Majesty Palm Care
Common Name: Majesty Palm
Scientific Name: Ravenea rivularis
Lighting: Moderate
Water: Low to Moderate
The Majesty Palm is characterized by tall stalks of bladed green foliage. The Majesty Palm is a common houseplant. This palm adds beauty and class to any room. The Majesty Palm prefers medium light so keep within 5 to 8 feet of a window. In my experience, this palm seems to do well in a partially shaded area as well.
Watering of the Majesty Palm is crucial. The plant must have proper drainage set up. Do not allow the roots to sit in water. On the other end, do not allow the plant to dry out completely in between waterings either. This palm also prefers a slightly higher humidity level, so a daily misting will add plenty of beauty to your plant.
If the foliage tips begin turning brown, you are probably under watering the plant. Try watering it more often. On the other hand, if the foliage tips begin turning yellow, you may be over watering it.
A common pest to this plant is spider mites. If problems with pests appear, try misting the plant with a soapy water mixture twice a day. If spider mites still appear try a more powerful spray available from your local gardening store.
Share some of your tips and tricks that have helped you with this plant.
Labels: palms
posted by drayas @ 9:52 PM
176 Comments:
I have a 6'7" Majesty Palm as an indoor plant. The bottom frond's leaves as well as the end of the central vein have turned brown and yellow and have become more or less dead. I know for a fact that most palms' bottom fronds wil eventually die as the palm grows upward but is it a good idea to prune it? and how do I go about pruning an entire frond without hurting the plant?
You are correct in that palms will shed their lower fronds as they grow. You can trim the dead / drying fronds from your palm without harming it. Pruning those dying fronds will actually help the plant, because it will not focus its energy on trying to save those fronds anymore and focus on new growth. Prune the dead fronds around 2 to 3 inches from the trunk.
Thanks,
drayas
I just picked up some majesty palms about a month ago. I've made sure they're watered on a regular basis, but some leaves on a frond are brown and dead. Can I trim those off in the middle of a frond or will it kill the entire frond?
You can trim the dead / drying fronds from your palm. Pruning the dead fronds will help the palm. It will no longer direct all of its energy to the injured fronds.
You should remove the dead fronds roughly 2 to 3 inches from the trunk.
If you remove only the dead part of the frond, the ends where you cut will brown and it becomes a constant pruning until you have to eventually remove the whole frond. So it's better to remove the frond entirely right away, unless there is only a small amount of brown tips, but from what your saying it sounds like it a majority of the whole frond is brown.
Please let me know how it works out.
Thank you,
drayas
I recently purchased a Majesty Palm from a local retailer. It really had no care instructions w/ it. I already have made some classic mistakes w/ the care of this palm. For instance, I let it dry out between waterings, then I believe I realized that wasn't good and may have over watered it. As a result, I have burnt the tips of the foilage and lost a stalk or 2. Now I need to re-pot this palm and I'm not quite sure on how to do it properly w/out destroying the plant. Do you have any suggestions on what size pot I replant in or how to get the best drainage for this type of plant to keep it alive? I want nothing more than to keep this palm in the healthy condition that I purched it in. I haven't done so great w/ palms in the past, I need direction, can you help? As it is now my palm is roughly 2' tall and in a 10" pot. ~thanks~
chaislup,
Don't worry, many people struggle with palms. You can prune the dead fronds around 2 to 3 inches from the trunk.
Why do you need to re-pot your palm? If you are repotting it, add pebble stone or any type of small stone in the bottom 2 inches of the pot. This will help water drainage. When repotting don't get an overly large pot. Most houseplants like to have their roots somewhat compact.
Please let me know how things turn out.
Thanks,
drayas
hello, i have read the comments here regarding the majesty palm and it has been really helpful. Thank You!
However, i still have a question! Should I water my palm directly in the pot or the saucer?? Im still not sure about that because when I water it in the saucer the soil seems to stay still dry on the top. If anyone knows, please help me out!
Thank you!
Vika,
I water mine from the top. Some people put some water in the saucer to help satisfy the plants humidity requirements; however I just mist the plant instead of the sitting water.
You can prune the dead / broken fronds off. Prune the branch around 2 to 3 inches from the trunk.
Thanks,
drayas
Drayas, thank you for your advices!
My palm is very picky and I already cut several branches off it, because they all turned brown. I think I underwatered it:( Now I water it more often, but Im not sure how much water is enough for it. It is 4'9" and now it's got two big mature branches left and one new one growing from the center, I really hope it will grow. Now also one of the big branches has browning tips. Again, Im not sure if its underwatering? How much water could be enough for it or it depends?
Vika,
In terms of how much to water your Majesty Palm, you need to keep the soil moist much of the time, however not soggy. If you give it a good soaking once a week, that should be sufficient.
Thanks,
drayas
my palm is getting a sticky web between the leaves on the outer fronds. I have misted and cleaned it with water, but it still comes back. I have put it into brighter light and I am watering it regularly. Any thoughts on what it could be? My other plants are all fine.
It may be a common pest to houseplants: scale. Scale seems to leave a sticky substance on the plant and sometimes it will also be on the floor / surface around the plant.
Since you have tried the soapy water mixtures and it has been unsuccessful, I would go to your local garden store and purchase some insecticide. Be sure to ask for help in choosing a spray that will not harm your palm and is safe for those in the house as well.
Please let me know how things turn out.
Thanks,
drayas
my wife and i were at Ikea and came across some really nice 14" majesty palms. not sure what the 14" means, could be a typo, but they are really tall. we have a really high ceiling and wanted the palms to fill the room. we got them home and put them into a 16" plant pot. i don't have a green thumb by any means and wanted to know if that was the best way to pot them. i just put them in with some mulch. i read that putting some rocks at the bottom helps, but we didn't do that either. also, we have tall windows and we placed them right in front of them. is this a bad idea?
any help for a newbie will greatly be appreciated. much thanks.
JJ,
The 14" just means the pot size. Your 16" pot is perfect. Your potting methods are also fine. I don't have rocks on the bottom of mine, it just sometimes helps.
In terms of the light, you may be too close. Do the windows get a lot of direct sunlight through them? Typically you should have them about 5 feet from a window.
But, my advice is trail and error. If they start to show they do not like their new home, then move them back from the window. I have a lot of plants too close or too far compared to what other books say and it seems they just adjust.
Thanks,
drayas
i was moving my dragon tree and broke the top off one of the trees. it's still about 4' tall. It has begun to dry up now where it broke. All the palm fronds were lost when it was broken.is it possible to save the tree?
also, another tree just dried up and lost all its leaves. Can i cut it down a few feet and make it grow palm fronds again? I'd like a shorter tree.
thank you.
I live in the bottom apartment and it stays moist like a basement. I noticed that my palm has a little mold on the top of the soil. What should I do???
Remove the top layer of soil / mold from the pot. It probably is due to the extra moisture of the basement. Try watering your palm a little less frequently and see if that prevents the mold from coming back.
If it does come back, try re-potting the palm in new soil. The mold isn't on the foliage at all is it? Just the dirt?
Thanks,
drayas
I have a 5' majesty palm indoors. It is on the west side of the house in front of a window that has a drape filtering the light. I had been watering it with about a cup of water a day and it was growing nicely in it's original pot. I transplanted it into a pot about an inch in diamter wider than the one it came in. I was not sure what type of soil to use (no care instructions came with it), so I used a little bit of compost mix in the bottom and around the side to fill in. It was terribly root bound. The new pot I put it into had one drainage hole in the bottom. About 3 weeks after I repotted it, I noticed little brown ends. Then this week I noticed a whole frond shriveled up and brown. I cut them off, gave it a thorough watering in the shower along with some fertilizer (Schultz) and now I see there are others turning yellow, like the life is seeping out of them. HELP!!!!
I recently purchased live plants for the first time in 20 years since I never had luck with them before. One includes the majesty palm which I have in the master bath since it is a humid area. I purchased a moisture gauge so I can easily tell the moisture content in each pot. This takes the guess work out of deciding when a plant needs watering.
