WateringTimesWatering plan, $19
Howea forsteriana, WUCOLS IV

How often to water Kentia palm in California

In July on the south coast, established Kentia palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days: about 55 gallons each time under a 10 foot canopy, about 35 gallons a week. Kentia palm is a single-trunked feather palm found only on Lord Howe Island, Australia. It is one of the most popular indoor palms because it needs little light, and in Southern California it is also planted outdoors in shade. It wants a humus-rich, well-drained soil that does not dry out, and it is moderately tolerant of salt spray and drought.

TreePalm or cycadRated for 2 of 6 zones

How often to water Kentia palm, month by month

Your city
Canopy width
10 ft
Your soil

Type your city above and the days between waterings and the gallons appear here, worked out from your city's climate table. Or read the figures by climate zone further down.

Every month, on your water days. The personal plan prints this for Kentia palm and the rest of your yard, on the days your water supplier allows.Get the plan for $19

How this is worked out: established roots fill the top 1.5 feet of soil, and you water again when that soil has dried halfway. Loam soil holds about 1.5 inches of water per foot. Water the whole area under the branches, and skip a watering after a good soaking rain.

Which soil do you have?

Dig down a few inches, take a handful of moist soil and squeeze it.

  • Sandy: gritty, falls apart when you open your hand, will not form a ball.
  • Loam: forms a soft ball that crumbles when you poke it.
  • Clay: forms a firm, sticky ball and squeezes out into a ribbon between thumb and finger.

Still not sure? Pick loam. Most garden beds sit between sand and clay.

How to measure canopy width

A tree with its canopy width marked across the widest branches and the circle under it shaded blue

Measure across the branches, from the tips of the outer leaves on one side to the tips on the other. A tape works, or pace it out.

Water the whole circle under the branches, shown in blue. The gallons here cover that circle.

A wider canopy means more gallons each watering, not more waterings. While the tree is young, measure again each spring.

How to tell it needs water

  • Soil dry 2 inches down near the trunk in summer signals Kentia palm needs water
  • Frond tips browning and leaflets folding can indicate a dry root zone
  • Yellowing, bleached fronds in direct sun point to too much light rather than water
  • Lower fronds yellowing quickly over soggy soil suggest poor drainage

How to water it

  • Water around the base with a slow hose or drip until the root zone is moist
  • Soak about a foot down, then water again before the soil dries deeply
  • Plant in shade or filtered light, out of direct afternoon sun
  • Use humus-rich, well-drained soil and mulch the root zone
  • Keep the trunk base clear of mulch and standing water

Through the seasons

Water a newly planted Kentia palm regularly through its first summer while roots settle. Established palms still want soil that does not dry out completely, though they tolerate some drought. It is evergreen and slow growing. Shade from direct sun matters most in summer. WUCOLS rates Kentia palm moderate water on the south coast and in South Inland. WUCOLS marks it as not suited to the north-central coast, the Central Valley, the high desert or the low desert.

In pots

Kentia palm is a classic container palm indoors and on shaded patios. Use a humus-rich, well-drained potting mix that does not dry out completely. Water when the top inch or two feels dry, until it drains through. Outdoors in summer, check every few days. Empty the saucer each time. Indoors, it needs moderate light and comfortable room temperatures. Feed lightly and sparingly.

1 Your climate zone six WUCOLS zones, each from its own reference city
Not ratedWUCOLS does not rate Kentia Palm for the Central Valley zone
A year
no figure
Reference
Sacramento climate table
Counts
Plant need, before sprinkler losses

WUCOLS lists Kentia Palm as not suited to this region for the Central Valley zone, so no monthly figure is computed here.

Monthly water need by climate zone

Kentia Palm: gallons per square foot per month, by WUCOLS climate zone

MonthN. CoastC. ValleyS. CoastS. InlandHi DesertLo Desert
Jan––0.780.78––
Feb––0.810.87––
Mar––1.151.3––
Apr––1.41.61––
May––1.611.95––
Jun––1.742.29––
Jul––1.982.51––
Aug––1.862.33––
Sep––1.491.86––
Oct––1.151.33––
Nov––0.840.9––
Dec––0.650.68––
Year––15.518.41––

How this is worked out: the WUCOLS water rating for each zone times that zone’s climate for the month. A dash means WUCOLS does not rate the plant there. The figures are what the plant uses, before sprinkler losses.

Plants with the same water needs 16

Rated not suited to this region in the Central Valley, like Kentia palm. Plants that drink alike can share one valve and one schedule.

Sugar MapleAcer saccharumnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingQueensland KauriAgathis robustanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingCherimoyaAnnona cherimolanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingPurple Orchid TreeBauhinia variegata (purpurea)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingToogBischofia javanicanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingClustered Fishtail PalmCaryota mitisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingWhite SapoteCasimiroa edulisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingFilbertCorylus maximanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingSpotted GumCorymbia maculata (Eucalyptus maculata)not rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingDove TreeDavidia involucratanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoyal PoincianaDelonix regianot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingTriangle PalmDypsis decaryinot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingMountain White GumEucalyptus dalrympleananot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRainbow EucalyptusEucalyptus degluptanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingRoxburgh FigFicus auriculatanot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley ratingIndian BanyanFicus benghalensisnot rated, Central Valleyno Central Valley rating
Minutes for your sprinklers

Turn this into minutes on your water days

Every city page has a calculator that takes Kentia palm, your sprinkler type and the month, and gives the minutes per water day for that supplier's schedule. Or put it in a zone of the personal watering plan and get all twelve months printed.

Questions people ask

How often should I water Kentia palm in summer?

In July, established Kentia palm in loam needs a deep watering about every 11 days on the south coast and about every 9 days in the South Inland zone. Sandy soil holds less water, so waterings come closer together. Clay stretches them. Check the soil before each watering and skip one after a soaking rain.

How much water does Kentia palm need per day?

In July on the south coast, established Kentia palm needs about 5.0 gallons a day under a 10 foot canopy and about 20 gallons a day under a 20 foot canopy. Give it in deep waterings spread days apart rather than a little every day, so the whole root zone gets wet.

Does watering for Kentia palm change across California?

Yes. WUCOLS rates Kentia palm separately for each of the six California climate zones: not suited to this region in the North-Central Coastal zone, not suited to this region in the Central Valley zone, moderate water in the South Coastal zone, moderate water in the South Inland zone, not suited to this region in the High and Intermediate Desert zone, not suited to this region in the Low Desert zone. The monthly table above shows how the same rating translates into different gallon amounts as reference evapotranspiration changes.

Can Kentia palm grow in full sun?

It should be kept out of direct sun, which bleaches the fronds. Outdoors it grows best in shade. It can adapt to brighter spots if protected from hot sun.

Is Kentia palm a good houseplant?

Yes, it is one of the best palms indoors because it needs little light. Water when the top of the mix dries. Keep it away from cold drafts.

How is Kentia palm different from the Belmore sentry palm?

Kentia grows faster and more easily, and its leaves are not recurved. Both come from Lord Howe Island. Kentia favors coastal habitats.

Does Kentia palm handle heat?

It tolerates heat, humidity and rain, but it does best away from extremes. Shade is essential outdoors in summer. Keep the soil moist in heat waves.

Does Kentia palm tolerate salt?

It is moderately tolerant of salt spray. That suits coastal gardens. Give it shade there too.

More plant watering guides

Sky Flower VineWandering JewMoses-in-the-CradleWhite CloverCanadian HemlockCardboard PalmCoral VineHeath-Leafed Banksia

Sources