Plant Care Areca Palm

Areca Palm

4.2 out of 5 (49 experiences)

Areca Palm has a Survivor plant personality Survivor
Areca Palm has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves

About Areca Palm

The areca palm is a popular low-maintenance palm that’s a perfect tropical addition to nearly any space. Also known as the butterfly palm, the curvature of its fronds are thought to resemble a butterfly in flight. Though often smaller indoors, they can grow up to 40 feet tall in their native Madagascar! 🌴

Taxonomy

Dypsis lutescens
Dypsis
Arecaceae
Arecales

Also known as

Golden Cane Palm and Chrysalidocarpus lutescen

How to care for Areca Palm

💦 Water

How often to water your Areca Palm

Water needs for Areca Palm
0.5 cups
every 9

Areca Palm needs 0.5 cups of water every 9 when it doesn’t get direct sunlight and is potted in a 5" pot.

Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Calculate water needs of Areca Palm

Water 0.5 cups every
9

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Areca Palm in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Areca Palm: 1ft from a window
1ft or less from
a window

Areca Palm love being close to bright, sunny windows 😎.

Place it less than 1ft from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

Areca Palm does not tolerate low-light 🚫.

Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement of Areca Palm in your home 🏡.

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Areca Palm

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Areca Palm: repot after 2X growth

Most potting soils come with ample nutrients which plants use to produce new growth.

By the time your plant has depleted the nutrients in its soil it’s likely grown enough to need a larger pot anyway.

To replenish this plant's nutrients, repot your Areca Palm after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #ArecaPalm
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Areca Palm is generally easy to care for, though some plant parents report facing challenges with growing it. Check out the reviews down below to read more about their experiences!

How to Grow Areca Palm →

Benefits of Growing Areca Palm →

Indoor Care Guide for Areca Palm →

Outdoor Care Guide for Areca Palm →


💦 Water Needs

Areca Palm prefers for the soil to dry out between waterings and should be watered regularly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Areca Palm Water Frequency →

Areca Palm Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Areca Palm requires abundant, bright and direct light. Place it less than one foot from a window to ensure it receives enough light to survive 💪. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Areca Palm Light Requirements →

Areca Palm Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Areca Palm is not known to cause harm to humans or pets. Regardless, if you, a family member, a cat, or dog has ingested any plant material, please consult a doctor or a veterinarian.


💨 Humidity

Areca Palm doesn’t require additional humidity. Plants absorb most water through their root system rather than their leaves, so the best way to provide humidity for your plants is through watering the soil.

Areca Palm Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Areca Palm does best in well-draining soil. A good soil will contain lots of organic matter such as coco coir as well as perlite or vermiculite to help with drainage. Adding a handful of perlite to regular store-bought potting soil should do the trick!

When and How to Successfully Repot Areca Palm →

What Are Healthy Areca Palm Roots →


💩 Fertilizer

Areca Palm should be repotted after it doubles in size or once a year, whichever comes first. Fresh potting soil has all the nutrients your plant needs, so as long as it’s refreshed yearly, you shouldn’t need to use fertilizer. Remember, plants get their energy from sunlight, not fertilizer!


❄️ Dormancy

It’s common for Areca Palm to go dormant in the wintertime and you may notice their growth slow down. Waterings should be spaced out more during this time.


🌎 Native Region

Areca Palm is native to Madagascar and southeastern Africa.


🌸 Flowers
⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Areca Palm is a clumping plant, meaning new growth will emerge from the soil around the parent plant.

Areca Palm Lifecycle →

Areca Palm Size Guide →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors
🌱 Propagation

Areca Palm can be propagated by division into new individual plants.

  • Check to see if there is more than one plant. In some cases they may still be beneath the soil surface. If you feel confident, you may remove the soil to check for baby plantlets below!
  • If there are multiple plants growing, unpot the plant and gently tug the plants apart, being careful not to disturb too many of the roots. They may be connected by large root segments which you may need to break to free the plantlet.
  • Pot up the new plant in well-draining soil
  • Repot the parent plant back into its original pot

How to Propagate Areca Palm →


🍂 Yellow Leaves

Yellow leaves aren’t always a reason to panic, and can be a normal part of a plant’s life cycle. Unless brand new leaves are turning yellow or all the leaves change color at once, it’s likely just your plant shedding old leaves.