HC,
Don't fret. The tips of your palm probably turned brown and the one frond died from the transplanting. When a houseplant is transplanted it goes through a little shock period.
Then when you gave it a good watering in the shower, you probably overwatered it slightly, thus the yellowing you see now.
Start back on your usually watering that you had been giving the plant before the transplant and it should spring back fine.
Please let me know how things turn out.
Thanks,
drayas
I have never used a moisture gauge before. Please let me know if it the moisture gauge works well in telling you when to water. If so I just may have to get myself some.
Thanks for sharing,
drayas
HI! Great info! I have a question about spider mites if you have a sec.
We had these little red buggers crawling on the leaves, the furniture that the plant was behind, and the part of the walls surrounding (it was in the corner behind a leather chair). My wife took the plant onto our balcony and let it sit through a thunderstorm to cleanse it of the bugs, but half of them survived. My wife then misted it with water and saw your post about misting it with a soap/water solution. What kind of soap do you recommend? Also, we have 2 small children under the age of 2 (that's why the plant was blocked-off in the corner) and want to know how to aggressively prevent these mites from coming back without creating a chemical danger to our children....
Thanks,
Sean
Sean,
The soapy mixture is simply regular dish soap (I use Dawn) with water. I just dump some Dawn in a spray bottle with water and then shake it up and spray.
The dishwater mixture you'll have no worries about the kids, because it's just dish soap. If this does not work however, I would go into your local garden center and ask them specifically. Tell them it is on your furniture so they know you need an all around solution, not just for the plant.
Hope the dishwater mixture works!!!
Thanks,
drayas
quick question? I have 2 majesty palms, for about a week or 2 now in my living room and i've notice the browning too.
I'm afraid they don't get enough sunlight in my living room.
but also is browning a sure sign of not enough water? Forgive me i'm new at this, i've been watering them everynight with 1/2 a quart bottle. How do you "cheaply" set up a drainage system. and if thats up should i still water the base?
I feel ignorant asking this, but how long will a majesty palm last? What is it's "season"? I have one and love it, but I'm not sure how long it will last, or if there is a cycle it follows, or what to do about bringing it back continuously, if there is anything to do. Thanks for any help!
I would say that the browning is more likely due to underwatering than lighting. Majesty palms can tolerate lower light levels. Try watering the plant more first. If after 2 weeks or so that does not seem to be helping, then try and adjust to provide it with more light.
For proper drainage, simply fill the bottom of the pot it is in with an inch of pebbles. The rocks allow the water to drain out into the tray versus soaking the soil at the bottom of the pot, thus the roots.
Please let me know how things work out.
Thanks,
drayas
I don't believe Majesty Palms have a season per say. Usually palms can last for quite a long time. As long as it is healthy, I wouldn't worry about it.
I tried to find information on estimate life, but had no luck. The only tip I found is that older fronds' color with fade with age.
Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
Thanks,
drayas
Thanks for the advice here, it's quite helpful.
Recently, 3 new fronds grew in, one of them a large one, and the bigger two are nearly fully spread. The smallest one, however, has barely opened, and it came in at the same time as the other two. Also, the new fronds' leaves are a noticeably paler green than the other leaves. Is this simply because they are brand new? The rest of the leaves look just fine.
Thanks.
The new fronds are most likely paler just for that reason, they're new. Once they become more established they will get the same color as the other fronds. Usually that's the case.
Thanks,
drayas
We just purchased four 8 1/2 ft Majesty Palms. We were told to look on line to get information on how to care for the palm and so far we have done everything right. We now need to re-pot the plants, for the roots are starting to push towards the surface. What size pot do you recommend we purchase for this size of plant? Also some of the leaves on the branches are starting to wilt instead of being firm and fan like. What would you suggest to help them look crisp and fresh?
Thank you for your help
The general rule for repotting is to not overdue it. Find a pot a few inches bigger than the current pot.
In terms of the foliage, wait and see after you repot the plants. Give a good week or two after you repot before worrying. Sometimes repotting sends the plant backwards for a little bit, but then they usually spring back better than before.
Please let me know how things work out.
Thanks,
drayas
I have read that majesty palms will not produce fruit/seeds indoors. Is this true? Is there any way to simulate an outside environment as closely as possible without actually putting the plant outside? Does daily misting help with this?
I am sorry to say, I have no idea. I have been trying to find information about Majesty Palms and seeds and have come up empty. So I am calling out my readers on this one.
"I have read that majesty palms will not produce fruit/seeds indoors. Is this true?"
Any help is appreciated.
Thanks,
drayas
I'd like to mention one thing about the lighting requirements. If you're having trouble finding a good spot 5 to 8 feet from a window like I was, another possibility is to put the plant right next to the window, but have the blinds closed enough so that only filtered/diminished light falls on the tree. This seems to work great; initially my tree was not doing so well, but it improved when I switched to this arrangement. You would probably only have to keep the blinds this way for those hours of the day that direct sunlight was shining through the window.
Does anyone know if the majesty palm is safe for cats?
Hello,
The tips of my majesty palm had been turning brown (I believe it was because the plant was getting too much direct sunlight), so I trimmed them off. Is this bad for the plant's growth? Should I completely remove any fronds that had browning tips? Several of the fronds were affected, and my plant would be greatly diminished by removing any branches that had to be snipped at the ends. Would it be good in the long run to get rid of the whole fronds, or just let the plant continue as is, with trimmed tips?
Thanks
I have not found anywhere that says the Majesty Palm is toxic. I did find a site that listed non-toxic houseplants and Palms in general are non-toxic.
Thanks,
drayas
Generally, browning tips on Majesty Palms signal that the plant is not receiving enough water. Try watering the plant more often.
Browning tips are usually something common with palms. You don't want to just remove the tips, not because it necessarily hurts the plant, but because the new ends will just continue browning, so you’re stuck in a circle of pruning until you’re down to the end of the frond.
You can remove the whole frond or just stop cutting the tips. I would wait until new fronds start growing and then begin removing the damaged fronds, that way your plant isn’t bare until new growth starts.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
drayas
I recently purchased a Majesty Palm. While my husband and I were setting the plant in the area we wanted it, some of the palms have bent over. I was wondering what we need to do to these bent areas. Do I prune them? or just leave them be. They are full healthy branches of the palm.
Did the fronds actually break or just bend? If they broke, you may have to remove the entire frond. If they are just bent shape wise, I would leave them and see if they spring back.
Sorry about the late response.
Thanks,
drayas
Hi dreyas,
Your postings have been very helpful. I recently got a majesty plam and i was wondering if the plam would need to be transported or not. The original pot size is 10" with drainage and the height of the tree is about 5'6". How will i know when or if the tree needs a bigger pot size?
Also, we live in a small condo and none of our windows really let in much light. I currently have the palm on our patio which receives direct light between 1 and 4 pm and shade the rest of the day. Do you think that the tree will do well in this condition? (we live in Southern Ca with pretty consistent non-humid weather)
thanks,
Natalie
Natalie,
When your palms root base seems to start pushing up through the soil, is usually a good sign to repot. Otherwise I usually repot palms every 2 - 3 years.
In terms of the lighting, I think you should be fine. Turn the plant 1/4 round every week or so, just in case it begins to reach for the light. That way it won't be all leaning one way.
Thanks,
drayas
I live in Austin Texas and have two (almost twin) majesty palms for 3 years now.. I leave them out on the deck from last frost to first and bring them inside in the winter. While outside I water them every other day, they are potted in very large 34" pots that have great water drainage. While inside I water them once a week and keep a large pan of water and rocks underneath the pot for humidity levels. They have grown twice their size now, nearly 10 foot tall.. I cut the browning, droopy frawns off very close to the stalk to keep from nuts, berrys, animals getting caught in the fold. I suggest to anyone that you try this plant, it really just takes a lot of TLC and confidence that you can care for it. Just be smart about it and listen to the plant. Let me know if you need some help.. Good Luck! Philip - Austin Texas - Zone 8 - designs.sketch@gmail
I just bought a palm. I had a pot with no drainage. Should I repot my palm in another pot? I am afraid of water damage.
