Indoor potted Licuala Grandis

[ny1719]

Hello:

I purchased a Licual Grandis plant in March 2024, and replanted to

a larger pot with soil and perlite mixture and added extra perlite.

I use the slow release food within the soil also.

It gets indirect sunlight in a Florida room, but now the leaves are closing up instead

of remaining open. Does anyone know why this is happening and how do i stop this

from happening? Should I re-pot with new soil? Any reply would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[ny1719]

This is the soil I am using, Pro-Line C/B A mix of Canadian sphagnum peat, processed pine bark fines, coarse perlite and medium vermiculite.  I forgot to attach the photo of the Licuala Grandis plant.

[PalmsInBaltimore]

It's likely the leaves are closing up due to the stress of transplanting, which is normal.

I have some questions though:

Did you just repot it in the last seven days?

What size was the last pot and how big is the current one? Was it rootbound or relatively roomy in there?

Did you damage the rootball at all when you repotted it? I also can't see how deeply you replanted it in the new soil.

What percentage of the new soil is peat?

Watch the soil very closely for moisture levels. I find soils with too much peat can turn into death traps inside, as they retain water TOO well sometimes, especially for indoor plants that are overpotted. Overpotted plants in peat soils can also have the paradox of being bone dry in parts of the pot and swampy wet in other parts (particularly around the edges and bottom), which leads to problems with watering because the water just runs past the dry compacted part and saturates the parts that were already wet.  

 

[ny1719]

I re-potted in March 2024 when purchased, I believe it was in a 3 gallon container when puchased.

This are the ingredients in the soil: Jolly Gardener® C/B Growing Mix

- 2.8cf Loose Fill Bag (45/PL)

A midweight all-purpose mix appropriate for flowering and foliage plants, hanging baskets and bedding plants. The medium texture of this peat/bark mix holds moisture well. Components: 45% Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss, 35% Aged Pine Bark, 15% Perlite, 5% Vermiculite.

 

I didn't re-pot in the last 7 days, I was going to re-pot with new soil and perlite today. I usually add more perlite to the mixture. I

didn't damage the root ball and it wasn't root bound. It was doing well all of these months since March.

[PalmsInBaltimore]

Apparently there’s a grower in Florida who uses jolly gardener for all their palms but I worry about it having more than like 25-30% peat for an indoor palm. I find expanded shale is a good alternative to perlite if you want to make it more friable and improve drainage. 
 

repotting might make the leaf issue worse. And the current pot already seems more than big enough, maybe even four inches too big actually, especially if there is lots of room for the roots in there.

The edges of the leaves browning almost looks like it is slightly underwatered but the soil looks very moist. 
 

how much plant food have you been giving it? I would only give it water (if needed) and sunlight for the time being. I would only repot if you’re worried about root rot being a potential issue. Maybe wait another week or two to see whether the leaf edges keep browning or if new growth shrivels or improves 

[PalmsInBaltimore]

these past discussions also seem relevant:

 

[PalmatierMeg]

Your photo is too dark for me to see anything. You are in Florida. Can you place the pot outdoors in shade so the palm can benefit from fresh air and rain? How cold do you keep your house in summer? If 70-72F that's too cold 24 hours a day. Licualas want to be warm, i.e., 80+F but cool temps will kill them as surely as a freeze. They also want high humidity and your house a/c may keep your house too dry. Be very careful not to overwater and never let the pot sit in a tray of stagnant water. Does your pot have lots of drain holes?

Depending on where? you live in FL you may be able to leave your Licuala outside all or nearly all year. Many palms make terrible houseplants or maybe I should say almost all houses make terrible palm habitats. I keep no houseplants; my container palms stay outside year round except for temps below 40F. If you want to grow a palm indoors year round try a Rhapis excelsa or one of the Chamaedoreas such as elegans. 

[ny1719]

I keep in in the Florida room which doesn't have A/C. It is actually quite hot in there. I was told when I purchased it

to mist the fonds every day. I purchased it from MB Palms at the Leu Gardens Plant sale in March 2024.

[PalmsInBaltimore]

It sounds like heat is not an issue if it's inside an un-air-conditioned room in Florida. So we can eliminate that. 

That leaves a few other factors to eliminate: humidity, light, moisture.

