Coconut Palm in Decline

[DTS]

So the coconut that I got early last year that I brought into the house in September is starting to decline. The leaves brom oldest to newest are starting to brown and die, and the spear that’s opening stopped growing and is starting to brown too. I don’t know what’s going on with it-  Any help?

[PalmatierMeg]

Your house is too cold, too dark and too dry for this uber tropical palm. You need to provide veey high light via grow lights, supplemental heat of 80-90F or higher and increased humidity of 70-100% if you want it to survive the winter indoors.

[DTS]

24 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

Your house is too cold, too dark and too dry for this uber tropical palm. You need to provide veey high light via grow lights, supplemental heat of 80-90F or higher and increased humidity of 70-100% if you want it to survive the winter indoors.

Damn, I thought mid to high 70’s and 60-70% humidity would be enough 😭

[SeanK]

Mid to high 70s is probably too cold over a month or so. Check the soil temperature, too.

[mnorell]

These temps, at least for a coconut palm grown outdoors, would be okay. Coconuts survive long periods with cooler temps, not only throughout the lower half of Florida, where the average temperature is going to be around 62-69 (January diurnal averages are 53/71 in Sarasota, 62/76 in Miami), or consistently cool areas such as Bermuda and Southern China (though varieties/cultivars perform differently as regards chill tolerance). Other issues would be light intensity (should be medium/high...again, many survive at this age under other coconuts or other trees and grow out into the sun, but don't have to deal with the extreme low-light/short-day conditions in Michigan); and what I would really suspect, it is your potting medium and watering schedule/moisture levels. Coconuts are just much happier in the ground, or if in a container, a large one, probably mostly composed of sand and/or lava rock or similar; and with moisture levels kept tightly controlled, especially during cool periods. Water pooling at the bottom of a container (perched water table) can be quite deadly. You might want to pull it out of the container and examine your choice of potting medium and the moisture-levels throughout the cylinder from top to bottom; and adjust as necessary. You may need to install wicking material in the bottom third of the container to draw out extra moisture from the bottom of the pot. Also watch out for spider-mites on the leaf-undersides. Some people are able to grow coconuts as interior plants, but it takes experience, talent, or sometimes...blind luck. If you really love growing Cocos, make your plans and start saving for your relocation to Hawai'i, Florida, or Puerto Rico!