Areca palm and lady palm care in Dubai: light, water and AC

Areca palms and lady palms both need bright to medium indirect light, steady moisture (water about every 5 to 7 days in a Dubai summer, 8 to 12 in winter) and protection from cold vents. The lady palm copes better with low light and dry air.

Key takeaways

• Areca wants bright indirect light. Lady palm tolerates medium light.
• Water when the top 2 to 3 cm is dry, about every 5 to 7 days in summer and 8 to 12 days in winter, under AC.
• Brown tips are the most common problem, from dry air, salts or uneven watering.
• Spider mites love palms in dry, air-conditioned rooms. Check the undersides of fronds.
• Don't cut a palm's main growing point, and trim only fronds that are fully brown.

What's the difference between an areca palm and a lady palm?

Areca palm (Dypsis lutescens, also sold as butterfly palm) forms a clump of arching, feathery fronds with yellow-green stems. It's bright and full, but fussier. Lady palm (Rhapis excelsa) has stiff, dark green, fan-shaped leaves on thin, bamboo-like canes. It grows slowly, forms a tight clump and handles a wider range of conditions.

Our shop lists the Lady Palm and the Rhapis Excelsa Bushy Tall. We don't list an areca palm in the indoor range at the moment, so there's no product link for it here.

How much light do they need?

Areca: bright indirect light, such as a spot close to a large window. In a dim room the fronds go pale and thin. Hot direct sun through Dubai glass bleaches or scorches the fronds, so filter west and south light.

Lady palm: medium to bright indirect light. It tolerates lower light and slowly grows toward the window. Rotate the pot a quarter turn every week or two to keep the shape even.

How often should you water palms in a Dubai summer?

Both like evenly moist soil, not wet and not bone dry. Water when the top 2 to 3 cm is dry, until water drains from the bottom, and empty the saucer. In an air-conditioned room in summer that is about every 5 to 7 days. Areca is the more thirsty of the two and shows it fast with browning fronds. Lady palm tolerates slightly longer gaps.

And in winter, from November to March?

Every 8 to 12 days is typical indoors, less in a cool, shaded room. Check the soil each time.

What does AC do to palms?

Air conditioning dries the air and chills the plant. For palms, the usual results are brown tips on the fronds, dull colour, and spider mites. Cold air from a vent, aimed directly at a palm, can brown whole fronds.

Ways to help:

• Move it out of the direct airflow.
• Group it with other plants.
• Use a pebble tray with water below the top of the pebbles.
• Run a small humidifier nearby, which helps areca most.
• Wipe the fronds with a damp cloth, which removes dust and mites.

What soil, pot and repotting do palms need?

Use a well-draining potting mix, preferably one made for palms or with added perlite. The pot needs drainage holes. Palms dislike root disturbance, so repot only when the roots fill the pot, usually every 2 to 3 years, in spring or autumn. Move up one pot size. Handle the roots gently and don't split the clump unless you must. Our plant repotting service can help with big pots.

How big do they get indoors?

Areca palms commonly reach roughly 1.5 to 2.5 m indoors and grow fairly quickly in good light. Lady palms grow slowly, usually reaching 1 to 2 m over many years, forming a dense clump of canes.

Why are my palm's fronds brown or yellow?

• Brown tips: dry air, salt build-up from tap water, or uneven watering. Flush the pot every few months and keep watering steady.
• Whole frond turning brown from the base: it might be an old frond. If several are going, check for overwatering or underwatering.
• Yellow fronds with wet soil: overwatering or poor drainage.
• Pale, thin fronds: not enough light, or underfeeding.
• Bleached fronds: too much direct sun.
• Fronds with fine speckles and webbing: spider mites.

Cut browned tips with clean scissors, following the shape of the leaf, and remove fronds only when they've fully browned.

Which pests affect palms?

Spider mites are the main problem in dry, air-conditioned rooms. They show as fine yellow speckles and webbing under fronds. Mealybugs and scale also appear, and fungus gnats come with wet soil. Rinse the plant in the shower, wipe fronds on both sides, and dab mealybugs and scale with a cotton bud dipped in rubbing alcohol. Repeat weekly for a few weeks. If a large palm in an office needs regular checks, our team can help as part of plant maintenance, quoted after a free site visit.

For other tall indoor plants, see our dracaena care guide. Browse the indoor plants range.

Reviewed by Hamza, site supervisor at Green Beetle.