I'm fairly new to Florida and looking for advice on an Areca Palm that I have in a pot in the back patio. Some of the leaves are getting brown. It is in a full Sun location in the morning and lightly shaded in the afternoon. The pot has holes in the bottom for drainage. I don't see any evidence of pests. Any advice?
Name: Gina Florida (Zone 9a) Tropical plant collector 40 years
The most common cause of leaf tip browning in Areca palms is low humidity but as we are here in the sauna that is Florida in the summer I can't imagine that is the cause. The next would be under watering.
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This plant was a gift so I don't know the provenance. It's on an outdoor patio close to the house with north east exposure, full Sun early in the day and indirect shade the rest of the day. It's been hot and muggy and been giving it some water every day
Name: Gina Florida (Zone 9a) Tropical plant collector 40 years
It's funny you should say that John because yeah, I was thinking Parlor Palm. But then I have never seen an Areca that small...when they are sold here they are already in at least 3-5 gallon containers
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This does look like a Parlor palm to me. Which in my "neck of the woods" is a houseplant, or, if it has to be outside, a lower light shade plant.
And also not excessively thirsty.
Name: Gina Florida (Zone 9a) Tropical plant collector 40 years
I grow a parlor palm in my greenhouse. It's almost 20 old. It's planted in the ground. The OP's post looks like a Parlor (Chamaedorea elegans) because it's more than one palm. C. Elegans is a solitary palm but it is usually sold as a small pot with several individuals because it's also dioecious. It takes a male and a female to make fertile seeds. So they put 3-4 different sex palms together. Mine seed all the time, I have to pull out seedlings and toss them. It's not a full sun palm. Mine dies love a lot of water, but then it's in the ground
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So I think we agree. The plant is not Areca, but Chamaedorea.
I can see where in the ground it could be more thirsty. In a container, it seems to enjoy "drying" somewhat. In this instance, I would think the "full morning sun" could be an issue.
