Question
I was given a Cat Palm to grow, because my co-worker was having problems with it.  It seemed extremely moist and I thought it was setting in water, it had no drain-holes in pot, so I added 3 to bottom of pot.  I cut off all of the leaves that were mottled or brown - very dry feeling.  New growth now starts out green, but before it gets too big, it too turns brown.  I have been watering it when the soil starts to dry out, thinking it had been watered too much.  However that hasn't seemed to resolve the problem.  Any ideas to save this palm?

Answer
Hi Ro,

Cat palms can be difficult plants. They must be kept evenly moist at all times, but the soil cannot stay soggy-wet. There is not much margin for error in watering these plants as there is with other plants. In addition, cat palms are very prone to spider mites when they are under stress. Finally, they require lots of bright indirect light.

You didn't specify what problems your co-worker was having before you took it over. However, adding soil to the bottom of a pot that has no drainage holes actually aggravates the problem. You should have transferred the cat palm to a pot with drainage holes so that the excess water can escape. What is happening now is that the roots in the bottom of the pot are sitting in soggy soil and that is slowly rotting the roots.

So get it out of that pot. Remove the soil you added to the bottom. Then put it in the same sized pot, but one with drainage holes. If the root damage is not too bad, then you should see a gradual decline in the deterioration of the new growth.

When properly potted, a cat palm should be watered as soon as the surface of the soil feels dry.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions. If you would like to e-mail me some photos, I may be able to provide some additional insights.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.
  
Visit my website at  www.HorticulturalHelp.com
  
Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC

You can E-mail me directly at: [email protected]