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I've had this palm for a few years and it's been fine. I water it once a month, don't move it around too much and make sure the soil doesn't get waterlogged.
A month or so ago I noticed it starting to droop, and the soil was still very wet despite not having recently watered it. As a precaution I removed it from the damp soil and repotted it with fresh houseplant compost mix. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to have improved the plant's health π’
Is there anything else I can try?
If the soil is wet long after the last watering, that is a sign the roots arenβt working well. Roots can get fungal infections when wet too long and rot away.
What was the condition of the root ball when you repotted? A healthy palm in the same pot for years would have a dense fibrous root ball, completely enclosing the soil. If it was a soft, rotted mass, then the roots were rotting.
You did the right thing I think. Hopefully the new soil is fluffy and aerated. Did you wash off the leaves too? Palms in the house can get very dusty and the leaves need to be sprayed off a couple times a year or so. They breathe through the stomata and dust can lead to reduced vigor.
Following your advice and that of others on this post, I've changed the soil again and made sure I've removed all the existing waterlogged soil from the roots. Some of the roots came away when I was removing the soil, but the rest felt healthy and there wasn't any sign or smell of rot. I've repotted with new soil and some stones/pebbles at the botton of the pot to allow for some better drainage.
Finally I've positioned the plant somewhere it'll get more sunlight, so I'll wait and hope for the best.
From what little I know, they might require less watering and more soil aeration than most plants, similar to succulents which can draw enough moisture from the air, so hopefully you didnt pack the dirt too much.
Don't fuss too much over it, it's far too weak to try division propogation so it might be cooked. If overwatering caused the problem then the best thing you can do is leave it alone in full sunlight for a while.
Thanks for the advice. I'll leave it alone and hope we get some more sunlight.
I took a tour of a farm and plant nursery that rents out plants to businesses. They would rotate out the plants in the offices every month or so, to let them recover back at the nursery with sunlight.
Owner told me "there's no such thing as a house plant", only plants we keep indoors.
Owner told me "there's no such thing as a house plant", only plants we keep indoors.
This feels so nakedly obvious now I've thought about it π€¦π»
They are notorious for sudden spider mite infestations - damage looks similar to your photo. Do you see any webbing or very tiny creepy crawlies?
No, thanks for that advice though! I've checked very closely and haven't found anything like that. A friend has pointed out it might be root rot, so I'm going to repot it tomorrow and trim any mushy root I find.