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jaunuolis

Newly bought Kentia Palm dying , Help !

jaunuolis
11 years ago

Hello my dear gardeners,
I have bought my Kentia palm just a couple of weeks ago, and it seems that it is already dying ... I hope it is not too late to save it .. It is my second Kentia, as I had previous one which died after 4 years. So it looks for me as if this is the only plant that I don't know how to take care of .. I have a lot of plants at home, even some exotic ones, and they all doing just fine.

I hope pictures that I have attached will help to indicate the problem. I do not know weather that's overwatering or underwatering .. Or the quality of water, or the position I have placed it in.. I am concerned about the quality of the water in my current house, and I have bought a filter recently, so I could use the best possible water for my plants. I am also thinking about repotting it into a bigger pot, where it will stay permanently. However I do not know if it won't be any worse. As you can see my palm is quite huge, in comparison to the pot that it came in .. I am thinking abot using soil mix of 5 parts bark,1 part peat, 1 part perlite.. Would that be any good ?

Please help,any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Comments (15)

  • jaunuolis
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Here's more pictures..

  • jaunuolis
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Another picture ...

  • jaunuolis
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    That's how big it is ...

  • jaunuolis
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    when you say humidity, you mean air humidity ? I am constantly spraying leaves with the same filtered water, because I still need to keep heaters on in the room. There can not be too much sun, as it is standing in a far cornert of the room, not at the window.

    I will try to repot it asap.

    Thanks again for advice.

  • tropicbreezent
    11 years ago

    In their native state Kentias grow in full sun. However, any sudden move from shade to sun will cause damage. I'd think posibly poor drainage/overwatering is the likely cause of the damage. The soil in the pot may be old, broken down and compacted. When you repot check the roots for signs of rot.

  • jaunuolis
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    That's what I thought ... The soil in the pot is definatelly old ... It feels like it when you touch it ... Humid and compacted ... And if I find some roots are rotten, how do I proceed from there .. ? Many thanks :)

  • asleep_in_the_garden
    11 years ago

    Take scissors or clippers or whatever to the mushy ones and remove,dust with cinnamon and re-pot. Cinnamon is a fungicide as well as a snack on your toast! :)

  • monet_g
    11 years ago

    My understanding is that palms don't like to be repotted as it disturbs their roots. When I have to repot one, I slip it out (or cut it out) of the old pot. I place it in the new pot (still holding the form of the old one) and put new medium under and around the root ball. Your proposed mix sounds good.

    I only give my plams rain, dehumidifier or air conditioner condensation water. Also, I always use a bamboo skewer to determine if it's time to water. I've had mine for about five years and it sits in a low light area, but not in a dark corner. I still get an occasional ratty leaf like the ones you've shown. I just cut them off.

  • jaunuolis
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Thank you monet g for your help and advice ... I was just going to ask if it won't do any harm if I am going to cut those affected leaves .. As they look a lot worse now as we speak than in those pictures.. If so, where to cut ?? At the bottom of the stem or just the foliage ? However the rest of the leaves are doing fine, so far.. Still waiting for my potting mix ingredients to arrive, should be able to repot it this week .. I shall be very careful while doing that, but I think repotting at this point is inevitable :/ ''asleep in the garden'' mentioned before I should examine the roots and to cut the ones that are rotten.. That is what I am going to do ...

    Thank you guys again !

  • monet_g
    10 years ago

    I cut off whatever is unsightly. If I cut down into the stem, I leave 3 or 4 inches above the soil line and get new growth.

  • teengardener1888
    10 years ago

    Please dont be afraid to remove that old soil and put it in fresh miracle grow. most palms are tolerant of pot disturbance. in the end it will help the plant out by introducing new nutrients to the plant. The plants may cry allittle but be fine in the long run. cut off those rotton roots and discard. and cut off brown tips on the leaves

  • jaunuolis
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Transplanting has been finished ! Thank you all guys for your help and support. I am sure it will get better real soon :)

    Love.

  • exboyjr
    10 years ago

    The same thing happened to me with the last 3 kentias that I purchased. The culprit was over watering. Let your kentia dry out a bit between watering. Only water until water begins to come out of the drainage holes. Leach soil once or twice a year. Fertilize with palm fertilizer according to instructions. There's not a lot of air circulation in that corner. It will stay wet longer. I've had my recent kentia for over a year. No problems. Only trim off the brown parts of the leaf. Don't cut into the green portion of the leaf. Kentias are very slow growers. You don't want it to end up with only one leaf. It will only grow one to 2 leaves per year.

  • User
    8 years ago

    Please help me with this!


    I got a Kentia Palm about two and a half months ago from Home Depot. It is about 6 feet tall and came in a 5 gallon bucket which it is still in. Every since I have had it, all of the smaller outer leaves have been slowly turning brown and drying up. I water it as soon as the soil gets dry, and it is in the middle of a room that has a bunch of windows but it is not in direct sunshine. How much water does it need? (oz's) Does it need any direct sunlight? Because it is so tall, the very top leaves are barely grazed by the air from the heating vent, but that doesn't seem to be significant enough to effect it in this way. All the browning leaves are at the bottom of the plant.

    The leaves are not browning from the tips, but more so overall just slowly turning brown-green then to completely brown. Attached are a couple of pictures. PLEASE HELP! I got this as a very special birthday present, it is a center piece in my living room, and I love this plant very much and want to have it healthy for a long time!


    Thank you very much :)