Is it outside or in ? If its inside it could be a few different things. To wet maybe and or the soil needs changing because its to mucky. These are a few things thats possibly the problem.

David,
The palm has always been indoors since it wouldn't survive the winters outdoors up here. I don't think the soil's too wet, but I don't believe they've repotted the plant ever so maybe that's what it needs...
Just out of interest, will the fronds I've pruned grow back do you think or should I just cut them back all the way to the stem? Also, is it just a matter of preference whether the dried stuff at the bottom of the stem is left there or removed or is there some benefit to leaving it there?

Thanks for your help - much appreciated!

You can cut it all back only the good stems will survive.

David
Do arecas have to be in the sun to get those colors on the stems ?

David, you seem to know alot about Arecas. I have 2 hugh plants that received some freeze damage about a month and a half ago. We live in Palm Harbor and its questionable whether we should have planted them....but we did. Landscaper recommended them, he said we so RARELY get a freeze. Many people in this area have them....and theirs look worse than mine. There is still a lot of green on them, but a lot of brown on the top. Especially the older bigger stems. Will they grow new growth? My neighbors plant has no green on it at all, are they doomed. We might have hit 32 degrees (with a lot of wind that night), early in the morning but not for a long period of time. Thanks

Topher I think they will look better with shade actually. I don't think the sun will make them more colorful they look more haggard to me when there sun burnt.
gk5040 they should be ok and it depends how bad each individual stem was burnt to know if it will come back. But the palm as a whole should be ok and come back in a few months.When was yours and your neighbors palms planted and are they small ?

I guess what i was asking is will areca turn colors in the house ?

topher2006 I wish I knew the answer but im not sure sorry.

My plants were planted about 1 1/2 years ago, they are big, they were big when we had them installed.....Now they are about 12 ft tall by 5 ft wide. The neighbor has 2 older plants that are just as big, if not bigger. They look bad. His newest plant was added last year, it was maybe 7 ft tall, looks dead. Their lawn guys cut it back to 3 stems, those stem leaves have died. Not sure if there is hope for that plant. His yard took a beating in the freeze. Apparently his sprinklers ran that morning and that was the reason for his yard damage.

Well I guess you must of went below 30 degrees or so to get that kind of damage to a palm that old and established.The cold winds are brutal to palms and thats probably what hurt yours.It will warm up this weekend and that will help it recover.

This happened over a month ago. We are in Palm Harbor, FL....my husbands car read 33 early that morning. Its funny, some yards had little damage and other yards, everything looks half dead. I have noticed Arecas all over our community suffering from similar leaf damage. Some plants faired just a little better than others. Most of the top of the plants are all damaged. I am fairly certain we didnt go below 32, but it was VERY windy that night. It was impossible to cover anything because of the wind.

To be honest I have never seen one hurt at 32 degrees but I guess its possibe. I have not seen them hurt until it gets in the mid 20s or a little higher so maybe this was just a freak on nature.

ishara,

Not sure if you got your question answered or not. You can cut the dying fronds back to the main stem. New fronds will not regrow from the bottom, you will only get new growth at the top and the bottom will continue to be bare - sorry! Do NOT cut the top of the main stem off in the hopes of making it get bushier - that will kill the plant.

You might want to check for spider mites - they could be causing your "issues".