Plant Care Parlour Palm

Parlour Palm

4.4 out of 5 (410 experiences)

Parlour Palm has a Survivor plant personality Survivor
Parlour Palm has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower

About Parlour Palm

Did you know the genus name Chamaedorea comes from the Ancient Greek roots meaning "gift on the ground"? These small palms max out at 20ft/6m tall so their fruits were always easy to grab. They're native to the tropical Americas and these days they're commonly found as houseplants around the world!

Taxonomy

Chamaedorea elegans
Chamaedorea
Arecaceae
Arecales

Also known as

Neanthe Bella Palm

How to care for Parlour Palm

💦 Water

How often to water your Parlour Palm

Water needs for Parlour Palm
0.5 cups
every 12

Parlour Palm needs 0.5 cups of water every 12 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 Parlour Palm

Water 0.5 cups every
12

Does your plant get direct sunlight?

Select the pot size

5"
☀️ Light

Finding light for Parlour Palm in your home

Light needs and placement for plant Parlour Palm: 3ft from a window
3ft or less from
a window

Parlour Palm may have difficulty thriving, and will drop leaves 🍃, without ample sunlight.

Place it less than 3 feet from a south-facing window to maximize the potential for growth.

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

🪴 Nutrients

How to fertilize Parlour Palm

Nutrient, fertilizer, and repotting needs for Parlour 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 Parlour Palm after it doubles in size or once a year—whichever comes first.

Browse #ParlourPalm
💡 FAQs
⭐ Difficulty Level

Parlour 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 Parlour Palm →

Benefits of Growing Parlour Palm →

Common Parlour Palm Problems →

Indoor Care Guide for Parlour Palm →

Outdoor Care Guide for Parlour Palm →


💦 Water Needs

Parlour Palm thrives in dry soil and should be watered sparingly. Use our water calculator to personalize watering recommendations to your environment or download Greg for more advanced recommendations for all of your plants.

Parlour Palm Water Frequency →

Parlour Palm Root Rot →


☀️ Sunlight Needs

Parlour Palm may have difficulty thriving and will drop leaves 🍃 without ample sunlight. Place it less than 3 feet from a window to maximize the potential for growth. Select your region to see how the current weather in your area affects the placement in your home 🏡.

Parlour Palm Light Requirements →

Parlour Palm Direct Sunlight Needs & Tolerance →


🐶 🐈 👶 Toxicity

Parlour 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.

Is Parlour Palm Edible? →

Parlour Palm Toxicity to Cats →

Parlour Palm Toxicity to Dogs →

Parlour Palm Toxicity to Humans →


💨 Humidity

Parlour 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.

Parlour Palm Humidity Needs →


🪴 Soil

Parlour 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!

Best Soil Mix for Parlour Palm →

Best Pots for Parlour Palm →

When and How to Successfully Repot Parlour Palm →

What Are Healthy Parlour Palm Roots →


💩 Fertilizer

Parlour 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!

How Much and When to Fertilize Parlour Palm →


❄️ Dormancy

It’s common for Parlour 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

Parlour Palm is native to Tropical and Subtropical Americas.


🌸 Flowers
⬆️ ⬇️ Growth Pattern

Parlour Palm grows vertically and new growth will emerge from the top of the plant.

Parlour Palm Lifecycle →

Parlour Palm Size Guide →

How and When to Prune Parlour Palm →


🌦️ Growing Outdoors
🌱 Propagation

Parlour 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 Parlour 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 Parlour Palm, since they are very 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 Parlour Palm

Parlour Palm

Parlour Palm


Greg recommends:

Water

0.5 cups every 12 days

Placement

< 3ft 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

Parlour Palm has a Survivor plant personality Survivor 194
Parlour Palm has a Fast grower plant personality Fast grower 132
Parlour Palm has a Large, lush leaves plant personality Large, lush leaves 114
Parlour Palm has a Browns easily plant personality Browns easily 96
Parlour Palm has a Easy to propagate plant personality Easy to propagate 32
Parlour Palm has a Blooms easily plant personality Blooms easily 17
Parlour Palm has a Pest magnet plant personality Pest magnet 14
@mirandaaplanet avatar
@@mirandaaplanet
leaf-1 119 Plants
xp 8,391 XP
04/03/2022

i put this on a shelf w a water globe and leave it for like a month and it’s happy

Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@AnewMoonstone avatar
@@AnewMoonstone
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 127 XP
01/25/2022

This is the second one I’ve had, because the first one got gnats. :( However, these guys are decently hearty

Pest magnet Pest magnet
Survivor Survivor
@dylan1stokes avatar
@@dylan1stokes
leaf-1 36 Plants
xp 3,495 XP
globe Witham, England
01/10/2022

These plants can grow to be massive plants and all the leaves on these look so well all together. I found that these plants can brown quite easily but with high humidity, filtered water and no direct sunlight they will love it

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Browns easily Browns easily
Saundra avatar
@Saundra
leaf-1 72 Plants
xp 4,389 XP
globe Cleveland, OH
01/01/2022

I find it very finicky. Must be closely watched and perfectly watered.

