Leaning Kentia

[Brianbrian]

Hi!

I just got a kentia palm and it leans heavily within the pot.  Do I need to repot it? I do notice that the medium is quite loose so perhaps the palm shifted while in transit.  The planter is surprisingly small for a palm of its size (10inch planter)

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[PsyPalm]

I would hold off on repotting it, especially if it's been in transit.  In my experience howeas are very susceptible to root shock and adding this to the stress of being shipped could cause it to respond negatively.  Options to address the lean are to either put something underneath one side of the plastic pot inside the decorative pot to prop it at an angle where it stands straight or to tie it to a sturdy stake (bamboo works great) to straighten it out, or a combination of the two.  

Kentias are totally happy with their roots nice and snug, I would honestly wait until next spring before you attempt any repotting to let it get nice and acclimated to it's new home.  Good luck, she's a beauty!

[petiole10]

The Kentia I bought responded very well to being potted on to a fractionally larger pot soon after purchase  - based on the addition of some extra compost to give it a boost. If the root-ball is compact then there should be no issue at all with shock  by simply sliding it out and then gently firming it into the new pot. The  slightly larger pot will counter balance the top heaviness of the palm which is encouraging it to lean. A lot of these palms are stretched due to the production methods used by growers before they are placed for sale.

As long as the new pot has good drainage and is only slightly bigger than the existing pot, but still that bit larger just enough to counter balance the top heaviness - there should be no problem at all.  In fact in my experience it will prompt the palm to send out new fronds.

With Spring underway and the days becoming longer and light levels increasing, the coming weeks will be an ideal time to do it.

Edited March 31, 2022 by petiole10

[Darold Petty]

BrianBrian, Welcome to Palmtalk !   

[Brianbrian]

Thanks for the advice!

i will give it at least a few weeks for it to acclimate a little before considering repotting

[JohnAndSancho]

I can't really give any good advice. I'm really good at keeping them alive for about a year, and then mine suddenly turn crispy and die. I've bought 12 and 2 are still kicking and opening new leaves. The other 10 ended up in the dumpster. 

[PalmatierMeg]

We come! You should know that Howea forsteriana is a solitary, not clustering, palm. I see 3 separarw palms in that pot.  They will compete with one another for survival. Separating them does have risks but is feasible if you do it carefully teasing their root systems apart. You will end up with 3 much happier palms.

[oasis371]

On 3/31/2022 at 10:51 PM, JohnAndSancho said:

can't really give any good advice. I'm really good at keeping them alive for about a year, and then mine suddenly turn crispy and die. I've bought 12 and 2 are still kicking and opening new leaves. The other 10 ended up in the dumpster. 

What do you think the issue has been, watering, soil, drainage? They really are considered easy palms indoors.  Were they going into decline indoors or outside? I tend to keep my palms, including these, is slightly snug pots in order to avoid excessive soil moisture, the more soil in the pot, the longer they take to dry.  Yes, I did lose one of these a few years ago, it went into a sudden decline after years of doing well. At the time, I attributed this to "improving" the soil by adding some humus to the soil and probably getting the soil too wet, too long in mid Winter.  I try to let these dry some in the colder months, but in the warmer months, mine go out and I don't worry about the water at all due to the heat and active growth.  

[JohnAndSancho]

3 hours ago, oasis371 said:

What do you think the issue has been, watering, soil, drainage? They really are considered easy palms indoors.  Were they going into decline indoors or outside? I tend to keep my palms, including these, is slightly snug pots in order to avoid excessive soil moisture, the more soil in the pot, the longer they take to dry.  Yes, I did lose one of these a few years ago, it went into a sudden decline after years of doing well. At the time, I attributed this to "improving" the soil by adding some humus to the soil and probably getting the soil too wet, too long in mid Winter.  I try to let these dry some in the colder months, but in the warmer months, mine go out and I don't worry about the water at all due to the heat and active growth.  

I'm honestly not sure. I think the first handful I killed (uhhh, 6) I can attribute to me splitting them up. I had 4 in a 1g pot that I didn't split up, and I just threw the last one into the dumpster. I do have 2 that I split up from a 2g pot that are still doing ok, and both are opening new leaves. Every one that I killed spear pulled. The only thing I can think of is inconsistent watering? I don't overwater anything indoors except a Cat Palm once, and it was 0% mad about it since they're so thirsty. I do keep my apartment somewhat cool (mid 60s-low 70s), but it's not a climate adjustment issue as they seem to do great for about a year. The 2 survivors are probably overpotted, but they do have their own grow light. All of my Kentias have either had a saucer under them or been in a "self watering" pot to keep moisture, I religiously drain the excess water to prevent root rot, etc etc. 

 

Maybe I pay too much attention to them because they're not cheap? Maybe they didn't like the names I gave them? I really dunno. I've bought a total of 12 and have 2 currently alive. The last of my 1g 4pack  that went to the dumpster today was fine last week, seemed healthy and happy and it literally dried out and went crispy overnight. I misted all of them. 

 

As far as watering, I have gone out of my way to make sure not to flood them - but my 2 survivors do get more water than the others did. This is gonna sound weird, but my Chihuahua Sancho won't drink water from a bowl - he only drinks from large fast food cups - so when his water cup gets ~half full and he has to bury his face in the cup to get water, the plants get his leftover water plus whatever it takes to keep the soil damp. The leftover water goes to a different palm every day. The last Kentia to die was still in the same grower medium and pot it came from, and I bought it from a very reputable seller. I honestly don't know. 

 

Sorry for such a long reply.