Expert: Darlene K. Kittle - 7/4/2009

Question
WEhave a very large indoor pa;m that we purchased form the nursery. They said not over water it but the leavs at the end are turning brown. I give it about 5 gallons once a week. They said to let it dry out but it looks bad, help. its about 10ft in a 30 gallon or pot

Answer
TJ,

A palm tree does not use 5 gallons of water a week. You are overwatering it. Does the pot it is in have a drain hole in the bottom and a drain tray under it? That is an absolute necessity! Without that it is definitely drowning and the roots are rotting. It sould be potted in a sandy fast draining soil like it would have if it were planted in the ground in California or Florida. It should also be in a location where it gets a least 8 hours of bright sun either from a large south facing window or from a large sky light. Without that it will be sick quickly a soon die.

An hour after you water it you should empty the drain tray using a turkey baster and you should not water the tree again until the top 10 inches of soil is dry. You can tell it is dry by inserting a 10" bamboo skewer into the soil and if it comes out dry it is time to water, if it is wet wait a few more days until it is dry. If it stays wet longer than a week cut the amount of water you give it in half until it is staying wet no more than a week. The more sun it gets the quicker it will also use up water. Without strong sun it will not live very long. If you have more questions feel free to write again. Good luck.

Darlene