Fan palm care and details : Easy to grow plants with great medicinal and aesthetic value
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Fan palm are easy to grow shade loving plants belonging to the palm family. The Fan palm care is easy and requires very little maintenance. They can be easily grown indoors. The Fan palm plants have rich green fan shaped upright foliage. When grown in right conditions, they require very little care.
Quick Details and Care Tips of Fan Palm
| Other Common Names | Vanuatu fan palm, fan palm, ruffled fan palm, Palas palm |
| Type | Indoor/ outdoor plant |
| Maintenance | Low |
| Flowering | Annual |
| Light | Indirect light or shade |
| Water | Water enough o maintain soil moisture |
| Temperature | Warm, normal conditions |
| Soil | Sandy well draining soil |
| Fertilizer | Any house plant fertilizer |
| Habitat | Vanuatu |
| Toxicity | No |
| Common Diseases | Rot |
| Scientific name | Licuala grandis |
Fan Palm Buying Instructions
- Buy a healthy and bushy Fan Palm plant
- Leaves of the plant should not have any kind of spots.
Overview of Fan Palm
The Fan palm are evergreen plants belonging to the family Arecaceae and are native to Vanuatu. The plants grow up to a height of 4-6 feet. The bark is soft.
The Fan palms have broad, thin leaves. The plants bear a cluster of sweet smelling green flowers and sticky barbed seeds. The name fan palm is obtained from the shape of their leaves. There are two varieties of fan palms
The European fan palm: They are mostly grown indoors. They are multi stemmed and the fronds are shaped like fan. The main stem can grow up to 4 feet tall. The leaves are mostly grayish- green in color.
The Chinese fan palm:Can be grown both indoors and outdoors.They are slow growing and has a single trunk with leaves at the tip.
Special features
They are slow growers and can grow up to a height of 15m. In china, the young leaves are woven to make hats, brushes and fans. The wood was used in making handles for umbrellas and for making walking sticks. The mid rib of the leaves were also used as broom.They are also said to have medicinal properties. The extracts obtained from the seeds were used in traditional Chinese medicine as an anticancer agent. They were also said to have inhibitory effects on cancer cells, also posses antibacterial properties and cell protection,
Usage and Advantage of Fan palm
- Grown as an ornamental plant.
- Was used for making fans and baskets.
- Used in traditional medicine.
General Care for Fan palm
Special Care
The Fan palm plants do not require much care. Remove the yellow, wilted or any infected leaves immediately. In case the plant outgrows the pot, re pot the plant in to a new pot. Make sure not to disturb the roots while re-potting. Avoid overhead watering.
Soil
The Fan palm prefer a well draining soil. A combination of sandy soil with humus works the best.
Water
Water the Fan palm plants to maintain even moisture in the soil. Allow the soil to dry in between each watering. Do not practice overhead watering. The water can stay in the crown and result in rot.Water the plants regularly during summers. Reduce the frequency during rainy season and winters.Water the plants preferably in the morning.
Sunlight
Place the Fan palm plants at spots with partial shade. They thrive when provided with indirect sunlight or partial to full shade. Do not expose the plant to bright direct sunlight for longer periods. The mature plants can be grown in full sun in places with high humidity.
Temperature
The Fan palm plants are not temperature specific.The plants can thrive in wide range of climatic conditions. However, extreme cold and extreme heat can cause damage to the plant. They thrive best under normal temperature and humidity.
Fertilization
Fertilize the Fan palm plants ones in a month using any house plant fertilizer. Provide them with potassium rich fertilizer. Avoid fertilizing during winters.
Pests and other problems for Fan palm
The fan palms are usually not prone to many diseases or pests. The attack of pests can be prevented by spraying neem oil or a mild soap solution.
Excess watering and overhead watering can cause rot. Avoid excess watering or stagnant water in the crown and soil. Make sure that the soil is dry before watering them again.
Propagation of Fan palm
Propagation can be done through seeds or through offshoots.
The propagation of the palm through seeds is rare and time consuming. The seeds can be sown on the ground and watered to provide enough moisture. Place them in shady areas. The seeds germinate within 4-6 weeks.
The basal part of the stem develops offshoots. These can be detached and grown as a separate plant. Dip the shoots in rooting hormone to promote root formation.
