How to grow and care for Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) Indoors

Chamaedorea elegans is native to the dense forests of Guatemala and Southern Mexico an environment that is consistently warm and humid.

Parlour Palm Air Purifying

According to the NASA Clean Air Study, Chamaedorea elegans was found to get rid of common VOCs like xylene, toulene, benzene, formaldehyde, trichloethylene and ammonia from indoor air.

Parlour Palm for Sale

Buy beautiful and healthy Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) from Etsy.

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Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) Care Indoors

Parlour Palm Light Requirements

Chamaedorea elegans grows best in bright, indirect light but it can tolerate some shade even artificial lighting.

Keep Parlour Palm away from direct sunlight which may scorch the leaves. Check out this guide on understanding light for houseplants.

How to water Parlour Palm

Keep the soil moderately moist at all times for Parlour Palm during the growing season.

Reduce watering in the cold season and allow the soil to dry out between waterings as Parlour Palm growth is minimal at this time.

Use chlorine-free water for watering; like all palms, Parlour Palm is sensitive to chlorine and other chemicals dissolved in water. Read more on how to water houseplants

Do not allow the palm to sit in soggy soil as it may lead to root-rot disease and the eventual death of your Parlour Palm..

Temperature for Parlour Palm

Average warmth with a minimum of 12⁰C is ideal for Parlour Palm. If the temperature is comfortable for you it is suitable for your Parlour Palm.

Protect your Parlour Palm from cold draughts. Check out this guide on understanding temperature for houseplants.

Humidity for Parlour Palm

Average room humidity is ideal for your Parlour Palm. Mist the leaves frequently during hot weather or set the pot on a wet pebble tray to raise humidity for your Parlour Palm. Read more on how to raise humidity for houseplants.

Parlour Palm can also be grown in a terrarium where the humidity is consistently high. Check out this guide on how to make a closed terrarium for houseplants.

How to Clean Parlour Palm

Occasionally clean the mature leaves (fronds) of your Parlour Palm by damp-wiping with a soft cloth to get rid of dust. Read more on how to clean houseplants.

Fertilizer (Feeding) for Parlour Palm

Feed Chamaedorea elegans every 3-4 weeks with a balanced, water-soluble fertilizer during the growing period.

Water your Parlour Palm thoroughly until the solution comes out through the drainage holes to flush out excess chemicals from the soil.

Withhold feeding for your Parlour Palm in the cold season as growth is minimal at this time. Read more on how to feed houseplants.

How to repot Parlour Palm

Repot Parlour Palm at the beginning of the growing season only when the palm has become root-bound; Parlour Palms does not like root disturbance.

Use a pot 1-2 sizes larger that has a drainage hole for your Parlour Palm. The soil should be free-draining and rich in organic matter.

How to prune Parlour Palm

Pruning Parlour Palm is easy. Cut away the old brown and dry fronds near the soil surface to maintain your plant neat and tidy.

Do not cut away any leaf with green in it as it continues to supply nutrients to your Parlour Palm.

Where the Parlour Palm seeds are required for propagation, allow the fruits to mature and drop then cut away the spent flower stalk.

Where the Parlour Palm seeds are not required, cut away the flower stalk immediately to prevent the plant from wasting energy on developing the flowers and seeds. Read more on how to prune houseplants.

Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) Propagation

Parlour Palm can be propagated from seeds, offshoots or by plant division.

How to propagate Parlour Palm from seeds

Parlour Palm seed germination is difficult and may take up to 4-6 months.

Sow the Parlour Palm seeds in moist soil and place in a warm place, about 30⁰C.

Keep the soil moist through out the period until germination of Parlour Palm seeds takes place.

Lower the temperature slightly after germination and maintain the soil moist until the new Parlour Palms are well established.

How to propagate Parlour Palm from offshoots

With a sharp sterilized knife or scissors, carefully cut the Parlour Palm offshoot from the mother plant. Ensure the offshoot has adequate roots before seperating it from the mother.

Pot the Parlour Palm offshoot in its own pot, place in a cool shaded place and maintain the soil moist through out.

Allow the Parlour Palm offshoot to be well established before transplanting.

How to propagate Parlour Palm from splits

During repotting, divide your Parlour Palm into sections and plant the sections in individual pots.

Place in a cool, shaded place and maintain the soil moist until new growth emerges and the new Parlour Palm is well established.

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Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) Problems Indoors

Why does my Parlour Palm have brown leaf tips?

There are four reasons for brown leaf tips in Parlour Palm. Trim off the brown tips with sterilized scissors.

One reason for brown leaf tips in your Parlour Palm is dry air. Raise humidity for your Parlour Palm by more frequent misting or set the pot on a wet pebble tray. Read more on how to raise humidity for houseplants.

The second reason for brown leaf tips in your Parlour Palm is underwatering. Keep the soil moderately moist at all times for your Parlour Palm during the growing season.

Reduce watering for your Parlour Palm during the cold season and allow the soil to dry out between waterings.

The third reason for brown leaf tips in your Parlour Palm is cold draughts. Protect your Parlour Palm from draughts to maintain an average warmth with a minimum of 12⁰C.

The fourth reason for brown leaf tips in your Parlour Palm is is damage by touching. Place your Parlour Palm from the line of traffic.

Why are the fronds of my Parlour Palm yellowing?

Underwatering is the cause of yellowing fronds in your Parlour Palm. Keep the soil moderately moist at all times during the growing season. Do not allow the soil to dry out completely.

Why does my Parlour Palm have brown leaf spots?

There are possible causes of brown leaf spots in Parlour Palm. Remove the affected leaves and discard.

One cause of brown leaf spots on your Parlour Palm is overwatering. Keep the soil moderately moist at all times during the growing season but not soggy.

Ensure the pot for your Parlour Palm has a drainage hole and the soil is free-draining to avoid getting soggy soil.

The second causes of brown leaf spots on your Parlour Palm is sudden decrease of temperature due to cold draughts.

Protect your Parlour Palm from draughts to maintain an average warmth with a minimum of 12⁰C.

Why are the leaves of my Parlour Palm browning?

The lower leaves of your Parlour Palm may turn brown and droop due to age; remove by cutting and not pulling.

If the browning of the leaves of your Parlour Palm is general and accompanied by rotting, the reason is root-rot disease due to soggy soil.

Parlour Palm Pests

Common plant pests in Parlour Palm are Red Spider Mite, Scales and Mealy Bugs.

Regularly check underneath the leaves of your Parlour Palm for these pests. Isolate the affected Parlour Palm to prevent spread to the other houseplants.

Is Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) toxic?

The foliage of Parlour Palm (Chamaedorea elegans) is non-toxic to both humans and pets.

The fruits (berries) are highly poisonous to both humans and pets. It is important to prevent flowering by removing the flower stalks when they begin to form.