1) humidity: even if you mist the fronds every day, humidity is going to be lower indoors. This species might really want close to 80% humidity or more. 

2) light: if that is a south- or east-facing window it hopefully is getting enough light sitting right up next to the glass. If it's a west-facing window, potentially it is getting a little roasted in the afternoon sun. If it's a north-facing window, it will never provide enough light for palms to live there year round except for maybe very low-light species. If it gets hit directly with hours of afternoon sun in a hot room, that may be cooking it or drying out the soil too much.

3) moisture: this is what I keep coming back to in my mind. I think that pot looks far too large for the palm. Deep pots are fine, but that one is too wide, meaning way too much soil is just sitting there with no roots working their way through it. Even if you are not overwatering the soil around the plant, there will not be roots around the edges and bottom of the pot to absorb water, meaning the soil there will stay wet longer than desired.

I can't tell if your soil is soggy or unevenly watered because the photos are so dark (maybe that's a clue there's not enough light). 

I think there are four possibilities that I would focus on correcting. 

1) Maybe getting sunburnt with afternoon sun, but if it's not in a west-facing window that doesn't seem likely.

2) Maybe not enough light if in a north-facing window.

3) Maybe underwatered. When you water it, is the soil around the rootball being thoroughly soaked? This is why pots that are too large are no good because you think you're watering the plant plenty, when in reality you are just soaking dirt around the plant without making sure water is actually hitting the roots.

4) Maybe overwatered. When you water, the soil should saturate with water but once you stop watering the soil should drain quickly to become damp to moist. It should not be very wet more than a day or two after watering, just moist/damp.  If the soil in that pot two inches down is so wet that you can make the dirt into a ball that doesn't fall apart on its own, it's too wet. Hold back on water in this case. If you bought the palm in March and it's been overwatered for a few months, it's possible that the roots have been slowly rotting and the signs are finally showing above ground. Hopefully it is not this one.

I agree 100% with @PalmatierMeg that it should be outside in full shade, with as much protection from the wind as possible. With a few exceptions, like parlor palms and chamaedoreas, most palms will not be happy inside all year. Staying inside is like prison for them: the longer they spend in there, the worse chance they have of success.

I hope this helps, and hopefully it is just a simple thing to correct. Don't repot unless it has rotting roots, and definitely do not repot that in a larger container. the one it has is already too big

[PalmatierMeg]

Agree with the above advice. 

[ny1719]

Thanks to both of you for all your help.

[cristi]

Stop using tap water. You do not need 80% humidity in your home. Buy a cheap RO filter. 

60% pine bark + 40% perlite, charcoal, pumice etc. DO NOT use garden soil.

I grow many pure tropical plants at 45% - 50% humidity. 

You need light also, at least 1000 fc. Use your phone to measure it. Do not complicate with expensive tools.

 

[fotodimatti]

The combined expertise here in this thread is awesome. But still, it looks like we have no clue of what is going on with this specimen...
From my own little experience and many many of those I read about, Licuala grandis is just a very complicated palm species for gardeners.

BUT: I have surprisingly good results with other tropical understory palms such as Chamaedorea and Joey palm in my German indoor set up. So, rooms are not a bad habitat per se for palms.

I would just let go of Licuala grandis. Other Licuala are easier I hear.
Good luck nevertheless

Matti

 

[ny1719]

Just purchased another Licuala Grandis plant from MB Palms at Florida plant sale in

March 2025 and this time didn't transplant it, I kept it in the original pot the seller

sold it in. It was doing beautifully until a week ago. The leaves are turning brown

and leaves are closing up. I use a soil moisture meter and only water when it

states dry, until the meter reads moist. I water it approximately 16 oz.

Could any one help me with what the problem may be. I have purchased so many

in the past and every time it does well then the same thing happens again.

Any reply would be appreciated. Thank you

[PalmatierMeg]

Try another Licuala species, preferably not whole leaf palms like grandis, cordata and other such precious darlings palm newbies lust after. I believe you stand a greater chance with split-leaf Licualas. I finally had some success germinating L grandis seeds but the seedlings are SO slow growing. Licuala spinosa is recognized as the hardiest of the genus (split leaf) but appears to me to be brushed aside by palm snobs as “too common” for consideration. It’s quite an attractive palm in photos I’ve seen. Why someone would bankrupt themselves chasing after one grandis or cordata to deep six instead of trying a large, healthy spinosa is beyond me.

