Parlor Palm problems & how to fix them
Chamaedorea elegans
Drooping, yellowing, brown tips, or a plant that just won’t thrive? Here are the most common Parlor Palm problems, what usually causes them, and how to turn things around.
Common problems
Spider mites
Its number-one enemy — dry winter air brings fine webbing and speckled, greying fronds. Tiny sap-sucking mites that thrive in warm, dry air and leave fine webbing and speckled leaves. Caught early they are very treatable; most plants recover fully within 3-4 weeks of consistent treatment.
a two-spotted spider mite among its silk threads
Photo: Gilles San Martin · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Overwatering
Constantly wet soil rots its fine roots and yellows the plant from the base. The soil is staying wet longer than the plant can handle, starving roots of oxygen. If caught before roots start rotting, the fix is simple - let the soil dry out and adjust the routine - and most plants bounce back within 2-3 weeks.
a yellowing lower leaf on a potted Chinese evergreen
Photo: Saurav9656 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Crispy tips (low humidity)
Dry air, dry spells, or salty tap water brown the leaflet tips. Brown, dry leaf tips caused by air that is too dry for the plant, common in heated or air-conditioned rooms. Existing crispy tips never turn green again, but with higher humidity new growth should come in clean within a few weeks.
Fertilizer burn
Its light-feeding roots scorch easily from full-strength or too-frequent fertilizer. Root and leaf damage from a buildup of fertilizer salts in the soil, usually after overfeeding. Burned leaf tissue will not recover, but flushing the soil stops further damage and most plants push healthy new growth within two to three weeks.
fertiliser burn browning a leaf between its veins
Photo: Fenrisulfir · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
The mistakes that most often kill it
- Letting spider mites go unnoticed through a dry winter.
- Keeping the pot standing in water until the roots rot.
- Placing it in hot direct sun, which bleaches the fronds beyond recovery.
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