Areca Palm Propagation: A Step By Step Guide For Beginners!

Are you looking for a way to propagate your tropical plants in your home? Today, we will discuss everything you need to know about Areca palm propagation!

As these plants are available in nurseries and online plant-selling websites, many gardeners prefer propagating them at home as the process is not so tough. In this article, we will discuss the different propagation methods and the care tips to maintain its health, until it turns into a matured plant but let us first begin with why you need to propagate an Areca palm!

Why do you need to propagate an Areca palm?

Many reasons are there for propagating Areca palm plants. Let us know some of the most common reasons which we have mentioned below!

Areca palm is a beautiful plant that spreads positivity and peace. So, many plant growers propagate them to place more plants in different places in their homes.

Areca palm plants are fast-growing plants that need regular repotting as the size of the rhizome increases from time to time. You need to keep increasing the size of the pot on every repot. So, some people think, it is better to divide the roots and propagate a new Areca palm plant instead of keeping large pots at home.

These plants do not like fertilizing as they hate the salts that are present in the feeding, occupying the soil. The soil mix, in which the fast-growing plants like Areca palms are planted, becomes futile within a short time. To supply fresh soil to the plant, repotting should be done followed by division of the rhizomes.

These nice-looking plants are propagated for gifting our dear ones on special occasions.

Many gardeners have a habit of propagating their plants and selling them for a better price.

Thus Areca palm plants are propagated for different reasons.

To encourage the process of propagation, you need to use a suitable potting mix and pot to let a new Areca plant grow. Water it enough and provide proper care to it. These Areca palm plants thrive with less care, once they grow into a matured plant. Now, let us know the methods of propagating the plant.

What are the methods of propagating Areca palm?

Like many other plants, these Areca palms can be easily propagated at home. There are two methods for propagating the Areca palms which we will explain now. You can choose any of them, according to your convenience. But make sure you use the best quality and well-draining soil mixture for planting the offshoots or the seeds. You can mix the normal household soil with coarse sand in a 2:1 ratio to make the soil mix well-draining. Also, it is better to use clay pots with a good drainage system that allows air circulation in the soil.

1. Propagating Areca palm through seeds

Propagating Areca plants through seeds might take a long time to see a matured Areca palm from the seedlings, but it is also a better way of propagating Areca plants. The seeds of the Areca palms take a month to germinate. The plant reaches a height of 5-6 inches after 2-3 months and it takes years to become a mature plant. Now, let us discuss how you can propagate your Areca palm through seeds!

Collect the better quality seeds to start the process. They are usually brownish, orange, or green in color. Green ones are young seeds that take more time to germinate.
It is better to use a seed-starting soil mix to place the seeds.
Put the seeds an inch deep into the soil mix.
Let the soil be moist during the germination process.
Place the pot in a place that gets bright indirect sunlight.
Maintain the temperature between 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit.
After one month of proper care, you will find a small Areca palm coming out of the soil.

Notes for seed propagation:

Germinating areca palm from seeds is hard because the success rate is extremely low. From where ripe seeds are accumulated is important. Seeds gathered on the ground have more potential to have insect infestations. Well-developed seeds are important, but so is freshness. Seeds have a brief life and can dehydrate fast. So, here are a few notes to ensure the seeds get the best treatment for germination;

Storage: Areca palms are from tropical and subtropical areas of the world. The atmosphere in these climatic zones does not allow the seeds to be stored for longer periods of time. Under some natural states, most areca palm seeds stay viable for a few weeks only. It works best when the seeds of areca palm are planted immediately. But if you really want to store them for a longer period, remove the fruit pulp, keep them under the sun to dry out for two days, spray fungicide, and seal them in plastic bags.

Enhance the power of the seeds with chemicals:

Some chemical treatments have proven to boost the effectiveness of germination by research conducted by Florida and Hawaii University. All the methods have been used to soften the harder outer layer of the seed. The most useful technique confirmed was soaking cleaned seeds in water. Sulfuric acid has shown success in breaking up the tough seed overcoat of the palms. But, this method can damage the seed embryo as well as the individual using it. When using chemical boosters, appropriate protective clothes must be worn, and the seeds must not be overexposed to the acid mix.

The role of temperature:

Temperature has the most significant impact on the germination of the seeds. Many study projects have been completed that explain the connection between the level of temperature and the success germination rates. As the areca palm is from tropical and subtropical areas, its ideal germination temperature is 32°C. The tree will still germinate gracefully if the temperature is up to 37°C. Warm soil is an essential aspect of germination, as it would recreate the native habitat of the areca palm. Palm roots are most active when soil temperature is more than 20°C.

Mechanical treatments:

Palm seeds have a hard coating. It is often advised to penetrate this coat mechanically to boost hydration. It is instructed that only the leathery husk of the areca seeds should be removed with sharp pruning shears to stimulate germination.

2. Propagating Areca palm through root division

It is the easiest and fastest method of propagating Areca palms. As propagation through the seeds takes more time, many planters use this method. But it needs much care, because you may hurt your plant unknowingly during this process. Gentle handling will help to avoid hurting the plant. Now, let us know the propagation of Areca palm plants through root division in detail!

