Areca palm - potting mix is washing out of drainage hole

[zeeshan112]

Hello guys,

Whenever I water my areca palm, a lot of soil comes out through the drainage hole in the pot. Is there any way I can prevent this without having to repot the palm in a new pot? Please advise.

[zeeshan112]

Helllooo..please advise me

[ACW]

I'm not the best on indoor potted plants ,but from a qick look ,my guess is you are over watering ,apparently theareca palm likes just moist soil.

[applestar]

Is the pot sitting in a catch tray? If so one way to counter the potting mix from washing out is to water from the tray, but you need to be careful if this plant is sensitive to wet "feet".

What kind of pot is this? Plastic? (Many holes) Ceramic? (single large hole) -- one possibility would be to stuff folded window screen or STAINLESS or plastic potscrubbie in the hole(s).


A scenario comes to mind though -- so please elaborate how long you have had this plant and whether you know what kind of potting soil we are dealing with. If this is peat-based and fairly recently potted, and you have allowed the mix to dry out, it's possible that the potting mix has shrunk away from the pot walls and that is why the water is running down the gap between the rootball and the side walls and straight out of the pot, taking much of the potting mix out with it. If this is the situation, your plant is not getting enough water because the water is not soaking into the potting mix.

[imafan26]

The palm will eventually have to be repotted as it is an expanding clumping palm. I am not so concerned with the soil washing out, the roots will fill the space, but it will have to be watered more as it becomes root bound.

I would actually repot the palm while it can still come out of the pot. If you want to use the same pot you can do a little root pruning if it is needed. Only take roots off the bottom and only an inch from the sides. Put a piece of screen over the hole, it will help to keep the larger soil particles from falling out. Repot the palm and give it some plant food. Palm food is higher in nitrogen and potassium but very low in phosphorus 16-5-25 plus micros. Only sealing wax palms don't mind sitting in water. Most palms like a well drained soil.

[zeeshan112]

Thanks all for the replies

The palm is not sitting in water tray. It is a terracotta pot (pic attached) with a single hole. I bought the palm from the nursery two weeks back. Not sure what type of soil this is..but I am sure that the soil has not dried off. I will definitely try squeezing in some plastic pot scrubby to stop the soil flow.

[ButterflyLady29]

Weed barrier fabric works well to allow water to drain out without washing out the potting medium. But might not be worth the expense of buying a whole large roll for one plant. Panty hose or a piece of an old polyester t-shirt will work too. You'll have to take the plant out of the pot then repot it. Use a piece large enough to cover the hole and most of the bottom of the pot. If you use too small of a piece it will fall out. The larger piece will be held in place by the soil around the hole.

[imafan26]

We use old window screen or hardware cloth. Sometimes people have scraps. You only need a small square. They sometimes sell window screen repair kits with small square screen. It depends if it is big enough.

The other thing you can do is when you repot you can put a pot shard over the hole. You have to place it so it does not block the hole.

The soil in that pot looks like dirt. It is very fine. Potting soil works better in pots, it is less dense and it drains well. Your soil can become cement and contract in a pot if it dries out too much.

[zeeshan112]

Very helpful information! Thanks so much everyone for the guidance!