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Majesty Palm Trees - The Majestic Palm

Majesty Palm Trees can be an awesome choice for many!

Majesty palm trees (or scientifically Ravenea rivularis [= of the rivers]) are delightful. Also called Majestic Palm Trees. One of the most appealing aspects of Majesty Palms is their versatility for growing outdoors or indoors.

You'll be rewarded for knowing specific needs of Majesty palms. Give it that attention to keep it healthy.

Here is everything you need to know. Continue scrolling down to see all that's needed. Or click your topic of concern.

MAJOR TOPICS TO KNOW A MAJESTY PALM:

MAJESTY PALM'S STUNNING LOOKS>

PLANNING FOR SUCCESS>

COMMON MAJESTY PALM PROBLEMS>

MAJESTY PALM INDOOR CARE>

OUTDOOR CARE FOR MAJESTIES>

TIPS & HINTS FOR MAJESTY PURCHASES>

Here at Mission: Palm Trees

Palm lovers can calm their palm-related search tasks & worries. Our articles are intended to inform, while having fun, easily Finding What You Want or Need. Without unneeded shoptalk & tiring endless research. We Research For You!

What do Majesty Palm Trees Look Like?

You'll want to be sure any Majesty Palm Trees coordinate with your landscape.

Know beforehand that they grow pretty much at full speed. Outdoors getting up to 50ft/15m tall. In perfect conditions, even a bit higher. Indoors they won't grow that high! 😉

Majesty Palms do have delightful features.

Majesty palm growing amid a lawn behind a buildingA Majestic Palm - the Majesty Palm Growing in Florida

Their 6-8ft (1.8 to 2.4m) long, feathery, arching fronds give them their majestic common name.

  • Midway the rachis (stem with leaflets) twists.
  • Older fronds hang downward (pendent). 
  • Leaflets begin almost immediately, outward near the wide purplish stem base.

The trunk is one of those fetchingly different types:

  • The lowest area bulges outward & then gradually tapers.
  • Distinctive rings in alternating shades of gray.

The crown has about 25 leaves. Extending about 7ft/2.1m wide. The flowering stem (inflorescence) branches out amidst it. Tiny white flowers eventually produce small red, round fruit.

They're Dioecious. Each Majesty only has either male or female flowers.

Majesty palm tree located in front of a buildingYoung Majesty Begins Upward Growth
Note the Bottom Bulge & Visible Rings
Located on Maui Community College Grounds

Planning for Your Majesty Palm

Whether outdoors or indoors, they won't work for everyone everywhere.

Majesty palm tree planted in a pot indoorsRecently Purchased Palm Looking Fabulous Potted Indoors.
A Decorative Container of Water Atop the Radiator
Would Improve the Needed Room Humidity

The Environment Majestic Palms Need

Here are facts for your decision to plant a Majesty Palm Indoor or Outdoors.

Do you live in a warm, sunny, humid area? You'll love them on your property. Their natural beauty year-round is wonderful.

Lush close-up of a Majestic Palm crownMajestically Lush Crown in the Tropical Philippines' Climate

Cooler climates aren't suitable to grow these palms outdoors.

But you can still bring the tropics inside your home. Majesty Palms are bestsellers as houseplants.

Majesty Palm indoors in an arboretumYoung Majesty Palm Tree in an Indoor Arboretum

Either way, you'll want to know how it grows well:

  • Their light needs & soil preferences.
  • Their particular Watering Plan.
  • Climate suitability for outdoor planting. That's USDA Zones 10-11.
  1. What's Your Climate Zone?
woman standing in a display room with posters illustrating three climate zones

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Being prepared gets your palm off to a great start. Having all necessary supplies:

Gardening workbench cluttered with pots, tools and supplies

Care for Majesty Palm

If deciding on potting it for indoors (most common), or choosing an outdoor setting - Here are tips for their care.

Majesty Palm Indoor Care

So, you are thinking of keeping your majestic palm indoors.

They are popular indoor potted plants. Indoor Majesty Palms max out about 6ft/2m tall. The trunk gradually forms that swollen bottom.

For good results, be sure it has the right care.

potted Majesty Palm ready for purchase

Majesty Palm Indoor Light Needs

If your Majesty Palm is indoors, they prefer bright, indirect light (300+ ft/candles=bright desk lamp illuminating the entire surface) all day.

When potted, Majesty Palms reflect the youthful stage of their understory growth.Placing them near a window with Sheer Curtains That Filter Sunlight is ideal. We have those in our dining room, and they're perfect! 

