Soil

• Most artificial soil mixes will suit, however they do prefer mixes with lots of organic matter -peat moss-coir peat etc - and they should be free draining.
• It doesn't matter if these mixes have some fertiliser mixed in.
• When purchasing the soil explain you want it for a Kentia palm.
• You can mix your own if you can purchase the ingredients; a good mix would be peat, moss-river sand, and composted sawdust in equal parts.
• However the Kentia will adapt to most soils and the main criteria is water.

Watering

Most indoor plants die from over watering. The Kentia Palm is no exception.

They like it wet, but they dont like to have "wet feet". This means that if you have a pot plant standing in a saucer, root trainer or drain tray, and it is holding water that remains in the saucer for any longer than one hour the plant will have "wet feet". The water remaining in the saucer for long periods means that all the soil in your pot is saturated with moisture and nearly all plants, with very few exception,  will die by drowning. They can't breath.

When watering your Kentia if you can place the pot, with no saucer, either in a sink or outside in a shaded area, give plenty of water, and leave the pot to drain for around 5-10 minutes, and then replace the pot into its position.

If you are unable to move the pot you can water as normal but be observant of the water in the saucer. If the water remains in the saucer for longer than one hour you will need to use a sponge or some absorbent material to disperse the water out of the saucer. 
 

They also like to have the water splashed over their leaves which helps to remove dust that may collected indoors.
 

If you can water this way the need for a set time for watering can be forgotten. However it's best to water in summer around every 2 weeks, and in winter maybe only every month.  A good method is to stick your finger down into the soil and if it feels damp don't water, and if it's dry, water.
 

If you have had your palm inside for a long period and it looks  "sad" try placing it outside in a protected shaded area with no saucer.  Leave it there as long as you can you will find that the palm will respond.  If you are in an area that experiences frosts you would have to monitor the situation as frosts will burn the palm.

 

The Kentia does best with the use of water soluble fertiliser such as "Thrive" or "Aquasol" which can be applied whilst watering. But the fertiliser should be only used at half the rates that the manufacturer recommends.
 

This fertiliser can be applied through the summer period every second time you water and in winter you need only apply once.  The pots like to have a good "flush out" every so often (2 months) with just water.  This will rinse out any build up of salt.
 

The palm will also benefit from the use of slow release "pellitised" fertiliser such as "Nutricote" or "Osmocote".  These should be applied according to the directions on the label. The label will tell you which is best for indoor plants. The ones that a higher in nitrogen are best suited.

 

Potting Up

The Kentia will survive for a long while in one pot. They like to be slightly "pot bound". If there are roots growing through the drain holes then you could look at repotting. The diameter of the new pot is most important.  You should only increase this by no more than 30-50mm (1"-3").  The depth of the pot will not matter however the Kentia does not like to be "over potted".
 

Over potting is when the palm is put into a  to larger pot.  When this occurs the palm will not grow at all and will also have no great aesthetic appeal.
 

If you have a large potted palm and it is very difficult to repot, or to move, and you wish to keep it growing well indoors, you can scoop out what soil you can and replace this old soil with new soil.

Hints for Outdoor Kentias
Kentias will grow outdoors quite readily. Indeed they grow well in coastal areas of Victoria through to the Gold Coast in Queensland. However they do prefer areas that have a "subtropical" annual rainfall (600mm-700mm).

They will grow in full sun or in total shade. Palms that are grown in full sun will have yellow green foliage and ones grown in shade will have a rich dark green foliage. Kentias also grow very well under foliage of other trees and they will tolerate winds in exposed positions.

Soil type preferred is dark sandy loam with good drainage, however they can be grown in other soils by adding plenty of organic matter and compost. They like organic type fertilisers like "Dynamic Lifter"or "Blood and Bone".

Water is very important: they respond to plenty of water as long as they are growing in free draining soils. If it is possible a water spinkling system or drip irrigation would suit the requirements of the Kentia.

When planting your Kentia, if the palm has come from indoors and it is going to an exposed area the foliage will initially burn but as new foliage appears it will not burn.

You will need to dig the planting hole at least the size of the pot you are taking the Kentia from. This is of course if you have good free draining loamy soil. If you have poor soil dig the hole at least 3-4 times larger than the pot and then fill up the hole with some good soil/compost or organic matter, then plant the palm.

The palm will need to be supported after planting as like all palms they are "top heavy" with foliage and are blown over very easily. The best way to support them is make up a "tree guard" by using 4 hardwood garden stakes (1.2m) and using a length of "shade cloth" 1.2m long and approximately 900mm in height. Attach the stakes to the shade cloth evenly spaced, and when you have the palm planted you place this guard around it forming a square. Then drive the stakes into the ground until the shade cloth is touching the ground.

Alternately you could just use the stakes and "ties" to attach to the palm.

After planting you should give the palm a good water of at least 10 litres and this should be repeated every week for the first 3-4 weeks. This watering is best done early morning or late evening, and even if there is some rain. However if the rain is torrential then there would be no need.