The golden fruit palm care made easy
The golden palm is one of the most popular indoor plants. It is very decorative and can turn your home into an urban jungle. The golden fruit palm care is really easy. We'll show you what you need to pay attention to.
Characteristics and origin
The golden fruit palm or Dypsis lutescens originally comes from tropical Madagascar. There it can grow up to 10 meters high and is unfortunately very endangered. The cultivar of the golden fruit palm is produced in large quantities, making it the world's best-selling indoor palm.
In your apartment, the golden fruit palm can grow up to 4 meters high with proper care. However, it only reaches this size after several years, as it grows very slowly. However, you can also keep the golden fruit palm small, so it is also good for smaller apartments.
Tip: In German garden centers you can also find the golden fruit palm under the name "Areca lutescens" or "Areca Palme".
The correct golden fruit palm location
The golden fruit palm grows in Madagascar in humid forests and on the banks of rivers. Although it is used to the high light intensity of Madagascar, it usually grows there in the shade of other plants. Therefore, the golden fruit palm care is also possible in our latitudes. A warm, bright location by the window would be the perfect place for your golden fruit palm.
After the winter, however, you should not put them in direct sunlight. After the dark winter quarters, the golden fruit palm first has to get used to the sun's rays again.
From Madagascar, the golden fruit palm is used to average temperatures of around 28°C and likes to be kept quite warm here too.
What soil should you buy and how often do you need to fertilize?
You can use normal potting soil here. It tolerates slightly acidic soil better than soil with a high pH and high lime content.
If you want to do something good for your golden palm tree during the growth phase, then fertilize it every 14 days. You can use special palm fertilizer or liquid fertilizer with similar NPK values.
The recommended NPK ratio is: 3:1:3 (15% N=nitrogen, 5% P=phosphate, 15% K=potassium)
You should keep this in mind when watering
The ball of earth in the bucket should always be damp, but never stand in waterlogged water. However, only water your golden fruit palm when the top soil has dried slightly and pour off excess water.
The golden fruit palm likes high humidity, so you can spray it more often with low-lime water if the room air is dry. This is how you can easily care for the golden fruit palm.
Tip: You can also keep your golden palm as a hydroponic plant. When buying, however, make sure that it is already a young plant that has been grown in hydroponics. Subsequent conversion to hydroponics often goes wrong because of the sensitive roots.
Repotting your golden fruit palm
Repotting is one of the most important steps in golden fruit palm care. It is best to repot them immediately after purchase. Because a 24 cm pot is not enough for a palm tree that is 1.20 meters high. Put them as equals in a pot at least twice their size.
Experience has shown that you have to put your palm tree in a larger container every 2-3 years.
Have a look here if you want to learn more about repotting your plants.
Do you have to prune your golden fruit palm?
The golden fruit palm can grow up to 4m high in your apartment. However, if you have a small apartment and cannot offer it that much space, then you can cut it back.
You have to cut away too high leaves very close to the trunk. However, you should leave a piece of the stalk about 5cm long on the trunk. You can remove dried leaves or brown leaves in the same way.
What do you have to consider during the winter months?
The golden fruit palm can only overwinter outdoors in the tropics, so you should leave it indoors over the winter. The winter temperature should be between 15 and 20 degrees. The palm rests between December and February. You should water them less and not fertilize them.
This is how you can propagate your golden fruit palm
You can easily propagate your golden fruit palm with offshoots. The plant normally forms lower shoots, which you can separate from the mother plant in spring. Ground shoots with a height of 30cm usually already have their own roots. You can then easily put them in a small pot with potting soil.
The safest way to rear them is to put a transparent film with ventilation holes over the pot. You then place the pot in a warm and bright place out of direct sunlight.
After about 4-6 weeks, new fronds should sprout, after which you can remove the foil. You can then fertilize your new plant after about 4 months.
Is the golden fruit palm poisonous to cats?
The golden fruit palm is non-toxic to cats. Nevertheless, cats in particular should be prevented from eating the leaves. It can be very sharp-edged and cause injuries in the esophagus or in the digestive tract. The leaves can also collect in the stomach in thick balls, which the animal can only get rid of by vomiting.
The right room for your golden fruit palm
Since the golden fruit palm can grow quite large, it should be placed in a room that has enough space. It should also be warm and bright. So how about the living room? But the golden fruit palm also likes high humidity.
So if you have a big, bright bathroom then she can also stand here.
Tips for gulf fruit palm problems
In winter, the golden fruit palm often lacks resilience. Therefore, there is often an infestation with spider mites, scale insects, mealybugs and whiteflies during the winter months. So always monitor your palm well, this is the best way to prevent a bad outbreak.
If you have already discovered an infestation, there is only one thing that can help: separate the plant from the others and fight the pests mechanically. That means collecting, showering, brushing, if necessary repotting in new soil.
If you mainly have problems with mealybugs, then we have 5 home remedies ready for you.
Caring for the golden fruit palm is really very simple. You should pay particular attention to a damp root ball here and make sure that the pests don't get the upper hand during the winter months.
Have a look at our shop where many other interesting plants are waiting to be discovered by you.
.
Leave a comment