Growing Lady Palm Indoors is a novice job if you know the right steps. This Bamboo Palm Care Guide will help you out!
Elegant and green, Bamboo Palms liven the bland corners like a pro! Noted for gorgeous, glossy foliage, easy-going nature, and shrubby appearance, this Lady Palm Indoor Care guide has all the necessary information you’ll ever need!
- Botanical Name: Rhapis excelsa
- USDA Zones: 9 – 11
- Thrives in warm and shady locations, making for an excellent houseplant
- Prefers well-draining, loamy, nutrient-rich medium
- Attains a handsome height of 1-3 feet indoors
- Relatively slow-grower
Learn about Growing Ruffled Fan Palm Indoors here
Lady Palm Information
The Lady Palm is a sub-species of the Fan Palm, widely popular as the Bamboo Palm. The perennial evergreen is native to Southern China and Taiwan and gradually spread to Europe and America. The glossy foliage resembles a hand, spreading out slender finger-like leaflets that form a dense canopy over the trunk.
Prized for its ornamental value, the gorgeous plant can attain a height of 1-3 feet indoors. If you are a busy gardener, this perennial will help you to keep a check on its spread with its slow-growing nature. Display this stellar palm on your balcony, living room, or by the entrance and flaunt your green thumb!
Propagating Lady Palm Indoors
The best way to multiply Bamboo Palm is to propagate its offsets by root division. Get a healthy and well-grown Rhapis excelsa and take it out of the pot. Remember to water the plant thoroughly prior to 2 days to keep the roots hydrated. Once the root clump is out, detangle the offsets from the mother plant. If required, use a sterilized knife to separate it.
Plant the divided parts into a pot filled with a well-draining and nutrient-rich loamy soil mix. Keep the medium moist and provide bright, indirect sunlight. You’ll notice new growth in the offsets in a couple of weeks.
In case you want to propagate Lady Palm from seeds—they need a minimum of 80 F or 27 C to germinate. Start the Lady Palm seeds in a soil-less medium and cover them with a thin layer of soil. Keep the medium moist and warm until the seeds sprout out in a few weeks. Transplant the healthy seedlings to bigger pots once they are 6-7 inches long.
Tip: To save your time and energy, get a well-grown Bamboo Palm from the nursery and nurture it at your home.
Ideal Pot Size
The best trick to choose a container for an Indoor Lady Palm is getting a pot one size bigger than its root ball. As the plant loves to stay a little cramped, an 8-10 inches pot is enough for an average-sized Bamboo Palm. If you go for a bigger specimen, consider getting a 12-14 inches container. Ensure enough drainage holes at the bottom.
As this gorgeous plant is a slow-growing specimen, you need not repot in every year. Investing in a showy planter that’ll match the aesthetics of its glossy crown is worthwhile!
Learn the Steps to Grow an Indoor Travelers Palm here
Requirements for Growing Lady Palm Indoors
Light
LightLady Palm Indoors makes for an ideal houseplant due to its indirect light preference. This plant grows best in partial shade, with 3-4 hours of filtered sunlight during the day. The ideal spot to keep your Lady Palm Indoors is near a window that’ll allow the plant to bask in a few hours of the morning sunlight.
Direct sunlight will scorch its leaves, ripping off the glaze and shine, so keep away from the intense sun.
Water
Water this drought-tolerant plant according to the weather. Treat your Bamboo Palm with frequent showers in the summer and spring when it is in its active growth stage. While you may cut back in the cooler months and wait till the medium dries a little.
Keep an eye on the top inch of the soil and do the needful. Do NOT leave the medium soggy.
Soil
Lady Palm can grow in any soil but grows best in well-drained, moist loamy soil with acidic or neutral pH. A market-bought potting mix for palms or African violets also works well for growing a Lady Palm Indoors. Make sure the medium has a free texture enriched with a handful of manure.
Temperature and Humidity
This plant is adapted to grow as a tropical and subtropical plant and thrives in a temperature range between 65-85 F or 18-29 C. If the indoor temperature falls below 55 F or 12 C, expose the plant to heaters to prevent it from cold shocks.
Humidity requirements for Lady Palm are low. The normal indoor room temperature humidity is good enough for the plant. Mist the plant on extremely dry days.
Lady Palm Indoor Care
Fertilizer
Lady Palm doesn’t require frequent fertilization. Feed it in the growing months using a liquid fertilizer, diluted to half its strength every 4-6 weeks. Be careful not to over-fertilize the plant, or the tips of the leaves will turn black.
Pests and Diseases
Pests do not generally bother this plant, but they might suffer from occasional spot diseases, yellowing leaves, or webbing on the foliage due to mites, mealybugs, and scales. Use organic neem oil spray once a month to fight them.
Keep the spot airy and the medium well-drained to keep most diseases at bay.