Overwatering and root rot are the most likely cause of problems in Areca Palm, since they are sensitive to wet soil. The leaves may also appear to be curling or drooping. Less often, yellow leaves are caused by underwatering, nutrient deficiencies, or pests.

Replace soggy soil with fresh, dry soil and download Greg to make sure your plant never gets overwatered again!


🧐 Troubleshooting

When troubleshooting a sad-looking houseplant, start by checking for signs of distress in its leaves, such as yellowing, browning, or drooping, which can indicate overwatering or nutrient deficiencies.

Inspect the soil moisture; too dry or too wet soil can cause problems.

Ensure the plant is getting the right amount of light, as too much or too little can stress it.

Finally, consider environmental factors like temperature and humidity, and adjust care routines accordingly to revive your plant.


Care Summary for Areca Palm

Areca Palm

Areca Palm


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 9 days

Placement

< 1ft from a window

Nutrients

Repot after 2x growth

Based on the 4” pot your plant is in, and that it doesn’t get direct sunlight.

What other plant parents say

Areca Palm has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 22
Areca Palm has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 16
Areca Palm has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 14
Areca Palm has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 12
Areca Palm has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 5
Areca Palm has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 5
Areca Palm has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 3
@Yvette avatar
@@Yvette
leaf-1 34 Plants
xp 3,676 XP
globe Crowborough, England
02/24/2022

Haven’t had any problems with this plant just water once soil is dry and let it do it’s thing.

Survivor Survivor
@maggie4 avatar
@@maggie4
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 409 XP
06/19/2021

i’ve not had any problems so far with my acrea plant, they are easy to take care of and require little care. I would strongly recommend especially for any first time plant owners. All i would say is that they do take up some room so make sure you have space.

Survivor Survivor
@Erl avatar
@@Erl
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 424 XP
globe Clydebank, Scotland
06/16/2021

Looks great when you get the water/sunlight balance right but very easily browned leaves. Hard to keep green

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Browns easily Browns easily
@calebsneath avatar
@@calebsneath
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 90 XP
06/15/2021

Hard as nails, didn’t water for 3 months at one point and still managed to firm it, what a trooper

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Browns easily Browns easily
Survivor Survivor
@Risaree1957 avatar
@@Risaree1957
leaf-1 66 Plants
xp 4,188 XP
globe Tualatin, OR
06/09/2021

I love this plant but it does seem to have gnats flying around it. Watered once a week without overwatering. It’s a pretty green color and has put out a new leaf since I got it two months ago.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Pest magnet Pest magnet
Mo avatar
@Mo
leaf-1 5 Plants
xp 122 XP
06/03/2021

Pet friendly, easy care. Sturdy plant. Lush long leaves.

Survivor Survivor
@Salimr88 avatar
@@Salimr88
leaf-1 20 Plants
xp 499 XP
globe Dubai
05/25/2021

Too much sun... brown leaves, too little... brown leaves... something in between... survives. I don’t know not sure what to do to keep him out of the perpetual process of dying

Pest magnet Pest magnet
Browns easily Browns easily
@RobbertE avatar
@@RobbertE
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 186 XP
globe Amsterdam, Noord-Holland
05/19/2021

Esthetics are medium

Survivor Survivor
@Kyah.m02 avatar
@@Kyah.m02
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 212 XP
05/18/2021

Love this plant it’s so green and really ties my whole decor together

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Trey avatar
@Trey
leaf-1 2 Plants
xp 280 XP
globe Santa Rosa, CA
04/25/2021

Needs a lot of humidity!

@Plantsong avatar
@@Plantsong
leaf-1 6 Plants
xp 4,599 XP
04/02/2021

The key is to not over water it!!

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Blooms easily Blooms easily
Survivor Survivor
Fast grower Fast grower

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