Howea forsteriana, popularly known as thatch or Kentia palm, is one of the palm family, Arecaceae flowering plant species native to Lord Howe Island in Australia
This slow-growing garden and house plant that boasts of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit is easy to grow, can tolerate neglect, low-light, and humidity as well as infrequent watering and cool temperatures.
If you are a cat person, you will be happy to know that Kentia palm or Howea forsteriana isn’t toxic or poisonous to cats, making it a great choice of a houseplant to grow. All the other palms in the family Arecaceae are non-toxic to dogs, cats, and horses. This includes parlor, areca, majesty, ponytail, pygmy date, bamboo, Chinese fern, and cat palms.
Besides these palms, you still have so many other cat-friendly plants to have in your home, including calatheas (prayer plants like the rattlesnake, medallion, or peacock plant), aluminum plant, Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus, Boston fern, cast iron plant, Haworthia zebra, among many others.
However, don’t assume popular plant you find on sale is not poisonous to cats since some such as aloe vera, daffodils, poinsettia, tulips, amaryllis, corn plant, dracaena, peace lilies, dumb cane, English ivy, jade plants, snake plants, among many others are toxic or harmful to cats.
Finally, not any plant that has the name palm is safe for cats. For instance, sago palms are toxic to cats. However, it doesn’t belong to the Arecaceae family.
Growing
Since Kentia palm is a cat-friendly plant, you may want to grow it in your garden or as a houseplant. The large palm-shade leaves or fronds are certainly a great attraction and the fact that when grown in pots, it doesn’t extend beyond 3.6 meters.
Some of the essential requirement that Howea forsteriana or thatched palms need include the following:
- Lighting: Thrives best under indirect light but can tolerate low lights. However, when in bright light, they will have more foliage. Avoid direct sunlight unless they grew under the full sun while still seedlings.
- Temperature: While they love warmer climates, they can still grow in places where temperatures are 55 degrees Fahrenheit and tolerate as low as 25 degrees Fahrenheit for a short while.
- Watering: Water once a week, letting the topsoil to dry between each watering. Also, mist its leaves as dry air or little water will make its leaves brown. Overwatering or underwatering may also cause drooping leaves.
- Soil: Get a well-aerated, well-draining potting mix
- Fertilizer: During the growing period (spring and summer), you can feed them with a liquid fertilizer once a week. Please don’t overdo it since too much will make their leaves to turn brown.
Once they have established themselves, kentia palms may thrive under neglect or with minimum care. Ensure you avoid repotting unless very necessary and remove any old or brown leaves.