If your plant is healthy now, why change. If you are careful with waterings you should be fine.
It wouldn't hurt anything to repot to a pot with drainage. Just remember when you do repot the palm that your plant may go into a little week or two shock period.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
I got my majesty palm a couple of months ago, and it is currently about 5 feet tall. The pot actually contains 4 separate plants in it, two bigger ones and two smaller ones. Recently, all four plants began shooting up a new frond; one of them ascended to about 2 and a half feet. However, all four new fronds seem to have stopped their progress altogether. Three of them have barely poked up out of the base, and none of the four have shown any progress for weeks now. What could be causing the sudden stop in growth? Thanks for your help.
Have you changed anything in terms of watering or lighting?
I would try giving the palm a small dose of houseplant food. It may be that the plant had a growth spurt and pushed all of those new sprouts up and now has simply run out of energy.
Please let me know how things work out.
Thanks,
drayas
I switched my majesty palm to a bigger pot about 3 weeks ago. It is about 5 inches more all around than the one it was in. It is currently doing horrible! I put stones on the bottom for proper drainage and cut the outside of the roots so it would grow into the new soil. It had the spider mites and I sprayed it with a soapy solution which helped. I used Miracle grow soil for houseplants when I re-potted it. I seen some insects in the soil crawling out. Would they be hurting the plant? I don't wanna lose this plant .. I have already cut many of the leaves due to browning. It's getting smaller and smaller with each day. Please help me! Thanks
Why did you cut the roots? I haven't been able to find a source that says to do that. I'm not an "expert" but to me that would severly hurt the plant.
The type of soil you used is fine. It is what I always use. Can you describe the bugs your seeing? Are they just in the dirt or on the palm too?
The pot size you got is perfect because you only went a few inches bigger than the last pot. Usually when you repot the plant will go into a slight shock but not as severe as you're seeing.
Please give me some background on the cutting of the roots. Right now, from what I know, that's probably why your plant is dying.
drayas
The card that was attached to the plant said to cut the roots when re-potting so that the roots will grown into the new soil, but I am afraid I cut too much! Is there any way the roots will heal itself? Also, the bugs in the soil are very small and yellowish and there's a ton of them. They don't fly. Is it okay to use the soapy mixture I used to kill the spider mites in the soil? How can I tell when the plant is dying due to bugs eating it? I really love this plant and I don't want it to die on me! What can I do?
Unfortunately you won't be able to tell whether the bugs are killing your plant or if the roots are.
Are the bugs on the plant itself? Do they look like any of the insects pictured on the following site: University of Minnesota?
The soapy dishwater mixture is safe to use on the soil as well. I think I would try the mixture for a few days, if the bugs don't seem to be decreasing, I'd repot again. Dump the soil, wash the roots off as well as thoroughly was the pot. The roots should spring back.
Please keep me posted, I'll keep digging for more info.
Thanks,
drayas
There were spider mites on the actual plant but after using the soapy mixture, they went away, but it seems that they made their way to the soil. What is it about the dish soap that gets rid of mites? And how come the soapy mixture will not harm the roots or the plant itself? I have sprayed the top soil with about 8 oz. of soapy mixture. Is that enough? Thanks
I really don't know what it is about the dish soap that gets rid of many houseplant pests, but it was something my mom always did and it usually worked so I use it before buying something.
I think because it's just dishsoap it doesn't hurt the plant. I've never had any problems. The amount you sprayed the soil with should be good.
Good Luck,
drayas
Almost all of the leaves are browning and the growth has completely stopped. The fronds that were about to open are now just browning. What would happen if I cut off all of the stems so that what was left was the trunk. Would I be able to save the plant and start over or would it just completely kill it? Please let me know asap! Thanks
Can any of my readers give me a hand with the last comment? I've never had one that I had to cut all the fronds off, so I don't know if new growth will come back. The plant sounds like it is severly damaged so my guess is chances aren't good.
Let's see what other readers have to say. Sorry I couldn't give a definite answer.
Thanks,
drayas
Drayas,
I saw the question about the person who broke the top of his tree off. I didn't see an answer. I came here looking for answers because I did the same thing. My Majesty was extremely over water (im guessing, as it was very soggy) and broke off. Will the roots and stump grow back into another tree or am I SOL with my beloved palm tree? Thanks. Tracy
Tracy,
It all depends how overwatered your palm was. If the plant doesn't suffer from root or stem rot (stem is squishy), it should come back. However I really can't give a time frame. It could be months.
If it appears to have root or stem rot, then I'm sorry to say, the palm is done for.
Let me know how things turn out.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a 6-7 ft Majesty Palm (actually 3 seperate trunks) in my office at work. It's about 15 ft from a floor to ceiling west facing window and its directly under a florescent ceiling light panel.
It's in an 16 inch round pot and I've had it here for about 8 months. The plant seems to be doing just fine with plenty of new fronds coming up but the tips of all the leaves are brown even on newly opened fronds. I read here it must be underwatered (I water twice weekly) but if I start watering more frequently or fertilize how soon would the tips turn green again or are they going to remain brown forever?
Tim
Tim,
The tips that are brown already will remain brown. Many times brown tips on a Majesty Palm are something you can't avoid.
You can try watering more often and see if that keeps the new growths tips green. If the tips start to yellow, lower your watering levels because yellow tips mean you're overwatering.
My experience is that you just can't prevent the browned tips. I have not been able to avoid it. If you do though, congrats.
Thank you,
drayas
Hi! I have a majesty palm as a houseplant. How often should the palm be watered and how much water for each watering? Thanks!
Hello,
Allow your Majesty palm to dry out almost completely between watering. If the soil is dry to touch 2 inches deep, it's time to water again.
When you do water, I can't say an exact amount, but water it thoroughly but not soggy. Allow the water the drain out, keeping the roots from sitting in water.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
We have two Majesty Palms that are touching and slightly bending at the ceiling.
I'm worried about what this might do to the Palms' health. Do you think they'll be alright?
One also seems to have some sort of bug. I was told to use neem oil as a safe and natural option. Have you heard anything about it?
Thanks for your help!
Hello,
It probably isn't good to have your palms bent against the ceiling, but if you're out of room, I'm not sure what to do.
In terms of your bugs. I've never used the oil, but I usually use a soapy dishwater mixture for any pests my houseplants get.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a 4' Majesty Palm that seems to have an ant problem. Do I need to repot/soil the plant or should I look for some insecticides? If I do repot/soil my palm, are there any guidelines? Approximately what size pot is suitable for this size of palm?
Also, I live in an area with a high mineral content in the water, particularly iron. Should I use distilled water instead of tap to hydrate my plant? Should I use liquid fertilizers at all? If yes or no, is that the rule of thumb for most houseplants?
Will,
I would probably repot your palm with new soil. Insecticides may take care of the ants, but how effective it may be with any eggs that ants have laid, I don't know. If the palms root base is almost to the ends of the pot, you should repot it. Get a pot 3-6 inches bigger than your current pot.
Distilled water would be a much better source than your current water. I'm suprised your palm has done well thus far with the regular water. Many times palms are the most touchy when it comes to the water used.
For fertilizers, I use Miracle Gro's Houseplant Food. It is a liquid concentrate that I mix very small amounts within the water.
Please let me know how you do with the ants.
Thanks,
drayas
I've only had my majesty palm for a few weeks and now the leaves are covered in very small yellow dots. Is this normal and what do I do about it?
Hi,
I read through your comments and tehy have really been helpful. Thanks. I had a question regading fertilizing for teh Majesty palms. I have two which are about 5' feet tall. Do you recomment in type of special plant food and what is teh frequency at which I should fertilize them
Thanks,
I bought my palm tree about 2 weeks ago. I recently noticed little bugs flying around the base of the plant. They look like little fruit flies. How do I get rid of them and do I need to re-pot my plant?
Hello,
The yellow dots may be a pest or lighting. Do you see any sign of bugs around it?
Just to be safe, spray the plant once or twice a day with a soapy dishwater mixture. This will get rid of the problem if they are insects.
If you plant is not receiving enough light, move it closer to a light source and be sure it is not near any drafts.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
In terms of fertilizing your palm, I simply use Miracle Gro's Houseplant food. It is a concentrate in which I add some drops to the water. I only fertilize mine once a month with that houseplant food. I believe the instructions on the bottle say you could do it every watering though.
Thanks for reading,
drayas
Hello,
To get rid of the flies, spray the palm with a soapy dishwater mixture, twice a day for a few days. If you don't see the bugs lessening more drastic measures will need to be taken. If the bugs don't diminish you can go to a local garden center and find an insecticide or try repotting the plant in new soil. If you use the same pot, be sure to wash it in hot water first.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
drayas
I have a 6-8 ft Majesty Palm which did so well last summer that it developed a second trunk. Can I separate the two trucks when repotting or is it better to allow them to grow together?
Hello,
You can seperate the 2 as long as their roots aren't badly intertwined. So get everything ready as if repotting, however when transferring one to a new pot, if the roots are really mixed together making it difficult to seperate you want to keep them together.
If the roots are really mixxed together and you have to do a lot of tearing to get them apart you may do more damage then good.
Hope that helps.
Thanks,
drayas
drayas; Last fall I brought inside my majesty palm I had cut off all the fronds on the plant except one itsy bity one.I did this as a test to see if the plant would come back.It is now March and I have three trunks and yes indeed out of all three centers came new shoots.All three centers have two shoots apeace.However when i cut off the orginal fronds I did not cut way down towards the trunk.From trunk up about 10 to 11 inches. I also cut diagonaly. Do normal watering.And yes the moisture guages work well. Thanks for all your great tips. I just purchased another majesty palm this time a eight footer.Fritzy
I recently bought 10 majestic palms that are 6 to 8 feet tall. I live in NJ and it is march. I have the trees outside on the deck in 14" pots. The weather has been in the 50's during the day and will go down to as low as 30. I read that the cold hardiness for these trees is 27 degrees. Will they be ok out there?
I bought a Majestic Palm a few weeks ago and the leaves are turning yellow and also the pot has tiny white crystals all around. I don't know if I'm watering too much or too little. Also the palm doesn't get direct sunlight but I put it in a place that is pretty bright. I had another palm last year and the same things happend to that one. Please help me!!!
Thanks
Lina
I bought two majesty palms about two months ago.They are about 4 feet tall.I left them in the same pots i bought them in and put them out in my shed about 3 feet away from a sliding glass door so they could get some light.I planned on planting these into the ground outdoors so I was trying to give them a gradual temperature change to get use to before shocking them too much with a transplant.Also I was waiting for the weather to warm up.I live in South Carolina and the weather is nice now so last week I planted them into the ground. They seem to be doing well.One frond at the bottom died so I cut it off,otherwise they seem to be very happy.They are planted in a shaded area.My question is are these plants going to make it planted in the ground? Everyone seems to have planted their palms in pots.
can 4 foot majesty palms be planted outdoors in the ground? I live in South Carolina
thoop,
From what I've read 27 is the low limit, however I would be weary leaving it outside if it gets below 40.
Keep a close eye on them and the temperature. If your palms do get touched by the cold, it could be hard to bring them back.
Please let me know. Thanks,
drayas
lina,
What type of water are you watering your palm with? Is it ran through a water softener? That's what it sounds like to me.
Let me know and we'll go from there.
Thanks,
drayas
Tammy,
Many have been successful with their Majesty Palms outdoors. Unfortunately I live in a climate where I can't.
If any readers have their palms outdoors please share your experiences with Tammy as this is unchartered ground for me.
Thanks,
drayas
Hi drayas,
I don't use a water softener, I just use the water from my sink. Yesterday I cut all the leaves that were dying.
Thanks
Lina
Hello,
From what I have read, as long as the temperatures stay above 27 degrees you should be OK. I have no experience in this avenue as I live in Wisconsin and below zero just doesn't work. I have in a previous comment asked other readers to share their experiences so do check back for responses from others.
Thanks,
drayas
Lina,
Is your water well water or city water?
Thanks,
drayas
drayas,
It is city water.
Lina
I bought a 4 ft majesty palm from a local store about 2 weeks ago. When i purchased it, near the base there was some yellowing...as asked if that was common and they said it was and to get some mircale grow. NOW the large veins are yellow as well. The plant is in my living room and gets moderate indirect sunlight. i do not think that i have over or underwatered it...what do i do to make it green again!
Lina,
I would try using distilled water for a few weeks. After 2 - 3 waterings if the city water is the problem you should notice improvement.
I've always had well water. When I water my plants, I use an outside faucet that doesn't run through the softener. I can't say what the city water includes. I would give it a try though.
Keep me posted.
Thanks,
drayas
jchamberssem,
If you are sure you are following the watering and lighting guidelines, I would call the store you purchased the palm from.
From what you are telling me, it seems there was a problem with the plant when you purchased it.
Have you tried giving it some houseplant food? It may give it a little boost.
Please keep me posted.
Thank you,
drayas
I recently found a Majesty Palm sitting in an alley, the outside temperature at the time was about 50 degrees Fahrenheit but it may have been outside all the night before and the temp had dropped to below freezing. I brought it home and immediately watered it as it was quite dry. The palm is about 5' tall with only two fronds open but both are very dry and browning and a third about to open that does seem to be holding its green. It is in a 10" pot and looks to be root bound.
I know the palm has been stressed to its max because of the temp and under-watering however I am hoping that maybe re-potting it and watering it good will help to save it.
If this doesn't work and I loose the last frond is it possible to trim it down closer to the base and start new growth?
ARE THESE MAJESTY PALMS POISONOUS TO CATS?
I have four majesty palms. They all had a rough winter with browning leaves and spider mites. One actually looks likes it dried up and is ready to die. I really want to help them survive. I read that flouride and chlorine are not good for palms. I am not sure if that also applies to majesty palms. Do you know? If so, how else would I water the plants? I use tap water now, which I assume has flouride and chlorine. Thx.
Hello,
Don't give up. Go ahead and repot the palm and begin watering it regularly. Also give it some houseplant food for extra nutrients. I believe you can feed houseplants every watering, but read the bottle for sure. I usually only feed once a month but in this case, I'd do as much as the bottle says.
If it all keeps dying, you can try cutting it down and see if it sparks back from the root. One thing I've learned with houseplants over the years is never give up on them.
Please keep me posted.
Thanks,
drayas
I haven't found any sources saying they are poisonous, but with any houseplant, if your pets or children will eat them, I'd try to keep them away just in case.
Thanks,
drayas
tessa,
Yes, Majesty Palms and actually any houseplants are usually tempermental on water. If you don't have a well which you can get water without running through a softener, you can collect rain water or purchase distilled water.
It's worth a try.
Thanks,
drayas
Zone6,High Humidity, we get majesty palms here for around $12.00, for good reason,treated like an annual, we placed them in pots and kept them outside in front of Gazebo. First year success.This year I've planted in ground on sand base and it's surround,in hope to pull and save over winter. Last years didn't make it to spring, what are my chances of keeping these alive after the season?
i repotted majesty palm in 4 size bigger than the original pot...after repotting now i see the plant dying. The leaves are turning yallow and dry. pl help me what must be happening. The lower leaves have started dying.
S.Ohio,
I can't help you out too much here. Never tried it.
I will say that I've heard of people who leave the plants they are putting outside for the summer then bringing in, in a plastic pot. They actually bury the plastic pot in the ground. Then when time to dig out, they just have to pull the pot out and not disrupt the plants roots really much at all.
