What type of soil for a indoor majesty palm?

[ThereseCup]

Hello everyone, I live in Ohio and I have a majesty Palm, I've had it now going on 4 years and I know they don't do well in the winter as house plants, but I'm determined to try to keep this thing alive, it's in a pretty big pot right now but I want to transplant it into a slightly smaller pot and I'm wondering what type of soil I should use out of the soil that I have, right now the soil I have is Miracle-Gro cactus soil, Miracle-Gro regular potting soil, Miracle-Gro peat moss, Miracle-Gro orchard soil and Miracle-Gro perlite any help we could be greatly appreciated

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, ThereseCup said:

Hello everyone, I live in Ohio and I have a majesty Palm, I've had it now going on 4 years and I know they don't do well in the winter as house plants, but I'm determined to try to keep this thing alive, it's in a pretty big pot right now but I want to transplant it into a slightly smaller pot and I'm wondering what type of soil I should use out of the soil that I have, right now the soil I have is Miracle-Gro cactus soil, Miracle-Gro regular potting soil, Miracle-Gro peat moss, Miracle-Gro orchard soil and Miracle-Gro perlite any help we could be greatly appreciated

That's a good call to put in a smaller pot.  That will help you control the moisture.  I personally make my own potting mix but based on what you have currently I'd go with the cactus soil and perlite.  It needs to drain well or you'll have problems.  Ravenea rivularis (majesty palm) doesn't like being in a pot long term but hopefully it will do OK for you.  They like lots of water as long as the soil drains well.  Good luck!

[ThereseCup]

Thank you. I know it's next to impossible to keep these alive as house plants, but I'm trying, it does great outside in the summertime lol

[Silas_Sancona]

44 minutes ago, ThereseCup said:

Thank you. I know it's next to impossible to keep these alive as house plants, but I'm trying, it does great outside in the summertime lol

They're tough to grow indoors for sure,  but totally understand the determination to.. You ever come across a Palm called " Kentia / Howea " those do pretty good inside compared to Majesties.. Not the cheapest but,  grab one if you can..  Similar look as well.

For something unique, these also do really good inside.   While i could grow them outside year round,  our sun / extremely dry air will fry them during the summer, ..is the only reason i keep them inside this time of year.

Chamaedorea metallica ..AKA the " Metallic " Palm.

[ThereseCup]

That's really beautiful..  and I have heard of Kentia, I looked them up and I did find one. It's pretty expensive and I'm wondering if you can tell me, I was getting ready to transplant My Majesty Palm and can you tell me does this look like root rot and should I just throw the plant away?? It does smell pretty bad. It's stinking up my living room lol

 

Thank you. I know it's next to impossible to keep these alive as house plants, but I'm trying, it does great outside in the summertime lol

Edited June 12, 2024 by ThereseCup
Needed to add more

[Silas_Sancona]

27 minutes ago, ThereseCup said:

That's really beautiful..  and I have heard of Kentia, I looked them up and I did find one. It's pretty expensive and I'm wondering if you can tell me, I was getting ready to transplant My Majesty Palm and can you tell me does this look like root rot and should I just throw the plant away?? It does smell pretty bad. It's stinking up my living room lol

 

Thank you. I know it's next to impossible to keep these alive as house plants, but I'm trying, it does great outside in the summertime lol

Usually, if you have rotten roots ..a lot of them,  they will be black and crumble / break away from the rootball pretty easily.  Stink really bad too. 

That said, it is perfectly normal to have -some- dead roots in a healthy rootball..  

Most of what i see in the pictures look like healthy reddish- colored roots / healthy smaller " feeder" roots, so no, i myself wouldn't toss it.  If you've done good w/ it so far,  pot and let it do it's thing for however it lives. 

As far as Kentias are concerned, yeah, unfortunately they're not as cheap / commonly seen as they used to be which is kind of a shame. Regardless,  Even if you had to start w/ something small  -if you decided to-  i've seen smaller ones for a reasonable price at times so, they are out there..  Perhaps something to think about for a future purchase, when you're able to..

[ThereseCup]

Yeah I've looked the kensia Palms up and I've only found two of them and one was on Etsy for $95 and there was another place for $95 But I'm not finding them anywhere else or even somewhere closer to where I live. As far as the Majesty Palm goes, I cut away all those roots thinking they were rotted so the only ones left are the ones you see on the plant in the picture, hope I didn't kill it but I am going to repot it in the morning, hopefully it'll be okay sitting out of dirt tonight

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, ThereseCup said:

Yeah I've looked the kensia Palms up and I've only found two of them and one was on Etsy for $95 and there was another place for $95 But I'm not finding them anywhere else or even somewhere closer to where I live. As far as the Majesty Palm goes, I cut away all those roots thinking they were rotted so the only ones left are the ones you see on the plant in the picture, hope I didn't kill it but I am going to repot it in the morning, hopefully it'll be okay sitting out of dirt tonight

Saw the same listings. Think there were some small ones on Etsy or Ebay that were $65 also. Still pricey but at least 100 bucks.

