Spacing & sowing

Plant spacing

23.6 in

In-row spacing

23.6 in

Between rows

2 ft 6 in

Square-foot density

Not suited to SFG

Growing

Type

Houseplant · Perennial

Botanical family

Mixed / other

Sunlight

Bright, indirect light — direct sun is too harsh for the fronds.

Watering

Keep the soil steadily moist, though never standing wet.

Feeding

A half-strength balanced feed once a month, spring through early autumn.

Frost tolerant

No

Pruning

Take dead and browned fronds off at the base as they appear.

Through the year

• Mar–Dec Spring Growth
• Jan–Mar Spring Growth

Pests & problems

• Mealybugs Mealybugs down at the frond bases
• Scale insects Scale insects under the fronds
• Root & crown rot Root rot where the pot is left waterlogged
• Brown frond tips from dry air, or from fluoride in tap water

Garden allies

Beneficial predators that hunt this plant's pests — grow their favourite flowers nearby to recruit them. ★ companion plant

• Hoverfly Syrphidae
  Hunts Scale insectsMealybugs

  Bee-mimicking flies whose legless larvae graze aphid colonies clean while the adults pollinate. A ribbon of shallow, nectar-rich flowers kept in bloom all season recruits wave after wave of them.

  Plant nearby CalendulaChamomileFennelFrench marigoldPhaceliaSweet alyssum
• Ladybird (lady beetle) Coccinellidae
  Hunts Scale insectsMealybugs

  The gardener’s favorite ally: adults and their alligator-shaped larvae each eat thousands of aphids, plus scale, mealybugs, and other soft-bodied sap-suckers. Grow flat, open flowers for the adults and never spray a colony that ladybird larvae are already working.

  Plant nearby CalendulaCilantroCosmosDillFennelYarrow
• Green lacewing Chrysoperla carnea
  Hunts Mealybugs

  Its bristly larvae — "aphid lions" — impale aphids, mealybugs, thrips, and mite colonies, eating hundreds a week. Adults feed on nectar and pollen from small open flowers and overwinter in hollow stems left standing.

  Plant nearby CilantroCosmosDillSunflowerYarrow