Wait for the spring season to start propagation as the spring season encourages the plant’s new growth.
Firstly observe the mother plant, it should be a strong and mature one with multiple stems at the base. It ensures us that there are more rhizomes in the soil mix which can be divided.
Water the plant thoroughly before you propagate as it loosens the soil and helps to drag the roots out of the pot easily.
After wetting the soil, gently drag the root system out of the pot and shake the plant to separate the soil from the roots.
If the soil is mushy and you cannot identify the roots, gently wash them and identify the roots and the stems that grow from them, select at least 4 stems with the roots to divide for propagation. Do not select the main stem with a root that is responsible for the plant’s growth.
Take a sharp knife and gently cut the stems along with the root to divide the plant.
Take a suitable pot filled with well-draining soil mix to plant your new Areca palm and place the cutting into it.
If the soil is dry, water it thoroughly and keep an eye on it until it gets adapted to it.

Note to remember: Propagating Areca palm through stem cutting

Propagation of Areca palm plants cannot be possible through stem cuttings. Stems alone, without roots, cannot become a new Areca palm. Because the growth of this plant can be possible only through the new shoots of the rhizome. Stem cuttings of these plants do not have appropriate plant tissues to encourage new root growth and thus they are not used to propagate a new Areca palm.

When is the best time to propagate Areca palm?

Areca palm plants are said to be tropical or subtropical plants. They love being in hot climatic conditions like tropical climates. So, the best time to propagate Areca plants is in the early spring. Because the growing season of these plants is between early spring and late summer. Propagating these plants in the growing season helps the new-growing plant by improving the growth rate. Also, the mother plant gets enough heat to thrive and recovers from the shock due to the division of roots.

How to care for the Areca palm after propagation?

After propagating a new Areca palm plant, you need to provide more care to it. Because the process of propagation may lead to shock and stress in your plant. There are some tips to maintain the health of the new plant and these tips will boost its growth. Let us now explore those tips that you must follow after propagating your Areca plant!

Areca plants are natives of tropical and subtropical regions, so they love to be in a warm climate. Place them next to windows to let them absorb a good amount of sunlight.
Overexposure to the sunlight may also cause some damage to your plant, so place your plant in a bright place and make sure that it gets 6 hours of direct sunlight every day.
Water the plant soon after the propagation, as the rhizome becomes dry while exposed to air during the propagation.
You should place the pot of the plant in a humidity tray to maintain humidity if the climate is too dry.
Do not fertilize your young Areca palms for a few months and you should let the rhizome get strong first.

What are the problems that can occur after propagating Areca palms at your home?

We have learned about the processes of propagation of Areca palms which are very easy to follow. But, there may be some troubles that knock on your door after the propagation which we will discuss now!

As a new gardener, some of you might be eager to propagate new Areca palms. But dividing the roots of your plant, if it is a young one, disturbs its growth and may cause shock to the plant which may finally lead to a drop in the growth rate of your plant.

The newly propagated plants are generally delicate and need much care until they become strong. You should be attentive to the needs of that new plant and provide a bit more care. Your negligence may lead to the plant’s death.

Although the Areca palms are tough plants and can be placed anywhere, you need to keep the newly propagated plant in a place that gets enough sunlight. Lowlights and overexposure to the bright sun may turn the foliage yellow. Remember to follow the care tips to avoid such problems.

To maintain your plant’s health or to encourage its new growth, you might be fertilizing the new plant. Don’t do that, fertilizing soon after propagation may cause stress to your plant.

You may observe the browning of the leaves of your new Areca palm. It is generally caused by overexposure to the hot sun for a long time, over-fertilization, watering with direct tap water, or underwatering the plant. Remember to follow the care tips to avoid such problems.

The sensitive new Areca palms might get affected by the fluoride content in the tap water. So, it is better to use rainwater, distilled water, or filtered water to fulfill the thirst of your new Areca palm.

The young rhizome which is divided from the mother plant for propagation may need a full drink of water to grow well, but it may get rotten quickly if you overwater it. In this case, the foliage turns yellow and it is time for you to react.

New Areca palms love to be in little moist soil which may lead to fungal diseases. Pink rot is one of the considerable issues that cannot be treated. But, you can prevent it by placing your plant in bright indirect sunlight and watering the plant only after letting the soil dry. The base of the plant gets pink and the stems of the plant might be falling and the foliage turns brown if your plant is affected by pink rot.

Conclusion

Areca palm plants are beautiful plants that are often seen in many houses. They became popular as they can be grown with minimum care. These tropical plants thrive even if they are ignored. The propagation of these plants is quite easy with the root division and you need some patience if you use seeds for propagating Areca palm plants. You can easily increase the number of these plants in your home if you have a matured plant. Follow the steps that we have mentioned above in this article to propagate new Areca palm plants.

We hope this article will help you to know everything about propagating Areca palm plants. If you like this article, feel free to comment down below, and also don’t forget to share it with your friends, and family!