My Majesty Palm Is Dying – What To Do?

The majesty palm or majestic palm is a tropical tree with beautiful arching palm fronds. The majesty palm is native to Madagascar but is popular greenery for many households. These trees can be grown inground but are more often placed in a pot to grow, adding a lovely touch of the tropics to indoor and outdoor spaces. This palm, in particular, prefers bright light, moist soil, and humidity, so you might have trouble growing it indoors. If your majesty palm looks unhealthy,  it might be dying and you're likely wondering what to do. We have researched this topic so you can keep your majesty palm looking green and glorious.

If you notice that your palm tree’s fronds are brown or that the palm is drooping, these are signs it might die. Here are things to check so you can try and save your Majesty Palm from dying.

• Make sure the soil is moist but not completely saturated
• Create a humid environment by misting the plant daily with water
• Place a portable humidifier nearby to add humidity
• Check for spider mites or other pest infestations
• Don’t let the soil dry out between watering sessions
• Use soil that properly and quickly drains excess water
• Make sure light is bright through all seasons
• Feed with a slow-release fertilizer
• Cut any fronds that are completely dead

The majesty palm is resilient. Don’t worry if your palm looks as if it might be dying. There's still hope! Keep reading as we answer more questions on this topic in depth. We’ll help you nurture your palm back to good health.

Water, Water, And More Water

According to the University of Minnesota Extension, the number one element that any tree needs is water. But when it comes to a majesty palm, too much or too little water is problematic. And, the environment in which you grow your tree will impact how much water it needs.

Indoor Potted Palms

Growing your majesty palm indoors can be demanding. For best results, you need to start with a soil that has excellent drainage. Majesty palms like moist but not soggy soil. You should check the soil daily to ensure that it never dries out. And, if your potted tree is sitting on a saucer to catch excess water, make sure to empty it regularly.

Outdoor Potted Palms

For palms that you are growing in pots outdoors, you still need soil that will drain well. Depending on the elements like sun, heat, and rain, your outdoor majesty palm’s need for water can vary. You should check that the soil feels wet to the touch regularly.

Inground Palms

When planted near water, majesty palms thrive. But you can still grow healthy palms in your yard even if you aren’t near water. Keep an eye on the leaves and fronds. Brown tips on the leaves mean that you need to get the hose out and water your majesty palm.

How Do You Know When A Majesty Palm Is Dying?

There are a few ways to determine if your majesty is on the brink of death.

Here are the parts of your tree to inspect:

Fronds

Signs of your palms’ demise are brown or spotted fronds, especially on new growth. Also, if you notice that fronds are dropping more than normal it could be a sign of a dying palm. Healthy palm fronds are green. It’s perfectly normal for the fronds to take on a yellow hue as they age.

Trunk

Check the health of your palm’s tree trunk by looking and feeling for soft spots. You can also check the trunk’s health by tapping it and listening for a solid sound. If it sounds hollow, your tree might be dying. A fungus can infect your tree and cause it to decay and eventually rot.

Buds

Your majesty palm should have new bud growth at the top of its trunk. Check for buds during the spring and summer growing seasons. If a bud isn’t there, your tree may be dying.

If you see any signs that your majesty is not at peak health, you should act as soon as possible.

Should I Cut off Brown Palm Leaves?

You should cut off or pull off any leaves or fronds that are thoroughly dried out and dead. You can leave any fronds on your palm that that are yellow or have hints of green color left in them. These leaves are still providing valuable nutrients to your palm.

Start from the bottom of your palm’s trunk and gently pull on the all brown leaves. Dead leaves will be easier to remove from the tree if they haven’t already fallen off. You can also trim brown tips of leaves to make the tree more attractive.

Can Brown Palm Leaves Turn Green Again?

Once your palm leaves turn brown, they are dead and will not turn green again. If the leaves of the entire frond are brown, it’s safe for you to pull or cut it off. If there are a few brown leaves, you can cut just the brown part off and leave any yellow or green leaves behind. And, as we mentioned already, it’s okay for you to trim brown tips from leaves. Just make sure you use clean and sharp shears. For some great examples of what to use, check out our post on the Best Garden Edging Shears.

Though your leaves won’t turn green again, removing the dead leaves will help stimulate the health of the rest of the tree.

Why Are My Potted Palms Turning Yellow?

We wrote at the beginning of this post that majesty palms are not the easiest to grow indoors. That can be said for palms overall.

Here are a few suggestions of what to look out for on your palms:

Yellow Frond Tips

If your potted palm frond tips are turning yellow the most likely culprit is overwatering. Check the moisture level by feeling the soil. If your palms soil feels dry to the touch, add water. Also, check to make sure you are using a soil that drains well. Too much moisture in the soil can cause the roots to rot.

Yellow Palm Fronds

If your potted palms have yellow fronds, that can be a sign that they need food. According to Palms Online, palm trees need fertilizer regularly. The majesty palm, for example, needs fertilizer every two weeks.

Yellow Lower Palm Fronds

Palm trees are tropical and love natural light and warm temperatures. If it looks like the lower palm fronds are turning yellow, a lack of light might be causing the problem. If sunlight to the bottom fronds is blocked, they tend to yellow. Make sure your indoor palms are in a sunny room or window where the whole tree can receive up to at least eight hours of light. You can also enhance the light available with a heat lamp. Check out our post on Heat Lamps For Plants for a lot of good examples.

Why Is My Majesty Palm Drooping?

A drooping majesty palm is likely due to trunk rot. Inspect your tree’s trunk for soft spots, oozing liquid or visible signs of fungus. Diseases can thrive in the humid environment your majesty palm prefers.

And, of course, you should make sure your palm is getting enough water. Check that the roots are not soggy or water-logged. Root rot from poor drainage can impede water from getting to the rest of your tree.

Do Majesty Palms Attract Bugs?

The most common bug or pest you should be on the watch for is spider mites. Check for webbing on the underside of the fronds. Wipe away all signs of the mites with a solution of warm soapy water. And, if regular soap doesn’t solve your mite issue, you can use horticultural oil or insecticidal soap. You should inspect and clean the leaves often.

Grow Healthy Majesty Palms

The majesty palm is an inexpensive and wildly popular tree. The canopy of palm fronds provides a stunning designer look to any of your spaces.

Keeping your tree healthy will take some work though. Remember, these palms love lots of water, light, and humidity. You can create the ideal environment and keep your palms from dying if you follow the advice in this post.

With a bit of care, your healthy majesty palm will have a long life.