The quality of the substrate is of fundamental importance in the care of indoor palms. It should be porous, but at the same time have the ability to retain enough water to allow us not to have to water the plants too often.
It will need to be capable of the retention and liberation of fertilizers, and to have a low content of soluble salts, in order not to damage the roots. In a salty substrate the plants will show symptoms that are very similar to those caused by lack of water, as a high osmotic pressure totally impedes the absorbtion of water by the roots.
After buying the palms, it is recommended that you remove any fertilizer grains observed on the substrate, and also that you give them a thorough watering. This is because the nutritional levels used in the production areas are excessive for indoor conditions.
You can use many kinds of mineral fertilizers when caring for indoor palms, but they should always contain nitrogen, potassium and magnesium, as well as microelements, and the percentage of nitrogen and potassium should be the same, with magnesium making up a third of that amount.
One should take into account that the greater intensity of light in which the plants are cultivated the higher amounts of nutrients they will need -nitrogen in particular-, but generally, the feeding of palms indoors should be reduced: every 3-4 weeks in summer and always followed by watering.
It is preferable to use slow release fertilizers, especially if the palms have just been transplanted, or if the root system has been damaged, and fertilization of the leaves can be done if you want to achieve a rapid response.
