PARLOUR PALM CARE | Chamaedorea Elegans Tips & Tricks
Today we’re going to be talking about the Chamaedorea elegans, also known as the parlor palm.
Other names for this beauty are bamboo palm, good luck palm, or neanthe palm, so you may know it as one of those. These are hearty, low-maintenance plants. They are pretty easy to care for.
Parlor palms have been cultivated since the Victorian era because they give off a gorgeous tropical vibe and instantly add a bit of flourish to any home. They’re fairly slow-growing plants. You can keep them in the same spot in your house for quite a long time before they grow out of it. Their max height indoors is probably about a meter, maybe three or four feet or so, so they don’t get all that big indoors, which is fine.
It’s fine. It does what it needs to do. So really quickly, before I get into the care of these beautiful parlor palms, let’s get into it.
Table of Contents
Water
When it comes to water, they very much prefer to be too dry rather than too wet.
Overwatering will not be tolerated with these plants. It’s best to water when the soil is dry about halfway down in the pot. That tends to be about once a week in the spring and summer, and maybe every two or two and a half weeks in the autumn and winter.
This shows they can totally tolerate underwatering. A sign of overwatering is if you notice the tips of the leaves are turning brown and a little bit soft and droopy, like mushy.
That just means you watered it a little too frequently, so maybe cut back on the frequency of watering just a bit. If you’re noticing lots of yellowing leaves, it means the plant is probably being underwatered. If that’s the case, give it a bit more water, and it should perk up.
Light
Bright indirect light is ideal for parlor palms, but they can tolerate and adapt to much lower light, which is amazing.
We love a plant that can handle a bit more low light. Stick it in a dark corner, fine. I do want to say, though, low light does not mean no light.
It still needs light, but it can handle a lot less than many other plants. There still needs to be a window in the room it’s in, or it needs to have a grow light on it every now and then because it does need some light. It’s a living being.
It needs to photosynthesize somehow, so don’t just shove it in a windowless closet or a bathroom with no windows. It will not like that. It does need some light, but low light is tolerable.
They also aren’t big fans of direct sunlight. They much prefer bright indirect light, so if you can keep them out of direct sunlight, do. That’s why parlor palms are great for rooms with north-facing windows because in the northern hemisphere, those windows don’t get much, if any, direct sunlight.
You’re just getting atmospheric light.
Parlor palms can also summer outside, but if you do that, make sure you’re not putting them in a place with direct sun.
Make sure it is a shady area; otherwise, they’ll get burnt, and we don’t want that. We don’t want our plants to be burnt.
Temperature
Average household temperatures should be fine for parlor palms.
If you’re comfortable in your home, they’ll be comfortable in your home. Their ideal temperature range is 18 to 27 degrees Celsius, which is 65 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. They can tolerate a little bit lower, but they won’t enjoy it as much, and it could stunt their growth, so ideally keep it in that range.
Also, if you let these summer outside, make sure you bring them in before the temperatures start to drop again in autumn. It’s important to keep them away from big fluctuations in temperature, so hot and cold vents and drafts are a no-no.
Humidity
Parlor palms enjoy a little bit of higher humidity, but average humidity will suffice.
They’re pretty tolerant plants overall. Just be careful that in the winter, the humidity doesn’t get too low. If you’ve got your central heating on, it’ll dry out the air, so you might need to boost the humidity.
You can do that by getting a humidifier, using a pebble tray, grouping it with other plants to naturally boost the humidity, or giving it daily mists to boost the humidity in the area.
The ideal spot in your house for humidity is a bathroom or kitchen because those rooms naturally have more humidity from showers or cooking. If you can place it in one of those rooms, it will thank you for it. If you notice the tips of your leaves are getting brown and crispy, it means you’re probably not giving the plant enough humidity. Boost it in some way, and it will thank you.
Soil & Pot
Rich but well-draining soil is ideal for parlor palms.
They don’t need anything too special. Average potting soil should be okay, and because they’re slow growers, you won’t need to repot them often. You should repot them once a year at most, but it’ll probably be more like every two or three years, especially if you have it in a lower light spot.
Be very careful when repotting. They have very fragile roots and don’t like to be disturbed. Be super gentle with the root ball, and maybe don’t rough up the roots too much. Leave more soil on than you would normally to avoid disturbing them, as repotting might put the plant into a bit of shock. Also, make sure you’re using a pot with drainage holes.
Drainage is really important; otherwise, it could lead to root rot, which we don’t want because root rot leads to death.
Fertilizer
Parlor palms are fairly light feeders.
