Tips On Watering Areca Palms

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Areca Palm (Chrysalidocarpus lutescens or Dypsis lutescens) hails from Madagascar. If you live in a natural tropical area such as USDA hardiness zones 9-11, you can grow this attractive tree outdoors year-round.

This attractive, popular indoor palm tree sports long, arching, feathery fronds with attractive, narrow leaflets. The plant is colorful because of its bright orange/yellow stalks and pale green leaves.

Areca palm growing in the landscapePin

The butterfly palm grows to a height of about 7′ feet indoors. Areca Palm is a slow-growing palm and will add no more than 10″ inches of height annually.

Areca palms need a consistently warm temperature of 75° to 85° degrees Fahrenheit in the daytime and 65° to 70° degrees Fahrenheit at night. These plants do well indoors when given plenty of space, bright, indirect sunlight, good air circulation, and the right amount of watering.


But for an indoor palm, we vote for Lady palms (Rhapis) or Bamboo palms (Chamaedorea).

In this article, we focus on the watering of the Areca palm. Here’s how:

You should water your Areca Palm regularly, but take care not to overwater it. As with most plants, too much water will lead to fungus problems, which will cause browning of the leaves and root rot.

In the spring and summertime, you’ll need to water more often. So during these warm months, be sure to keep the soil a little bit moist at all times.

In the wintertime, give your tree a rest. Let the soil dry out a little bit in between waterings. Then, water lightly in the wintertime.

How Do You Water And Areca Palm?

When you water your palm, be sure to double-check to make sure it needs watering. Poke your finger into the soil to see if it is still damp. If the soil is moist, hold off for a while. When the top couple of inches of soil are dry, water your plant.

Whenever you water your plant, be sure to soak the soil’s surface around the plant. Don’t just water in one spot. If your plant is in a container, check the drainage hole from time to time to make sure that it’s not clogged. Never let your Areca Palm stand in water.

How Much Water Does An Areca Palm Need?

The size of your tree is one important factor to consider when deciding how much water to give your plant. Generally speaking, a good-sized Areca Palm may need 1 or 2 gallons of water at each watering. Be sure to use filtered, distilled, or rainwater as these plants are quite sensitive to salts and chemicals.

Should You Add Fertilizer To The Water?

You don’t need to give your Areca Palm fertilizer, but you can if you want to. First, early in the springtime, give it a feeding of a good quality time-released fertilizer that has an NPK rating of 8–2–12. Then, you may wish to fertilize again in mid-summer. Indoors do not fertilize more than twice a year.

How Often Should You Water?

During the spring and summertime, water your palm thoroughly every 10-14 days. In the autumn and winter, you would reduce your watering schedule to 14-21 days.



Be very careful not to overwater during the wintertime. The combination of cold temperatures and too much water is a sure recipe for root rot.

How Do You Know If Your Areca Palm Has Root Rot?

Look at your plant’s leaves. If they are turning yellow or brown or starting to wilt, your plant may be telling you that it is developing a problem with root rot. To deal with this, you may need to repot your plant. 

Remove all of the old soil, rinse the plant’s roots and cut away any damaged or diseased roots and foliage. Repot in completely clean potting mixture and take great care not to overwater in the future. 

Consider The Big Picture

Other factors that may go toward determining how often and how much you should water your Areca Palm include the plant’s placement. Plants that are in warmer, sunnier environments need more water.

Humidity levels must also be taken into account. Ideally, your palm tree would like to have a humidity level of about 55%. If the air is dry, your plant will need more water to drink, and it may also need a humidifier or a pebble tray.