How to Fix your Kentia Palm Problems – A Complete Guide


A palm on the article Can I Put my Kentia Palm Outdoors?

This species of palm comes from Lord Howe Island in Australia where they can grow up to 40’ in height which make the landscapes look beautiful. Fortunately, those that we grow inside never reach that height!

These palms are slow growing and will reach their full height of around 12’ after many years.

Propagating Kentia palms is a very slow process, which is why not many people do it. This also explains why they are quite expensive to buy.

Generally, they need very little pruning, although they do suffer from other issues, so we’re going to look at some of the Kentia palm problems that you might find with your indoor plant.

The common causes that lead to problems with your kentia palm are overwatering, underwatering, inadequate temperatures, lighting issues, transplant issues, mold, scales infestations and red spider mites. 

These can lead to lots of problems for your kentia palm for example root rot, brown and yellow leaves and drooping leaves. 

How to Fix your Kentia Palm Problems

Overwatering

A green palmThis applies to most house plants and is in fact, one of the most common ways to kill palms, and Kentia palms in particular.

They don’t need heaps of water although they must get a good soaking to thrive. Overwatering will lead to root rot and the plant will die.

You will be able to tell whether your plant needs water or is getting too much by feeling the top layer of the soil.

If this is dry then your plan needs water. If it is moist, hold off the watering for a few days and check again.

You can mist the plant with a spray bottle as this will help to keep the humidity high – which is what your palm likes.

This also stops the dust from building up on the leaves and plays a part in preventing red spider mites from attacking it.

For more information check out our article on how do you save an overwatered palm tree.

Underwatering

This can be the cause of your palm leaves turning yellow and then dying off. You will notice that leaves become brittle and appear unhealthy.

Another sign of underwatering is that there is problems with the stem of the kentia palm in which starts to bend and does not stand up straight.

In fact, this is the main method to tell if your plant is not getting enough water.

To remedy this, you should check the soil as for overwatering. You will also notice that the stems have changed colour and the leaves seem brittle.

Ideally you should have a set routine for watering indoor plants as they are not reliant on rain and dew to feed them.

If you need help watering your kentia palm, try using this automatic drip irrigation kit.

Temperatures

In Australia, these palms thrive on a consistently warm temperature. Your plant needs temperatures of between 65°F (18°C) to 85°F (29°C) to do well.

If you have your Kentia palm outside on the patio you need to bring it inside when the first sign of cool temperatures comes. You can return it to the patio once spring has arrived.

Lighting

For your Kentia palm to do well it needs some light indoors. This will ensure that the fronds stay a healthy green colour.

That being said, it does not like full sunlight as this will burn the foliage and the plant may eventually die.

They will tolerate low light conditions although they really prefer to be placed in medium light which is filtered. You can make a filter by using a net curtain.

If you want to move your Kentia outside in spring then make sure that it is in a shady place so that it never receives full sunlight.

Disturbing your Kentia Palm Plant

This plant does not like being disturbed. In fact, moving it and repotting it can often send it into shock and it may die.

When you repot the Kentia palm, you must take extra care to do it slowly and carefully.

A sure sign that your plant is going into shock is when the leaves turn yellow. They may also start to die.

The best way to handle this, and one of the safest is to repot only when essential. Plant your Kentia in the biggest pot possible and leave it there for as long as possible.

If you must repot it, then make sure you soak the soil for 24 hours beforehand, repot as fast as you can without touching the root system.

Mold

A palm on the article How to Fix your Kentia Palm Problems

Mold on the soil around your Kentia palm means one of two things, namely too much water or not enough light.

As soon as you see any mold you should remove it to stop it spreading and eventually killing the palm.

You may have to remove as much as 2” of soil to completely get rid of mold. After this you should replace it with fresh, clean soil or potting mix.

If inadequate light is the issue then after removing the mold you should move your plant into a better lighted place, although do not be tempted to move it into direct sunlight as this will also harm it.

Scale insects

These little nasties will literally suck the sap from your plants, and they are fond of Kentia palms.

Once they reach adulthood they develop a hard shell which protects them. Once they are attached to your plants they suck the sap from the leaves.

The only good thing about these is that they are big enough to see, but they will cause damage to your plant if they are left attached. You will notice that the leaves turn motley yellow and fall off.

You can get rid of these pests by picking them off. If that grosses you out you can remove them with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Prevention is far better than cure here so keeping your Kentia plant free from them is important. The leaf colour is your first clue about an infestation.

Red Spider Mites

Before you see the spiders you may only see fine spiderwebs. The spiders are very tiny, but they will do a lot of damage to the Kentia palm.

If not treated early they will eventually kill the plant.

They are also hard to get rid of, so you need to keep a close lookout for them and catch the infestation before it gets out of hand.

Misting the plant between watering is a good way to prevent infestations. The mites cannot tolerate high humidity levels so misting the plant will help.

Another way to get rid of mites is to pop your plant into the shower.

Place a plastic bag around the soil so that it does not get soaked and give the leaves a good shower. This will wash all the mites away.

There are chemicals which you can use, although if you prefer not to then you should first try showering and misting your plant.

You may also like: Can I put my kentia palm outdoors

Should I Cut Off Brown Kentia Palm Leaves?

Kentia palms do not like to be pruned too much, in fact, they hardly need any pruning. However, when the leaves turn brown, they look unattractive.

You should remove brown leaves by cutting them at the base using sharp pruning shears. Make sure that the shears are clean so that you do not inadvertently pass on any infections to the open cuts.

Only remove the ones you need to, as removing too many can also harm your palm.

The reason for brown leaves can be a result of dry air and not enough humidity around the plant.

Brown leaves can also mean too much fertilizer which leaves large amounts of salt in the soil.

Brown leaves can be eradicated by misting your kentia palm to increase the humidity around it and reducing fertilizer applications to half- strength.

You should also only fertilize every three or four months to prevent salt from building up.

Why do Kentia Palms go Yellow?

When your Kentia palm turns yellow it is normally a sign of the soil being too moist. Typically, this is due to overwatering.

If you want your plant to survive you need to dry out the soil. Bearing in mind that we don’t want to move the plant and disturb the roots more than we need to, this can take several weeks.

You need to allow the soil to dry out completely before you give it any more water. If the plant continues to turn yellow you may find that root rot has already set in.

There is another reason for yellow leaves, and this is simply because your plant is getting older.

If you think that this is the issue and the soil is nice and dry, then gently remove the yellow leaves without disturbing the roots.

Overall, the only time to be concerned about yellow leaves is when the new leaves begin to change colour.

This could be due to nutrient deficiency such as a lack of magnesium, potassium, or iron. Check the fertilizer to make sure it contains the nutrients your Kentia needs.

Final Thoughts

Large green palmThe Kentia palm is a beautiful indoor plant which does not have a myriad amount of maintenance issues, although the problems that they have are important if you want to keep your plant healthy.

By keeping an eye for pests and ensuring that the plant is watered correctly, there is no reason why your Kentia palm problems cannot be kept to a minimum and your plant survive for many years.

Before you go, here are some more related articles I encourage you to read below to help solve more of your gardening issues:

How to fix your sago palm problems

Areca Palm Diseases and How to Cure Them

Kentia Palm vs Areca Palm

Written by: Valerie Holyoak

Bean Growing

We provide a wide range of information from indoor to outdoor plants to product recommendations to make your gardening experience the best it can possibly be. We are not experts in gardening but through extensive research and experience we will give you the best information to provide the best care for your plants.

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