The best-kept secret for indoor palm trees

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In addition to water, your indoor palm tree needs food. Like so many things relating to caring for plants, it's kept as a secret. That is, you want people to see a beautiful, healthy plant, not a lot of "behind the scenes" stuff. But the "behind the scenes" stuff is what makes it work. Most gardeners don't talk about this, they just show you their green thumb. Not exactly liars, but not exactly telling the whole truth!

To feed a Kentia palm like this, apply some three-month slow release granules and scatter them on top of the soil and work them in with a fork, and then lightly water the soil mixture. Personally, I like Osmocote, but that's probably because it's what I see when I'm shopping at Walmart. Get any kind you like, preferably on sale, as long as it's slow release. If you prefer a water-based plant food, dilute it to 1/2 the recommended amount, and then apply as directed.

Of course, you don't want any of this to show, so move the moss out of the way, and replace it neatly when you're done. No one will ever suspect! And you can keep the secret if you like.

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