Areca palm dying, help!

Discussion in 'Indoor and Greenhouse Plants' started by Arooba, Jan 16, 2020.

  1. Arooba

    Arooba New Member

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    Hi!
    I’ve had my Areca palm for about 5 months now. All had been going well until I noticed today that the fronds are drooping and one is literally going vertical.

    I checked the soil and lifted the plant out of the larger planter it’s in and it dripped water.. I’ve put some pebbles at the base of my planter and put the plant (in its plastic planter) on top.

    the base of the frond is soft and mushy and some fronds are easily slipping out. I last watered it about 10 days ago. It sits near a window, also I live in Singapore so humidity is not an issue here at all. Also any tips on how often I should water it?

    will my plant come back to life? This is my second Areca palm and I really don’t want it to die
     
  2. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Is this being grown indoors or outdoors?

    And to clarify, do you have pebbles inside the pot that the plant is growing (at the base)? If so, that is likely the issue -- no drainage.
     
  3. Arooba

    Arooba New Member

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    It’s being grown indoors, kept near a window which is tinted. I did also recently re-pot it as the soil it came in was literally clumpy clay.

    I’ve also put pebbles in the base of the planter and put the plant in it’s plastic pot on top of that. Definitely drainage issues.

    My plan is to let the soil drain as much as possible and only mist lightly in the morning to keep the moisture.
     
  4. Arooba

    Arooba New Member

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    See before and after
     

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  5. Sundrop

    Sundrop Well-Known Member

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    It looks weak, but not that bad. It looks like you have drowned it, but it should recover.
    There is a lot of information on the Net on how too care for Areca palms areca palms care - Google Search
    As for watering I would recommend to remove the plastic pot from the ornamental one, put the plastic pot in a saucer and water from the bottom by filling the saucer with water. The soil will pull as much water as needed by capillary action. If the water is pulled up too quickly, add more. After about an hour lift the plastic pot from the saucer and put it back into the ornamental planter. Areca palms don't like to be over-watered.
     
  6. Arooba

    Arooba New Member

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    Thank you for the tip! I never would have thought to water from the base. Hope it works.

    another question - do fronds grow back? I’d love for it to be lush again..
     
  7. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    If there are still good roots, you should get new leaves.
     
  8. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    There will be no further growth in a stem if its tip has died and gone mushy.
     

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