Browns easily Browns easily
@opheliaio avatar
@@opheliaio
leaf-1 12 Plants
xp 2,681 XP
globe Attleboro, MA
12/03/2021

make sure you keep your parlour palms humid and well-watered! they can dry out easily and perish. mine is doing fine but i have to keep a constant eye on her.

Fast grower Fast grower
Browns easily Browns easily
@Krisza avatar
@@Krisza
leaf-1 4 Plants
xp 138 XP
globe New York
11/30/2021

My cat snacks on this guy all the time and it’s resilient! Beautiful leaves.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
@eagle avatar
@@eagle
leaf-1 57 Plants
xp 3,076 XP
11/28/2021

This app states that this plant is toxic to pets and should contact poison control if ingested. This is wrong and the ASPCA lists:

Additional Common Names: Miniature Fish Tail Dwarf Palm, Good Luck Palm, Bamboo Palm
Scientific Name: Chamaedorea elegans
Family: Palmae
Toxicity: Non-Toxic to Dogs, Non-Toxic to Cats

Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
@CocoQueen avatar
@@CocoQueen
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 135 XP
globe Madison, WI
11/08/2021

Give it good sunlight

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@missjazzage avatar
@@missjazzage
leaf-1 29 Plants
xp 3,289 XP
11/05/2021

Have been struggling to keep this one happy since I acquired it. Didn’t start off well as I know I didn’t give it as much water as it needed and my cats had a field day chewing the leaves. Top leaves browned easily. Could be a case of not sitting in the right location.

Browns easily Browns easily
@bellatrecca avatar
@@bellatrecca
leaf-1 23 Plants
xp 673 XP
10/29/2021

kinda tough

Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
Elaine avatar
@Elaine
leaf-1 9 Plants
xp 156 XP
globe Arlington, MA
10/28/2021

A cat friendly and beautiful plant. Does well with filtered light.

Survivor Survivor
@MintyBobcat avatar
@@MintyBobcat
leaf-1 20 Plants
xp 656 XP
10/20/2021

Not that interesting

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Fast grower Fast grower
Survivor Survivor
Suzannah avatar
@Suzannah
leaf-1 18 Plants
xp 1,580 XP
10/19/2021

This plant currently lives in my bathroom, on a window sill with no direct light. It seems to cope well with my sporadic watering (when I remember too!). No issues with browning leaves as per other comments I’ve seen. Survives well in this environment when other plants really haven’t!

Survivor Survivor
@cindy2016 avatar
@@cindy2016
leaf-1 0 Plants
xp 169 XP
globe Indianapolis, IN
10/19/2021

Adds elegance to any room.

@cindy2016 avatar
@@cindy2016
leaf-1 0 Plants
xp 169 XP
globe Indianapolis, IN
10/19/2021

This plant just looks so elegant. Adds a beautiful ambiance to my living room.

@Earthling.olive avatar
@@Earthling.olive
leaf-1 30 Plants
xp 602 XP
10/09/2021

My parlour palm was one of my first ever plants!! It is very tolerant of light as I have experimented a lot with it, it grows very fast, and it is fairly sturdy. The only down side is that with any direct light, the leaves will burn. The leaves brown very easily and will also show the chlorination of the water in its leaves. They’re also very prone to pests so spraying frequently with been oil and checking the leaves is a must.

Fast grower Fast grower
Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Easy to propagate Easy to propagate
Survivor Survivor
Browns easily Browns easily
Pest magnet Pest magnet
@bigshe64 avatar
@@bigshe64
leaf-1 53 Plants
xp 7,206 XP
globe Ephrata, PA
09/29/2021

Keep out of direct sun

@Corbeaumortis avatar
@@Corbeaumortis
leaf-1 3 Plants
xp 269 XP
09/28/2021

Can be pretty sensitive, but if watched over well, the foliage is beautiful

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
@Nubiangoddess avatar
@@Nubiangoddess
leaf-1 67 Plants
xp 6,606 XP
globe Los Angeles, CA
09/27/2021

My parlor palm is two mini plants put together had to hang them high because my cats where having a feist with the leaves but as far as that I love him

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor
@LVL500 avatar
@@LVL500
leaf-1 20 Plants
xp 6,019 XP
09/26/2021

I have had this Parlour Palm since March/ April. It’s positioned in a room with a south facing window, a meter away from the window. I repotted it since purchasing. I know Parlour Palms are hardy as I work at a place where they have not been well cared for. What I do know they do not like direct sunlight. The leaves brown when exposed to direct sunlight.

Large, lush leaves Large, lush leaves
Survivor Survivor

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