters, decorative palm trees.
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Types and varieties of indoor palm trees
There are about 3 thousand varieties of room palm. They differ in stem height, leaf shape and requirements for growing conditions.
Popular types of indoor palm trees:
- Hamedorea - bushy palm, several trunks with five or six leaves can grow from one root. Blossoms in orange and red panicle inflorescences. Leaves may be dark green or golden.
- Decorative date palm has a lush crown of cirrus leaves. It does not require complicated maintenance. After flowering, it can bear fruit.
- Trachicarpus has a thin trunk with rough petioles; deeply dissected leaves grow on it as a fan. May bloom with fragrant yellow flowers.
- Karyota soft grows quickly, has double-pinnate leaves. To grow it, you need a lot of space. This species is also called fish tail.
- Howea - a palm tree with a straight trunk, on which scars from fallen leaves are visible. The Belmore variety has short red petioles; Forster has luxurious, leafy leaves. The cirrus leaves of Howia can reach a length of 4 meters.
- Latania or palm Liviston has beautiful fan leaves, grows slowly, but with good care it can reach 10 meters in height.
- Rapis originally from China.It has hard leaves, cut into 7 parts. This is a dwarf, unpretentious look, which is suitable even for small rooms.
- Chamerops from the Palm family grows in nature in the western Mediterranean, has a bushy shape, resistant to cold. Reaches three meters in favorable conditions, fan leaves.
- Yucca - This plant looks like a palm tree belongs to the Asparagus family. He has a woody trunk, linear lanceolate, spiky leaves collected at the apex. Blooms in white large flowers, similar to bells.
- Tsikas resembling a palm tree, is the only representative of another family (Cycas). The plant belongs to the undersized variety of indoor palm trees, which grows mainly up to 80 cm, sometimes up to a meter.
- Hawaiian palm tree is a representative of succulents, and resembles the Bellflower family. She has a thick trunk and a bunch of dense rounded leaves, up to 30 cm long at the crown.
- Spiral palm or Ramp also does not belong to the genus Palm, he hails from Australia. The genus Rampus has about 600 species. It grows rapidly, the leaves are narrow, green, sometimes with sharp spines along the edge.
- Betel palm cultivated in the homeland for the sake of seeds that the local population wrap in leaves and chew, they have a narcotic effect. The leaves of the palm are pinnately complex, the trunk is straight, covered with annular scales.
All varieties cannot be described. When choosing, it is necessary to focus on the maximum height of the plant, its requirements for illumination and humidity.
How to choose the right plant when buying
A careful examination of the acquired palm will allow you to judge its health and prospects for further growth.
There should not be dry leaves, with traces of the activity of insects. An unpleasant, musty smell should not come from the soil in the flower pot, indicating the decay of the roots.
A small plant with brightly colored, healthy foliage and a powerful root system is best suited.
Palm tree: the nuances of growing in an apartment
Date and coconut palms add optimism and joy to the owner's life. But do not put these plants in the bedroom, this can become a cause of restless sleep. The presence of cirrus palm trees in the house is beneficial for people who suffer from lung diseases and inflammation of the bronchi.
The nuances of growing different types of palm trees depend on the natural conditions of their growth. Most palm crops prefer warm air, bright light, regular watering and top dressing. But there are varieties that need wintering in cool rooms, with an air temperature of about + 10 ° C (Chameroops, Trachicarpus).
Home Care
Care for a room palm should be selective, taking into account the individual characteristics of each species. For example, Howea Belmora can grow perfectly in poor lighting conditions, but requires regular spraying and watering. For her, high air humidity is important. Another type of palm tree - Rapis, on the contrary, is less demanding on watering, but needs normal bright diffused light for normal growth.
Suitable temperature and lighting
Most types of palm trees are thermophilic, but in winter it is advisable to maintain a cool indoor temperature of about 12-15 ° C. If it is impossible to create such a temperature, the plant is moved deeper into the room, away from the radiators, so that the tips of the leaves do not dry. In winter, the plant must be protected from drafts.
In summer, comfortable air temperature for palm trees is from +18 to + 23 ° C. It is advisable to take plants to fresh air. Once a week, you need to give the palms a warm shower, because they collect dust on the leaves. This procedure will be a good prevention of spider mites.
Watering and humidity
The frequency of irrigation depends on the air temperature in the room. At 7 ° C you need to water 1 time in a month and a half, but not all palm trees will pass this test.It is advisable not to get involved in watering in the winter, especially if the plant hibernates in a cool room. Water should be about + 20 ° C, standing. If you water the plant with cold water, leaf spotting may begin.
In summer, watering should be daily. In winter, plants are watered as the topsoil dries. After moistening, it is advisable to loosen the soil.
To create a humid atmosphere in winter, leaves can be sprayed from the spray bottle daily if the palm is in a warm room. In the summer, moistening on the leaves is also beneficial for the plant.
How to transplant a palm tree
Palm trees are rarely transplanted - once every two or three years. When the plant has grown large, and there is no possibility to transplant it, it is necessary to change the top layer of the earth annually. But you need to do this very carefully so as not to damage the roots.
For a palm tree, drainage in a pot is mandatory, it does not tolerate stagnation of water in the roots.
The expanded clay layer should be at least 2 cm. It is better to choose pots for planting high, in volume corresponding to the size of the root system. Young plants are planted in light soil. For adult palm trees, the soil must contain clay.
For the first time after transplanting, palm leaves shade so that it expends less moisture on evaporation.
Leaf care
Do not wash wax deposits from leaves or remove pubescence. Leaves cannot tolerate a careless touch; their tips can turn brown from this.
It is possible to spray palm leaves abundantly so that warm water flows down on them, this is enough to prevent spider mite disease. When washing the leaves, it is advisable to cover the ground with a film, abundant watering for palm trees is harmful.
In many palm trees, for example, Washingtonia and Liviston, natural yellowing and dying of the lower leaves may begin. If the leaf has just begun to turn yellow, it cannot be cut, you need to wait until it dries itself, and only then cut it off. If you cut off the sheet that started to dry immediately, the yellowing of the next sheet will begin.
Propagation of a room palm
You can grow a palm tree only from seeds, but it will take more than one year, since the plant grows very slowly. The easiest way is to buy a green beauty in a specialized store.
Pest and Disease Control
Palm trees are rarely affected by pests. This is mainly a spider mite or thrips. For prevention, you can spray plants with a soap solution. If there are a lot of pests, it is advisable to treat the plant with a safe thrips insecticide and acaricide from ticks. The drug “Fitoverm” combines these two functions, which is well suited for the treatment of indoor plants.
Why leaves turn yellow at room palm
Palm trees do not tolerate root damage. If the root system was injured during transplantation, it is useful to create a bottom heater to 25 or 35 ° C to improve rooting. Yellowing of the leaves may be a sign of damage to the root system. When the plant overflows or dries, the leaves may also turn yellow.
If yellowing is associated with a natural change of old foliage to new, and only one leaf has changed color, there is no reason to worry.
For good growth, palm trees need regular fertilizers. It is preferable to choose preparations based on organic or complex mineral. Palm trees are fed from spring to autumn, alternating root and leaf dressings. With a lack of nitrogen in the soil or other mineral elements, the leaves may turn yellow prematurely.
Growing a palm tree at home will give many pleasant emotions to amateur gardeners. Its exotic appearance will remind you of distant, hot countries and mysterious jungles.
