Greenie Get the app Indoor palms and ferns
Palms and ferns that cope with life indoors, plus the look-alikes that are neither.
8 plants
-
Palms & ferns Areca palm Chrysalidocarpus lutescens Bright Indirect Weekly
-
Palms & ferns Bird's nest fern Asplenium nidus Bright Indirect Weekly
-
Palms & ferns Boston fern Nephrolepis exaltata 'Bostoniensis' Bright Indirect Every 2-3 days -
Palms & ferns Kentia palm Howea forsteriana Medium Light Weekly -
Palms & ferns Lady palm Rhapis excelsa Medium Light Weekly -
Palms & ferns Parlor palm Chamaedorea elegans Medium Light Weekly -
Palms & ferns Ponytail palm Beaucarnea recurvata Full Sun Every 2 weeks -
Palms & ferns Staghorn fern Platycerium bifurcatum Bright Indirect Weekly
Indoor palms and ferns: the basics
Indoor palms and ferns both like steady warmth and bright, indirect light, but they differ on water: ferns want soil that stays evenly moist, while palms prefer the surface to dry a little between waterings.
Dry air is the main problem for ferns, and brown, crispy fronds are the sign. Group plants together or keep them in a bright, naturally humid room such as a bathroom. Palm tips also brown from dry air and from salts in the soil, so flush the pot with plenty of water now and then.
Not everything sold as a palm is one: the ponytail palm is a succulent relative of agaves, stores water in its swollen trunk and is watered like a succulent.