The Areca Palm is a tropical plant that requires minimal attention to keep it leafy and healthy in airy interior spaces with good lighting, so we invite you to continue reading this interesting article to learn more about the care of this plant. .
Characteristics of the Areca Palm
The areca palm or yellow palm owes its name to the quality of the stems of its large and elongated leaves. It comes from the African island of Madagascar and is generally located indoors, thanks to its ability to adapt to receive little direct sunlight, but it can also develop in open places. It can also be mentioned that the crop itself is easily produced in Asia and in countries with a tropical climate, while the basic care they need is light and humidity.
On the other hand, like all these plants of its kind, it has a rigid stem from which long leaves are derived in various directions. Generally, these plants are used as decorative elements in homes, hotels, restaurants, and other shops or offices, due to their striking appearance and the simplicity of maintenance that they deserve, as well as how versatile their planting in pots or gardens is, depending on the of the spaces that you want to have for their multiplication.
The areca palm has various species that can be found on land or in gardens, each with its own features that distinguish them from one another, such is the case of the Areca Catechu, better known as the betel palm, which has its origin in the island of Ceylon and Malaysia, being cultivated throughout the Asian part, India and in some areas of central-eastern Africa, it has a long wavy stem, long intense green leaves that in turn are divided into many small leaves. In addition, there is the Areca lutescens, which is a beautiful plant with very decorative and abundant leaves.
Care
It should be noted that the areca palm has a maintenance that is not demanding, it only requires natural light to reach it indirectly, so it is recommended that they be located near a window or in a place where there is good ventilation, always observing that preserve its characteristic greenness, the dust that could fall on the leaves should be cleaned frequently with a damp cloth, above all it should be ensured that the plant is exposed to warm temperatures above 20 degrees Celsius, in order to guarantee its healthy growth.
Humidity, Irrigation and Fertilizer
Another care to take into account is regarding the humidity of the soil, this is achieved with controlled irrigation to prevent water from remaining deposited at the bottom of the pot, this effect is also achieved by placing a little clay at the base to facilitate water drainage. Likewise, it is convenient to fertilize it once a month, preferably in liquid form and that contains the largest amount of the following elements to further strengthen its normal growth such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), in addition to iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), among others.
Pruning and Lighting
On the other hand, when you notice that the ends of the leaves are dry, you should cut the damaged parts using previously disinfected scissors, to avoid affecting the cells that guarantee the growth, protection and support of the plant. You have to be aware that if this alteration is repeated it will be indicative of the lack of air circulation in the environment, so you can move it from place if necessary to provide it with a greater amount of light.
Transplant
The transplant process is done by applying two techniques: The first consists of dividing the rhizomes, during the spring, this is done by removing the palm from the pot to take a portion of the earth and separating the plant into 2 or more parts to plant it in other pots individually, complementing it with more substrate for the transplant that will need the measures for its maintenance equal to that derived. For its part, the second technique is through multiplication by seeds, at the end of winter, by placing a layer of coarse sand for collection and subsequent germination.
The areca palm tends to grow very fast when it is planted in a garden, so if you want to control its spread you will have to be careful to cut or separate its new shoots that will come out near the base of the plant, in order to prevent it from spreading more space and take advantage of them to plant them in other pots or land that you have for it. Like the palm trees that are in pots, those that are outdoors must also be guaranteed a compound and well-drained substrate, for this, you can mix garden soil with a part of sand, this will help the ground not hold too much water.
Plagues and diseases
Now, if the leaves become discolored, turning yellowish and lose their shine, they could have the presence of a pest, because of the appearance of dust, which are actually small cobwebs on the face of the leaf. To prevent the presence of mites, the consistency of the atomizers in the cup can be increased. This is done because the humidity helps their abundance. If the plant is not large, the leaves can be cleaned with a sponge moistened with soap and then dried. will pass a clean cloth. However, if the plague is serious, the solution will be to apply some organic insecticide.
On the other hand, if what you observe are brown spots on the leaves, this could indicate that they are insects called cochineals, which you can corroborate using a magnifying glass and try to remove them to see if they come off easily. If this is verified, then you must quickly solve this infection, for which you must use a piece of cloth or cotton moistened with alcohol or you can wash them gently with water and odorless soap to remove the parasites and finish this procedure with clean water and a cloth dried. In addition, it is advisable that you apply a natural insecticide once a week for better control of the larvae.
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