Kentia Palm - spots on leaves

[NkJaid]

 Hi All .... I'm new to the forum, and new to palm growing (and even house plants in general), and would like some advice.   

In late Sept 2020, I received by mail an approximately 4 ft tall kentia palm (technically 2 stalks) in a 3 gallon grower's pot from a nursery in CA.  My new kentia palm, Sir Reginald the Green (Reggie), will be kept indoors year round here in Phoenix, AZ.  The palm looked healthy upon arrival, and still does for the most part 2 months later.  However, I'm starting to notice a few small changes, and would like to address any potential issues before they become larger problems.

I've included a photo of Reggie just a few days after received.  For now he is still planted in the same 3 gallon growers pot which has simply been slipped inside the larger pot. 

The next photo is a close up of the yellow mottled spots that are slowly developing on the lower leaves.  I have gently wiped all the leaves down with just a soft cloth and water a few times since his arrival.  I have also only watered him about 3 times over the past 5 weeks (only once till water ran out the bottom).  I've been scared to death of over-watering and root rot, so I hope that is not the issue.  Perhaps he's being underwatered, or there is some other issue? 

Since our air is so hot (until just a few days ago anyway) and dry here , I've also been misting the general leaf area a few times a day.  The leaves never really even get damp from this, due to the heat and low humidity here (my house generally stays in the 15-20% humidity range; indoor temps have been in the mid-upper 80s), so I feel it can't really hurt, and may actually be beneficial (although from what I've read there is no real consensus over benefits of misting).  About 2 days ago the weather did finally break and indoor temps have fallen about 10 degrees to the mid-upper 70s now, but humidity levels are generally the same.  

Any advice or information that can be provided in relation to what may be happening with Reggie's leaves is definitely appreciated. 

Edited October 28, 2020 by NkJaid
adjusted time frames

[kinzyjr]

@NkJaid Welcome to the forums!

Not 100% sure about the spots on the leaves.  How much light does it get?

[NkJaid]

Hi @kinzyjr ... thanks for your reply!  

I would say it receives medium indirect light.  Certainly no direct sun so it's not being burned, but it's also in a decently bright, but indirectly sunlit room.  I've thought about moving it to a more brightly (but still indirectly lit) room to see if he responds better, but I suppose changes like that will take some time to determine how the plant will adjust.  

[Palmfarmer]

On 10/28/2020 at 6:11 PM, NkJaid said:

Hi @kinzyjr ... thanks for your reply!  

I would say it receives medium indirect light.  Certainly no direct sun so it's not being burned, but it's also in a decently bright, but indirectly sunlit room.  I've thought about moving it to a more brightly (but still indirectly lit) room to see if he responds better, but I suppose changes like that will take some time to determine how the plant will adjust.  

I am pretty certain its sunburn. I have one outside myself in mostly shade but one half of a frond gets direct sunlight at times and it has the exact same spotting. Just let it be and a more sunhardy leaf while grow in its place, just give it time.

[NkJaid]

It does look like it could be sunburn, but if it is, the sunburn occurred prior to me receiving the palm and the damage took about a month to actually show up on the leaves.  Absolutely no direct sunlight has even come close to the plant since it arrived in my home as direct sunlight doesn't exist in the room it's living in; not even a single beam.  I've actually been thinking it may not be getting enough light.  I think I'll go ahead and try moving him to a new area to see if he responds any differently.

Thanks for the replies everyone.  

[piping plovers]

Hi, to rule out pests you may want to check under those lightened areas for any signs of spider mites.  Look for any fine webbing, and tiny red mites (you may need a magnifying glass).  They are tiny sucking pests that leave lightened pock marked areas on leaves and thrive in arid warm conditions.  If you see any, they hate misting and that can help you discourage them if it's a small infestation.  Reggie is a handsome specimen; you made a fine choice for an indoor palm.

[Steve Mac]

I'm with Plover, It looks like spider mites to me. Those buggers are practically invisible, you virtually need a magnifying glass to see them. 

[NkJaid]

So I got out my head lamp magnifier today and inspected the plant.  I'm honestly not sure what I may or may not have seen.  I definitely didn't see any mite activity (live bugs).  But now I'm paranoid that my plant is infested.  

If it is spider mites, what are the best treatment options?  

Here are a few more photos I took.  

First image ... I noticed some blackening on on the tallest stalk.  (I had to put something behind it to try to get the camera to focus)

Next image is a closeup of the underside stalk of one of the leaves.  The longish fibers are dust / cat hair.  The reddish spots ... I'm not sure.  They don't feel raised, and don't wipe off in any way.  

Does any of this appear like spider mite damage?

[piping plovers]

None of those new photos appear to be mite or insect damage.  If you did not see anything with the magnifying glass then maybe that was old damage (environmental, pests) prior to your receiving the palm.  In case you are not seeing any existing mites in the one area, maybe Just wipe the underside of those discolored leaflets with a wet sponge dipped in diluted dish soap and water and mist that spot every few days for a week or so.  If there are any undetected mites or pests there that should end a light infestation.  I keep a spray bottle mixture of one of those home remedy insecticides (you can search online for recipes) that includes water, and small amounts of vegetable oil and dish soap to curb any minor infestations.  I have not seen any damage to my palms using this and I have been using for years.  

[Steve Mac]

Again I am with Plover, That first pic is not mite damage, it is like sunburn, (I don't know what it is) but it is not infested, and the second is no damage at all, it is normal.

In which case I am tapped out. I am sorry that I can't help further. Except to suggest that you add your location to your details, it may help a 'local' to help you. Locals are usually the best.

 

[Bismarckiafan]

In my opinion the second photo at the beginning of the thread does show a slight spider mite damage here and there. I have had this happen on some of my indoor Howeas. It is inevitable when they are grown in less than ideal conditions in dry air indoors, in my case with the heating turned on in winter, although it has to be said they are not as finicky as some tropical palms. Howeas´ leaves are quite thick.

To limit the damage and prevent a further spread of the pests, I only cut off the infested leaves.  Nothing else.  There are two two pieces of wisdom that I can offer about growing palms indoors.  The first one is the more humidity a palm gets, the happier and healthier it will be.  The second one is no palms or living plants like heaters or central heating. My advice would be to put the pot outside in the shade after winter and mist it then with rain water, not the alkaline tap water. In my experience, misting plants indoors over winter leads to molds on the walls. 

At the moment your Howeas look in good condition. There is nothing to worry about.  If you have a higher humidity in your bathroom, you can overwinter them there. Or if if it is not too cold where you live,  actually you have a perfect weather for Howeas in Phoenix this month, I would keep them outside as long as possible to let the plants recover from the dry conditions indoors or the dry summer weather.  As an aside, I can see that there are two plants in the pot. You might try to tip the rootball out and try teasing out the roots and seperate the two plants. If the roots are firmly intertwined, it is best to leave them be, if not, you can pot them up separately.

 As for those black scars in one of the other photos, I think that is physical damage that could have happened during the transit or when you handled the plants.  The stem might have got crushed or scratched.  Do you keep a cat?  In case those black wounds spread, it might be a case of some fungal disease that plant may have picked up in a greenhouse but at the moment I would lean towards the crush theory.  If the black scars bother you, why not cut the stem off, too?  If you are wondering why I am so keen to cut off so many stems, I think Howeas in pots  look their best if grown separately and with just 3 tall stems or fronds  and a new spike. That way they don´t take up too much space and look tall and tidy.