The travelers palm is a beautiful plant that many people want for their homes. With its large, fan-like leaves, it’s an attractive addition to any room, making people think of palm trees. The travelers palm, however, is not a palm tree; it’s actually related to the banana tree.
Both the live and artificial plants are relatively easy to care for, but the live plants do need some special attention. This tropical plant brings a taste of the exotic to your décor with creamy flowers that can bloom all year long.
If you’re thinking about getting a travelers palm or you have one that you’re not quite sure how to care for, we’ve got some tips to help.
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What Amount Of Water Does The Travelers Palm Need?
The travelers palm has specific water needs, and watering travelers palm properly is important to its success. It needs a lot of water because it stores water in its leaves.
In fact, it was named the travelers palm because people traveling could cut open one of the leaves and drink the water inside. The plant can store as much as a half-gallon of water, but that doesn’t mean you can just water it all the time. Too much water can be just as detrimental as not enough.
When watering this plant, keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. If it gets waterlogged, it can damage the roots and harm the plant. If your travelers palm is in a container, make sure that there are drainage holes at the bottom that will let any extra water flow through so that the roots aren’t sitting in water.
Live Travelers Palm Also Needs Fertilizer, But Sparingly
While caring for live travelers palm plants, they do need to be fed plant food once in a while. Fertilize them three times each year, in the spring, summer, and fall. You can use a fertilizer that is specifically for palms or other tropical plants or you can choose an all-purpose fertilizer.
Your fertilizer choices include liquids, granulated types, and slow release. Using slow-release fertilizer will make sure that the travelers palm will keep getting nutrition until its next round of fertilizer. Be sure to read the directions on the package, and don’t add too much to the soil. Too much fertilizer can harm the plant.
What Level Of Sunlight Is Best For A Travelers Palm?
The travelers palm likes a lot of bright light and can’t live in low light. Indoors, keep the plant in front of a south-facing window to ensure that the most sunlight will reach it.
It’s best to put it less than a foot from the window for the best possible sunlight. As long as the window is south facing and there is plenty of light on the plant, you shouldn’t need to rotate your plant very often. If it does start to grow more on one side than the other, it’s time to rotate it.
Artificial Travelers Palms Are Easier to Maintain Than Other Plants
With its tricky watering needs and its desire for a lot of light, a live travelers palm may not be for you. However, don’t despair, you can still enjoy the large leaves and lovely blooms of a travelers palm without the fuss of caring for a live plant. Just choose an artificial plant.
When taking care of artificial travelers palm, you won’t have to check the moistness of the soil or water it. You won’t have to apply its fertilizer three times a year.
They are extremely easy to care for, and if you buy a high-quality plant, it will look real. If the plant will be in a lot of sunlight, it’s a good idea to get an artificial plant that is UV resistant. If it isn’t, you can clean the plant thoroughly and spray it down with a spray that will make it resistant to UV rays. This will ensure that your plant will last longer and keep looking great.
It’s also a good idea to rotate your artificial travelers palm so that the same side doesn’t get sunlight all the time. You may want to put it in different rooms throughout the year so that it doesn’t get too much sun.
The artificial travelers palm can look highly realistic with its detailed colors. As long as you keep the plant from fading in the sun, it should last a long, long time and keep looking its best.
Be Sure to Periodically Dust and Rinse Your Artificial Travelers Palm
Give your artificial travelers palm a good cleaning about once a month. Dust on an artificial plant is a dead giveaway that it’s not real. Use a duster or a wet cloth to remove dust and dirt, so you can see its striking colors. You can also use a can of compressed air to make sure the dust and dirt are removed from all of the crevices.
If your plant gets really dirty, you can use a damp cloth with some mild soap to wash it down. Wipe down every leaf, and flower if it has them, to make sure the plant gets completely clean. Not cleaning your plant can result in dust allergies for the whole household.
If your artificial travelers palm is very large, you might want to put it in the shower to get it really clean. Just place it in the shower and run lukewarm water over it. Make sure you rotate it during its cleaning so each part of the plant gets rinsed off. Let it sit in the shower overnight to dry. This will save your floors from pools of water as the water runs downward.
Store Your Artificial Travelers Palm Properly When Not Using It
If for some reason you don’t want to display your palm, an artificial travelers palm stores easily and will continue to look great until it is used again.
If your plant is kept outdoors, it’s a good idea to store it during the winter to keep it from being damaged by the cold. Cold temperatures can make plastic trees brittle, and they may even break.
Choose a place indoors to store your plant. This can be a storage shelf or a plastic cabinet, or it can simply be an open space that you have available. Make sure the plant is clean and free from dust before it is stored.
Put a storage bag over the plant. A Christmas tree bag is generally the right size to cover it.
Giving your travelers palm, real or artificial, the right care will keep it looking great for years to come. If you have a travelers palm, how do you care for it? Share your tips in the comments!
