How and When to Fertilize Indoor Palm Trees

Palm trees add tropical energy to your space, and potting them makes them great for anyone, including those living in cold climates. Florida gardener Melissa Strauss talks about how and when to fertilize them to keep those vacation vibes strong.

Written by Melissa Strauss Horticulture review by Sarah Jay Last updated: January 26, 2025 | 5 min read

A woman fertilizes an indoor palm tree in a white pot using a blue shovel full of gray granular fertilizer.

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There’s no denying that palm trees make popular potted plants. These large tropical plants can transport us to an island paradise without leaving the house. There are many beautiful types of palms that thrive in containers and make nice patio or houseplants.

Palms are typically considered to be heavy feeders. They need a steady and substantial supply of nutrients available for their use, especially during their growing season. Potted plants typically require more fertilizing than their grounded counterparts. It stands to reason, as there is less substance to hold those nutrients.

If you want a strong, beautiful, healthy tree, it’s important to provide the necessary nutrients. This can be a challenge with the type of soil these plants prefer and the small amount of nutrients it can hold. Let’s talk about the different factors that will make fertilizing your potted palms a seamless and successful process.

Know Your Species

Two palm trees in yellow and blue pots display vertical green stems resembling bamboo, supporting arching fronds with long, narrow, lance-shaped leaflets, set against a vibrant yellow wall. — Researching the species’ habitat helps with proper temperature and care.

While all palms need roughly the same composition and amount of fertilizer, it’s always good to know what type you have. Once you know the species, discover the native habitat of your tree and what type of environment it naturally grows in.

I like to do this with every plant, as it gives me a better idea of what temperatures it thrives in. It will help you to understand other aspects of care, such as soil type, nutrient needs, and humidity requirements.

While this information won’t make a great difference in how much and with what you’ll want to fertilize, it’s still helpful to know. Having your plant in the right potting mix and environment will all contribute to its overall health.

Use the Right Soil and Container

A man in gray gloves transplants a large Chamaedorea houseplant into a bigger clay pot, using a small trowel to add fresh soil, on a soil-stained table. — Sandy loam with good drainage supports the plant’s root system.

Providing your palm with the right soil type and container will go a long way toward keeping it happy. These plants have thin, fibrous roots rather than central tap roots. The root system is dense and spreads out horizontally rather than running deep into the soil.

So, how does this influence soil and container type? First, you’re better off with a container that is wider than it is deep. This accommodates the root system, which naturally wants to spread out wider to support the weight of the tree. Choose a container that is wider than the root ball.

In terms of soil, a sandy loam is ideal for most. Those fine, fibrous roots are sensitive to wet soil, so the potting mix needs excellent drainage. Mixing some large particles into the mix is another helpful thing to do. Your soil should be loose so that those delicate roots can easily expand through it. Still, it’s best to know what type of soil is needed for the type of palm you have.

Time Planting Correctly

A man uses a red wooden-handled trowel to fertilize a large clay pot indoors, containing a Cycas revoluta with feathery, dark green, stiff leaflets symmetrically arranged along arching stems from a textured, woody trunk. — Apply fertilizer every two to four weeks during growth.

Palms planted outdoors and in the ground need fertilizing about three times per year. Once in the spring, once in the summer, and again in the fall. Because of the limited amount of nutrients a potted plant has access to, it’s important to fertilize more frequently.

Your palm will enter a growth phase in the spring, which is when it’s important to begin. Fertilize every two to four weeks in the spring and summer. If you use a slow-release formula, once every two to three months should provide all it needs. If not, once or twice monthly should be adequate.

In the fall, fall back a bit, but don’t stop completely. You can reduce it to once a month with a regular formula. A single application of slow release in the fall should be just right. Stop applying in the winter, as the tree needs a dormant period to rest when daylight hours decrease. When your plant is dormant, it cannot absorb the same amount of water or nutrients, so you should reduce both to avoid root damage.

Find the Best Formula

A young potted plant with slender bamboo-like stems and arching fronds of light green leaflets sits in a white pot topped with beige granular fertilizer, surrounded by garden tools on a table. — Look for higher nitrogen and potassium in all-purpose formulas.

Indoor palm tree fertilizers are not difficult to find if you want to purchase a formula created specifically for these plants. If you want a more all-purpose formula, look for one with higher nitrogen and potassium. Those are the first and last numbers in the N-P-K formula. A ratio of 12-4-12 or 8-2-12 is a good place to start.

Make sure that you choose a fertilizer with important micronutrients, as well. Palms need plenty of iron, copper, manganese, zinc, and boron to stay healthy. Whether you choose a liquid soluble or slow-release is a matter of personal preference; they are both effective.

Water your plant before and after fertilizing. Fertilizing already moistened soil helps to prevent fertilizer burn. It also helps the plant to absorb those important nutrients, rather that having them sit solely in the soil.

Watch For Fertilizer Burn

A woman in a brown T-shirt holds up leaves with yellow-brown scorched edges and tips, showing damage caused by over-fertilization. — Overfertilizing can lead to fertilizer burn on new leaves.

Because they are heavy feeders, it’s easy to overfertilize your palms. This seems counterintuitive, but it means that you’ll be giving nutrients more frequently, so there is a better chance of overdoing it. Fertilizer burn is what happens when a plant receives more nutrients than it can absorb.

Fertilizer burn will often manifest as damage to the newest fronds of your palm. The newest spear or the youngest leaves are the first to suffer. Using the correct type of fertilizer and following the directions can help you avoid this issue.

If you see the effects of too much fertilizer burning the tips of leaves, don’t despair. Flush your soil and the roots with fresh, clean water. Then, hold off on your next scheduled dose.

Stop During Dormancy

A woman gardener holds a houseplant with feathery, dark green, arching leaflets in a bright yellow pot, showcasing its lush foliage. — Slow down watering and feeding as plants enter dormancy.

Giving too many nutrients while a plant is dormant can have the same effect as giving too much during a growth period. Because the plant can’t absorb and utilize all the nutrients you’ve given it, it sits on the outside of the roots.

During dormancy, your plants take in less of all resources. The daylight hours decrease, which signals dormancy. Then, all systems slow down. Water and nutrients follow, becoming less important. Watering too much during this time can invite fungi that cause root rot. Fertilizing during this time is likely to cause root damage as well, and ultimately the rest of the plant can suffer.

Identifying Nutrient Deficiency

Close-up of feathery fronds with narrow leaflets showing yellowing and dry brown tips, a sign of manganese deficiency. — A shortage of key nutrients leads to yellowing fronds.

Just as too much fertilizer can cause issues, so too can a shortage. I mentioned that these plants need a significant amount of nutrients, macro and micro. When one of these things is out of balance, you may see signs pop up. It’s good to be able to recognize and diagnose these issues.

Potassium deficiency is the most common in palms. If you notice spots on the fronds that are yellow and begin to thin out, becoming translucent, it’s probably this issue. Eventually, those leaf tips will turn brown. More damage, such as necrosis, will show on the ends of the fronds and less at the base.

A boron deficiency may show up as stunted or damaged new growth. If you notice the ellowing of older fronds, it’s probably a magnesium deficiency.

If the issue is a lack of manganese, the new growth may unfurl with a frizzled appearance. This is a deadly deficiency for palms, and it’s typically the result of soil that is too alkaline. Alkaline soil prevents certain nutrients from breaking down and becoming available to the plant.

Potting mixes typically have a low enough pH to avoid most of these issues, but over time, that can change. If you have a palm that has been in the same soil for an extended time, re-potting along with a regular fertilizer schedule should help to correct most nutrient issues.