Fertilising guide
How to fertilise Lipstick Palm (Cyrtostachys renda)— schedule & NPK
Also called Sealing Wax Palm, Rajah Palm, Red Sealing Wax Palm.
More about lipstick palm
About Lipstick Palm
Cyrtostachys renda · also called Sealing Wax Palm, Rajah Palm · tropical
Cyrtostachys renda is one of the world's most striking ornamental palms, famed for its brilliant scarlet-red crownshaft and leaf bases that glow like sealing wax. A clustering feather palm from the tropical swamps of Malaysia and Borneo, requiring warmth and very high humidity. True palms are generally non-toxic to pets.
Growth habit: Clustering multi-stemmed feather palm with scarlet crownshaft
What fertiliser lipstick palm actually wants — and why
Lipstick Palm is a genuinely hungry tropical — in bright warmth it pushes growth fast and rewards a regular half-strength balanced feed all season.
A balanced liquid feed (even N-P-K) or a slightly nitrogen-leaning foliage feed — this is a big-leaved foliage plant putting on real size, so it wants steady nitrogen for lush leaves, not a bloom formula.
For the language behind the three numbers on the bottle — what nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium each do — see the NPK ratio explained entry. The short version for lipstick palm: match the feed to the job the plant is doing right now, not to a generic “plant food” on the shelf.
How often to feed lipstick palm, and which months
Feeding only earns its keep while the plant is in active growth and can use the nutrients — pour feed into a dormant or low-light plant and it simply builds up as root-burning salt. For lipstick palm:
Feed every 3-4 weeks during the growing season with a dilute balanced palm fertiliser. Do not over-feed; lipstick palms in their natural swampy habitat grow in nutrient-poor conditions. A light touch with a micronutrient-rich formulation is best. For a fast grower like this that means feeding regularly — about every 3-4 weeks — right through spring through early autumn (roughly March to September), tapering off only as light drops in autumn.
The dormant-season rule matters more than the exact interval: skip feeding entirely when lipstick palm is resting. For the wider context on indoor feeding rhythms across the seasons, the houseplant fertiliser schedule walks through the year month by month.
What strength to mix for lipstick palm
Half strength every feed is the sweet spot for lipstick palm: frequent enough to fuel fast growth, dilute enough that it never scorches even when you feed often.
Feeding always goes onto already-damp soil, never dry roots — water lipstick palm first if the soil is dry, then apply the diluted feed. The companion question is when to water at all, covered in the lipstick palm watering schedule.
Signs you are over-feeding lipstick palm
Over-feeding is far more common — and more damaging — than under-feeding for most plants. The classic tells for lipstick palm:
- Brown, scorched leaf tips and margins despite correct watering.
- A white salt crust on the soil or around the pot edge.
- Sudden leaf yellowing and drop shortly after a strong feed.
- Soft, weak, over-stretched growth that cannot support itself.
Signs you are under-feeding lipstick palm
- New leaves coming in noticeably smaller than older ones.
- Pale, yellow-green older leaves and slow growth through peak summer.
- A general loss of vigour and gloss in a plant that should be racing away.
If the symptoms point at watering, light or roots rather than nutrition, the full lipstick palm care brief covers soil, humidity and the common problems for this species.
Flushing and leaching the salts
Because you feed often, salts accumulate faster — flush the pot of lipstick palm with plain water until it drains freely roughly every month through the feeding season to keep the root zone clean.
Organic vs synthetic feeds for lipstick palm
Organic options
A diluted seaweed or fish-and-seaweed feed plus a yearly top-dress of worm castings supports fast growth without burn risk. UK: Westland seaweed or Baby Bio Organic; US: Neptune's Harvest or Espoma Indoor!.
Synthetic / liquid feeds
A balanced houseplant liquid at half strength applied frequently — UK: Baby Bio, Phostrogen or Westland Houseplant Feed; US: Miracle-Gro Indoor Plant Food or Dyna-Gro Foliage-Pro for steady leafy growth.
Brand names are examples, not endorsements, and UK and US ranges differ — check the label’s own NPK and dilution rate, since formulations change.
Fertilising lipstick palm — frequently asked questions
What fertiliser does lipstick palm need?
A balanced liquid feed (even N-P-K) or a slightly nitrogen-leaning foliage feed — this is a big-leaved foliage plant putting on real size, so it wants steady nitrogen for lush leaves, not a bloom formula. Lipstick Palm is a genuinely hungry tropical — in bright warmth it pushes growth fast and rewards a regular half-strength balanced feed all season.
How often should I feed lipstick palm?
Feed every 3-4 weeks during the growing season with a dilute balanced palm fertiliser. Do not over-feed; lipstick palms in their natural swampy habitat grow in nutrient-poor conditions. A light touch with a micronutrient-rich formulation is best. Feed every 3-4 weeks during the growing season with a dilute balanced palm fertiliser. Do not over-feed; lipstick palms in their natural swampy habitat grow in nutrient-poor conditions. A light touch with a micronutrient-rich formulation is best. For a fast grower like this that means feeding regularly — about every 3-4 weeks — right through spring through early autumn (roughly March to September), tapering off only as light drops in autumn.
What strength of feed for lipstick palm?
Half strength every feed is the sweet spot for lipstick palm: frequent enough to fuel fast growth, dilute enough that it never scorches even when you feed often.
What does over-feeding lipstick palm look like?
Brown, scorched leaf tips and margins despite correct watering. A white salt crust on the soil or around the pot edge. Sudden leaf yellowing and drop shortly after a strong feed. Soft, weak, over-stretched growth that cannot support itself. The mistake here is the opposite of most houseplants: under-feeding a fast tropical in peak season starves it, leaving small, pale new leaves and slow growth — but full-strength doses still burn it, so feed often and weak, not occasionally and strong.
Should I flush the soil of lipstick palm?
Because you feed often, salts accumulate faster — flush the pot of lipstick palm with plain water until it drains freely roughly every month through the feeding season to keep the root zone clean.
Keep reading
- Lipstick Palm care — the full brief (light, soil, humidity, problems, pet safety)
- How often to water lipstick palm — the watering schedule
- The houseplant fertiliser schedule — feeding through the year
- NPK ratio explained — what the three numbers on the bottle mean
- How to fertilise macarthur palm
- How to fertilise christmas palm
- How to fertilise red latan palm
- All 11687 fertilising guides in the Growli library