- Palms as Indoor Plants

With their large, architectural leaves and strong outlines, palms help create an indoor ‘Garden of Eden’. Being bold houseplants, they bring stately elegance to any interior setting and attract attention. Palms are basically subtropical or tropical in origin. Most of them send single, un-branched trunks of various heights. The dwarfs and stem-less ones are highly suitable as houseplants. They are grown for their exotic and boldly textured foliage. Palm leaves, also known as fronds, are either fan (palmate) or feather (pinnate) shaped. Cycads such as Cycus Revoluta, may resemble the palms but are botanically not related to them. However, from a gardener’s perspective, the Palms are generally grouped together with Bamboos, Cycads and Reeds as their use in a garden and their cultural requirements are broadly similar.
CULTURE
Soil Mixture: Soil mixes for palms must be porous with plenty of organic matter to ensure both adequate moisture and excellent drainage. The ideal Pot mixture would be two parts of Cattle dung Manure, two parts of Garden Soil, Three parts Course River Sand, and three parts of Leaf Mould (it can be substituted with Coco Peat). Add to it, one table spoon of Sterilized Bone Meal and two table spoons of Neem Cake.
Light: Most palms need bright natural light year-round. Filtered light near a south-east-or west-facing window is suitable for most indoor palms.
Water: Palms need to be kept moist. They should never be allowed to dry out or allowed to stand in water. Excessively wet soil can lead to root rot. Water thoroughly when the surface of the soil dries. Palms grow best with warmth. Protect them from strong wind near doors, windows and air conditioning. Most palms prefer temperatures of 15 C at night and up to 30 C during the day. Regularly rinse the foliage to clean the leaves and leach excess fertilizer salts from the soil. Palms benefit immensely from spending the summer outside. However, Indoor palms should not be placed in direct sun while outside.
Feeding: Fertilize either with a dilute liquid fertilizer or use a slow-release fertilizer in the container. Fertilize only while the plant is actively growing. Excess fertilizer can be harmful to palms.
Repotting: Palms do best when their roots are confined and may only need re-potting every two to three years, if roots fill the pot. Re-pot when needed in spring or early summer.
Propagation: Most palms are propagated from seed. Some can be divided to create new plants.
TYPES OF INDOOR PALMS
Parlour Palms (Chamaedorea species): These are the classic palms that graced Victorian parlours. These graceful palms are very commonly grown nowadays in India. Parlour palms have thin stems and large, elegant feathered leaves. Their spread is quite wide, making them suitable for large spaces. Parlour palms tolerate lower light levels well. They prefer high to moderate humidity, but are adaptable. Neanthe Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) is the most graceful indoor palm, often with several single stems per pot that do not form clumps. Bamboo Palm (Chamaedorea erumpens) is another popular variety of parlour palm commonly grown in India. This palm has a narrow growth habit that is appropriate for most homes.
Pygmy Date Palm (Phoenix roebelinii): The pygmy date palm is a miniature of the palm grown throughout the Middle East for its fruit. Pygmy date palms are adaptable and easy indoor plants. This palm grows best in bright indirect sunlight, ideally from an east window with morning sun.
Fan Palm: European fan palms (Chamaerops humilis) are dependable palms for indoor use. Fan-shaped fronds are carried on 4-foot high stems. Fan palms need three to four hours of direct sunlight daily. There are some other Fan Palms too grown in Indian Home Gardens.
Lady Palms (Rhapis species): They are also commonly called as Fan Palms in India. These multi-stemmed fan palms are quite adaptable and easy to grow, if given excellent care and good-quality water. Most lady palms grow best in bright, indirect light near a window or skylight.
Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens): The fronds are long, feather-shaped, and arching with narrow leaflets. The fronds are borne on slender, clumping, yellow-orange stalks. They need plenty of room. Areca palms do best in bright indirect sunlight.
Kentia Palms (Howea forsteriana): The kentia palm has a slender trunk and a graceful crown of dark-green, drooping, feather-shaped fronds. This is one of the most tolerant and adaptable indoor palms. Kentias will tolerate relatively low light and humidity, Water kentia palms abundantly in the summer.
Fishtail Palm (Caryota mitis): The large pinnate leaves have individual leaflets that are triangular.They look very much like fishtails. They do best in bright indirect sunlight. Keep their soil moist at all times. They are prone to spider mites, so watch carefully for them.