Many years ago I instituted a personal 3 STRIKES RULE for any palm I wanted to try. I gave 3 specimens 3 Strikes to either survive or croak. 3 Strikes = 1 OUT. 3 OUTS = YOU’RE DONE AND OUT FOR GOOD!

I save money, time, effort I don’t have to waste on 2,000+ species of palms. Sensible policy.

Now I don’t bother with Actinorhytis, many Arecas, Bentinckia, Burretiokentia, Itaya, Balaka, many Licualas & Laconia, Normanbya, cloud forest Chamaeoreas, Jubaea, Parajubaea, Actinokentia, Geonoma, Welfia, Trithrinax

[Harry’s Palms]

Licuala do not make good house plants . They are tropical palms that require the right balance of humidity , light , and warmth. This is hard to get right in a house. Harry

[happypalms]

Here’s the wife’s grandis she loves it. Although I grow it the wife claims i. 🤣

[PalmatierMeg]

Awesome grands, @happypalms. 

[happypalms]

6 hours ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Awesome grands, @happypalms. 

I will admit that the wife put crushed egg shells in the potting mix and top dress of egg shells as well, and miss grandis seems to like it! 

[happypalms]

On 5/23/2025 at 1:51 AM, PalmatierMeg said:

Try another Licuala species, preferably not whole leaf palms like grandis, cordata and other such precious darlings palm newbies lust after. I believe you stand a greater chance with split-leaf Licualas. I finally had some success germinating L grandis seeds but the seedlings are SO slow growing. Licuala spinosa is recognized as the hardiest of the genus (split leaf) but appears to me to be brushed aside by palm snobs as “too common” for consideration. It’s quite an attractive palm in photos I’ve seen. Why someone would bankrupt themselves chasing after one grandis or cordata to deep six instead of trying a large, healthy spinosa is beyond me.

Many years ago I instituted a personal 3 STRIKES RULE for any palm I wanted to try. I gave 3 specimens 3 Strikes to either survive or croak. 3 Strikes = 1 OUT. 3 OUTS = YOU’RE DONE AND OUT FOR GOOD!

I save money, time, effort I don’t have to waste on 2,000+ species of palms. Sensible policy.

Now I don’t bother with Actinorhytis, many Arecas, Bentinckia, Burretiokentia, Itaya, Balaka, many Licualas & Laconia, Normanbya, cloud forest Chamaeoreas, Jubaea, Parajubaea, Actinokentia, Geonoma, Welfia, Trithrinax

Iam the same with my palms, either in the ground or in containers. If the cold gets them you’re out for good. No fussing around bringing them in or out for winter protection for years only to leave it outside one winter or plant it out and it dies. I accept some plants won’t live no matter what we do. If it’s a sick palm in the ground and struggling I dig them out and replace with something that will grow, instead of wasting garden real estate. The only problem with growing palms is the older we get the better looking our palms get time is of the essence when planting palms. 

[mnorell]

Get the palm outside post haste and out of that muck. No indoor plants should be grown in forest mulch products. It is rotting material and only works outside in a duff layer and/or mixed with coarse rock/sand. You’ll do much better to leave it out (planted in a Sandy loam in a clay or other breathable pot), and bring inside only when sub 40f temps are forecast, but really in-ground is best with this one. As others have mentioned this is one of the worst species to attempt indoors. I grow it in the ground here in the low desert with temps down to the low 30s up to 124f and humidities of 5-10% and it can adapt to this regime but it requires careful attention/babying until it has some size. In the ground the moisture will emanate out from the root-mass but in a pot you are sunk because of the perched water table which has likely rotted all your feeder roots. You think it’s dry but the bottom third of your soil is an anoxic swamp of deterioration and bacteria consuming your mulch. If you really want it indoors you likely need to read up on hydroponics and using a medium of Leka or similar. I’m very much of Richard’s mindset, it’s outdoors or not at all…

[peachy]

Most Licuala are okay indoors, I have many. However, grandis is one that gives me problems in the house. Why not get Licuala elegans instead ?  I have had one in the entrance hall for nearly 4 years and it looks great. It is getting good light from the skylight and I leave the front door open for air movement except on really cold days. Same big round leaves too and slightly faster growing.

Peachy