Majesty Palm

[ElaineB]

My cousin gave me her majesty palm because she couldn’t keep it happy. I wouldn’t have gotten one myself because I know they are difficult, but now here I am. I live in upstate NY, USA, so the climate isn’t great. Summers are good but that’s the only ideal season.

I repotted the palm in semihydro/leca, and I pruned off a bunch of bad areas. I placed in between a West and an East facing window with a grow light on it, about 12 inches above it. I have a humidifier on it all day. And am about to do my fourth and last spidermite treatment (water, peppermint castile soap, and a little cooking oil.)

it is growing new water roots, so it seems to be happy with the semihydro. It came with three new spikes, one of which is beginning to open. The other fronds are beginning to look dry however. I don’t think it is possible that it is getting too much light from the grow bulb as the area directly under that looks ok. Is this part of the normal cycle? Should I prune it back more, or would that be detrimental to the plant? Any advice or suggestions of other things I could do for it would be greatly appreciated. 

Thanks!

Elaine

Edited May 13, 2020 by ElaineB
Adding a phot

[redant]

never ever let that dry out. These love both water and fertilizer, I doubt it's getting to much light. They can take full FL sun given ample water.

[ElaineB]

Thank you! I don’t think it is too dry, but there may be a transition period as it gets use to the leca. Have you ever heard of anyone growing the majesty palm that way?

[Rickybobby]

It’s possible that the roots are suffocating as well they say they need tons of water but you can root rot a majesty in a pot espescialy is the soil doesn’t drain. Well

[ElaineB]

The roots shouldn’t be suffocating. Because they are in leca, there is a lot for space of oxygen.

Edited May 14, 2020 by ElaineB
Typo

[Jim in Los Altos]

4 hours ago, ElaineB said:

The roots shouldn’t be suffocating. Because they are in leca, there is a lot for space of oxygen.

 Does that leka retain much moisture? Looks like water would just drain right out. Majesty palms are riparian plants and need constantly moist/wet soil. 

[ElaineB]

It does drain right through, but the outer container stays 1/3 full with water. The leca is porous so it wicks the water up to the roots. Sometimes the roots grow down into the water, but for the most part they are right above the water level. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

18 hours ago, ElaineB said:

It does drain right through, but the outer container stays 1/3 full with water. The leca is porous so it wicks the water up to the roots. Sometimes the roots grow down into the water, but for the most part they are right above the water level. 

Well Ravenea rivularis like a thoroughly wet soil so I’m not sure yours is in the kind of soil conditions that it needs to stay healthy. Their native habitat is along river banks and they are often spotted growing with partially submerged trunks.  

[Rickybobby]

Growing in pebbles is like growing hydroponics you will have to dose fertilizer when you water since there’s no soil to absorb nutrients 

[PalmTreeDude]

These will need actual soil to grow really well, but like others have said make sure it drains fairly well. 

Edited May 16, 2020 by PalmTreeDude

[grrroar]

How's your majesty palm doing these days? I repotted my plant into LECA earlier this year and had the same exact problem you did --the fronds look exactly like yours in the pic. It didn't make it out alive  I really want to try again, but have been afraid to do so.