If any of my readers can help us out, I'd greatly appreciate it.
Thanks,
drayas
Hello,
Typically you should only repot into a pot 1 to 2 sizes larger than the current pot.
As long as you continue to water and keep the lighting as is, the plant is probably in shock from the move. Try giving it some houseplant food with the watering to give it a little more boost.
Thanks,
drayas
We recently bought one majesty palms. It has 5 different shoots coming out of the base. Is it possible to split them? Can we put the plant outside on the deck? The deck only gets sun in the early morning.
Thanks for all the information.
ok so i have been reading and am a bit confused it says in the care intructions to cut the end of the leaves that turn brown off will this harm the plant or will the leaves continue to grow? also you keep saying fronds what is that? and i wanted to know i have some leaves that look as if the are leaning over like they are going to fall off what should i do with these ones.
i have purchased some majesty palms that i want to use at some of the weddings that i do and i have been keeping them in my garage at night just to make sure that the frost at night does not kill them. I water it at least once a week with a good soaking and also spray the leaves and i have noticed some brown areas on the plants, i take them outside in the sun to get some sunlight, i would like to keep these plants alive and looking good, is the garage a bad place to keep them and i read one comment about using some lights arond them. do i need to cut the brown areas off or will they get better with the proper care. tell me what to do to keep these plants looking good for my events and to prevent the browning of the leaves. thanks
Hello,
I wouldn't cut the browned areas off. Usually they just brown again.
When you place them outside are they getting a lot of direct sunlight, that may be possibly burning the foliage?
Thanks,
drayas
I have a 3.5 foot majesty palm, in a 10 inch pot that came when I bought it. I've placed it in between north and south facing windows, about 7 ft away from both windows. I'm watering it every 2-3 days. One of the fronds is turning a lighter green- almost yellow. Otherwise it looks great. It's summer now so I'm not giving it any other special care. I live in Nova Scotia Canada so winters are cold, and houses get DRY from heating. Am I doing everything correctly now? What type of pot and size should I get for the plant? And what special care should i give it in winter--or is keeping a palm in my winter climate a hopeless cause? Appreciate any advice.
Why is the frond of my palm stays half-opened? It has been like that for weeks. I watered it twice a week.
I just purchased 2 large Majesty palms. I want to use them outdoors on our deck which gets sun from around 1pm to dusk. I read in your posts that these palms like partial shade. The care tag says "High Light only". Have you tried them outdoors and if so how did they do and in what light did you have them?
Many questions with helpful answers!
We bought two palms over two months ago. At first everything was going great. One of the palms starter turning brown, but then stopped. However, we went on vacation for 5 days, and came back to find that both trees are brown, except for the 4 new fronds that are coming out of the center on both trees.
Also we found that leaves are look like hand held fans due to some unusual looking web. What can I do to save the trees? Is there ANY hope for them?
(They are about 5'6'' tall)
Thanks in advance
We purchased several 5-7 foot palms, we have planted them outside in sandy soil. They are looking pretty bad now, they are light green to yellowish, with the yellow extending to the base of the plant. Many leaves are falling off, any sugestion will be helpful. we thought we were overwatering and we have cut way back on some, but those we water, and those we don't look about the same. We have treated with anti-fungil, and insectide.
Pintado,
Unfortunately I have no experience with any of the houseplants outdoors. I live in Wisconsin so it just doesn't work.
Can any of my readers help us out??
Thanks,
drayas
Quick question. I purchased 3 Majesty palms a week ago and so far so good. They are in 21 inch pots on our new patio and in lots of sun. I was wondering what zone these plants do well in. I am unable to bring them in in the winter (we are zone 6a-b here in NJ)and I just might have to re buy them again next summer if we are in the wrong zone. Sadly, my plants didn't come with any info.
I purchased 2 majesty palms back in march and one of them has already browned up so badly that I just let it die... now I have the one left and it has recently taken a turn for the worse. The branches/fronds have bent and no longer stand straight, but rather droop toward the ground. Does this have something to do with being close to our swamp cooler vent (having cool air blown on it for long periods of time? How can I save my plant?
i live in wv can you plant majesty palms out side my lighting is not very good is the lighting off the house light good
I have 2 stalks in a pot and one just went completely limp. Is that normal? The leaves are browning but it does have one new bud coming through.
Hi there, I recently bought a couple majestyp palms which are roughly 5ft tall. The ends are curling a little. Any suggestions?
I live in south Alabama where I have two majesty palms, both are planted outside in the ground. One palm gets the morning sun while the other gets the afternoon sun. The one that gets the afternoon sun seems to do better than the other palm. Our summers can get very hot here, the high around 102 degrees and I water the palms everyday day with plenty of water, at least 2 gallons a day. In the winter months the lowest temp. around our area is usually no lower that about 25 degrees. I have found that putting uplights around the base of the plant is very helpful in the winter time. Plus it is very pretty. Also I keep christmas lights on the trunk and leaves in the winter, this helps by keeping the frost off the plant. In winter I only water the plant about 2 times a week, because the ground is more moist. When I bought my palms they were around 6' tall now the are about 10' to 12' tall. I've had them now for about 2 years. Hope this helps everyone out.
I've had two Majesty Palms growing all summer outside in pots. We brought them inside now that the temperatures are getting too cold -- our attempt to winter them over. The problem is that they are too tall & are being bent over by the ceiling. Is there a way to prune them to create a smaller plant without killing them?
I've tried finding sources online & come up with nothing. Your post seems to have been very useful for many people, hopefully you have a good idea for me too! :)
JBTW,
Well I have had just as much luck as you have in finding the best way to handle this.
Can any of my readers give JBTW a hand in how to handle a tall Majesty Palm?
Thanks,
drayas
Drayas- Are you supposed to leave the dead parts of the trimmed fronds at the bottom of the plant? I've been wanting to remove them completely, but I don't know if I should- as it might kill the palm. Your advise is appreciated- Leah
Leah,
What do you mean by the dead parts of the frond? Do you mean like you had to cut the whole frond off, but left the bottom? In that case, I try and cut the fronds off a little bit below the dirt line. That way I can cover them up and you can't see them.
Thanks,
drayas
my palm is about 10' high with several branches. Branches are spreading a lot. THey are heavy so the heigh pulls them dowm. What can I do? Can I thight them up some how?
Hi drayas!
I've read a bunch of your comments and they are great... but i didnt read all of them, so im sorry if you already answered a similar question.
So, I have my own dorm room and currently have 3 majesty palms in there... theyve been doing great for the last month since i got them. (I mist them every day, and water them about twice a week)... so i just had a couple questions...
-I still have the plants in the same pot of 10" height that the came in, and i really dont feel like repotting them, but do i have to?
-One of the plants is in this corner that is in constant shade, even when the light directly shines into the room. I really like having it there... since i live in the dorms i dont get charged for electricity for amount used, is there a good kind of lamp i can buy that i can shine on the plant to ensure that it gets enough light...
-Also, I am planning on going home (out of state) over thanksgiving week and winter break (about 2.5 weeks)... is there anyway i can keep the plants alive in my room during this time without me being there... is there such a thing as an automatic plant waterer? should i get a humidifier and leave it running during my absences?... or should i just find a friend whou would take care of it?
thanks a bunch!!
You could stake up the plant with a stick or pole to help support the plant.
Thanks,
drayas
We left our palms out by mistake on the first freeze,they don't look so good,will they die? please help.
Deb,
It is hard to say. Depending on how hardy they are and how bad the freeze was. You are going to just have to wait it out and see if they bounce back.
Thanks,
drayas
I recently bought a majesty palm and would like to know if I can keep it during the winter in a sunroom (which faces north)-there is no heating. If it gets very cold overnight, can I cover it?
Thanks
VB
VB,
There are various sources that say 27 degrees, however reading forums and other blogs, it seems you should really keep it above 40.
