You have several options upon receipt of your kentia palm tree (Howea forsteriana).

• Cover the base of an attractive planter with potsherds or a layer of hydro pellets. A pot with holes in the base on a dish is preferable. Stand your plant in the planter, nursery pot and all. Water immediately.
• Remove from the nursery pot and pot up in a nice planter with holes in the base and standing on a dish. Cover the holes in the pot with potsherds or a layer of hydro pellets. Add fresh potting compost and stand the root ball at the correct depth in the pot. Fill the pot with more compost (to around 3 cm below the edge of the pot) and press firmly down. Water immediately.
• Just stand your plant on a dish, still in its nursery pot. Water immediately. Be sure not to leave it standing in drainage water for more than 24 hours but do not allow it to dry out.

The best spot for your kentia palm tree (Howea forsteriana)

The most perfect spot for your plant is:

1. Somewhere with lots of light but is protected from the full blast of the midday sun. Mornings and evenings are not a problem and will even be appreciated! About 3 metres from the window would probably be ideal. This plant tolerates quite a bit of shade and even 6 metres from a window should cause no problems.
2. Somewhere warm - between 18 and 23 degrees centigrade. If you have underfloor heating, so much the better. Standing your kentia palm tree (Howea forsteriana) above a radiator is not a good idea as your plant will dry out all the quicker with a resulting loss of leaf or leaves that turn brown.

Water your kentia palm tree (Howea forsteriana) regularly (2x a week in the summer, once a week in the winter) keeping the pot moist. Feed monthly during the growing season with greenhouse plant food.

The kentia palm tree (Howea forsteriana) can withstand dry indoor air - just be sure to give it sufficient space where it will not be bumped into.

Extra tips

• Spray the leaves at least twice a year (a lukewarm shower hose would suffice but a summer’s rain shower would be better). This helps keep dust to a minimum.
• Keep this plant out of draughts.

The kentia palm tree (Howea forsteriana) is one of the Arecaceae and is also known as the thatch palm tree.

Originating on Lord Howe Island, off the coast of Australia it is still not found anywhere else in the wild. In tropical climes it is used as outdoor décor but in temperate climes as a houseplant.