Greetings Lush Fronds Community,

I have average experience with plants and most of mine are indoors, I'm now looking forward to adding a Palm! Great it is to have found folks with so much experience and who I'm sure can assist with a few questions based on threads I have read here about my topic through searching the forum.

For Indoors in North Florida after considering options, I concluded that I really want a Howea forsteriana (Kentia palm) or a Howea belmoreana (Belmore sentry palm).

Location: Insert a Perfect Palm Here. I have indoors space in a room marked for it, which at it's highest point is quite good for a vertical grower and also a few spare feet around for width.

Light: It gets light from the window at one end of the room. (Never direct - too far for it, bright during later parts of the day, decent enough for morning/mid, all varies by season of course and also will sit right next to a floor lamp (with second bulb a LED full spectrum grow bulb if required).

Size: Mid-Size. Given both my choices are Slow Growers and my need for a decent sized one to fill the space, I am aiming for a not too small a palm nor a huge one with fronds already too big.

Important Consideration: Being on a student budget and a first timer Palm owner, larger and expensive ones would be out of my affordable range so I am aiming for a mid-sized palm.

I just cannot find Howea belmoreana (Belmore sentry palm) at all around here, and had some luck with other - finding just one nursery which may only have one Howea forsteriana (Kentia palm) with them as of now.

I have never seen the Belmoreana but I did a online search for the differences between the two in terms of Consider growth, diseases, care, indoors factor, cons and my requirements. Some factors made Belmore a better choice and I slightly like it better but I only have some remote chance of finding a Kentia and it seems to be hardier of the two for a first time grower (Correct or Incorrect?). I am not sure which one to get and from where? Given I have other plants indoors and this will be the largest of them all, I do not wish to purchase a palm from some random online company only to have it delivered diseased or dying. Why are both quite so hard to obtain? From what I read and understand Howea belmoreana (Belmore sentry palm) has a better liking by some and I would like some trusted folks who have had both to help me which to narrow down to and how to get one in Northern Florida!

(I read this thread and will follow-up on once I am at that point to bring it indoors https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/93809-kentia-palm-from-outdoor-to-indoor/#comment-1261439

On this forum I did find Kentia and Florida in search but it is from 2018: https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/58649-kentia-in-florida/#comment-877585)

Mods: Do I keep this post in this thread or should it be in PALMS IN POTS as technically I am looking for Indoors?

TLDR;

Question: Howea forsteriana (Kentia palm) OR Howea belmoreana (Belmore sentry palm) indoors.

Problem: Can't find any.

Forsteriana naturally grows in very dense stands, with seedlings germinating and growing very slowly in often heavy shade for years or decades until a suitable chink in the canopy opens which they can fill. You can see photos of these stands on LHI. This is why they do so well in low-light, indoor conditions.

Belmoreana, on the other hand, tends to grow in much more open environments, and in more stony, volcanic soil. My theory is that H. belmoreana's reputation for being slower than forsteriana is largely down to this fact; people assume that it will be equally tolerant of low light as an indoor plant and it isn't. My belmoreana lives in the conservatory in winter and outside in the summer and gets as much natural light as I can provide any non-hardy palm, and it isn't slow in comparison to many other palms I have. If I were to put it in a room with a window at one end (rather than light from three sides and above), I don't think it would respond well, and it would grow at toenail-speed.

I'd suggest H. forsteriana is a better fit for your environment (will grow quicker in your light regime).

palmenthusiast100 Welcome to Palmtalk !

Welcome ! You have chosen well , the Howea palms are great indoor choices . The Foresteriana being best suited for your situation. As was mentioned , Bell palms are much slower and probably would need more direct light . The Palor Palm ( Howea Foresteriana ) has been used for many years as a way to bring tropical foliage indoors . Use a pot with really good drainage ( I put smooth medium size pebbles in the bottom ), soil that has more of a sandy loam mixed with perlite , and a pot slightly larger than what it came home with. Do not over water , but they like regular watering . Let the top few inches dry to the touch in between watering , then water thoroughly ( you’ll want a nice tray under the pot ).The occasional outdoor shower and fresh air is a huge benefit . I would find a shady spot with a slight breeze for its holiday at least once a month , even over night if it isn’t below 50f or so. It sounds like a lot and they will survive with less , but to grow reliably , a bit of attention goes a long way. They will take low temps if planted in the ground and established but not cold. Good luck and enjoy . Harry

Edit: interesting that you are finding them elusive where you are , they are quite common in Southern California . Most good nurseries have a few available. They are a bit expensive for anything over 3 gallon size. Howea Belmoreana are a bit harder to find.

Thank you all! It seems like I was correct in my top choice for the right reasons but the issue of finding a Howea forsteriana still remains.

The person who had looked for it in 2018 seemed to have the same sort of trouble. (https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/58649-kentia-in-florida/#comment-877585).

Any ideas on how I can get a decent one for a decent price in/to North Florida?