Hi,

It looks like you are under watering your Cat Palm. Cat Palms like to have moist but not soggy soil at all times. Fronds turn yellow if the soil gets too dry. Salty water or water containing chemicals such as fluoride causes leaf tip burn; over watering causes entire fronds to turn brown.

When you water, water well enough so that the water comes out the drip holes in the bottom of the plant. Never use water that has passed through a softener. If your water contains a great deal of chemicals, use distilled or rain water. Allow the top few inches of soil to dry out before watering well.

Less rather than more plant food is always better with palms. Feed a Cat Palm monthly is the spring and summer with a basic houseplant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Cat Palms only need fertilizerPlants need fertilizer only when they are actively growing. Slow growing plants in low light require very little plant food. Too much fertilizer is worse than not enough. Most plants prefer a water soluble plant food at 1/2 the recommended strength. Plants that are in bloom or dormant should not be fertilized. Houseplant food contains nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). A fertilizer containing these elements in equal proportion is considered a balanced plant food. Nitrogen helps in photosynthesis and encourages the growth of leaves and stems. Potassium and phosphorus also help in photosynthesis and aid in root and flower development. Most fertilizers have trace elements of other minerals that are lacking in the soil but are necessary for good plant growth. Fertilizers have a high salt content. If a plant is not producing new leaves and doesn’t absorb the fertilizer, salts build up in the soil. These salts can burn the roots, discolor the leaves, and cause new growth to be small. once or twice during winter and fall. Too much plant food causes leaf tips to turn brown.