• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

House Plants Guide and Tips

houseplantsexpert.com

  • PLANT CARE GUIDES
    • CHOOSING PLANTS
    • WATERING GUIDE
    • LIGHTING GUIDE
    • PROPAGATING GUIDE
    • TEMPERATURE GUIDE
    • HUMIDITY GUIDE
    • POTTING GUIDE
    • FERTILIZING GUIDE
    • CLEANING GUIDE
    • POISONOUS FOR PETS
    • GROW LIGHTS GUIDE
    • VACATION GUIDE
  • PLANT GROUPS
    • PLANT SEARCH
    • COMMON HOUSE PLANTS
    • EASY TO GROW HOUSE PLANTS
    • FOLIAGE HOUSE PLANTS
    • FLOWERING HOUSE PLANTS
    • OFFICE PLANTS
    • INDOOR PALM PLANTS
    • EASY GROW FERNS
    • POPULAR INDOOR TREES
    • CACTUS HOUSE PLANTS
    • INDOOR HANGING BASKETS
    • CLIMBERS AND TRAILING PLANTS
    • BULB HOUSE PLANTS
    • SUCCULENT HOUSE PLANTS
    • UNUSUAL HOUSE PLANTS
    • LIVING STONE PLANTS
    • LARGE HOUSE PLANTS
    • AIR PURIFYING PLANTS
    • CHRISTMAS HOUSE PLANTS
  • A-Z PLANTS
  • GENUS
    • BROMELIADS
    • CALATHEA
    • DRACAENA
    • FICUS
    • ORCHIDS
    • PEPEROMIA
  • ABOUT US
    • ABOUT US
    • CONTACT US
    • PRIVACY POLICY
    • DISCLOSURE
    • DISCLAIMER
Home » Indoor Pygmy Date Palm Plant

Indoor Pygmy Date Palm Plant

August 28, 2022 by Mary Lloyster 2 Comments

The Pygmy Date Palm is an easy to care for plant which displays very narrow (compared to other palms) arching leaflets.

This feather type species (P.roebelenii) is a slow growing ornamental palm that’s well adapted to growing indoors, unlike other phoenix plants from this genus. Indoors they grow up to approximately 4 – 6ft which is quite a manageable size for most homes.

Description

How it looks and displaying: As mentioned above the Pygmy palm has very slim feather type leaflets that arch over. The only other palm I know of that has slimmer leaves is the dwarf coconut type, while others are much wider and can look more attractive indoors.

The trunk is an attractive feature that grows up to 6 inches in diameter, and brown in color. Outdoors these only grow up to 6 – 10ft, so they’re a manageable height indoors and outside (in the correct conditions). These are suitable to be grown and displayed in greenhouses, conservatories or any room that has enough bright light.

Easy to grow: You will see after reading the care instructions that the Phoenix roebelenii is fairly easy to grow and maintain. Some growers will produce plants with two or three trunks from seedlings next to each other.

Facts

Origin:South-East-Asia.
Names:Pygmy date, Miniature date palm (common). Phoenix roebelenii (botanical/scientific.
Max Growth (approx):Height 6ft.
Poisonous for pets:Non-toxic to cats and dogs.

Date Palm Care

Temperature:Room temperatures of around 65°f / 16°c — 75°f / 24°c are ideal. The temperature should not become lower than 50°f / 10°c during winter.
Light:They prefer bright light with a mixture of sunlight and shade.
Watering:You can water these frequently during spring and summer – when the top of the soil starts to become slightly dry. Over-watering will cause this plant possible root and leaf problems, or worse (kill it off). A good drainage container is advisable to house the plant. I find watering and misting with tepid filtered or distilled water is best used to avoid growing problems.
Soil:A fast draining peat based potting soil is fine to use.
Re-Potting:Palms generally dislike being removed from a pot. The best practice is to re-pot only, when it has become pot bound and take good care of the roots whilst doing so. Keep in mind that they do like being slightly pot bound. When re-potting just use a pot slightly bigger than the previous one, if it’s pot-bound and pack soil around the roots.
Fertilizer:I would fertilize these about once a month from spring – fall with a diluted liquid fertiliser and none during winter.
Humidity:The pygmy enjoys misting if the room gets humid, and gently sponging the fronds with water is helpful. Make sure there are no cold drafts near your palm.
Propagation:These are propagated by seed at approximately 80ฐf / 26.6ฐc. Usually professional growers propagate these because of the conditions (light and temperature) needed for several weeks or so, before they germinate.

Potential problems: See the palm category page for the section about potential problems »

Mary Lloyster
Mary Lloyster

Mary is our ultimate indoor gardening oracle. After many years of watching her very own indoor expo bloom, Mary has found us and today she is actively sharing her experience with our readers on a daily basis. Mary is a Political Science graduate, but one who has found a beautiful way of merging her full-time job with a drop of relaxation: indoor gardening. If you have any questions for Mary about house plants, indoor gardening, or caring techniques, drop her a line in the comments sections!

Filed Under: Indoor Palm Plants

Reader Interactions

Popular Plants & Guides

Picture of flaming sword Bromeliad Bromeliads

Vriesea Splendens, Tillandsia, Billbergia, Guzmania, Aechmea Fasciata and others.

Picture of Calathea house plant Calathea

Calathea. Roseopicta, C. Zebrina, C. Crocata, C. Makoyana, C Lancifolia and others.

img-theme Dracaena

Dracaena Fragrans, D Braunii, D Marginata and D. Reflexa.

Ficus Benjamina plant Ficus

Ficus Pumila, Ficus Lyrata, F. Elastica and F. Benjamina.

Orchid

Cattleya, Lycaste, Phalaenopsis and Paphiopedilum.

Top 10 Air Purifying Plants

See house plants that not only spruce up the home but remove harmful toxins.

Temperature Guide

Temperature is an important factor for growth and varies from species to species.

House Plant Identification

Submit your house plant to the new forum and ask others for identification.

Repotting Plants

See the guide for repotting house plants with useful tips.




Comments

  1. Rob Dempster says

    April 6, 2023 at 9:29 pm

    I plan on planting the Pygmy Date Palm Plant
    Outside in partial shade. What is your advise for proper care?

    Reply
    • Mary Lloyster says

      July 7, 2023 at 1:00 pm

      Great plant and easy care. It will want bright indirect light and water when the top of the soil goes dry. Spray with water for some humidity from time to time and you should really enjoy it.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

ZZ Plant or Zamioculcas Zamiifolia

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Wandering Jew Plant Care and Growing Guide

Sago Palm

Weeping Fig Plant Care Guide- Ficus Tree

Footer

Facebook

facebook icon

Free Signup for Tips and Updates

Added Recently

Peperomia obtusifolia
Peperomia ferreyrae
Lithops optica 'Rubra'
Peperomia puteolata
Peperomia Plants

Admin Stuff

About Us
Contact Us
Privacy Policy
Disclosure
Disclaimer

Copyright © 2013-2023 · Houseplantsexpert.com
Houseplantsexpert.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.*Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. Additionally, Houseplantsexpert.com participates in various other affiliate programs, and we sometimes get a commission through purchases made through our links.