Kentia palm

For this plant

Water when the top few centimetres are dry, roughly every ten days in summer and every three weeks in winter.

The principle

A low need means a clear dry-then-wet cycle. Wait until the top two thirds of the substrate are dry, water until it runs from the base, then empty the saucer ten minutes later. Permanently moist soil suffocates roots far faster than dryness starves them.

For this plant

Medium to bright light, always indirect. It copes with dim rooms better than any other palm.

The principle

Partial shade is bright but filtered light: a metre back from a glazed door, behind a sheer curtain, or morning sun only. It is the broadest and easiest exposure to achieve in a Moroccan interior. Direct afternoon sun, by contrast, leaves irreversible bleached patches on the leaf.

For this plant

One slow-release feed in spring is enough for the year.

The principle

A slow grower consumes little: two or three half-strength feeds between April and August are enough. Over-feeding does not speed it up — it burns the roots and leaves a white crust on the substrate. Repotting every three years renews most of its reserves.

For this plant

From 12 to 30 °C; tolerates the dry air of air-conditioned interiors.

The principle

This plant is comfortable between 15 and 30 °C, the range of a Moroccan interior all year. Above 35 °C, move it out of direct sun and water more often without watering more heavily. The most common enemy is not the heat but the dry stream of an air conditioner aimed at the foliage.