There's a nursery in FL that has some some one leaf seedlings for $18 /  3gals for like $45. but i think you'd have to buy a lot of stuff from them..  They have some harder to find Anthuriums ( Bird's Nest Ferns ) in smaller sizes atm i wish i could buy too..

Would just keep your eyes open and look over of the palm oriented nurseries in CA. that might be able to ship.

Majesty probably won't like having it's roots cut, but, i don't think doing so will kill it.  If it does, at least it wouldn't be expensive to replace if you tried another..

[ThereseCup]

Yeah and the Majesty palm probably won't like sitting out of dirt all night with its roots exposed either LOL but I got so tired after cleaning all that mess up so I gave up for the night lol... I'm definitely going to look around, I really don't want to spend $95, I can save a little bit but spending that much on a plant and not knowing for sure whether it'll survive or not is something I just don't want to do lol especially because I just moved 9 months ago in my apartment and I have patio sliding doors but I don't get a heck of a lot of light even with the patio doors, there's a big tree right in front and I also have a awning over my patio so I'm really not sure how my plants are going to do here yet. I did lose all my pothos and spider plants when I moved in here in October, but I'm not sure if it's my lighting issue or if it was from the move.. It was so sad too because all my plants were absolutely beautiful 😭 lol... 

[Silas_Sancona]

10 minutes ago, ThereseCup said:

Yeah and the Majesty palm probably won't like sitting out of dirt all night with its roots exposed either LOL but I got so tired after cleaning all that mess up so I gave up for the night lol... I'm definitely going to look around, I really don't want to spend $95, I can save a little bit but spending that much on a plant and not knowing for sure whether it'll survive or not is something I just don't want to do lol especially because I just moved 9 months ago in my apartment and I have patio sliding doors but I don't get a heck of a lot of light even with the patio doors, there's a big tree right in front and I also have a awning over my patio so I'm really not sure how my plants are going to do here yet. I did lose all my pothos and spider plants when I moved in here in October, but I'm not sure if it's my lighting issue or if it was from the move.. It was so sad too because all my plants were absolutely beautiful 😭 lol... 

Having moved ...all over.. before ending up here, i can't begin to tell you everything i lost, esp.after the last move  when moving here from FL. incl. a bunch of plants i'll probably never be able to replace.

Agree, spending that much on something is a little steep, esp. since you just moved and are figuring out what will / won't  survive with the lighting you have. Might be something you could consider later though, once you have a good idea of the lighting situation.. Hopefully a cheaper option will turn up by that time.

  You considered looking into any extra lighting? ...to make up for what might not enter naturally?  Your living room get more sun in the morning or evening before sunset?

Surprised you lost the Pothos since they're usually pretty tough.  Looked like you still have one in one of your pictures? 

From what i remember, Spider plants can be kinda wimpy indoors unless they get a lot of light / air circulation..  Grow like weeds if planted outside in some warmer areas..

[ThereseCup]

Yeah I had some grow lights but I threw them away before I moved because they just didn't seem like they were doing any good, but I realize now that was probably a stupid idea.... So I have been looking into getting new grow lights. I just don't know which ones to get because there's so many to choose from but I want lights I know for sure will keep my palms alive I just don't know which ones will and yeah my spider plants did so beautifully in my last place, during the summer anyways when I had them outside and then they would die out a little bit but just a little in the winter but then they'd perk back up again when summer came but since I moved here there was no stopping them from dying. I tried everything, the same with the pothos, the only one that survived is the one you seen in the picture, I'm thinking maybe overwatering could have been the problem as well or maybe a mixture of overwatering and not enough light, unfortunately, the amount of light I get in my apartment is the same in the morning and afternoon and evening because of the tree in front and the awning... So I went on Etsy and I got more spider plant babies and some marble potho babies. And right now so far they're doing okay, I'm not overwatering. I purchased a moisture meter which seems to be helping so far and now I'm also thinking of getting a humidifier for the Palms but I do have my cat palm on a humidity tray praying that it helps But I don't know with the lighting and the Ohio Winters they might all be doomed lol

[Silas_Sancona]

8 hours ago, ThereseCup said:

