The Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) is a plant that has an ornamental use, in its juvenile stage it can be grown in a pot and used as an indoor plant. It is also a palm tree that can also be used to embellish squares, avenues and parks. This post shows the characteristics and care of the Kentia, a beautiful palm tree from Australia.
Kentia Palm
These palms were first observed on Lord Howe Island in eastern Australia, where it is native. Its scientific name is Howea forsteriana, the name of the genus was placed by its place of origin and the specific one was assigned in homage to the American senator William Forster. It is a slow-growing palm that does well in fertile, well-drained soils.
Care of the Kentia
The Kentia palm tree has a high ornamental value and is widely used in landscape projects due to its low maintenance. In addition to adapting to grow well inside homes and in pots where they grow well up to about 3 meters, they are also very attractive for private collectors and lovers of palm trees to have in their homes.
Kentia irrigation
This palm tree requires well-drained soils because it is not very resistant to excess water, so whether you grow it in a pot or directly on the ground, these requirements must be taken into account. In case of being planted directly in the ground, the care that will be paid the most attention to is irrigation. For this reason, you have to be attentive to rainfall in the planting place, if it is a region that rains little, you have to be careful to irrigate properly. In addition, to plant it in warm climates throughout the year.
Whether the palm tree is being grown indoors or outdoors, irrigation water must be provided 1 or 2 times a week during the summer season. Unlike the winter season, which is only suggested for 1 or 2 months per month. On the other hand, if the palm tree is planted in a place with heating, it would be watered 1 or 2 times a week, always making sure that the soil is moist and not flooded, to take care that the roots are well maintained.
Humidity
It is a plant that adapts well in places with good environmental humidity in order to provide it, it is suggested during the summer season or heated spaces to provide humidity, spraying water on the leaves to keep them moist and fresh. This application of the sprayed water to the leaves has to be done once a day, if it is very difficult it has to be done at least once a week.
The lighting factor
The Kentia is a palm tree that tolerates light well, however, in its juvenile stage it is preferable to find it in a place with some shade to avoid direct sunlight reaching it, preferably during the first five years of the plant's life. Kentia, to avoid damaging its leaves. If it is planted in a pot inside a home or other space, it is advisable to place it near a window or other light source.
Care to avoid diseases
Like all plants, you have to be careful to provide the right conditions for its growth, both environmental and nutritional, in order to keep the plant in good condition and ward off diseases. During the cultivation of the Kentia palm tree, it is necessary to bear in mind the possible conditions that they may suffer.
As you may have noticed, it is a palm tree that is very sensitive to high soil moisture, therefore, it is important to avoid growing it in soils flooded by excess water or impermeable soil texture. This is because they can favor the presence of fungi, such as powdery mildew. To avoid the appearance of fungi, it is suggested to water this palm tree when the soil is dry and also, you have to be aware that the saucer of the pot is not kept with excess water. As maintenance, it is suggested to apply a fungicide to the soil where the palm is planted once a year.
This palm tree is sensitive to the damage caused by the most frequent pests of the Kentia, which are the red spider and the cottony mealybug. These pests come to attack this palm tree in the warm months of the year, for this reason you have to be observing the palm trees in order to avoid the presence or attack of these pests.
Characteristics of the Kentia palm tree
The Kentia palm is also called the "sentinel leaf palm" it is a palm that grows very slowly, in nature it reaches a height from 8 to 12 meters high, however, in Australia its country of origin grows up to about 20 meters. It is a solitary palm, the diameter of its stem measures between 12 to 15 centimeters in diameter, with a smooth texture and it has foliar rings, swollen at the base.
Its leaves are pinnate, 3 to 4 meters long, with petioles that can measure approximately 1,50 meters long, and almost erect. The leaf blades are erect in appearance, bowing slightly under their weight. They can have about 35 leaves. It presents an average of 90 leaflets, with a length of 75 centimeters by 5 centimeters wide, its color is dark green. The inflorescences grow under the leaves, these have simple ramifications 1 meter long. Its yellow-green color and when ripe resemble olives. It presents large clusters. Its fruits are brown and then change to red.
Indoor cultivation
Some of its characteristics make it suitable for growing indoors, the Kentia palm is widely used to decorate living rooms, offices, party rooms and receptions, as well as its leaves are used in flower arrangements. The features that make them attractive are:
- slim layout
- vertical growth
- Crown of foliage with the appearance of fallen feathers
- The dark green color of its flakes
- Tolerance for places with medium to low light
This palm tree flowers once a year, usually in mid-November or December. In its juvenile stage, its trunk has a dark green color and as it matures, it turns brown. Due to its slow growth and light requirement when young, it gives the option of planting in a pot until it reaches 2 to 3 meters in height and then transplanting it outside.
It is a very attractive palm and its adaptation to grow both indoors and outdoors, make it highly coveted to offer in nurseries and growers in temperate climates and some tropical countries. In Venezuela it is little cultivated, although the environmental conditions favor its growth. Its sowing presents some small differences depending on where they are going to be planted, either directly in the ground or in a pot.
Direct cultivation in soil
To grow the Kentia palm tree directly on the ground, you have to take into account that it is a palm tree that can grow up to 15 meters and that in its juvenile stage requires little lighting, to avoid burning its leaves. In order for it to grow healthy and vigorous, I suggest the following indications:
- When planting a Kentia palm tree directly in the soil of the garden, you have to open a hole with a good size, thinking that it will grow and have to strengthen its roots, for this reason its depth and diameter must be twice the size of the pot or bag where it was planted the palm tree or it can also be guided by the diameter measured by the leaves of the palm tree.
- It must be planted in soils with good drainage and a good presence of organic matter. It is convenient at the time of planting the soil to be loose or loose and mix with organic fertilizer to improve soil nutrition and drainage.
- It is convenient that it be planted in a place where it receives partial shade.
- At the time of planting it is good to be aware that the soil covers the roots well and leaves the part where the neck is clear and the stem is formed at the level of the soil surface.
- When applying fertilizer select those rich in nitrogen and phosphorus. As it grows, add a fertilizer that also provides potassium to strengthen its stem. Water two or once a week when it is raining, and in winter once a month.
Growing in pots
The cultivation of this plant in pots must meet a series of conditions since its growth and the height that this plant reaches must be taken into account, so these recommendations must be followed:
- In addition to having a soil with a good amount of organic matter, it must be taken into account that the pot has good drainage, and is deep so that its roots grow well and the palm tree is well nourished.
- Place a saucer under the pot. Water your palm trees periodically, when the pot plate no longer has water, it is time to water.
- The place where you locate the palm tree is suggested to receive good sunlight in the mornings and shade in the afternoons.
- Prune wilted leaves at six-month intervals, using sharp, disinfected pruning shears.
- If it is being grown indoors, fertilize once a season during spring, summer, and fall.
As you may have read, the Kentia palm tree is easy to care for and versatile in its ornamental use, both for patios, gardens and also for the interior of homes, offices and other places that you want to decorate. What you have to do is be aware of their requirements and you can have a palm tree for a long time beautifying your spaces.
I invite you to continue knowing the wonders of nature and its management for its conservation and administration, in the following posts: