Question
QUESTION: I have a Indoor Majestic Palm Ravena that I bought a year ago. I water the plant once a week and have indirect sun light coming through the patio door. All of a sudden my palm leaves are turning yellow and then brown. This has started from the bottom leaves and going towards the top. I checked the root and it looks okay. I noticed though that one of the leaves have brown bumps. Could this be insect. Any help is appreciated.

ANSWER: Your Majesty Palm -- 'Ravenea rivularis'? 'Ravenea glauca'?

Let's discuss R. rivularis first.

R. rivularis is discussed at the Floridata website, which states of R. rivularis and R. glauca:  'This Palm is such an item of commerce that even its common name, 'Majesty,' is a trademark.'  You'll find a photo of a nice R. rivularis specimen plus instructions on its care and feeding posted at the Jungle Music website:

http://www.junglemusic.net/palms/ravenea-rivularis.htm

Note their observation: 'Yellows out when nutritionally starved.' And their other observation: 'Can tolerate part day sun, but not a shade plant.' Hmmm... I see a pattern here.

Alan Meerow, who wrote "Guide To Landscape Palms", maintains that it is not so simple to identify a Majesty Palm.  Many R. rivularis are in fact mis-identified R.glauca, a smaller Palm that maxes out at 20 feet tall; R. rivularis is said to reach 40 feet.

Which brings us to another website, the Majesty Palm pages of MG Palms (http://mgonline.com/majestypalm.html), which states definitively: 'Our volume of Majesty Palm email is #2 only to Sago Palm questions.  About 95 percent of questions are from folks who purchased a Majesty Palm at a chain store garden center as a houseplant and are experiencing troubles.'

Among the complaints they record: Loss of Fronds.  Fronds don't open or open partially.  Fronds turn Yellow and/or Brown.  There it is, deja vu all over again, your Yellow Fronds symptom, for which they have an explanation:

'Sorry to say Majesty Palm is often a poor indoor palm.  It simply requires more sunlight, hot weather and/or tropical humidity to grow properly...Our theory is that because it's a very fast grower, they are being pushed to the (indoor) public as indoor plants.'

The verdict: 'Bottom line, Majesty Palm will usually not work indoors -- except if you have a greenhouse or other better environment.  Literature we read says the opposite, but that is our experience.'

Let's think about that, Bruce.  Let's assume you do in fact have the grand, larger than life R. rivularis, and not its pint-sized relative, R. glauca.  Your semi-sun care has worked for a full year.  But you did NOT mention a feeding program.  From what I understand, that alone can trigger damage.

Now let's discuss R. glauca.  The Australian Palm and Cycad Societies website posts photos of R. glauca:

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Ravenea/glauca.html

AND of R. rivularis:

http://www.pacsoa.org.au/palms/Ravenea/

They maintain that this, too, is 'a full sun/light shade' plant.

So the key here seems to be identifying one particular trait.  Which is, HOW FAST is this tropical plant growing?

Fast = rivularis
Less Fast = glaucus

University of Florida advice on the feeding of Palms specifies you look for a 4-1-6-2 fertilizer (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, Potassium and Manganese), including 3 to 4 percent trace minerals Magnesium and Manganese.  Established palms should be fertilized with a 4-1-6-2 Mg (N-P205-K20-Mg) formula fertilizer They note that Palms are very susceptible to potentially fatal nutrient deficiencies.  Make absolutely sure, then, that any fertilizer you use includes 1 to 2 percent Iron and Manganese, plus trace amounts of Zinc, Copper, and Boron, to prevent these deficiencies.  Your potting soil must be a Palm-friendly growing medium -- not Miracle Gro Potting Soil or another all purpose houseplant soil.  Let me know if you want me to elaborate.

There is the matter of those little bumps -- sounds like an insect called Scale, pictured here (http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/IPM.asp?code=108&group=62&level=s) on its Sale Insects Outdoors essay posted at the University of Missouri website.

Several Scale Insects attack members of the Palm Family.  They turn leaves chlorotic -- sickly and Yellow.  Eventually the leaves turn Brown and die.  They can be easily and efficiently dispatched with beneficial insects.  This is not however an option when you are growing the plant only indoors.  Let me know if you have plans to summer this plant outdoors and I'll spell out the details -- what attacks them, and where to get it.  I have to say that once you get hooked on beneficial insects taking care of this dirty work, you'll look to that first from then on.

University of Missouri website points out ways to deal with a Scale infestation on a plant.

'Highly refined oils sold as superior or ultra-refined horticultural oils are effective in controlling both adults and scale crawlers.  The oil suffocates the insects. Unlike dormant oils, these oils are highly refined and under proper conditions, can be applied to plants in foliage without damage.  Follow label directions to avoid damage to certain plants that may be sensitive. Superior oils are also considered nontoxic and are less likely to harm beneficial insects. When spraying indoors, protect surfaces that may be damaged by an oil residue.'