Thanks,
drayas
HELP
I just recently got a Majesty Palm and have not had good luck with it at all. I feel that I might have been over watering it because the tips were turning brown. I have been watering it less and it has not dried out very much at all. I am watering and misting it with distilled water (advice from the garden center I got it). Yesterday one of the bottom fronds fell limp and it was not even one of the fronds that was turning brown. I have it in a fairly bright area 5 feet from a window. I live in Calgary, Canada; the climate here is very dry so I assumed that misting it a few times a week would be appropriate. Please help I do not want it to continue dying!
Hello,
Get it on a regular watering schedule. The bottom frond going limp I would assume is due to overwatering. Keep up with the daily misting, that will help with the low humidity levels. Living in central Wisconsin, I know exactly what that is like in the winter.
Keep me posted,
drayas
I have read that certain house plants can be damaged by being near a gas stove. I want to put a Majesty palm in the wide doorway between the kitchen and the dining room, about 3 feet from the stove. Will this be a problem?
Thanks in advance for your help.
Hello,
3 feet away you should be fine. Many times plants are said to be kept away from heat or cooling sources due to the temperature variation. Having it near a heat source you may need to water it more often than usual and give it a daily misting to satisfy humidity levels.
Thanks,
drayas
I bought a majesty palm several weeks ago. It has three trunks with nice upright branches growing out of each one. It is very full, so much so that the branches grow into each other creating a tangled mass. Shoud I prune some back in order to allow the plant to breath. Which ones should I cut back?
I just bought an unmarked palm from one of the big box stores and am having trouble indentifying it. It resembles pictures of the Majesty but was slightly different and more expensive then the other marked majesty palms at the store. The trunk is smooth and a dark brown with a slight orange or bronze. This is still the young portion of the trunk though, no rings, etc yet. The stalks of the leaves have a yellow tint to them with more orange-ish color where the palmate leaf branches off the stalk. So my thoughts are this is a Areca or another type of Majesty? Or is it possibly a nutrient problem affecting only the stalks, not leaves? I should say the older, lower leaves are almost freckeled with yellow spots. Upper portion is beautiful. Any help would be great.
I nnede advise... I just brought a majesty palm home today can I just put the pot and soil it came in inside another bigger one? Or do I need to take it out and add more soil and disopse of the black thing it came in? Please help Thanks
I have a 6-7 foot Majesty Palm that I probably bought a month or so ago and when I bought it I had put new soil in with what it already came with. Recently I have noticed little tiny worms in the soil... I went last night and bought some inside plant bug killer from Fred Meyer to see if that will help. Tonight I may try re-potting it and clean it really good and see if that solves the problem. Any helpful ideas?
Help! I have a Majestic Palm and it has some type of worm. 5 months ago I had them I changed all the soil in the pot and spread the roots down with the hose until the water ran clear. I put in all new soil and now 5 months later they are back w/ little tiny tiny bugs flying by the soil. What do I do?
I have a Majesty Palm that I bought over a year ago from home depot. It's in a 16" pot with adequate drainage and saucer underneath. I live in Auburn, AL lowest night temp this winter has been 16 degrees, highs in summer are close to 100 degrees, moderately humid. I kept it outside in full afternoon sun [noon-6pm] on my screened porch till late October when I thought it was getting too cold. Now I have it in my bedroom, in front of 2 large windows where it gets full morning sun for about 3 hours. I noticed that once I brought it in, the new "sprigs" slowed their growing extremely and only one has opened. About a month ago the lower fronds on each tree [there are 4 separate "plants" in the pot] began to brown at the ends. The browning gradually takes over the whole frond. It seems that the old fronds are falling off faster then the new ones are sprouting. I have NOT changed my watering, b/c I know that browning means not enough water, I give it half a gallon of water every sunday. This watering worked fine when it was outside and the plant doubled in size. I'm thinking that the reason it's dieing is b/c it's lack of sun. I want to put it back outside; all the palm websites say the cold tolerance is 27 degrees, but mine is in a pot not in the ground. Do you think I could put it outside as long as it doesn't get below freezing? I just don't want the roots to freeze/get damaged b/c of being in a pot exposed to freezing temps. I really don't want it to waste away in my room, but at the same time I don't want it to die from the cold if I put it outside too soon.
What should I do?
Thanks,
Scott
Hi,
I think what you are doing here is wonderful! I have had a majesty palm for about 6 months and I didn't notice it had a mite problem when I got it. Originally it had two separate trunks, but one has died off completely. I was treating it once a day with a soapy water mix and I thought I cured it, but I noticed they have come back. I keep it about 3 feet from a window, but my blinds are closed part of the day. Two fronds are pretty brown now and I plan to cut them off this evening, but I haven't noticed any new growth lately. If I keep treating this plant, what is the likelyhood it will recover? Do you have any advice? I have had terrble luck with the majesty in the past as well. I have also been adding miracle grow and I water about once a week.
Dear Drayas,
About 6 months I received a Palm as a gift. It was in a pot that one would get from a flower shop, very little soil was in the pot and it had a vine growing along with it. I transplanted both, not wanting to disturb the roots to each plant as they were very root bound because of the low soil and no drainage holes. It is doing wonderfully, but a strange thing has happened. I looked online to try and figure out what kind of palm that I had received, I believed it to be a Majesty..now I am reconsidering this. The palm like I said is doing great, but at the base of two of the stems is a branch like coming up, with buds on them. I have left them alone to find out what is going to happen.
My questions are this: do Majesty palms bloom..or do I have a different type of Palm? Do palms even bloom?
I can send pictures if it would be helpful in this.
Thank you very much for any help that you can give.
Jess
I blogged on the Yucca page a few minutes ago. Along with purchasign my Yucca at Ikea about 2 weeks ago, I also bought a Majesty palm about 5 ft high. Within 2 weeks every frond seems dried out and turning brown-ish gold color from the center of the fronds out. (so the tips are still green although brittle feeling). Every frond! This seems like bad news to me. I didnt repot the 10" plant but Ive been watering it moderately, like 3-4 times since purchase 2 weeks ago. Its a few feet away from a large bay window. Also been misting it with water. I have no idea what else to do, but Im very frustrated that both my Yucca and Majesty dont seem to be doing well within 2 weeks of purchase. Its like I brought them home and immediately they are starting to die! HELP!
i have some sort of palm in my house, right by a window. its doing fine very lush and thick but its not growing taller only wider, what am i doing wrong? also i noticed the other day that i had these weird green vine things with tiny white balls on them, some are still green, some are white and it looks as though some are kind of yellow, any idea of what it is and should i cut them off?
Sometimes you have to be careful trimming the yellow fronds, the palm tree could begoing through a magnesium deficiency problem.
cutting the fronds could allow that to spread to the top.
I have a question. Where I live it is still cold outside. The heating in my house runs on floors. When me and my family are upstairs at night I turn the heat down low to 65 downstairs where my palms are. I just got the plants a couple of days ago. I wonder if you know if the low temperature will harm my plants?
I have a question about Majesty Palms. I realized that I was overwatering it, so a lot of the leaves turned yellow and dried up. I cut down the fronds like it said to do. I only have 2 decent size healthy stems left. Any idea how long it takes for new fronds to grow? Is there any tips on helping it grow faster? Thanks so much!
I have 15 majestic Palms we have to make our backyard feel Tropical. This year I pit them in the garage to make dormant. I just brought them out and they were so bad that I cut all them back to about 8"!
How long will it take for them to start growing back and with multiple leaves?
My dad left his palms under a tree all winter even with snow and he doesn't water them and they look Great!!
Also, Palms need wind to keep them Strong!
Mississippi
I cut my palms off cause they all looked bad. How long until they regrow?
Hi Drayas,
Thanks for all of the advice to those of us who are new to the game.
