QUESTION: My large Kentia palm has been beautiful for years, but lately the leaves have started developing brown tips. There is no sign of insects or disease, and I am giving it the same care as always. Why is this happening?

ANSWER: The Kentia palm is a model houseplant, tolerating a wide range of temperatures. And unlike most other "easy care" choices, the Kentia is lovely.

But it does have a small vocabulary. Whenever it is distressed, it says so with brown leaf tips. The problem is usually too much water - but it could also be that more water is needed. The tips can also signal a damaging buildup of fertilizer salts. What happens if the plant gets blasted with cold drafts? Leaf tips turn brown. Perhaps you can guess how Kentias respond to low humidity.

Given your plant's happy history, the problem is probably in the pot. Kentias grow slowly and do not mind tight quarters, but old soil packed with roots is a recipe for trouble.

Try repotting the palm in a larger container, using a potting mixture labeled for African violets. Water well on transplant day, and then only when the top half-inch of soil is dry.

QUESTION: Every year, shortly after I buy them, my poinsettias start shedding handfuls of leaves. I water moderately with lukewarm water, keep the plants in average indirect light and give them cool temperatures at night. What's wrong?

ANSWER: The speed of the leaf drop suggests cold injury, probably during the move from store to living room. Poinsettias should not go outdoors in winter without coats of insulating paper, and their time in the open air should be as brief as possible.

Your care regimen sounds fine, as long as you keep the soil barely moist. Soggy poinsettias look wilted, so it is easy to be fooled, but if you keep overwatering them, they will (gradually) drop leaves.

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