Question
QUESTION:  HI! I am a gardener at a hotel and when I came to work here a lot of the plants seemed to be hopeless. I have revived most of them except for the Neanthe Bella Palms. I have three of these beautiful plants and they just seem to be struggling. I water them twice a week... is this too much? Too little? HELP!

ANSWER: Hi Kayla,

Frankly I am a bit concerned that you are being paid to take care of some plants about which you don't even seem to understand the basics.

The frequency of watering for ANY species of plant, including Neanthe bella palms depends on the pot size, the available light, the temperature, the soil composition, the humidity and your watering technique. To suggest that there is a formula for specific schedule for watering a particular plant species is to not understand plant watering at its most fundamental level.

I am not trying to be hard on you, but I have a different standard for someone who is getting paid for their plant work than I do for someone who is struggling to care of their plants at home.

Regards,
Will Creed
Interiorscaper



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I understand your concern. In fact, I didn't even apply for this position. I did a lot of research for these plants and like I said most of them have been revived. The pots are small because the palms are small... They are in the pool area which is fairly humid and they are placed just to the left of a south facing window. The soil is just miracle grow if I'm not mistaken. I understand that the plant requires slightly moist soil. I use a watering can and I usually only water them once a week. I know that I'm not the most qualified person for the job but I love these plants as if they were my own. I take care of them 40 hours a week... something more helpful then telling me that I don't know anything about them would be great.

Answer
Hi Kayla,

For someone experienced enough to be taking care of plants in a hotel, you should know that no one can tell you how often to water without your indicating all of the relevant factors that I listed. That is what I was reacting to.

Allow the top eighth of the soil to dry out before watering the N. bella palms thoroughly. Theses palms also do not do well in bright light and if they are looking pale, then too much light may be the problem.

I hope this is helpful to you.

~Will Creed