I have a question for you and/or anyone else on the blog:
I purchased TWO majesty palms about 2 weeks ago. One I transplanted to a 14" pot with one 5/8" drain hole directly in the center of the bottom of the pot, with Miracle Grow potting mix and the other I planted in my yard, where it receives full south Florida sun. I water the one in the yard until the ground is soaked twice per week and the one in the pot sits on my front sidewalk near my door in partial sunlight (usually high noon to 4pm). The potted one gets watered only when the soil feels dry approximately two inches below the surface. The pot sits on the sidewalk most of the time, but I occasionally sit it on the red mulch that surrounds my landscape bushes and lighting when I water.
Both palms were looking great up until yesterday, when I noticed the POTTED tree is looking brown and dry, nearly to the point of the fronds feeling brittle on approximately 1/4 of the fronds. This came on rapidly it seems. The soil still feels moist even on the top as I watered it about 3 days ago.
Surprisingly, the one in the lawn looks better than the one in the pot, and it gets full, intense, south Florida sun. We are in a drought, and the humidity is very low right now for S. FL. (50% today).
I am not sure what happened. I can't tell if I have over-watered the potted one, if this is repotting shock, or if there is something wrong with the palm where it won't take water up the trunk despite having an adequate, palpable moisture to the soil. Maybe I need to drill more drain holes? I did not put gravel in the bottom of the pot and I now wish I had.
Did you ever try the moisture gauges that a previous reader suggested? Did they work? How about Aqua Globes? (Those hand blown glass watering bulbs you stick into the soil). Have you any experience with those?
Any idea what could be happening to the potted palm?
Do you think the one I planted in the yard will survive considering Majesty Palms aren't big on a LOT of DIRECT sunlight? Looks good so far, but I am watching it closely now that the other one is looking ill.
On a non-Majesty Palm-related note, can you or any readers make any recommendations on inexpensive (<$50.00) palm trees that I can plant both in the ground AND/OR in pots and pretty much forget them other than the occasional feeding, pruning, etc. We certainly will be getting MORE THAN ENOUGH "watering" from mother nature starting in about 8 weeks time. I'm looking for something to make our drab landscape more tropical and lush, despite being in a drought, currently.
Thanks in advance for the advice!
Pat Adams
Osprey, FL
Growing Zone 10
just got a majestic palm, already has yellow freckles and tiny holes in the leaves. about 8 inches from the bottom up(the dirt upwards) the trunk is? tan 2 dark brown and dry, its like the outer layer of skin is dry on my plant, my husband bougth this plant to help clean the air in my home but i think its sickly and infested. what 2 do? can it survive?
Three weeks ago I bought a gorgeous majesty palm from Ikea and right away I repotted it into a 1 or 2" larger pot. All of a sudden more than half of its leaves turned yelow and then brown. I am a bit disappointed as in general I have have a green thumb and rarely loose a plant, although it still has some green leaves, I cannot understand what hurt it so bad. I had generously waterd it right after repotting and kept it near an west facing window and within 3-4 days the leaves turned yellow even though I hadn't watered it anymore. Now I have changed its place and kept it near an east window. Please tell me if this will survive or not. Also, as the weather gets warmer can I leave it outside, I live in Chicago so the summer is good.
I bought a majesty palm in this safeway store or something, (it was cheaper), and it came in a cluster of 5 palm trees, (i don't know why or how), but it turned out that 4 of the trees died and only one survived and in that one was new growth, (it's about3'6" now), but the new growth is taking soooo long. It's still in it's ten inch pot it came in, I had it for like a year and there was new growth before i bought it it has just barely started to open up and there is only 1 mature palm on it. I'm worried that it won't live because the tips of the palms are starting to die like my other plam trees, that came with it, ended up all dying. What should i do? Also how often should i water it? How much water should i use? And what and how much feterlizer should i use?
Also i took out the dead palm trees but the roots of the others are still in it. The roots are really compact to the living one. Should i take them out or leave them? Does it matter?
i am completely new to indoor plant maintenance. we just purchased 2 majesty palms from IKEA, and i came home to read up on tips, etc. the first article i read warned that mites are a big issue. i am now nervous as to how mites impact the plant, myself, and my dog. we have a beautiful outdoor deck that i could certainly put the plants on if that is a better option than exposure to mites indoors for my family. but from what i have read on this site, it sounds like the plants are fine indoors and no one has mentioned mites really as a major concern. can someone please advise me here? i really want to avoid any health/sanitary issues due to potential mites.
Jenna
Can I help my new fronds along by separating the shoots that are almost open?
I've had several Majestic Palms, growing indoors next to the windows, for about 1 year 1/2 the fronds are curling outward rather than growing straight up!! Please help!!!
ky; I recently bought 4 majesty palms...planted them in my front yard, full sunlight.They have a few brown edges,thought they were getting enough rain from recent storms.Anyway we just had light snow and and a freeze; covered with a sheet at night un covered during the day.Day temp32-38, night 25-30,their fine.. moved here from okee., fl. 3 yrs ago,lived in fla 48 yrs. i've seen it hard freeze and snow a couple of times there and these trees are outside. so its possible.........
Hello everyone.
I appologize for the delay in answers. Time is not on my side lately as a full time working mother of a 3 year old and 4 month old. So I believe I've covered any recent comments below. If I missed you, please repost.
To identify the right palm, research the look of it compared to others. Go to Google images and search the various palms you think it may be. Areca, etc. Otherwise upload a photo to Flickr or Photobucket and post a link and we'll try to help.
I'd repot your palm out of the black plastic pot you bought it in, however unless the plant's roots are completely crammed, I'd stick with about the same size pot. You can use the soil unless you see bugs or some other reason not to.
help - What I think you have are fungus gnats. They tend to attack rotting roots, usually caused by over watering. Rotting roots will also cause the fronds to brown. Let the soil dry out in between watering and be sure to have proper drainage for the pot. The roots will heal thus the worms go away, however it takes time. I would repot again as you did before also.
Scott - I don't have any experience with palms outdoors. Can any of my readers help us out??
If the mites are not going away, go to your local garden center and find an insecticide. That should clear the mites up for sure!
Jess - Pictures would be great. Mine never bloomed. Could you post some pictures on Flickr or Photobucket and post the link for us to check out??
As long as the temperature stays about 50, your palms should be fine.
Erin - The only tip is to provide your palm with proper care. Once your plant is healthy you can give it some houseplant food, which may help the palm with new growth.
Pat - We'll I have no experience on outdoor plants, Wisconsin doesn't allow it too much! However you may have overwatered the pot one. I have never used the Aqua Globes, but I've heard from many others that they don't work and actually overwater plants, specially if they are plants that like to dry out in between waterings. Majesty palms prefer lower water levels, so watering once a week should be more than sufficient. Be sure the roots do not sit in water as well.
Jenna - Mites can be a problem, but really only for the plant. The only harm they may do is transfer to other plants you may have near it. If your palm does get mites, spray the plant with a soapy dishwater mixture twice a day for a few days. If the mites aren't clearning up, your local garden center will have a stronger solution.
Thanks for reading,
drayas
I recently purchased a very green and healthy majesty palm around 5' tall. It did quite well under a full spectrum bulb and occasional watering for around three weeks, then suddenly started developing large brown clusters on the leaves, spreading throughout the vein. Most of the central veins are still green and healthy looking, but these outer leaves are very rapidly turning brown !? What can I do ? Thanks in advance !
We purchased a palm at Home Depot that didn't come with any information/instructions. After looking it up online, I think it looks like a Majesty Palm. The tips are already beginning to turn yellow. I mist it once a day and water it once a week, but the soil seems ro dry very quickly and I'm not sure if I should be misting it more often. Also, the stems look like they have some whit and black spots on them. I'm not very good with plants, but would really like to make this work! What info/suggestions could you give me?
Can I split my Majesty Palm into two plants? If so, would I simply separate the stems and repot?
I love my majesty but it certainly does not look like it. I'm really not sure what to do. I was bad and let it dry out and then may have over watered the plant. Now, the fronds are browning and the stalks are wilting and twisting. Please help.
