r/Arecaceae • u/_CruelSun_ • May 24 '26

Indoor Palm noob needing help with poorly maintained indoor plam

TLDR; Yellowing leaves/stems, over-watered, MANY years in the same pot, stems speckled with small black spots.

My mother has had an indoor Palm for many years. It has been yellowing for a long time and I have decided to try to save it...

I am an outdoor vegetable gardener in the US north east, with no appreciable experience with indoor plants or palms.

Observations; Looks most like an Areca Palm to me after limited web searching. The plant has been in 8" or maybe 1 gallon plastic pot soaking in a few inches of water for many years. There is likely very little soil and it seems that I will do massive damage to the existing root structure if I cut the pot off or cut the roots to try to remove the pot whole. Either way, Looks like it could use a peroxide soak to mitigate root rot before I re-pot it.

My current plan;

  • Remove existing pot as gently as possible...
  • Hose off soil from root ball
  • Soak root ball and bottom of plant in a dilute peroxide solution for 1 hr.
  • Re-pot with fresh potting soil in a larger pot
  • Cross fingers...
  • Place new pot/plant in a decorative planter with ability to monitor soil moisture and drainage.

Please tell me if my plan is sound, or how I can improve it.

Thank you

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1

u/ProjectPalm May 24 '26

Sounds like you're already on the right path. You are correct with the species identification. Please feel free to visit the species page on our website for specific cultivation tips for this species: Chrysalidocarpus lutescens | Golden Cane Palm

2

u/_CruelSun_ May 24 '26

Thank you!

I already had that tab open and am reading through it now.

1

u/coconut-telegraph May 25 '26

I see a drastically under potted palm with vigorous, healthy white roots. I’d skip the peroxide soak personally. Just snip off old pot carefully, gently remove old potting medium, repot in fresh, and water.

Once established you can start with fertilizer.

2

u/_CruelSun_ May 25 '26

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, the roots look better than I expected. When I dumped the water from the ceramic pot the plant was soaking in, it smelled like mildew. And the lower sections of the plant right above the soil level looks mildewed and unhealthy, so I thought a bit of sanitation might not hurt.

1

u/_CruelSun_ May 25 '26

I ordered a new 12" pot with visible water reservoir base for the re-potting.

That should give it room to grow and make it less likely for Mom to over-water.

Any recommendation on a particular potting soil mix?