Small plants like that need very little fertilizer, but sure sounds like you providing way more sunlight than is recommended (none would be a far better option)... these can grow in dark rooms well. but as they age and become several feet tall, they can be grown outdoors in filtered sun (in the right climate).. .but I would try to avoid direct sunlight forever. It will fry their leaves. Increasing humidity is always a good idea, but not always easy to accomplish.. .saying that, this palm tolerates pretty low humidity well, though. I have not found these resent being grown in clumps, and if sufficiently watered most will tolerate clumping for many many years.

lzddr
Thank you for the information.
"Fry the Leaves" is a good description. I will move the palm clump to a place with bright light without any direct sun.
Other than the frying, the palm is doing very well, growing and green.

It's not unusual for some palm seedlings to die off. That whole "only the strong survive" saying. There are numerous seedlings planted together to create a look of fullness, but don't be surprised to see less and less as time goes on. Completely normal.

Planto

Planto
The clump was very crowded. As you say, that many seedlings in such a small space, there will be die off.
Do you know if Neanthe Bella can tolerate or enjoy several hours of direct sun?
I have found that houseplants generally tolerate and even grow better with higher light levels
Dracena Marginata is said to tolerate low light but I discovered, to my surprise, that the dragon tree grows fast, full and straight with a few hours of direct sunlight each day.
I guess with Neanthe Bella, the tag means what it says, moderate to bright light

A lot of "low light" plants in fact enjoy higher light; they tolerate low light is what they really ought to say. Tolerating and being happy are two different things.

That being said, I would not label Dracena marginata as a low light plant. If acclimated, I believe it would tolerate and thrive in a West window (afternoon sun). Without adequate lighting, the stems they eventually form will be thin and the plant will be weak. It's not uncommon for such thin and weak stems to break off due to the weight of the foliage.

But with respects to Neanthe Bella palm, I don't believe direct sun is best. I put mine outside (granted, outdoor sun is more intense) and it developed brown patches on the leaves due to sunburn. I believe bright indirect is best. I would place it in an East window or near a West window where it doesn't receive direct afternoon sun (maybe off to the side of the direct sun). This one also can get leggy stems if not provided enough light and will look funny down the road.

My MIL grows hers in a rather dark livingroom and half of the stem is nice and fat (where the stems are taller than the rim of the pot) and beneath the rim of the pot, the stems are thin and unable to support the large fronds. She has to prop them up.

It will take a long time before you see stems form on these and you may end up with ten plants, you may only have three. My MIL started with two separate pots, both which were full of seedlings. One has three palms in the pot now, one has five. But, she also has not provided them with the best light IMO.

It's kind of a balance with this one, not too little, not too much. I think afternoon sun (West window) would be too intense, but morning sun (East window) would be perfectly fine. I wouldn't recommend South or North windows, too much light and too little respectively.

I hope this helps.

Do you have a picture of yours? I'd love to see it. As much as I love these palms, spider mites are an issue for me (they're kind of like Ivy, spider mite prone). So, I just admire my MIL's lol.

Planto

This post was edited by plantomaniac08 on Thu, Oct 16, 14 at 13:39

I moved the plant from the living room to the deck for the photograph because of the light. Normally it is near large east-facing windows. The sun is moving south so the palm is in direct sun for periods of time before noon.
The plant has grown into the 6" pot in the last 6 months.

This post was edited by lucky123 on Thu, Oct 16, 14 at 16:07

A picture of the browning leaves

Sometimes hard water with its high salt can do that. I water with distilled water. Spaths too especially need distilled. But if you really FLUSH OUT your palm with tap it's OK too. The salts build up with frequent small waterings so waiting for a jolly good drenching saves money on distilled water.

From what I can see, it looks fine. Expecting some die off of a few weaker seedlings here and there is normal.

I should have stated myself better considering the time of year. Your East window should be fine year-round. Direct sun this time of year is normal I believe considering we're approaching winter. Winter sun is lower in the sky than it is during the Summer (which is highest in the sky), so you will have more light coming in. That should be fine, I wouldn't worry about it.

If you wanted to, you could move your palm to a South window for the winter (Winter sun is also the weakest, that's why a number of people have weaker growth on their plants during the winter). But, be sure to move it back to your East window come Spring (sorry, I forgot what time of year it was, placing it in a South window in the winter is safe). Or, you could just leave it in your East window, that'd be fine too.

Planto

This post was edited by plantomaniac08 on Thu, Oct 16, 14 at 16:39