My Areca palm is dying

Question

I bought my plants in early October from someone it was outdoor I brought it and put it indoor. I had to buy pots and potting soil for them. I started noticing the leaves curling and getting brown. I thought it was due to temperature so closed the heat vents next to them. I've also tried to spray with chlorophyll and water but no change just been getting worse day by day. I may have over watered them cause I thought the browning was due to lack of water. Recently I did see stains of water on the floor from the plant when I did left the plant the tray that's attached to the pot was full of water. I stopped watering it three weeks now but the soil isn't getting dry.

I also noticed some white webs which according to Google are spider mites. I'm freaking out cause I don't know what to do to get my plants back to life. It's winter so can't put them outside to hose them down. One is in the corner facing the window one is next to the door.

Answer 1

The usual problems with areca palms that are new are:

• insufficient light
• too much water leads to waterlogged soil
• spider mites that come with the plant when you buy it due to poor practices at the growers

Here are my suggestions:

• trim off all leaves with dead parts. They are not coming back. Take the leaf off at the base
• move to higher light: next to a south/east/west window without drapes or sheers
• only water when the top inch or two is dry. Usually that means watering every week or two.
• ensure that the pot you are using has drainage. Judging by the dead spots on the leaves this could be the main cause of leaves dying back

Spider mites can be seen with the eye or a cellphone photo. They look like tiny grains of salt and like to live on the underside of the leaves. A complete answer on how to control them is here

Answer 2

Judging by the size of the plant compared to the pot, it looks like it's crowded and needs a bigger pot and the pot needs at least one hole or more. Try an organic spray like Neem for the mites.

Answer 3

9 times out of ten, Palms affected by either nutrient deficiencies or cold.

1. Food/Fertilizer: The ideal NPK ratio for palm trees is 8-2-12, palm fertilizers also contain manganese, iron, selenium palms need because they grow in sandy soils.
2. Palms of Aerca Genus thrive in warm/humid environments. A large transparent plastic bag you can place over the plant to preserve humid conditions and for warmth, an Outlet heater near the plant to keep it warm.