Soil, Water & Feed for Your Indoor Majesty Palm

Majesty Palms require lots of water. Don't let the soil dry out.

Potting soil with humus that's designed for palms is best. Or mix your own. Here's a Great Choice to Mix with some Natural Potting Soil.

container of soil mixture from bags of humus and potting soil

Fertilizer usage is tapered back for indoor Majesty Palm Trees.

Container palms need Higher Nitrogen Levels (add that with your Palm Fertilizer). Even though their growth is fast at first, they still don't need the same amount of fertilizer as outdoor Majesties. At least 50% less. And only once as Springtime & then Summer begins.

If using Liquid fertilizer, dilute it. About 1 part fertilizer to 5 parts water. Add it to your normal watering once/month.

CAUTION:

If you notice leaflet edges or tips browning, it's possible there's too much salt in the soil. Left from fertilizer & water minerals.

Help your Majesty by leaching out salts with an extra heavy dousing of water twice a year. Allowing it to drain out.

Temperature & Humidity Control for Indoor Majestic Palms

Majestic palms originated in strongly humid, muggy, tropical areas. That's the challenge for you.

Humidity is essential for keeping your Majesty Palm healthy when indoors. Imitate that environment as much as you're able.

Humidifier helping air surrounding an indoor potted palm in wintertime

MAKE HUMIDITY

Create a more humid indoor microclimate:

TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS

Drafty surroundings won't suit Majesty Palms. They don't like cold, or sudden temperature drops. Avoid placement by a door that opens up to cold weather outside.

A room consistent stable temperature between 65-85oF/18-29oC will be perfect. During seasonal changes, when you raise or lower indoor temperatures, a gradual adjustment is best.

ADDED BENEFITS

Majesty Palm pluses benefit your home and well-being.

A strange usefulness is they release moisture into your home's air. Does it seem contradictory?

  • They do need much more humidity than they give off. While making your own indoor environment more comfortable in winter.
  • Giving off water vapor is part of their metabolic process. Using Evapotranspiration.
  • Another benefit is they absorb CO2 effectively filtering your room air. And giving back oxygen.

Studies show that plants can help lower blood pressure, reducing anxiety.

So your indoor Potted Majesty Palm can Help Improve Overall Well-being. Majesty Palms could have these calming, stress-reducing effects.

Majesty Palm Outdoor Care

When growing Majesty Palm Trees outdoor, think first about placement. To be prepared for its essential sunlight needs, as well as height.

Advance Planning goes a long way.

First of All: Majesty Palm Watering

The rules for outdoor Majesty Palms are a bit different than when indoors.

Outdoor palms need more water. Especially in hot, dry weather.

  • Water deeply & frequently.
  • Mulch May Help retain moisture. Yet avoid mulching against the trunk.
woman in a backyard watering palm trees with a hose

These Palms are Native to Madagascar rainforests. Growing adjacent to streams in mucky soil.

That's why they have a hankering for lots of water. In fact, overwatering won't normally be a problem. Many say they can't get too much water!

Three Majesty Palm Trees in a Garden

Majesty Palm Light Requirements

Their native placement is a rainforest environment, amidst taller plants. So they don't mind some shade during the day. Especially when young.

But after a few years, they can take full sun.

Majesty Palm Soil Needs

Majesty Palm Trees prefer a nutrient-rich soil mixture.

Crumbly, loosely packed soil with humus & even some clay content is perfect. Mixing some organic matter into your planting hole is helpful.

Mixture of organic humus soil for planting outdoorsClick Here For a Fabulous Source (Affiliate Link)

Fertilizing an Outdoor Majesty Palm Tree

Besides their voracious thirst, they're also quite hungry.

  • During spring and summer use a balanced, Slow-Release Fertilizer at least once each month. 
  • In autumn begin cutting back a little through winter.

We have More Fertilizing Details, if you're a bit unsure.

Don't use grass fertilizers near by or for palm trees.All Fertilizer is NOT the Same - Palms Won't Like Lawn Fertilizer

Most Commonly Found Majesty Palm Problems

What if you run into Palm Problems?

Overall, Majesty Palms aren't problematic. They're reliably sturdy & durable.

What few problems could Majesty Palm Trees face?

Likely Majesty Palm Setback Anywhere

Whether growing indoors or outdoors, underwatering could be the prime problem.

