Question
We bought a "palm" tree at Lowes last summer.  We had to bring it in over the winter to keep it alive.  We set it as close as possible to a southern window so it could get some sun.  We have a lot of fronds either brown and crunchy, or getting that way.  Should we cut the brown parts off, the whole fronds off or just let them be?  If we cut that many off, it is going to look Really bad..  We don't know much about palm trees as you may have guessed...  Thanks!

Answer
Hi Melody,
   It sounds like a water problem. The most common cause of brown fronds is under-watering and water quality. A lot of plants are sensitive to the fluoride, chlorine and hard water deposits found in most tap water. Water softeners add a lot of salts to the water which can also harm plants. I recommend using distilled water, by using distilled water you can avoid the problems that can be caused by water quality.
A general rule for watering plants is to allow the top 1-2 inches of soil to dry between watering then water just enough for a small amount of water to drain out of the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot.

Remove the brown parts of the fronds. If there are any green parts on the fronds, leave them. If not then remove the whole frond. Damaged, brown and crunchy fronds will never recover or heal. They are also not useful to the plant in absorbing sunlight or respiration so they are best pruned off. That way the plant will direct all of it's energy towards the fronds that are still healthy and to growing new fronds.

I hope this helps. If you have any questions or need additional information please don't hesitate to ask.
     Thanks
       Tracy