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pattyrdds

My drying parlor palm

pattyrdds
9 years ago

This is actually my favourite Parlor palm, one of the first few plants i bought and cherished. I repotted it into a bigger pot 2yrs ago, and since then it is not looking any dense. It also started showing off its dried leaves and shoots. Its an indoor plant and is not looking any beautiful to display. This is my last source of advice to give it a second chance. I am just hoping it will survive...please suggest what i can do to see its charm back.

Comments (12)

  • christine1950
    9 years ago

    Your soil looks very dense & wet. What kind of potting mix did you use? Does the pot have drainage holes? Do you let the soil dry out between waterings? I know I'm asking alot of questions but thats how we can figure out whats going on with your palm. Others will be along with more thoughts & advice. Christine

  • Sans2014
    9 years ago

    Might I sugest that you repot it, it has been 2 years. Check the roots to see if they are healthy. Pot it back in a slighty smaller pot. Plastic pots seam to work best for my Parlor Palms. The soil needs some sand to make it drain better. Best to not keep the plant wet, but don't let the root ball dry out all the way either. Sick palms tend to get attacked by spider mites so watch for them. OH, don't fertilize sick plants. Repotting should help the plant to recover. Good luck.
    Fred

  • tropicbreezent
    9 years ago

    You definitely need a faster drying medium. When you do repot, check the roots. Whether the plants survive will depend on how much damage there is to their roots. Parlour Palms are single trunked, so you have a lot of plants together in there. Some may survive but you may also lose some.

  • pattyrdds
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Thanks you all for the followup replies, i use miraclegro. I let the surface dryout in between. I recently realised that too bigger size pots are incorrect. I never knew that earlier. I will immediately do that. The pot i am using now is plastic and self draining. Looks like i have to put it in a open saucer under the pot. Even the new leaves that sprout up are drying out. I definitely need some more helpful advice from you all.

  • pattyrdds
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    I tried to re-pot it yesterday and found the roots healthy but they have occupied the whole pot. I couldnot insert the plant with the roots into a smaller pot for the same reason. I removed the attached saucer that had almost a litre of water. Now the roots are peeping out from the pot because i pulled the plant yesterday. Please suggest if i should continue re-potting. I have anyways removed the old too wet bottom soil.

  • plantomaniac08
    9 years ago

    I agree with tropic. You need a faster draining soil. If you want to keep the MG soil, I recommend amending your soil with perlite (you can buy a bag at Wal-Mart or Lowes, HD, a garden center for about $4). By itself, MG too water retentive. I have my houseplants in a MG/perlite mixture that's about 50/50.

    There are better mixes out there, but I only use MG and I can't advise you in detail on the others (no experience). But if you're interested in other mixes, there's the Gritty mix and the 5:1:1 mix, both of which have numerous posts on GW that you can find by searching.

    While these are labeled low light plants, they would appreciate some sunlight (or at the very least, placed near a window where they receive bright indirect light). That being said... these will burn in certain windows as the sun is too intense, and the only window I'd suggest placing it in or near is an East window (it will only receive morning sun).

    If there's anything I've learned, a plant isn't necessarily going to be the happiest where I'd want it to be. I've ended up moving all my plants to right next to our Southeast window. The further away from a window, the less light the plant receives.

    Planto

  • buyorsell888
    9 years ago

    Looks like it has spider mites already to me.

    The pale mottled look to them screams spider mites.

    Probably lacks light and too much water too.

  • plantomaniac08
    9 years ago

    I didn't catch the pale mottled look, but yes that does scream spider mites to me too. Unfortunately, these are very susceptible to them.

    Planto

  • pattyrdds
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    So do you feel the plant can be rescued if affected with spider mites? I am almost worrying about losing this one and getting ready to either buy a new one or give up not having any sweet little parlor palm.

  • plantomaniac08
    9 years ago

    I'm sorry, I can't advise you on treating spider mite, but hopefully someone else will chime in on that. I believe it depends on how severe the infestation is with respects to your survival rate. Have you noticed any webbing on the plant? Might look like a cobweb.

    Planto

  • pattyrdds
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    No Planto, there is no webbing on the plant...i actually put it in a very bright spot, so i guess water logging could be the main reason. Let me wait and see if it survives. Please see this attached pic, you can find the roots hanging out, i couldnot find time to buy a new bag of soil( perlite) as you suggested. Is it harmful if i let the roots peep out for a day or two until i go and buy the new soil?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    9 years ago

    Please do not add sand to pots. The tiny particles fill all of the tiny spaces, eliminating all of the air in the soil. If roots have moisture but not oxygen, they rot. It's a shame 'drainage' gets all of the credit because the escape of excess moisture is only part of the equation. For plants to flourish, there must be air in the soil also, with the moisture.