That will take care of the Scale and Fertilizing.  The big question is, Which do you have?  Medium Majesty or Big Majesty?  THIS is what is going to determine the outlook long term for this plant.  Without sitting right there with you and living next door to record the height and weight oaf

The Debco Gardening Products Company used this plant as a focal point in its entry in the Melbourne Garden Show in Australia; they have included a photo of their unique exhibit on their website:

http://www.debco.com.au/news/events/mifgs_fantasy.php

Wish I could do a better job of i.d.'g this plant.  When you finally have the fertilizing in place -- and it will take some time for your plant to recover, so do not expect an overnight greenup of these leaves -- and the Scale is no longer sucking sap and nutrients from the leaves, you should be seeing dramatic improvement.  If not, then it will be time to improve this plant's light.  Keep me posted.  Guidance on your choice of fertilizer and potting soil is available -- if you'd like that, just ask.  Thanks for writing.


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

QUESTION: Thanks for the reply . This is great information. After I went through your email I noticed that bumps like growth definitely looks more like scales. I first moved my plant to a different location and then after few days the scales were all over the plant. So now I shifted my plant outdoor and also sprayed  insecticide as per your recommendation (Schultz houseplant and garden insect spray (pyrethrins 0.01%). I sprayed every 2 days . I don't know how effective this insecticide is. It is difficult notice if the scale is dying . Any suggestions? Also if my plant survives what type of fertilizer should I buy that is available in the market?

Answer
Let's go back to my answer on this.

Buried in pages and pages of reply was a quote from the University of Missouri website: 'Highly refined oils sold as superior or ultra-refined horticultural oils are effective in controlling both adults and scale crawlers.  The oil suffocates the insects...Superior oils are also considered nontoxic and are less likely to harm beneficial insects.'

As you have learned, Bruce my friend, spraying is a big, messy project.  And so I also said: 'They can be easily and efficiently dispatched with beneficial insects.'

My favorite Scale-eating Beneficial Insect is the Ladybug.

Using Ladybugs is REALLY easy.  But you have to keep the treated plant outdoors for a few days.  If you can do that, Ladybugs will totally devour ALL scale insects in a few days.  And boy are they thorough!  Once the Scale is gone, it's GONE!  The Ladybugs will stay until ALL Scale is kaput.  And that was what I was referring to when I mentioned 'beneficial insects' in my first answer.  PLEASE, my friend, file this detail for future use.  You don't know what you're missing.  And having sprayed, you will appreciate them even more when you do use them.

You can't use Ladybugs now because you have sprayed Schultz insecticide all over your plant and I'm sure all over yourself.  Bruce Dear, I NEVER recommend insecticide.  N E V E R NEVER!  Why?  Because it's un-Green, un-healthy, and a total waste of energy -- who needs them if you've got Ladybugs?  Which brings us to an important point: Bruce, I've got Bad News and I've got Good News.

Bad News first:  That Schultz Poison you used?  Total waste of money and energy.  Bruce, there is NOTHING on the label there that says Schultz Houseplant And Garden Insect Spray will kill Scale insects.  You should have listened to me, Bruce.  Listen to me now.  OK?  We're on the same side here.  What you needed was exactly what we posted last time.  Let's read that again:

'...refined oils sold as superior or ultra-refined horticultural oils are effective...'

THIS is what the Doctor ordered, Bruce.  Not Schultz Houseplant and Garden Insect Spray.  Super or Ultra-Refined Horticultural Oil.

Do you know what Schultz Insect Spray with Pyrethrins is?  The Beyond Pesticides website has a sheet on Piperonyl Butoxide:

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/pesticides/factsheets/Piperonyl%20Butoxide.pdf

and the National Pesticide Information Center has one on Pyrethrins:

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/pyrethrins.pdf

These 2 chemicals are what give Shultz Insecticide its Nerve-Gas Capabilities.  As you can see from the Warnings on the label, if you get enough on yourself, it will kill you.  But not Scale!

So that is the bad news.

The Good News:  You can stop spraying.

Now, if there is any way to get this poor plant outside in the rain to remove all the Schultz Bug Spray with Pyrethrins on the leaves that you have so lovingly applied, do that.  And after a few days of Rain, get yourself some Ladybugs, sprinkle as directed, and wait.

In a week those Scales will be gone gone gone.  Being an old hand at Spraying, you will appreciate that far more than you ever imagined.

Since however you are still thinking, 'Ladybugs? Is this person nuts?' you will probably go out and purchase the right Superior Bug Killer Spray.  Which at least won't kill anything except the Scale bug.  After a lot of sweat on a hot Spring afternoon by YOU.

Please, Bruce, try the Ladybugs.  Just don't put them anywhere near those Pyrethrins.  OK?  Because you'll just end up killing the Ladybugs, and you'll still have a Scale Problem.

When you're done, we'll discuss long term care and feeding of your plants.  Keep me posted.  If you have any questions on this, feel free to followup.  Just don't get the wrong stuff this time.  Deal?