Q: We have a majesty palm at work that was purchased six months ago and it constantly gets brown leaves. It has new growth, but they always seem to die off fairly quickly. It gets watered 1 2 times a week. The pictures show some odd either brown spotting or possibly tiny bugs on the leaves. Can you help me out?

A: You have an excellent example of brown soft scale insects feeding on your palm. They collect along the stem and leaf veins and suck sap from the plant, causing the leaves to turn brown.

The easiest cure is to spray the plant thoroughly (outdoors) with a horticultural oil like Sunspray. The oil suffocates the scale.

Repeat in two months then keep a close eye out for reinfestation.

palm scale

palm scale