Majesty palm

Majesty palm: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Palm with a single slim trunk and an arching crown, 2–2.5 m tall and up to 1.5 m wide indoors.

Foliage

Feathery, arching fronds with many narrow, glossy green leaflets.

Trunk

Single-stemmed. In the trade, several young plants are often sold together in one pot.

Flower

Almost never flowers indoors. In the wild there are separate male and female plants.

Origin

Riverbanks on Madagascar: it tolerates plenty of water and likes warmth and humid air.

Plants: April–May

Why grow it?

• Lush, tropical houseplant palm with gracefully arching, feathery fronds.
• Evergreen and attractive all year round.
• A real eye-catcher for a bright room, conservatory or veranda: up to 2.5 m tall with a crown 1.5 m wide.
• No pruning needed: just remove fronds that have turned completely brown.
• In summer it can go outside in a sheltered, half-shaded spot.

Majesty palm: where does it grow best?

• Bright light to half shade: a light spot by the window, with some morning or evening sun. Fierce midday sun behind glass scorches the leaves.
• Humus-rich, airy palm compost with a little sand or perlite for drainage that still stays moist; acid to neutral.
• Room temperature of 16–25 °C and never below 10 °C.
• No draughts and not next to the radiator: dry, warm air gives brown tips and spider mite.
• Give it room, as the crown becomes up to 1.5 m wide.

Light

Sunny or bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately or generously

Size

2.5 m tall, 1.5 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 10 °C

Goes well with

• Boston fern: Likes the same bright, humid spot and goes well with the feathery fronds.
• Peace lily: Tolerates moist soil and air and offers broader, dark green leaves as a contrast.
• Calathea: Same humidity needs and a pretty leaf pattern at the foot of the palm.

Majesty palm: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Repot in April–May, when the plant begins to grow actively.
2. Choose a pot 4–5 cm wider, preferably tall and with a drainage hole: palms root deeply.
3. Use palm or potting compost with a little sand or perlite, so surplus water drains away but the compost stays moist.
4. Lift the plant out carefully and do not tease out or trim the roots: palms recover poorly from root damage.
5. Set it at the same depth as before, fill in and firm lightly.
6. Water straight away until it runs out, and empty the saucer after a quarter of an hour.

Care

Water

Keep the root ball evenly moist all year: it must never dry out. Water as soon as the top centimetre feels dry and empty the saucer. Use rainwater or lukewarm, low-lime water if you can.

Feeding

From April to September, a palm or foliage plant fertiliser every 2–4 weeks, following the label. Do not feed in winter.

Humidity

It likes humid air: mist the fronds regularly, especially in a heated room in winter. This helps against spider mite.

Repotting

Only when the pot is full of roots, usually every 2–3 years in spring. Disturb the roots as little as possible.

Outside in summer

From late May it can go to a sheltered, half-shaded spot. Bring it back in during September, before nights fall below 12 °C.

Tip: Keep the root ball moist, but empty the saucer after a quarter of an hour: a palm left standing in water for days gets rotten roots.

Majesty palm: when to prune it?

When: It is not pruned: you only cut off completely brown fronds, at any time of year.

How:

• Cut a completely brown frond off close to the trunk with clean scissors.
• Trim brown tips following the shape of the leaf, leaving a thin green edge.
• Leave yellow fronds in place until they are completely brown.
• Wipe the fronds now and then with a damp cloth to remove dust.

Caution: Never cut the top or the growing point between the new fronds: a palm has only one growing point and dies if it is removed.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Only for patient growers: fresh seed in spring in moist, warm compost (25–30 °C). It germinates slowly, often only after several months.

Dividing

If several seedlings share one pot, you can separate them carefully in spring. Palms recover poorly from root damage, so only do this if it is really necessary.

Majesty palm: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy: keep it indoors at 10 °C or more; 15–20 °C is ideal.
• Give it the brightest spot, away from draughts and not right next to the radiator.
• Water less, but never let the root ball dry out. Do not feed.
• Mist regularly against dry heated air.

Diseases and pests

• Brown tips: Air that is too dry, too little water, or a build-up of salts and lime. Use softer water, mist, and flush the pot through with plenty of water now and then.
• Spider mite: Fine webs and pale, speckled fronds in dry air. Rinse under lukewarm water, mist generously and repeat weekly.
• Yellow fronds: Too wet, or a lack of nutrients. Check the drainage, let the top centimetre dry out and feed during the growing season.
• Scale and mealybug: Brown bumps or white fluff on the leaf stalks. Wipe them off with a cloth and soapy water.
• Sunburn: Pale, yellow patches on fronds standing in fierce sun. Move it to half shade.

Through the year

• January: Rest. Keep moist, in a bright spot. Mist if the air is dry.
• February: Rest. Check for spider mite.
• March: Water a little more. Look at the spot for spring.
• April: Repot if the pot is full of roots. Start feeding.
• May: Repot. Feed every 2–4 weeks. Outside in half shade from late May.
• June: Feed. Water and mist.
• July: Feed. Not in fierce sun. Extra water in warm weather.
• August: Feed. Watch for spider mite.
• September: Last feed. Bring back in before nights fall below 12 °C.
• October: Indoors in the brightest spot. Water less.
• November: Rest. Do not feed. Mist.
• December: Rest. Do not let the root ball dry out.

Did you know?

• Madagascar has more than 100 palm species and most of them occur nowhere else in the world.
• The species name rivularis means ‘of the brook or river’: in the wild it grows along the water.
• There are male and female plants: the palm is dioecious.