Lady Palm - How to Grow Care - Rhapis Palm

Rhapis Palm

Rhapis excelsa

Lady Palm

A Lady Palm is an elegant durable palm that can adapt to almost all conditions. The best variety to use as a houseplant is the Rhapis Excelsa. This slow growing palm has large shiny dark green fronds with blunt tips. The fronds of a Lady Palm grow out of multiple sturdy stems The Jasmine Polyanthum variety is a twining, climbing plant with long, slender, trailing stems and is one of the easiest varieties of the Jasmine Plant to grow indoors. that are covered in a hairy brown fiber. When potted in a 6” or 8” container, this compact upright palm makes a great table plant. In a 10” or larger pot, a Lady Palm can grow up to 14 ft. tall. A Rhapis Palm is quite pricey but well worth it when you consider that it is a slow grower, has a long life span, demands little in the way of care, and is a beautiful addition to any decor.

Light

A Rhapis Palm grows best in bright indirect lightVery few houseplants should be placed in direct sun. High light refers only to bright indirect light since direct sun often burns the leaves of indoor houseplants. An area that is too hot and dry encourages Spider Mites and causes blooms to quickly fade. A northern exposure really doesn't provide enough light for high light plants. These plants need to be placed directly in front of an east-facing window, within 1-3 feet of a west-facing window, and within 5 ft. of a south facing window. A high light area has over 300 ft. candles of light. but can adapt to lower light.

Water

Allow the top 50% of the soil of a Rhapis Palm to dry out before watering. A Rhapis, like many palms, is sensitive to chlorine, fluoride, and boron in the water. If these chemicals are present allow the water to sit for 24-48 hours before using it or use distilled water. Consistent over-watering causes root rot.

Fertilizer

Lady Palms are slow-growing plants that need very little 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. . Feed every other month with a basic houseplant food at 1/2-1/4 the recommended strength only when it's actively growing. If the fronds start to look a little yellow add an extra feeding to your schedule.

Temperature

The Rhapis Palm can adapt to temperatures between 50°and 80° F. (10°-26.7°C) so it is well-suited to any home or office.

Humidity

Lady Palms adjust to both dry and humid environments.

Pests

If your Lady Palm gets spider mitesLearn how to identify and treat Spider Mites on plants. This sucking plant pest causes yellow blotchy leaves with a red haze and a gritty feel to them. or scaleSoft Brown Scale is the most common scale that attacks indoor houseplants especially ficus, ivy, spider plants, ferns, aralia, and schefflera. It appears as small bumpy brown spots that appear to move. As the scale sucks on the sap of the plant it secretes a sticky substance called honeydew. The honeydew attracts black mildew. Because of the shell-like exterior, sprays are only partially effective against scale. Wipe off the lines of brown oval bumps with your finger, a cloth, or a child’s toothbrush then spray the plant with Neem Oil. Use the Green Solution to clean off the black mildew., the insects tend to hide under stem coverings and are difficult to reach with sprays. A systemic insecticide works better.

Soil

Plant a Lady Palm in a well-drained dense soil and add additional humus if needed. African Violet soil works well. If the soil appears heavy and isn't draining quickly, add sand.

Pot Size

A Lady Palm likes to be root-bound in a small pot. When you do repot be sure to cover all of the roots and bases of the canes. This encourages new shoots and suckers that make the palm look full.

Propagation

Propagate by plant divisionLearn how to propagate plants by plant division at https://www.houseplant411.com/glossary. Divide the canes of the plant into several clumps. Be sure to include their underground rhizomes. This is where the new shoots come from.

Clean Air Plant

A Lady Palm removes formaldehyde, benzene, trichloroethylene, benzene, and ammonia from the air.

Poisonous Plant Info

Lady Palms are non-toxic plants.

I wanted to buy a Lady Palm (rhapis) but the size I wanted was really expensive. If I buy a small one how fast will it grow?

A Lady Palm grows very slowly! You should buy one almost exactly the size you eventually want it to be.

The tips of my Lady Palm are turning brown. What am I doing wrong?

The main reason a Lady palm gets brown tips is usually over-watering. Cut back on your water and use a serrated or pinking shear to trim the brown tips. Another cause of brown leaf tips may be too much 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. in the soil. These palms need very little plant food and when used, it should be diluted to 1/2 the recommended strength. A Lady Palm is a slow grower so never cut the entire frond off unless absolutely necessary or you won’t have very many leaves left. Using a serrated scissors keeps the original look of the blunt leaf tip.

All of the fronds on one side of my Lady Palm are turning yellow. I am feeding it so it’s not that.

It sounds like one side of your Lady Palm may be getting too much light and that's what's causing the yellow leaves. Try moving it further from the light and see if the color improves.

The fronds on my Lady Palm are getting gray and brittle. Can you tell me what’s going on ???

The fronds of a Lady Palm turn gray and brittle when it is seriously over-watered.

The tips of my Lady Palm are turning almost black. Is that over-water?

Black tips or tip burn on a Lady Palm, usually means you are over-fertilizing or your water has too many chemicals in it, such as fluoride. Stop fertilizing your palm for several months and drench the soil two or three times with distilled water to wash out any accumulated salts tor chemicals.