Rhapis Excelsa Palm - ‘The Lady Palm’ - Part II

Light

As with most indoor plants getting the right amount of light is a key factor in your plants health. Indoors, Rhapis grow best in bright, indirect light near a window or skylight but is very adaptable to low light areas.

We seem to see this type of lighting description all the time. What is bright, indirect, low or whatever? How do we measure light? We measure light in footcandles. If you begin to look at how bright certain levels of footcandles are, you will begin to understand the environment and light levels that your indoor plants require.

A Footcandle is an instantaneous measurement of light.

For example, in the evening, inside your home, with a TV and a table lamp on you might have 25 footcandles. The light in an office or study where it is to easy to read a book is usually about 125 footcandles. Sun light entering a south window often has levels of 500 - 800 footcandles. A typical shadehouse where indoor plants are grown has about 2000 footcandles. Outside, on a bright sunny summer day when the sun is directly overhead is around 10,000 footcandles. You see, you will almost never have as much light inside your house or office as in the nursery where the plants were grown.

Light is also an issue in big cities where buildings block out light. Let me state again the light levels for Rhapis indoors in a different way. Give them as much as you can without being in full sun. Although it is one of the most low light-tolerant of all palms, and it is ideal for a poorly lit hallway or stairwell where it will grow slowly but steadily. Give them as much as you can without being in full sun.

Pruning

New fronds come out from the center of the trunk. Trim off lower leaves as they age and become discolored. If new growth is dead, the whole trunk needs to be cut out, because it has rotted, and the leaves will all eventually become dry and brown. It is a common characteristic of Rhapis to have a brown tip or edge on the leaves. Brown leaf damage is usually associated with extreme heat, allowing the plant to dry out, or not thoroughly watering the entire root system. Any damaged brown leaf tips can have the tips trimmed. Remember, Rhapis grow slow so don’t remove the whole leaf. Black tips are not common and is usually associated with some type of excess, such as fertilizer or over-watering.

Watering

Rhapis should be thoroughly watered by soaking or drenching the entire root system. They like their soil to stay moist. Drying the soil severely can cause the foliage to turn gray, and tips to burn. If the soil becomes too moist, the soil can encourage root rot and damage will eventually show up in the foliage with browning tips, or spotting on the new growth. In container grown Rhapis the roots will be predominately at the bottom of the container rather then throughout. Keep this in mind when checking your soil moisture. The top may be dry but the bottom still wet.

Soil

Rhapis will grow in almost any well-drained soil. but prefer a mixture similar to an African violet type mix. Soil density should be firm and allow water to slowly filter through. Rhapis prefer to be slightly root-bound. All roots and the base of canes should be covered to retain moisture.

Fertilizer

Rhapis are relatively slow-growing plants and need very little fertilizer. As a guideline, apply only 1/2 the recommended rate required by other plants in your home. Leaf color is one of your best guides: ? Rich green indicates that fertilizer levels are adequate; ? A slight overall yellowish color may mean the to apply nutrients. Rhapis can suffer from trace element deficiencies which produce yellowing leaves, distorted new growth, or general decline. These deficiencies can be hard to determine without laboratory tests. We usually find these problems on old plants that are growing in landscapes. Rhapis as are other palms can be sensitive to excess boron, fluoride, and chlorine in water supplies, which will cause fast spreading black tip burn. Use the purest water available until the problem is corrected.

Pests

Scale is the enemy of all Rhapis; It can hide in the fibrous leaf bases. Contact sprays such as malathion are seldom effective. A systemic insecticide which is absorbed into the plant system provides the best protection or control. Since spraying Rhapis in hot summer weather can cause leaf burn, use a systemic insecticide labeled for soil application or spray only during early morning hours. Consult your local nursery or garden center on available options.

Root Rots

Rhapis are very resistant to pathogens; however, Fusarium oxysporum, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Penicillium (pink rot) can periodically infect Rhapis. Use a "broad spectrum" root fungicide labeled as a soil drench to provide prevention or control.

That’s a quick look at Rhapis, one of the best interior palms available - Part I