Question
I recently bought a palm houseplant from the local grocery store (i am not sure to which variety it belongs). It came in a plastic pot, I'd like to know if i just place the whole pot into an earthen pot or do I need to discard the plastic one? And, how frequently do i need to water it? It looks like some of the leaves are turning brown at the ends. I water it every other day. And, I've even spotted a couple of worms in the soil. So, Im not sure what I should be doing. And btw, we live in Seattle and Ive placed the plant near our window.
Thanks

Answer
Julia,

Watering every other day is too often. You cannot keep the plant that wet or the roots willl rot. Keep it in the plastic pot it is in and set it in a decorative pot or basket with a drain tray inside it. When you water it an hour later you need to empty the excess water out of the drain tray so the plant is not sitting in a tray full of water. Then do not water the plant again until you insert a bamboo shish kabob skewer into the soil and it is dry at least half way down and the plant feels light weight. It will probably take at least 5-7 days before it will need watered again. It could take up to 10-14 days. When the weather is warm and the night temps are above 60 degrees the palm woulod like being outside in a shady- morning light location. You can keep it indoors if you prefer. Palms can be difficult, feel free to write again if more questions come up. Good luck.

Darlene