Yeah I had some grow lights but I threw them away before I moved because they just didn't seem like they were doing any good, but I realize now that was probably a stupid idea.... So I have been looking into getting new grow lights. I just don't know which ones to get because there's so many to choose from but I want lights I know for sure will keep my palms alive I just don't know which ones will and yeah my spider plants did so beautifully in my last place, during the summer anyways when I had them outside and then they would die out a little bit but just a little in the winter but then they'd perk back up again when summer came but since I moved here there was no stopping them from dying. I tried everything, the same with the pothos, the only one that survived is the one you seen in the picture, I'm thinking maybe overwatering could have been the problem as well or maybe a mixture of overwatering and not enough light, unfortunately, the amount of light I get in my apartment is the same in the morning and afternoon and evening because of the tree in front and the awning... So I went on Etsy and I got more spider plant babies and some marble potho babies. And right now so far they're doing okay, I'm not overwatering. I purchased a moisture meter which seems to be helping so far and now I'm also thinking of getting a humidifier for the Palms but I do have my cat palm on a humidity tray praying that it helps But I don't know with the lighting and the Ohio Winters they might all be doomed lol

Not stupid at all.. Believe me, i've made decisions like that i later regretted..  Live and learn w/ no worries ..and try not to repeat, haha..

Agree,  there are a ton of choices when it comes to lighting options. While i may get good enough light from the east facing living room window here, i myself may be looking at a little extra lighting so i can grow a few orchids indoors part of the year.

There are a couple Palm Talk members here who seem to have mastered both lighting and watering options for their indoor collections..

It's been years but an apartment i lived in while there in Ohio ( down by Cincinnati ) was like a dungeon, lol.. Only light i got came through my west facing patio window/ door and the complex was surrounded by large trees ..so i get what you're saying about not having as much natural light as would be ideal.  Since my apartment was essentially the basement floor,  there were a couple times the drain on my patio clogged and i barely escaped being flooded. Talk about " fun ", lol.  I broke my lease and moved in w/ my mom when she was still there.  Better lighting at the place she was living in ...and no worrying i'd wake up to my apartment flooding.

Loosing your plants after you moved could have been a combo of lower light and a little too much water though we'd loose both types of plants regularly at a nursery i'd worked at, so, chalk that experience up to a learning experience rather than a sign that you're a a bad plant mom.. 

One thing i'll advise you regarding those moisture meters?  they aren't always reliable,  so, even if the meter says the soil is moist, use a popsicle stick, inserted about 6-8" into the soil to double check.. If totally dry when you pull it out, it's time to water..

[ThereseCup]

Yeah apartment living is the pits though I do love my apartment. I just hate the fact I have that big tree in the courtyard outside my patio doors lol ... I did buy two moisture meters, one is battery operated and the other is not but I'm definitely going to try the popsicle stick as well, great idea!  if you should happen to come across any awesome lighting that you know would work for palms and spider plants let me know since I'm in the market for one or two and now I have to try to find a humidifier. I've read mixed reviews on the humidity trays so I'm not sure if they're going to work this winter.   

[Silas_Sancona]

16 hours ago, ThereseCup said:

Yeah apartment living is the pits though I do love my apartment. I just hate the fact I have that big tree in the courtyard outside my patio doors lol ... I did buy two moisture meters, one is battery operated and the other is not but I'm definitely going to try the popsicle stick as well, great idea!  if you should happen to come across any awesome lighting that you know would work for palms and spider plants let me know since I'm in the market for one or two and now I have to try to find a humidifier. I've read mixed reviews on the humidity trays so I'm not sure if they're going to work this winter.   

Don't think i'd consider the time i'd spent living in apartments as the pits, but, definitely prefer not having other people being one wall over / above or below me, and having more space lol..  That said, the goal is a small-ish but simple house on 1/2 to 2 acres ..hopefully, lol..

If i had to pick one place i liked the best, it was the place i'd lived in FL..  Patio was perfect for what i'd been growing at that time / apartment itself was solid and pretty quiet ..Most of the neighbors there were pretty cool, so.. 

As far as lighting, As mentioned, maybe not the most well- versed on the subject, but,  definitely suggest look into LED options ( some people still use simple lamps ) and no, lol, definitely don't need to purchase the most expensive / fancy option to get good results.

As long as which ever lighting you use has the right spectrum, you should be good..

Perhaps @Dartolution and @piping plovers might have better experience / insight on this.   Anyway, 

As far as trays,  they can work and i think both the palms you have should do fine with or without them.

Since they do grow right next to ..or in streams,  Cat palm would definitely be happy w/ some extra humidity, esp. during the winter when the heater dries out the air inside though..

[Philly J]

8 years old.  Started from a 4” liner, now in a 25 gallon planter.

 

bark/charcoal/perlite.  Gallon through it every day.  You’re welcome 

[ZPalms]

4 hours ago, Philly J said:

8 years old.  Started from a 4” liner, now in a 25 gallon planter.

 

bark/charcoal/perlite.  Gallon through it every day.  You’re welcome 

gorgeous 😍

This might be a dumb question but mixed in any type of soil or just those 3 things together?

[Dartolution]

Thats a tough one. Majesty's are beautiful when grown well, but indoors does present a bundle of challenges. 

