Hello everyone !

I am new to this platform and very happy I found it !

Some palm fronds of my beloved kentia palm (howea foresteriana) are slowly turning brown… it had started maybe 4 months ago by the beginning of April. There are also some black parts along some of the plant stems. I already had to cut 3 smaler palm fronds as they had turned entirelly brown/yellow.

I always made sure that the palm was never ‘over-hydrated’ and never exposed to full sun.

Even though the palm obviously is weakened, it has grown a new healthy palm frond.

Does maybe someone of you identity or recognize the main problem causing those symptoms? Perhaps it is a certain desease (fungal pathogens ?) If yes, I’d be so happy if you could give me some advice how to take care of the problem / if you have recommandations concerning products I should use.

Thank you all so much.

Best regards

Livia

Hello and welcome to the forum. Howea like regular watering and can survive indoor environments pretty good with low light. It is good that you are not over watering but be sure it gets enough . The drainage of the pot is kinda critical , especially for house plants . They need to have the water pass through and moisten the soil without stagnating at the bottom of the pot. The other factor is dust and air circulation with adequate humidity in the air. When I had house plants I would always give them a holiday outside , sometimes for a couple of days. A covered patio or shady spot with a light breeze works wonders , Kentia’s love cool nighttime temps of low 60’s. Use a shower setting on a garden hose and gently hose the palm down . If there is dust , wipe it off with a soft rag . If there are any mealy bugs or pests use a mild mixture of soapy water on the rag or in a sprayer. Bugs hate soapy water , palms don’t mind at all. The new growth looks great so I don’t see it being in too bad of trouble. By the length of the petioles it looks like it could use just a bit more light . Good luck with it , growing palms indoors can be tricky but you have one of the most adaptable species so it should be able to be worked out. Harry

Thank you so so much Harry for your precious advice !!

I agree with @Harry’s Palms however it looks like underwatering and a little lacking in humidity. Try every now and then placing it in the shower giving it a good drink and this will also wash the dust away on the leaves, plants have what is called a stomata which is how they breath through their leaves, tiny microscopic holes, if the stomata are blocked with dust they can’t breathe correctly. Let the top two inchs of soil dry out before the next watering. Ifpossible every ow and then as well place your palm outside in a shaded area for a week or so to give it a spell from being indoors. Good luck.