Leave it alone once it is settled: stable position, no draughts, no repotting unless needed. Most parlour palms are lost to overwatering and over-attention rather than neglect.
Care
Part shade to shade — one of the few houseplants that genuinely tolerates a dim corner; direct sun scorches the fronds.
Medium — keep lightly moist in growth and drier in winter; it is more often killed by soggy compost than by drought.
Peat-free houseplant compost with added bark or perlite for drainage. It resents root disturbance, so repot rarely and only when genuinely pot-bound.
Cut browned fronds off at the base. Never cut the growing tip of a stem — a palm has no dormant buds along the stem and a cut stem simply dies.
A dilute balanced feed monthly through the growing season only. It grows slowly and needs little; overfeeding shows as brown leaf tips and salt crust on the compost surface.
Not a plant to take cuttings from. A pot usually contains several seedlings grown together, and these can be teased apart at repotting — carefully, because the roots are brittle and a damaged one rarely recovers.
Month by month
Months change with the climate: in southern Italy tomatoes go out two months earlier than in England.
- AprilRepot only if genuinely pot-bound; it flowers and grows better slightly confined. how ›
- JuneCheck the undersides of the fronds for red spider mite, which thrives in dry indoor air.
- NovemberReduce watering through the darker months. how ›
Months based on climate: UK. Your choice stays on this device.
- AprilRepot only if genuinely pot-bound; it flowers and grows better slightly confined. how ›
- JuneCheck the undersides of the fronds for red spider mite, which thrives in dry indoor air.
- NovemberReduce watering through the darker months. how ›
Months based on climate: Northern Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchRepot only if genuinely pot-bound; it flowers and grows better slightly confined. how ›
- JuneCheck the undersides of the fronds for red spider mite, which thrives in dry indoor air.
- NovemberReduce watering through the darker months. how ›
Months based on climate: Central Italy. Your choice stays on this device.
- MarchRepot only if genuinely pot-bound; it flowers and grows better slightly confined. how ›
- JuneCheck the undersides of the fronds for red spider mite, which thrives in dry indoor air.
- DecemberReduce watering through the darker months. how ›
Months based on climate: Southern Italy and islands. Your choice stays on this device.
Common problems
How to spot it. Fine speckling and webbing between the fronds in dry, heated rooms.
What to do. Raise humidity, wipe the fronds, and improve air movement.
How to spot it. Tips browning while the rest of the frond stays green.
What to do. Usually dry air, salt build-up or hard water — flush the compost and raise humidity.
How to spot it. Whole stems yellowing from the base.
What to do. Nearly always overwatering; let the compost dry more between waterings and check drainage.
Questions
Parlour palm: is it hardy?
H1a: True houseplant, needs above 15°C. It survives heated glasshouse.
Can it grow in a pot?
Yes — a houseplant by design, and one of the best choices for a low-light room.
Parlour palm: when do you prune it?
Cut browned fronds off at the base.
When do you feed it?
A dilute balanced feed monthly through the growing season only. It grows slowly and needs little; overfeeding shows as brown leaf tips and salt crust on the compost surface. Feeding months, UK: April–September.