Gardening Houseplants Types of Houseplants

How to Grow and Care for Parlor Palm

Parlor palm, also known as Chamaedorea elegans, is known for its lush, tropical fronds. It's also one of the best types of palms for beginners.

Parlor palms grow best in tropical or indoor conditions with bright, indirect sunlight, well-drained acidic to neutral soil, and temperatures between 65°F and 75°F, though they can adapt to lower light conditions.

Keeping a parlor palm in your home helps purify and clean the air, adds humidity, and provides an attractive touch of green.

parlor palm

The Spruce / Krystal Slagle

The parlor palm was discovered in Central America and brought back to the United States, where it became a popular indoor palm.

Parlor palms grow in attractive clumps with light-textured foliage cloaking thin trunks. These slow growers can take years to reach full height (2 to 6 feet indoors and 6 to 16 feet outdoors).

Parlor palms can live for a few decades as an indoor tree and even longer outdoors in the right climate.

Common Name Parlor palm, Neanthe bella palm
Botanical Name  Chamaedorea elegans
Family Arecaceae
Plant Type Palm
Mature Size In natural habitat, 6-16 ft. tall; as a houseplant, 2-6 ft. tall, 2-3-ft. spread
Sun Exposure Bright, indirect light
Soil Type Outdoors, any well-drained soil; indoors, use a peaty soil-based potting mix
Soil pH Acidic to neutral
Bloom Time Spring; rarely blooms indoors
Flower Color Yellow
Hardiness Zones 10-12 (USDA)
Native Area  Rainforests of southern Mexico and Guatemala

Parlor Palm Care

Here are the main care requirements for growing a parlor palm.

  • Grow in a 3-gallon indoor palm pot (about 10 inches wide) in a northern exposure or foyer.
  • Plant in well-drained, peaty soil-based potting mix with an acidic to neutral pH.
  • Place in bright, indirect light with temperatures between 65°F and 75°F .
  • Be careful not to overwater or allow the parlor palm to get too much sunlight. It can be grown as a low-light plant.
  • Use a balanced liquid fertilizer monthly to encourage growth, though know that it's a slow grower that could take a year or longer to reach its full height of 2 to 6 feet.

Growing Tip

If you don't have bright, indirect light, don't worry! The parlor palm is an easygoing plant that can adapt to low light and lower temperatures.

closeup of parlor palm fronds
The Spruce / Krystal Slagle
slightly overhead shot of a parlor palm
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
closeup of parlor palm
The Spruce / Cara Cormack
Chamaedorea elegans otherwise known as a parlor palm
 Benoitbruchez / Getty Images

Light

These are considered low-light plants, but that doesn't mean "no-light." Parlor palms will grow best in bright, filtered sunlight. They often do well with light from a north-facing window.

Soil

Indoors, any high-quality peat-based potting mix will suffice. Be careful not to let the mixture break down and become spongy. Outdoors, this palm will grow well in almost any soil—sand, loamy, or clay—but does not tolerate salty soil.

Water

Like many palms, parlor palms are sensitive to overwatering and cannot tolerate being waterlogged or sitting in a saturated potting mix. Ideally, keep moisture at an even level.

Err on the side of slightly too dry rather than overwatering. Water when the top 1 inch of soil feels dry. Yellow fronds will indicate the plant needs more water.

Temperature and Humidity

The parlor palm prefers room temperatures between 65 and 80 degrees. It can tolerate a low of 50 degrees but will die if touched by frost. Keep the plant away from cold drafts near windows, vents, and outside doors. It will thrive with average humidity.

If your palm begins to develop dry leaf margins or brown tips, it's most likely caused by cold drafts or prolonged dry periods.

To remedy this situation, raise the humidity levels in your space before ramping up your watering schedule.

Fertilizer

Feed with a weak liquid fertilizer once or twice during the growing season and not at all during the winter. These plants are light feeders.

Types of Parlor Palms

  • C. elegans is the most popular type of parlor palm. It's native to Mexico and Central America and is sometimes used in dish gardens.
  • C. erumpens is a bamboo palm that originates slightly further south than C. elegans and is a bit larger, with more fan-like leaves.
  • C. hooperiana is a newer variety that resembles a kentia palm with its large, dramatic palm-shaped leaves. It's a vigorous plant that's easy to grow.

Pruning

While you may remove fronds that have dried, browned, or yellowed, do not prune the parlor palm. This will stop its growth and is not necessary in caring for palm trees of this type.

Propagating Parlor Palm

These plants are almost always propagated from seed by professional growers. It may be possible to divide a clump into two smaller clumps successfully, but this is not recommended because it will put the plant and its roots under too much stress.

The plants aren't clumping by nature but grown in clumps for aesthetic reasons. They cannot be propagated by stem cutting or leaf cutting. In general, home growers should buy a new plant rather than attempt propagation.

Potting and Repotting

Parlor palms have weak root systems and grow relatively slowly, meaning that repotting must be done with care. Repot the plant into a container no more than two inches larger in diameter than the previous pot.

In general, the plants stay a manageable size, so you shouldn't have to repot it more often than every other year. If your potting media breaks down and becomes mucky or sponge-like, repot your plant to prevent root rot.

Common Pests & Diseases

Parlor palms are vulnerable to pests including aphids, mealy bugs, scale, and whitefly. If possible, identify the infestation early. Fungal leaf spots and root rot can occur from moisture issues such as overwatering.

If you've found pests, wipe down the leaves with mild soap and water, then treat them with an organic insecticide. With fungal growth, remove the affected leaves.

Common Problems With Parlor Palm

The parlor palm is beloved for its easygoing nature, adaptability, and ease for first-time plant owners, but that doesn't mean it is completely free from issues. Here are a few of the parlor palm's common problems and how to solve for them.

Browning Leaf Tips

Browning leaf tips are often caused by either exposure to too much sunlight or underwatering. While parlor palms adapt easily to low light, make sure you don't go in the other direction with too much light. Place them in a north-facing room and water adequately.

Yellowing Leaves

Similarly, yellowing leaves can also be caused by too much sunlight and, again, it's an easy fix. Just move to a place with less direct light!

However, yellowing can also occur from overwatering. Make sure you let the soil dry out between watering.

Root Rot

Root rot can occur following overwatering. In this case, try to save the healthy roots by cutting off the impacted roots. Once you've transplanted the parlor palm, make sure not to overwater or you could face root rot again.

Stem Cankers

Stem cankers can be difficult to treat, particularly in a parlor palm, which can't be significantly pruned. Attempt to cut off the affected area, but know that it may be too late at this point to save the plant.

FAQ
  • Is parlor palm easy to care for?

    Parlor palm is one of the easiest palms to grow indoors and it's virtually maintenance-free. It's also a recommended plant for beginner indoor gardeners.

  • Does parlor palm need sunlight?

    All plants need sunlight to live. Although parlor palms are adaptable to lower-light conditions, they do require a light source to grow. Parlor palms will do best with bright, filtered light, but they can grow in lower-light spaces, such as in a north-facing window.

  • Do you water parlor palm on top or bottom?

    Water an indoor parlor palm from the top rather than the bottom. This plan does not like its roots sitting in water.

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  1. Indoor Palms. Clemson University Cooperative Extension

  2. Chamaedorea Elegans. Missouri Botanical Garden