Hello,

I am buying a 15 Gallon kentia palm from a palm nursery and want to place it in my living room. Since the palm has been outside and meant to be planted in ground, I am wondering what I need to do to transition indoor. I assume I need to replace ALL soil with indoor succulent soil mix from HomeDepot?... wipe clean insects,.. should I do right away! Has anyone done this kind of transition before? Any suggestion is appreciated!

We can help you out here, they are pretty well much one the greatest indoor palms of all time!

A bright light area indoors out of direct sunlight, a good aerated soil mix. To repot or not, look at the root ball you have, can you lift the palm up by the stem and not have the root ball fall apart. If it is packed tightly with roots then yes repot in the next size container up. If possible place the palm in shaded area outside for a couple weeks if the temperature is warm enough.

Water it once when you repot with sea weed extract, for vitamin B stress relief. And then indoors in a nice spot to be admired. Then every now and then rest your palm in a couple of ways, one outside if conditions permit for a rest. Or indoors place in the shower and a good washing of every thing, this will help keep mealy bugs and insects away. If its life is indoors you will need to control insects. Don’t overwater indoors it’s the biggest killer of palms indoors. Let it dry out a little before next watering. Fertilise only in summer with seaweed extract or whatever that is suitable for palms indoors, but a little goes a long way, go a little under the manufactures directions. Must the leaves with water frequently to create humidity.

They look perfect in an old wooden barrel or square homemade wooden containers!

The only thing I would add to what was suggested is that they enjoy outdoor time . After being inside for a while move it out onto a shaded patio or porch and spray it down . Then let it stay outside for at least a few hours . Also , I use smooth pebbles or stones in the bottom of the pot to help with drainage . You are in SoCal so the climate is friendly . Depending how far inland you are , they can also grow well in the ground. I am about 20 miles from the beach and they grow easily here .

Welcome to Palm Talk and good luck ! Harry

One of these produced seed a few years ago .

Now I have a few of these!

Thank you all for your replies. The information has been incredibly helpful, and the Kentia photos are beautiful. They make me want to get another one and keep it outside :-).

4 hours ago, Cherry said:

Thank you all for your replies. The information has been incredibly helpful, and the Kentia photos are beautiful. They make me want to get another one and keep it outside :-).

You’re welcome, and there is even a few variegated ones getting around. You just never know your luck in shopping for them. Enjoy your palm and dont fuss over it. Overwater is one thing to be careful of indoors!

Stick around long enough and you will be hooked😂. It usually starts with just one. Oddly enough , @happypalms and myself both started our journeys with Howea Foresteriana ( Kentia ) . I would gather seeds with my young daughter and trade them to a large Kentia farm here . I ended up with quite a few around the house , spreading them around the neighbor hood . Most folks , back then , had no idea they would grow outside in the garden .

14 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Stick around long enough and you will be hooked😂. It usually starts with just one. Oddly enough , @happypalms and myself both started our journeys with Howea Foresteriana ( Kentia ) . I would gather seeds with my young daughter and trade them to a large Kentia farm here . I ended up with quite a few around the house , spreading them around the neighbor hood . Most folks , back then , had no idea they would grow outside in the garden .

Hooked is not the word completely obsessed with palms and anything related to palms more like it!

Richard

On 6/24/2026 at 7:45 PM, Cherry said:

Thank you all for your replies. The information has been incredibly helpful, and the Kentia photos are beautiful. They make me want to get another one and keep it outside :-).

Cherry, I don't know where you are in So. Cal., but they do very well outside here... I'm in La Mirada (LA/OC border, 15 mi. Inland) and have some... Give them a try..

Butch