Garden Care Guide

Parlor Palm Care

Chamaedorea elegans

A popular houseplant known for its tolerance of low light and easy care. It should be protected from direct sunlight and the top of its soil should be allowed to dry between waterings; dry indoor environments increase the risk of spider mites.

Frost-tender (protect from frost) · 2 °C / 36 °F

Monthly care calendar

Timings are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate. In warmer areas tasks start earlier, in colder areas later; in the Southern Hemisphere shift them by six months.

January
  • Watering: Reduce the frequency; water when the top 3-4 cm of soil has dried (every 15-20 days).
  • Pruning: Cut only fronds that have dried out or yellowed completely, at the base. Never cut the growing tip.
  • Plant protection: In the dry indoor environment created by heating, check the undersides of the leaves for the risk of spider mites.
  • General care: Flowering begins.
  • Pests & diseases: Spider mites (webbing and wilting on the leaves) are the biggest threat.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
February
  • Watering: Continue reducing the watering frequency (every 15-20 days).
  • Pruning: It does not need formative pruning and its top should not be cut. Only remove dry, broken, and diseased branches. Only remove dried-up leaves; if living green leaves are cut, the leader shoot is damaged. You can pull up basal shoots.
  • Plant protection: Continue checking for spider mites.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
March
  • Watering: Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during its first year, as its root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: At the end of the month, start feeding with a balanced NPK (e.g. 20-20-20) liquid fertilizer diluted to half strength (do not overfeed).
  • Pruning: Remove branches that dry out in winter.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
April
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days. Water newly planted plants more often than established plants during the first year; the root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
  • Pruning: Regularly remove yellowing lower branches.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
May
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week. Water newly planted plants more often than established plants during the first year; the root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
  • Pruning: Remove yellowing branches.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues. Apply mulch 5-7 cm thick over the root zone; it conserves soil moisture and suppresses weeds. Do not press mulch against the stem.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
June
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water slowly until the soil is wet to a depth of 30 cm. Water a newly planted specimen more often than established plants during the first year; its root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
  • Pruning: Remove yellowing branches.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Look for aphids (green or black clusters of small insects) on fresh shoot tips. If there are only a few, you can knock them off with a strong jet of water.
July
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water slowly until the soil is wet to a depth of 30 cm.
  • Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
  • Pruning: Remove yellowing branches.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering continues. Keep it in a position sheltered from midday sun; scorching at the leaf edges is a sign of burn.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, look on the undersides of the leaves for fine webbing and speckled yellowing (spider mites). Washing the leaves during the cool hours reduces their numbers.
August
  • Watering: Water deeply twice a week; prefer infrequent and generous watering over small and frequent. Water slowly until the soil is wet to a depth of 30 cm.
  • Fertilizing: Give liquid fertilizer once a month.
  • Pruning: Remove yellowing branches.
  • Plant protection: If symptoms spread and treatment is needed, consult a licensed plant-protection supplier or an agronomist. Plant protection products are regulated; follow local rules.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: In hot and dry weather, look on the undersides of the leaves for fine webbing and speckled yellowing (spider mites). Washing the leaves during the cool hours reduces their numbers.
September
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water once a week. Water newly planted plants more often than established plants during the first year; the root system is still shallow.
  • Fertilizing: Make this month's feeding the last of the season; afterward, the plant needs to prepare for winter.
  • Pruning: Cut only yellowed or completely dried-out branches.
  • Plant protection: Keep checking for spider mites; it is still a risky period.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Do not stop checking for spider mites.
October
  • Watering: If there is no rainfall, water every 15 days. Water newly planted plants more often than established plants during the first year; the root system is still shallow.
  • Pruning: Remove yellowing branches.
  • General care: Suitable period for planting and transplanting. Flowering continues.
November
  • Watering: Reduce watering; water when the top 3-4 cm of soil has dried.
  • Pruning: Remove yellowing branches.
  • Plant protection: Check for the risk of spider mites in dry indoor conditions.
  • General care: Flowering continues.
  • Pests & diseases: Check for spider mites.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.
December
  • Watering: Every 15-20 days, or water when the top of the soil is dry.
  • Pruning: Remove yellowing branches.
  • Plant protection: Check for spider mites.
  • General care: Flowering continues. Evergreen leaves keep losing water in winter. Water thoroughly once before the soil freezes.
  • Pests & diseases: In dry, warm indoor spaces, spider mites can be a problem in winter as well.
  • Frost risk: If frost is expected, cover with frost fabric; if in a pot, move to a sheltered place. Damaged below approximately 2 °C.

The care advice on this page is general and for information only; it is not professional advice. Plant age, soil and your garden’s microclimate can change the outcome. Plant protection products are mentioned only as general information; they are regulated, and the choice, dose and timing must be decided by a qualified professional under local rules. Consult a landscape architect or agronomist before applying.

Want reminders for every plant in your garden? Our garden-care app with monthly task lists and frost alerts is currently available in Turkish; the English version is on the way.

Browse all plant guides