Hi Drayas,
very helpful site and I think I already know the answer to my question from reading the previous comments but just to be sure could you take a look at this picture and tell me if this is caused by overwatering the plant...it's kind of both yellow and brown so im not sure if it's over watering or under
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/stronjay/25-04-09_1851.jpg?t=1240700313
also do you think this is too close to the window even though the drapes are always closed leaving the plant in constant shade. here's a picture
http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b179/stronjay/25-04-09_1852.jpg?t=1240700476
thanks alot
I'm a little confused about keeping this plant indoors vs outdoors. I purchased two 5' majesty palms last year. One I kept outside on my porch, where it got 5-6 hours of direct sunlight every day in 75-100 degree weather. The other I kept in my bedroom, and it got plenty of filtered light all day long through my skylight. I watered them both frequently, gave them miracle grow, etc, but both dried up and died within a couple of months.
This year, a fellow at the Home Depot plant department told me that my palms should only be kept indoors, and that direct sunlight would give the fronds 'sunburn,' causing them to become dry and brown. I bought four more 8' plants and have been keeping them in my living room, 5'-8' from a large window. Now, less than a month later, two of the plants have some yellowing, and one is very brown, despite my watering them all equally!
So many people here have commented that their plants do well outside- should I be giving the outdoors another try? Was the guy at Home Depot just plain wrong?
I have had mine going on a year just last month I caught my cat peeing in them. I have two! I moved them outside when it started getting warm now they have spider mites I have sprayed then and washed the stalks off, I am afraif they are dying I have a few new fonds coming up are they anything else that I can do? Please help
Hi,
This is my second majesty palm and I'm afraid this one is not going to make it either. I thinking that I'm not properly watering. From what I understand, when there's too much watering you get yellow leaves. When there's too little you get brown. But what about when you have a combination of both? Here are a couple pics of two frowns with issues; http://www.michael-henry.com/1.jpghttp://www.michael-henry.com/2.jpg
Please let me know what you think.
Thanks,
MIKE
Hi I just purchased a palm from Lowe's foods and it did not come w/a care card or what kind of palm it is. There are 3 bulbs basically sitting very visible in the soil. Otherwise the palm looks decent, some yellowing and a bit of brown, but not that bad. My question is how do you know what kind of palm it is and how should you pot it? It looks like it is a round 4 ft tall...possibly. I wanted to repot it b/c it has some bugs in it and I wanted to bring it inside or would a covered front porch be okay? One last thing I live in Clayton, NC (outside of Raleigh and 1 hr from Wilmington, NC), thx
I have a 30 year old majest palm that is 6 feet tall. I received it 30 years ago as a 3 inch plant in a ceramic bootie when my daughter was born.Occassionally it grows a thin branch that has multiple tiny yellow seed. I remove the brown leaves as theybegin to droop.
My question is, why is the stalk so thin? It is probably no thicker than the size of a nickle. The pot I have it in is about 14" in diameter and 14" high.
I'm afraid that someday it will just buckle from the weight of the top. I do have it staked with string to a picture hook in the corner of my room, but I don't know how long this will last.
Do you have any suggestions? I'd hate to lose it at this point.
We received our Majesty Palm as a house warming present about a year ago. Just recently, we have noticed some raised brown and black dots growing on the leaves and stalks. It is also producing a very sticky sap residue. Is our plant sick? I checked the link to the pest website, but none of those look like what is on our plant. We have it placed in front of our sliding glass door, water it when the soil is no longer moist, and trim the browning leaves. Please help!
I have 6 majestic palms and I put them outside around my pool area, It gives a beautiful tropical feel to the whole area. Just wondering if having them in the sun will hurt them as they are a tropical plant? I have them in areas that have shaded spots so not to be in direct sun.
I have a 18 ft majesty, plus 4 more. A few month ago, I cut a frond off of one of my babies. The whole plant went into shock, and I am slowly nursing it back to health. Recently, i've moved. My 18ft. is slightly too big for my space. I would like to trim just one frond off, but am afraid I will kill the whole thing. They say some things are best left untouched. However, I would like to know the definite consequence of cutting a healthy frond off. Any advice?
Just wanted to thank everyone as all these questions and answers is very helpful!
I have one quick question, can you give a Majesty Palm a fertalizer sick or is that too much for the palm?
I have a Jade plant that has exploded and is very healthy and was wondering if this will do the same for the palm??
Thank you for your tips!
You're really wasting your time with Majesty palms. They ARE cheap, so replacing them is not an issue, but all the time and frustration is not worth it! You will rarely succeed with this variety. It is difficult to keep them healthy and weak plants invite pests. There are other indoor palms that will thrive and give much more satisfaction.
Hello, I purchased my majesty palm a few weeks back for our second anniversary and we are already have some issues with the plant. The Palm is over 8'0 in height and my wife thinks it isn't getting enough sunlight. The plant is still in the pot we purchased it in. Should we change the pot? Secondally the leaves are turning yellowish/brownish color on the ends? What is causing this problem? is there somethin I can do about this to save it?
I am looking for some answers... I bought a plant that has a tag on it that says "Majesty Palm" to help spruce up the new house that we recently moved into. I didn't think to check on whether or not it was safe for our cat until I got it home. I did a search online and came up with very conflicting answers about whether or not they are toxic to cats. One thing that I read did say that there is a similar plant that is just called Majesty that is the plant that is actually toxic and that the Majesty Palm is safe. Please let me know if you have any information about this!!! I love the plant and would love to get it out of the garage and into our sunroom!!!
Thanks!!!
I started reading this blog because my Majesty Palm, has been getting yellow and one of the stalks got soft and died. (I removed it from the pot). I guessed this was because of overwatering, as my roommate sometimes waters the palm not realizing I already have. Today I found lots of dead bugs in the soil. They look like something between meal worm and millipedes. They are between 1/2 inch and 2 inches long, and so far I have only found dead ones but I'm afraid there might be live ones further down. Since the plant already may be overwatered I am concerned that that adding soap water could be harmful. Should I do it anyway? Is there another at home remedy I can use?
Thank you for your help!
I just bought one myself. My room is in the basement, and it has one window, with the deck going over it. The room doesnt get direct sunlight, but light does come in most of the day. Is this enough light? And when you say trim them 2-3 inches from the trunk, does that mean the entire brance, or the idividual leaves 2-3 inches from the branch? THANKS!!
Hi. I was reading that you should fertilize your Majesty Palms about every 2-4 months. What fertilization do you recommend?
Hi,I bought a MAJESTY PALM and I'm having a lot of trouble with it. I got a ceramic vase(without the drain holes).And watered it once a week. I was using tap water and had it by my deck door where doesn't get too much sun light. The foliage started getting brown,so I talked to my aunt and she told me I should not use tap water(because of chlorine and fluoride)and that it didn't like direct sun light. She also said that it shouldn't be close to the air vent,Because the air conditioning and heat would damage it. So I moved it and stopped using the tap water and used filtered water instead(from the fridge door). It didn't help,it was getting more and more brown. So I trimmed the brown fronds to see if it would help. So I moved it back to the previous place(about 3 feet from the air vent)and(2 from the deck door)
Can you please tell me how much of this is true and what am I doing wrong?
hello i have an assorted palm i dont know if its a majesty palm, it just says assorted palms, there are 5 palms 2 big about 4' and 3 small about 1' to 3' tall all in the same pot. I repotted it from its original 10 inch pot to a 16 inch pot.the plant is about 1 foot away from two windows in a corner, i water the plants every thursday, the smaller palms seem to be doing fine, but the 2 bigger palms started growing new fronds which were withered and a grayish green color, do you know what might help or what is happening?
Hi,
I just purchased a Majesty Palm that didn't come with any care intructions, but I've found answers to alot of my questions from this site, Thank you! I do have one question though. My plant has one very large trunk and one small trunk comming off of it. Can I seperate them when I repot? If so, how? I figured I would go with a pot that is 2 in bigger for the large one, but what about the small one? Thanks Holly
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