A proper soil mix indoors is essential for survival. These guys like water, but having wet feet inside a house often spells disaster. 

Incorporating a decent percentage of horticultural charcoal in potting medium can help with root diseases, aeration, and moisture retention. You'll want to aim for as high as 25% by volume of the mix being charcoal. 

Pumice or perlite can help as well. 

Try to stay away from overly organic mixes that have manures, or casting in them - IME: these result in more bug issues (gnats) than help the palm. 

Air movement is just as important as humidity - an oscillating fan or room fan can help with that. 

They seem to be fine at average levels of household humidity (I suppose that depends on where you live - down here its 50-60% year round typically). 

Proper lighting is needed as well. Those little grow bulbs just dont cut it. 

I use a 150-250 watt LED Grow fixture (check out amazon) for my indoor aroids and plants in winter.  The fixture itself puts out about 300-1200 PAR values at the appropriate distance.  You can get an app on your phone to help measure that (Photone). 

 

Anyway, I hope this helps. 

FWIW: Cat palms make MUCH better indoor additions IMO. They are much more tolerant than Majesties in my experience. 

[ThereseCup]

On 6/13/2024 at 1:42 PM, Silas_Sancona said:

Don't think i'd consider the time i'd spent living in apartments as the pits, but, definitely prefer not having other people being one wall over / above or below me, and having more space lol..  That said, the goal is a small-ish but simple house on 1/2 to 2 acres ..hopefully, lol..

If i had to pick one place i liked the best, it was the place i'd lived in FL..  Patio was perfect for what i'd been growing at that time / apartment itself was solid and pretty quiet ..Most of the neighbors there were pretty cool, so.. 

As far as lighting, As mentioned, maybe not the most well- versed on the subject, but,  definitely suggest look into LED options ( some people still use simple lamps ) and no, lol, definitely don't need to purchase the most expensive / fancy option to get good results.

As long as which ever lighting you use has the right spectrum, you should be good..

Perhaps @Dartolution and @piping plovers might have better experience / insight on this.   Anyway, 

As far as trays,  they can work and i think both the palms you have should do fine with or without them.

Since they do grow right next to ..or in streams,  Cat palm would definitely be happy w/ some extra humidity, esp. during the winter when the heater dries out the air inside though..

Well I ended up killing my majesty palm lol.... I watched a YouTube video where a woman cut away the roots on her palm So that she can keep putting it in the same pot when she needs to transplant it and I did the same thing and unfortunately it died 😭

[Fusca]

2 hours ago, ThereseCup said:

Well I ended up killing my majesty palm lol.... I watched a YouTube video where a woman cut away the roots on her palm So that she can keep putting it in the same pot when she needs to transplant it and I did the same thing and unfortunately it died 😭

Sorry to hear that.  We've all experienced failures and hopefully learn from them.  Are you going to try again with another majesty?  I'd consider other palm options like @Dartolution suggested cat palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum), parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) or lady palm (Rhapis humilis).

[Silas_Sancona]

3 hours ago, ThereseCup said:

Well I ended up killing my majesty palm lol.... I watched a YouTube video where a woman cut away the roots on her palm So that she can keep putting it in the same pot when she needs to transplant it and I did the same thing and unfortunately it died 😭

  Sorry to hear.. Chalk it up to experience. Is a big reason i'm always a bit cautious when it comes to some gardening advise via tha Tube..  Some advise is spot on, while other advise ..leaves me scratching my head ..quite a bit, lol..

With a majority of palms,  generally,  you can keep them in the same pot for a few years - at least - w/ out any serious issues related to the roots being crowded ( ...some actually like being cramped a touch )

If you decided to try again with a Majesty, and say you pick it up in a 3gal sized pot,  can plant into the larger pot you had the last one in and it should be good -in that pot- for -at least- 2-4 years before needing to be stepped up to something bigger. Possible it could stay in that pot for longer as well..

Philly J's specimen is a great example of that..

As i mentioned, chalk this up to a learning curve..  NOT a total failure, because it isn't..   If i listed all the stuff i have killed over the years thru ..learning..  both indoors and out,  that list would be long, and a little  painful, ..and i've been a plant nerd for ..quite some time.. lol..

Regardless,  as Fusca mentioned,  besides the two palm options you're growing,  Rhapis excelsa " Lady " Palm is another, fairly easy to find ( ..and cheaper,  if you don't mind starting out smaller ) option that can do well under indoor conditions. Fine planted in the same soil mix as the others as well..

 

[ThereseCup]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Sorry to hear that.  We've all experienced failures and hopefully learn from them.  Are you going to try again with another majesty?  I'd consider other palm options like @Dartolution suggested cat palm (Chamaedorea cataractarum), parlor palm (Chamaedorea elegans) or lady palm (Rhapis humilis).

Yes, I have a cat palm and a parlor Palm now, though my cat Palm isn't doing very well