Howea forsteriana in mild peril

My girlfriend got this Kentia from a wholesale greenhouse about a month and a half ago, and it really hasn't been thriving. It gets a fair amount of filtered light, I've repotted in a quick draining, sandy houseplant soil, the location seems to be free of drafts, but I'm not sure what is causing its issues. I water when the soil feels pretty dry, and I haven't tried any soil amendments since kentias can be somewhat sensitive from what I've read. It has some spotty yellowing on the oldest leaf that is starting to die back and some large brown/gray streaks on the youngest leaf... I don't know if these are water related problems, nutrient deficiencies, or maybe even a fungus or disease. I couldn't find anything on the net that accurately described what I'm seeing. This is my first foray into palm-tending, so any help is much appreciated.

I've attached a pic of the brown/gray streaks.

Also, I've uploaded other pics to photobucket so you can see more detail:
http://s1097.photobucket.com/albums/g359/brad5380/Sentry%20Palm%20Issues/

This message was edited Aug 12, 2011 7:08 PM

you sure this palm is not getting sunlight? Looks like sunburn to me.

Thanks for the reply!

It sits by a window facing north, and the window has open blinds and a patio overhang outside. To my knowledge, the palm has never gotten direct sun in its lifetime; went straight from the greenhouse to the dining room with a van ride in between. Would it be sensitive enough that even this could cause sunburn? It does seem to only be happening on the window side. I'll try moving it away from the window to see if it maintains or gets worse. Maybe even filtered Texas sun is too intense.

How about the yellow spots and the dreary-looking leaf? That leaf is on the side away from the window. Is this more characteristic of over-, under-watering, or maybe a potassium deficiency?

Is that one of the lowest leaves? could just be aging and lack of humidity. Overwatering this palm is very unlikely to occur unless the pot doesn't drain when you water it. You could probably get away with watering it daily. But you don't have to, either. It is fairly drought tolerant as well, but lean more towards its' needing more water than less, particularly if there is low humidity there and it's hot. Potassium deficiency shows up as spotting and is very unlikely to occur in indoor palms where there is very little need for potassium. In fact I rarely fertilize indoor palms... maybe once every 2-3 years and only cause I feel guilty, not because they look like they need it.

Thanks again. I'll try giving it some more water and see what happens.