Ravenea (Majesty Palm)

My wife bought a Ravenea a couple of weeks ago.
The leaves are beging to brown.
Its not been over watered or allowed to dry out.

Its in indirect light per the instructions.
Anyone have any ideas as to what might be wrong?

Thanks

Paul

Don't know if this will help, but I use distilled water instead of regular tap water for my plants; especially for my spider plants.
Plus the Lavenea leaves tends to turn yellow if used for indoor plant.

Found this information for you paulgrow. Hope it helps.
Ravenea Rivularis - "The Majesty Palm"

Outdoors in south Florida the plant can do very well in the landscape. But it has a few requirements - lots of water, bright light or full sun and feed it heavy.

Any of our thousands of readers that have been following - Plant Care Tips - for any length of time will recognize right away that the "Majesty Palm" goes against general indoor plant practices.

It wants LOTS of:

Water
Light
Fertilizer
Inside the plant yellows easily, draws mites like a magnet, and its appearance declines very rapidly.

Why would growers introduce plants that don't do well and why would nurseries or garden centers carry such a plant?

A few reasons:

Growers, your local garden center or nursery are always looking for something new to offer. In order to have a plant that can be sold inexpensively, growers need plants that grow fast. Garden centers need plants that fit certain price points.

Unfortunately, garden centers and nurseries are sometimes "stuck" with what the corporate office orders. The problems of the "majesty palm" being a good interior plant is not being laid at the feet of the garden centers and nurseries.

It's just one that shouldn't have been grown or sold to the interior market.

Although I'm not going to win any fans and certainly not any praise from growers for this "recommendation" I've got to call it as I see it.

DON'T BUY a Majesty Palm as an indoor plant unless you are looking for a challenge in plant care.



This message was edited Sunday, Mar 2nd 8:47 AM

Hmm..I bought one about a month ago and it's still doing well. I have it setting to the side of my patio doors so it doesn't get any direct sun. I hope it keeps doing well, because I really like that plant.

wow Coco you really know you're stuff. I also had the same problem with my palm.the browning is from the air being to dry. Indoor air is especially dry in the winter and plants with thin leaves dehydrate quickly. I just increased the humidity and now my palm is green and happy!

I know this is an old thread but I am currently in the process of trying to save my majesty palm. Once the fronds go brown will they ever green back up? What can I do to help this happen?

My fronds start to get brown from the tips and continue on down. I cut the tips off. It doesn't hurt the plant and it seems to keep the rest of it from dying.

Once they turn brown, they don't green up again.

My sister gave me one of these palms that she picked up off the side of the road last year that was pretty much on it's death bead, I had never had one, so I put it in the green house, watered when had dried out and now it's on the back porch, doing preety good. I think the trick on these plants is to have very good soil drainage may be even with the bottom resevoir in the pot(mine does). I've had about 3 new fans come out of this plant.

Mine is doing a bit better since I placed it outside in semi shade. But it will need a trimming to get rid of the brown tip fronds. How much can you trim a palm and it survive?

Tammy, mine had one that was half brown itself with one green spout that was about 1/3 the size of the leaf. If that tells you anything.

Anything brown will stay brown- that part of the palm is dead. Cut it off if you think it's unsightly, though leaving it there doesn't really hurt the palm. Majesty palms need a lot of humidity and bright sunlight, as well as water, to do well. That combo makes them a difficult house plant... especially the high light and humidity requirements. Good luck. Do much better in a greenhouse or in the ground.

OK!!!! Here's the "scoop" on Majesty Palms. I heard this years ago and have passed it on to many customers buying one at our HD store. I worked in the Greenhouse there almost 5 years.

A Majesty Palm usually keeps ONLY 4-6 fronds on it at all times. As a new spike (unfurled leaf) comes up from the center, the plant will slowly brown/yellow out an "give up" one of the older fronds at the bottom. Just cut it off clean with a sharp knife as close ti the main stem as you can.
DO NOT water too often, but water well when you do.

So, any of you that think you are doing something wrong--you are not! It is just Nature's way......

Gita

I think I remember somewhere reading to water it once or twice a year with a dissolved epsom salt solution. Anyone else hear of this?

I, too, purchased one several months ago...it is doing beautifully outside, but I need to bring it in soon. I'm afraid of what will happen to it. To try to combat this, here is my plan.....

It will sit on a pebble tray for humidity...it will also get misted often. It will also be right next to my indoor pond, so I hope I have solved the humidity problem.

It will sit in front of my south-facing sliding glass door to the patio and will be next to my shelves full of summer-outside/winter-inside plants complete with fluorescent lighting. I hope this solves the light problem.

Now, the feeding problem. Should I continue to feed it? Here in the northeast, I do not feed between October and March/April to let the plants rest before going outside in late spring.

Lisa