Hello to Baltimore!

Are you sure your palm is a Kentia? Although spider mites love most all palms, they rarely show up on a Kentia. Your description of new growth emerging from the base of the plant is also not characteristic of a Kentia.

If you can post a photo here or e-mail me a photo of your palm, perhaps I can clear up the identity issue first and then go from there.

Hi Rei,

The first photo is a Chamadorea elegans (parlor palm). The photos of your plant reveal that it is an Areca palm. I hope you didn't pay a Kentia price for your Areca!

Definitely cut out all of the dead fronds. Of course that will thin out the plant, but it is better than looking at dead fronds.

Arecas are not easy indoor plants. They need more light than most homes can provide and they are magnets for spider mites. They also do not tolerate watering mishaps very well. Allow the top inch or two of soil to dry and then water it thoroughly.

Its long-term prognosis will depend on how healthy the roots are and your ability to provide good light, proper water, and keep the mites in check.

Good luck!

Will/Amy

Thanks for the advice. I am relieved to know exactly what kind of palm I have, but not so happy to hear that I picked the kind that requires the most maintenance and does not grow well indoors. I don't think I paid the Kentia price, about $60 on sale. The florist didn't specify what kind of palm it was, I just assumed from the pitures that I saw online that it was a Kentia. I will take your advice and let you know how it turns out. I have brought other plants back to life. I'm hoping to do the same for this one also.

Thanks,
Rei

Will/Amy

Here is a picture of my much smaller palm after I pruned the fronds. Many of the fronds that died were dead all the way to the base of the tree. Many of the dead branches came out from the base without any effort.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95/rsemper/palm_prune1.jpg

As I was pruning, I noticed some brown spots on many of the fronds that were not dead. I even saw spots on the new growth. Is that an indication of it's chance of survival?

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y95/rsemper/palm_prune2.jpg

Thanks,
Rei

Cricket - I wasn't talking about YOUR Areca! Yours is the easy kind that stays healthy forever no matter what you do to it.

Rei - Your palm really does look much better now. You did a great job! I am more concerned about the mottled appearance of the leaves than the yellow spots. The mottling - if I am seeing it correctly through my rheumy eyes - is a pretty good indicator of spider mites. Look for tiny webs and dust-like particles on the leaves for confirmation. I hope I am wrong, but Cricket has the only Areca in captivity that is mite-free.

Amy - You ain't nobody's sidekick. You are absolutely a force onto yourself!

Will

I'm glad that the palm looks better now. Thanks for the vote of confidence.
A couple of weeks after I brought the palm home, I did see little webs on them. I cleaned off the webs and started misting everyday. I haven't seen any webs after that, but after my pruning, I did notice too that the leaves felt dry and dusty. I mist it every morning and it still feels dusty and dry to the touch. It is in an open space (living/dining room combo), so the air may still dry it out even after the misting. I think a humidifying tray might work well for me. I'll try that. Thanks guys.

Hi Rei,

It's going to take more than a casual wipe or cleaning and misting to get rid of those mites. Here is everything you need to know about them:

Spider mites love most all palms. They are very tiny and they look like dust particles to the naked eye, often hiding on the undersides of leaves. By the time they start making webs, they are already well established and difficult to eradicate.

Plain soap and water, insecticidal soap, and Hot Pepper Wax can all be used safely to treat spider mites. The key with all of these products is to get 100% coverage of all leaf and stem surfaces - top and bottom. If you miss a few of the mites, which is easy to do, then they will start to reproduce and you will have another infestation again in a few weeks. Try to spray in a location where you can thoroughly drench all leaf surfaces without worrying about all the run-off. Run your fingers along leaf and stem surfaces to help get complete surface coverage (use rubber or latex gloves to avoid skin irritation. It is also advisable to re-spray again about 5 days later to get any mites that you may have missed the first time.

The best mite prevention is vigilance. Any mite-prone plants, such as palms, should be checked every week for early signs of mites - look for "dust" particles on the undersides of leaves. Treat the mites at the very first sighting. They are much easier to eliminate in the early stages.

Spider mites can reproduce in the 54 to 110 degree range, with the optimum range of 85 to 90 degrees. In unfavorable conditions (cooler temps, shorter day length, reduced plant vigor) they go into diapause when they hibernate (don’t feed or lay eggs). Pesticides are ineffective during diapause because the mites are not feeding. When favorable conditions return, the mite population can explode and give the appearance of coming out of nowhere. Nitrogen fertilizers encourage tender new growth which is very attractive to mites. Mites suck the chloroplasts out of green cells and leave a mottled apperance. Mites use webs to travel from one feeding spot to another.

I hope I haven't thoroughly grossed you out with all of this buggy info!

Wolf spiders

It's the name of a family of spiders. Their characteristics are that they are large, hairy and they jump and spit.

The tranchula (sp) is a member of this family.

They have one type over in Okinawa Japan that they call a hand spider ... And your right that's about how large they get. I was driving along one day and one walked accross the hood of my car darn near had an accident.

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you can make a humidifying tray very easily. take a tray that is about 1-2" deep, and about 2" larger around than your plant's pot. put some stones or pebbles in the bottom to hold the plant up out of the water. then set the plant in it and fill it up to the bottom of the plant's pot. as the water evaporates, it creates a mini humid zone, right around your plant. just be sure than the drain whole of the pot the palm is in does not actually touch the water.

good deal keep me posted.