Howea Forsteriana

Kentia Palm

The Kentia palm is a popular ornamental garden or house plant. In its native habitat, it grows rather slowly to reach a height of 10m and a spread of 6m, however when grown indoors, it rarely exceeds 2 - 3 meters after many years. It prefers a climate above 10C if grown outside but can withstand a drop to freezing but for a short period only. The germination of seed is highly eratic and because of this and the amount of nurture they need as seedlings, they are quite expensive to purchase. Once established, they will tolerate low light, low humidity and fairly cool indoor temperatures which is why they were so popular in the more affluent Victorian parlours!

plant Features

Partial shade
Occasional watering
A little frost hardy: 32F (0°C)
Moist and free draining

plant information

Common name

Kentia Palm

Latin name

Howea Forsteriana

type

Palm

family

Arecaceae

ph

5.0 - 7.0 Acid - Neutral

Light

Partial shade
Frost

A little frost hardy: 32F (0°C)

Soil

Moist and free draining
Water

Occasional watering

Plant & bloom calendar

Best time to plant

full grown dimensions

The size of a fully grown Kentia Palm is 2.00meters x 3.00meters

2.00 M 3.00 M

Howea Forsteriana

Planting young plants

From Early Spring TO Early Spring

If growing your palm indoors, keep it away from any direct sources of heat and choose a location where it receives bright natural daylight, but avoid direct sunshine through glass as this can burn the leaves. Plant in any general purpose compost, mixed with some John Innes #3 and perhaps some slow release fertiliser. They look best in containers when planted as a group of three or more in a cluster. If planting out, choose a site that is sheltered from the sun to avoid scorching the leaves of young plants. As they mature and grow taller, they are more tolerant of sun but avoid full sun in the hottest part of the day.

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