Cat Palm has browning leaves

Question

Recently I purchased a Cat Palm (about 3 weeks ago) and its leaves have begun turning yellow. It is definitely an issue with the watering schedule as it has improved right after watering. The Plant is located in an area where the soil gets direct sun, but the leaves only receive bright indirect light.

• My question is how often should I water my cat palm when the sun seems to dry out the soil quite quickly?
• Is every day a suitable option? The plant store said no more than once a week so I'm worried about over watering.

Note: The pot has suitable soil for palms and has proper drainage.

Answer 1

Cat palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum) is one of those that like to be moist but not wet. Once established and the roots spread they can look after themselves but you are right, when young and still much in the nursery condition they will likely be in rather fast draining soil so that they can tolerate a bit of overwatering in the nursery. How much to water is best answered independently with a water meter, or by weighing the plant and pot just after watering and using that as a target weight. A good approach is to plant in an oversize pot; that way if the roots have liberal room to spread you will be less likely to run into a situation where the pot dries out too quickly after watering due to the pot being filled with roots and you don't notice until too late.