  • Oldest leaflets will suffer first. Looking dry & wilty. If it goes on too long, leaflets can blacken & die.
  • Meanwhile trunk width can shrivel, forming shallow areas.
  • Quickly attending to proper water needs will usually revive it.

Insect Attacks on Majesty Palms

Outdoor Majesty Palms Face This Problem

Palm boring (not the humdrum kind!) insects, the Sugar Cane Weevil (Metamasius hemipterus) attacks Majesty Palms.

This weevil came to Southern Florida in 1984. Attracted to palms with damage. Larvae bore holes into palm stems, eating as they go.

Palm Weevel on a palm tree frondAlso Known as Silky Cane Weevil - Don't Let It In!

SIGNS OF ATTACK

Sticky amber-colored goo appears on stems and/or leaflets.

TREATMENT/PREVENTION

Their attack itself isn't deadly.

But the signs aren't pretty. Actually pretty gross! 😝

The Problem:

It causes stress, weakening Majesty Palm reserves. That attracts deadly Palmetto Palm Weevils.

  • Male weevils (Rhynchophorus cruentatus) detect chemical palm stress signals.
  • They follow that call & announce it to other male & female weevils. They arrive, mate & lay eggs.
  • The hatching larvae drill into leaf bases & attack the heart. Killing the palm.
Palm Weevil on vegetative trashSo Dangerous - By Sensing Damaged Palms, It Comes to Do Fatal Damage!

The Key: Prevent the Sugar Cane Weevil from attacking.

  • Be sure your palm doesn't get cracks or surface damage, like holes. Palm trunks can't make repairs.
  1. Likely happens from pruning damage or gardening tools.
  • Watch for any adults & remove them asap, to kill them!

Indoor Majesty Palms Face This Possible Insect Attack

Majesty Palms are resistant to most Houseplant Pests.

Yet, dry indoor air may encourage spider mites. Less often, Mealybugs & scale insects. Signs of attack are cottony webbing or a gooey substance on the leaves.

Prevention is always the best remedy. By regularly rinsing leaflet undersides with water. You can use A Large Syringe.

If needed, the best treatment is Neem Oil (that one incorporates peppermint oil) or Insecticidal Soap. Here's A Combo Treatment>

Spider mites and the tell-tale webbingNotice All the White Threads From Spider Mite Infestation

Buying & Planting a Majesty Palm

When Purchasing a Majesty Palm Tree, it's usually better from a local nursery. But check online reviews.

Peruse through the Majesty palms. Choose one with healthy, vibrant green fronds. Be sure the trunk has no holes, cracks or other damage.

  • Palm fronds discolored with many yellowing or brown areas likely have underlying health issues.
  • Damaged palm trunks are unable to heal. A damaged trunk invites invasion by fungi or harmful insects. Usually pinkish color is a warning sign.
  • If you Purchase Your Palm Online, buy from a well-known reliable seller. Check reviews for those receiving healthy plants. Plus, because buying online isn't always ideal for the palm, ensure they have a good warrantee with a refund policy.
Lowes Garden Center Sells Plants for Indoors and Outdoors

TIME FOR ACCLIMATION

Newly purchased Majesty Palm Trees need time to acclimate to a new environment.

Transplanted palms can experience initial stress. Temporary shock from moving to your space from the store.

Don't worry about several yellow or brown leaves for a few weeks. With your proper care, it should adjust soon & settle down.

GROWTH MEANS INDOOR REPOTTING

Majesty palms grow fast enough, so repotting will be needed.

It's best to do that in warm temperatures. Choose a New Pot that’s at least one size larger. Have good potting soil available.

1) First thoroughly water the Majesty Palm, which helps keep soil around the root ball.

2) Lift the palm gently from the pot. And easily place it in the larger container. Carefully avoid disturbing the palm growing point (heart), that's essential to survival.

3) Backfill with potting soil, softly tamp it down to remove large air pockets. The correct depth of the palm trunk is essential for survival.

4) Scatter a small handful of time-release fertilizer atop the soil. Water the new transplant & be sure the soil doesn't sink below the required level.

5) For the first six months, water every other day. To help establishment in its new container. Then revert to the schedule noted above.

Takeaways for Majesty Palm Trees

Despite any possible challenges, Majesty Palms are generally low-maintenance. 

Whether you plant in your outdoor landscape, or potted inside your home - you can see great results. Majesty Palm Trees with the right amount of light, water, humidity, and nutrients do well. Lush, tropical beauty will be your reward. 

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