Question
QUESTION: I bought a majesty palm this spring. It is about 5 feet tall and I keep it indoors. Its in a large enough pot and it did have some strange looking flower type things about 2 months ago.  It is now winter and it seems to be dying back. I have read up on care for these plants and Ive been following your advice from other posts. It gets a fair amount of light and I dont let it get too dry. However my palm has been slowly loosing leaves. They get brown tips and then the whole leaf eventually dies. Im not sure if there is anything else I can do other than perhaps increase the humidity as I live in a dry climate. I havent tried misting. My plant has only 5 large upper leaves left, but new leaves still seem to grow closer to the base. They never get very large or tall. New leaves dont seem to form on the upper portion of the plant, which is where the leaves seem to die. Also i have had to stake the upper leaves as they bend and fall. Im worried Im going to lose all the upper leaves. Will the plant be able to grow up from the bottom leaves if I loose the top? Should I worry about this happening or try anything different?  If I cut the top leaves would it make the plant sprout new leaves or is it a bad idea? I just thought maybe if I could focus the plants energy on the portion that seems to be healthier instead of trying to nurse the top back to health. What do you think?

ANSWER: Hi Mariclaire,

I am afraid you are fighting a losing battle. Majesty Palms are the one plant species I would never recommend for use as a houseplant. Among other problems, they require a great deal of light from all directions (think greenhouse), lots of fresh air and moderately high humidity. None of these are conditions that people can easily maintain in their homes. In my experience, it is rare for a Majesty Palm to last for more than a year.

The 'strange growths' are flowers and are fairly typical of Palm species flowers. Not terrific to look at unless you enjoy the unusual!

Misting does not raise humidity for more than the 10 minutes or so it takes for the water droplets to evaporate. Humidifiers and pebble trays are more effective. But I don't think raising the humidity is going to make a big difference for your Majesty Palm.

The smaller growth at the base of your Palm is suckered growth. It will never get very large. You might trying to experiment by separating a sucker from the larger plant and put it into its own small pot. However, don't expect it to ever become a large plant.

Trim off dead fronds as they become unattractive, but at some point the plant will become too much of an eyesore to keep. At that point your only option is to discard it. I know that is painful, but that is all you can do and why I never recommend this plant.

There are many other Palm species that do quite well as houseplants and some even do well in low light. However, they are much more expensive than Majesty Palms because they grow more slowly.

I have written an article on Palms that I will email for free to anyone who sends a request to me at my address below.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

If this information has been helpful, please click the Rate Volunteer bar below and enter a rating and nomination for me. I am a volunteer on this site so Ratings are the only compensation I receive for answering plant questions.

Need more information? Visit my website at www.HorticulturalHelp.com
or email me at [email protected]
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Regards,
Will Creed, Interior Landscaper
Horticultural Help, NYC


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ok thanks. Well at least I wont feel too bad if it dies knowing its not a good houseplant. I wish stores wouldnt sell things like that because nobody has greenhouses here. It was a gift so I will try too keep it alive. Thanks for the info I'll leave as is and see what happens.  

Answer
I can tell you are disappointed and I am sorry I had to deliver the bad news. Unfortunately, retailers (especially big box stores) like to sell Majesty Palms because they are a lot of plant for not very much money. That makes them easy to sell. My business is not selling plants, but caring for them. So I am very sensitive to retailers who sell plants that they should not and who rarely provide proper care guidelines. I guess that's why I am so busy on this site!

BTW, I generally advise against giving plants as gifts. Too many times they become a chore to the recipient and in your case you are probably concerned that the gift giver may think you are not appreciative enough to care for the plant. It creates an awkward situation for both of you.

~Will