What Is Fishtail Palm?
The Fishtail Palm is a tall, solitary palm. The tree can reach up to 30-40 feet (9 – 12 m) in height and 2.5 feet (75 cm) in trunk diameter, but it usually stays under 20 feet high with a 2 foot (60 cm) trunk diameter.
Fishtail Palm Care is easy for the right location. It does well outside in tropical areas as well as indoors as a houseplant if you are lucky enough to live where temperatures stay within 50°F and 100°F degrees (10°C – 38°C).
Fishtail Palm Care & Maintenance:
Hardiness: USDA zones 10A to 11. Fishtail Palm needs the heat of summer and the coolness of winter to grow well.
Fishtail palms are grown outdoors in tropical areas, as houseplants in temperate regions, or grown outdoors as annuals or tender perennials in cooler climates.
Where To Buy:
Light Requirements:
Full sun to partial shade. Fishtail Palm care requires full sunlight but can grow in partial shade too, which makes it a great option as a houseplant if you live in a cool climate with the only occasional summer heat.
Fishtail palm trees need direct light for the best appearance and growth. The less light that it gets, the slower the plant will grow and the lower its tolerance is too cold temperatures.
If your plant is grown indoors, make sure to place it in an area where it can get enough sunlight, or else you’ll have some browning fronds on the tree branches.
Water Requirements:
Water your palm deeply but less frequently, allowing the plant to dry out between waterings and watering more during summer months when it is hot outside.
Be careful not to overwater in winter as the soil cannot drain well enough for fishtail palms trees roots to get the oxygen they need at that time of year.
Be sure to never let your pot sit in a saucer full of water which can lead to root rot! If you notice your dwarf fishtail palm tree leaves yellowing or brown tips on them, this may be from underwatering or overwatering.
Moderate water needs during the growing season – drought-tolerant – overwatering causes problems. How often and how much you water a fishtail palm tree depends on how hot and sunny it is where you live, and how humid the air is (see Watering palm trees in summer).
Soil Requirements:
Fishtail palm tree care requires well-drained soil, which means the soil needs to drain excess water easily and not stay soggy for days. To make a good potting mix for your Fishtail palm:
Add 1/3 part organic matter (compost, peat moss) to each 2/3rds part of grit or coarse sand. Add medium-grade bark mulch if you want to keep the soil from getting too wet after watering but still have steady drainage.
Fertilizer Requirements:
Fishtail Palm Care Package includes fertilizers at different concentrations to last all year when used with fishtail palm trees in containers outdoors.
A Fishtail Palm in the planting bed would need less fertilizer as it will be in the ground longer and so will use up nutrients from the soil.
Temperature and Humidity Requirements:
Temperatures of 65-75°F (18 – 24°C) and humidity of 45-60% are ideal. Temperatures that are too hot or cold will cause the plant to become injured or die.
Duration:
Fishtail Palm care is best in the summertime growing season unless grown indoors as a houseplant. In temperate regions, it’s best to grow fishtail palm tree as an annual, treated as any other annual would be.
Your climate may allow you to grow it longer than 1 year though, some people have reported having success with overwintering them indoors in cooler areas by bringing them inside before temperatures fall below 40°F degrees (4°C).
Potting and repotting Requirements:
Soil is best for Fishtail palm trees in a container that has drainage holes. Use potting mix made from equal parts of grit, coarse sand, and organic material (peat moss or compost). Alternatively, you can use a soilless mixture such as coconut fiber.
Water the plant well before re-potting, and check that there are no pockets of air trapped around the roots when you repot fish tail palm tree care. You may want to add some soil amendments such as perlite if you find your potting mixture too heavy with grit and not draining well enough.
Propagation Requirements:
Fish Tail Palm Care will produce seed pods at maturity but it doesn’t germinate easily indoors. Although you can try to germinate the seeds, new fish tail palms are easy to propagate from a 3-inch tall stem tip that is removed and planted.
Fishtail Palm Pest Problems & Solutions:
Fishtail Palm Care can attract pests like mites and scale, but it’s usually not too big a problem if the palm is watering and fertilizing properly. In fact, over-fertilization may cause some fishtail palm tree problems with pests of its own. Common insect pests include:
Scale
Whiteflies Mealybugs Mites Brown soft scales Treatments for Fishtail Palm Pest Problems Solutions are available in our Insect & Disease Treatment Shop .
If your plant gets too many pests you might find yourself needing to get rid of the tree, as getting rid of all of them will require too much effort on a regular basis.
Before giving up though, try a few treatments such as when first noticing the scale and again two weeks later.
If a gentle horticultural oil is not effective, try insecticidal soap or neem oil that could damage the leaves on your fishtail palm if left on too long.
Water your fishtail palm tree more often if there is no mulch. Drought – drying out too fast (air circulation problems)
Fish Tail Palm Care Tips:
Provide adequate water for the plant to do well indoors, but don’t overwater it and keep a humidity tray filled with pebbles or gravel moistened so that air can circulate through the pebbles.
This will allow better evaporation of moisture from the pot and keep the soil drier between watering. Dwarf Fishtail Palm Care Tips:
A dwarf’s trunk will rarely be more than 2″ in diameter at maturity, whereas a full-grown adult tree has an overall height of up to 60′ tall with a trunk as much as 10-15″ in diameter.