They don’t need much. In the growing season, you should fertilize them once a month at most, but you could even do less than that. This is in the spring and summer. Do not fertilize in the autumn and winter, as they go into a dormancy period where they’re not putting out new growth and don’t need the extra nourishment.
It’s best to fertilize them with half-strength fertilizer to avoid burning the roots.
Propagation
Unfortunately, unlike many houseplants, parlor palms cannot be propagated through stem or leaf cuttings. They can only be propagated through seeds.
It’s pretty unlikely for your plant to flower and seed indoors. If you want more parlor palms, your best bet is to buy more plants. They’re not terribly expensive and can be found in most houseplant shops, so it’s not the end of the world that you can’t propagate them.
Toxicity
Another amazing thing about parlor palms is that they are not toxic to cats, dogs, or humans. These are totally pet-safe plants. If your pet gives them a little nibble, it’s not going to be the end of the world. You could eat this plant.
It doesn’t taste very good, so maybe don’t, but it’s not an issue if it gets ingested by pets or children. That is it. That is all you need to know about how to take care of your parlor palm plant.
 *(Include an image of droopy leaves)* Some plants, such as calatheas, prefer moist soil at all times; otherwise, they develop that signature brown tissue damage on the leaves. The annoying thing here is that the damage cannot be reversed and can only be cut away, leaving you with a damaged plant. If the soil of your plant is bone dry, you'll notice that it's pulling away from the sides of the pot. This is because the soil has shrunk due to a lack of moisture, so make sure you are not letting this happen by watering a little more frequently. #### Signs Your Plant is Overwatered (darkgreen) Overwatering plants is a really common way that people kill their plants. Beginner plant enthusiasts often have a common misconception that houseplants need lots of water, but the reality is that these plants are native to hot climates where they may get periods of drought followed by large rain which rehydrates them. **Yellowing leaves** (red) can indicate an overwatering problem as well as an underwatering problem. If you are watering your plant too often and the soil is always wet, this can lead to root rot, which will begin to affect the leaves of your plant. **Limp and mushy leaves** (red) also indicate that you are overwatering your plant. This is particularly true with succulents such as Echeverias. Echeverias store water in their thick leaves and have difficulty storing excess water if you are watering your plant too often. This leads to mushy plants that eventually fall off.  *(Include an image of yellowing leaves)* Philodendron and Pothos plants tend to get mushy leaves that fall off if the soil is consistently soggy. My Philodendron Birkin recently developed some new brown leaves that fell off because I was overwatering it. Whereas crispy brown edges on leaves indicate an underwatering problem, if the whole leaves are turning brown, this tends to mean that the plant tissue is rotting due to too much water. You may also notice some water droplets on the ends of the leaves of some of your plants. This is the plant perspiring excess water through its leaves and can indicate that you are giving the plant too much water. Now, this tends to happen on plants that prefer drier soil, and I notice it quite often on my Philodendron Birkin and my Tradescantia Nanook. **Increased presence of fungus gnats** (red) can also be a sign that your plant is too moist. Fungus gnats like a moist top two inches of soil to breed and lay their eggs, so if your soil is wet, it creates a breeding ground for gnats. If you see lots of flea-like flies jumping around the top of your soil, I would just dial back on the watering and let the top two inches of the soil dry out before watering again. #### Watering Tips (darkgreen) It is important to allow the soil of your houseplant to dry out between waterings. This prevents the possibility of over-watering, which is one of the most common reasons people kill their plants. **Check the soil moisture** (red) before watering your plant by sticking your finger two inches into the soil. If it feels wet, leave it a few days and then check again. An even better way to check the soil moisture is to invest in a moisture meter. This device needs no batteries and tells you exactly how much moisture is in the soil, giving you control over watering your plants.  *(Include an image of a moisture meter)* When you identify that your plant needs water, make sure you give it a thorough soaking. Take your plant to a sink area and soak the soil four or five times until water drains out of the bottom each time. This ensures that all the soil in the pot gets moistened and there are no dry patches. **Bottom watering** (teal) is a method that has changed the health of my plants since I implemented it a couple of years ago. Place your plant in a container of water and let it absorb moisture from the bottom up. This method prevents water from getting on the leaves, which can cause leaf tissue damage. I hope this article was helpful. Now you know when to water your plants and when not to. Apply this knowledge to your plants and see the growth. Happy gardening! --- Incorporating these visual and formatting enhancements will make your article more attractive and engaging for your readers.](https://growinggaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/pexels-artempodrez-7242495-scaled.jpg)
