HELP!! what can I do to keep my plant green?

Melissa
by Melissa
I'm not sure how to keep my plant alive. I am slowly killing it. Can anyone tell me how to keep it green and vibrant?!? I live in Western Pa, so there isn't much sunlight in winter.
I'm not sure why plants turning brown.
  18 answers
  • Janet McCarty Janet McCarty on Dec 16, 2014
    Try feeding it with Epson Salt put about a teaspoon of Epson Salt to a Quart of water and water when needed
  • Belinda Elliott Belinda Elliott on Dec 16, 2014
    Put in bigger pot and nourish the soil !
  • Oscar Muñoz Dueñas Oscar Muñoz Dueñas on Dec 16, 2014
    This plant is a Kentia, isn't it?. You brought it a lot of water, I think. It needs a lot of light and not a bigger pot!!
  • Suzy Suzy on Dec 16, 2014
    I have a ficus tree. Almost lost it several times. Figured out that I was OVER WATERING. I only water once a month, feed it ( Epsom salts is good) and it is beautiful.
  • Niki Hart Niki Hart on Dec 16, 2014
    brown leaf tips are a sign of needing humidity and regular watering, not over=watering. This type of plant is tropical and needs a tropical atmosphere. If you put a tray under it and fill it with gravel and keep the gravel watered then this should help. I believe the common name for this plant is parlor palm. Google it, and you should be able to see the amount of water and fertilizer needed.
    • Colimbia1 Colimbia1 on Dec 16, 2014
      @Niki Hart @@Melissa Agree that these plants need humidity and you have given good advice. They need light but be careful if it is in front of a window that it isn't too close to get over heated.
  • Jan Jan on Dec 16, 2014
    also could be lack of potassium and nitrogen. just buy some plant nutrients and make sure it includes the above 2
  • Didier Chevallier Didier Chevallier on Dec 16, 2014
    few possibilitys - too much water ? if it's something like that change the earth in a pot - not to much vitamines in a winter - or your plant doesn't like a full moon - or do you have animal like cat did a wi in a pot - to be serius I'm pretty sure it's too much water - let me know - I am french and hope my writting doesn't look like chinese book -
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Dec 16, 2014
    @Niki Hart 's advice is excellent. I see you have the palm directly in the window. This is great for the light, but can subject the palm to drafts. I would be very careful with fertilizer while your palm is indoors for the winter.
  • MikkiGirl MikkiGirl on Dec 16, 2014
    My bet is too much water and not enough nutrients. I like the idea of placing the pot on gravel and watering from the bottom. To fertilize I just use the plain old white fertilizer sticks 😄. The instructions will tell you how many to use for the pot size. Good luck!
  • Melissa Melissa on Dec 16, 2014
    Do I trim off the brown dead part of the leaf or cut the whole thing back to its root? I looked up the Polar palm it says don't over water but then it also looks like a Are and it says they take alot of water so I am VERY CONFUSED! I am going g to fertilize it tho' that is definitely something I haven't done. I'm not real good with live plant. Normally I buy artificial because I have no green thumb.
  • Janis Hill Janis Hill on Dec 16, 2014
    Melissa, as with most plants this one is called by several common names. The type of palm makes little difference. What is happening is the indoor heat is drying the plant out. You can do as the other lady suggested and add rocks to a tray then keep the tray full of water to increase the humidity or move the palm to an unheated garage or sun room. I know this seems counter intuitive. They're tropical. They should enjoy the warmth. Since artificial heat makes the air too dry for good indoor palm plant care and attracts insects. Most indoor palm species benefit most from winter temperatures between 45 and 65 degrees F. As far as fertilizing please don't give your palm any right now. It's best to stop feeding them in late fall and to resume fertilizing in the spring. And yes, you can trim off the brown part. It will look much more attractive. My background is horticulture. Hope this helps.
  • Ouina Ouina on Dec 24, 2014
    You can trip the dried tips off with a sharp, clean pair of scissors to clean up the appearance. The tip for filling the pan under the pot with gravel is a good one as it will help with over-watering problems. You water from the top and the water will collect in the gravel rather than the pot continue to sit in water. What happens when a pot sits in water is you now have started a "swamp" thus water-logging the soil and drowning the plant. One way to water the plant so that the soil doesn't dry out yet the soil is not water-logged is to move it to a sink or shower and water under the faucet for 5-10 minutes. You flush the soil of any chemicals that accumulate over time and yet you won't water-log the soil as you will allow the pot to drain thoroughly before placing back in the pan. The added benefit is a micro-environment is created and as the water evaporates from the gravel you create a localized humid environment for the plant. You also need to look a the base of the leaves and under the leaves for spider mites. The plant you have is a parlor palm or in the horticulture trade - an Areca Palm. They are notorious for having spider mites especially in a warm dry environment of a typical home. Don't fertilize in the winter if you don't have adequate filtered sunlight. Springtime with longer daylight lengths is a good time to fertilize. BTW I have a BS and MS in ornamental horticulture and grow and maintain these types of tropical plants.
  • With watering, mowing and feeding, you can keep your plants green and healthy. It is better to water in the early morning. Regular maintainance can be difficult, but the results are well worth the effort.
  • Israel Baruch Israel Baruch on Dec 27, 2014
    Too much water. Slightly watered only when dry soil
  • Debrakeys Debrakeys on Mar 18, 2016
    Keep it outside.
  • Kathryn Matson Kathryn Matson on Sep 13, 2016
    Another idea is to line the top of the soil with moss. I live in a dry climate and find the moss hold water which adds to humidity around the plant.
  • Mariahack318 Mariahack318 on Oct 23, 2016
    Try a bigger pot, a little less water and a bit more sun.
  • Dj Dj on Nov 16, 2016
    As others said, it's clearly over-watered and definitely needs a bigger pot. I think it has adequate light where it is, just keep the curtains or shades open during the day.