Ravenea Rivularis Growth Speed and Care?

[ZPalms]

I'm just curious to see what the growth speed for the Majesty palm is based on people's personal experience with it, potted or not, and what has worked for you indoors and outdoors, and if seed grown, how long did it take for it to go pinnate?

Edited February 21, 2022 by ZPalms

[oasis371]

I would classify them as fast, for palms.  I can't quantify fast, except for the fact that I bought one last May and it's about twice that size now. It's a double but I am leaving well enough alone. This is the best success I've ever had keeping the species alive.  I do season it outside but it overwintered in the basement (which is warm, relatively humid, and bright with natural and LED lighting).  I never let the soil dry.  They love water.  I have it in a double pot so that occasionally it does sit in a bit of water. 

[ZPalms]

9 hours ago, oasis371 said:

I would classify them as fast, for palms.  I can't quantify fast, except for the fact that I bought one last May and it's about twice that size now. It's a double but I am leaving well enough alone. This is the best success I've ever had keeping the species alive.  I do season it outside but it overwintered in the basement (which is warm, relatively humid, and bright with natural and LED lighting).  I never let the soil dry.  They love water.  I have it in a double pot so that occasionally it does sit in a bit of water. 

How much water do you let it sit in, I want to do the same thing but I'm worried of rot

[oasis371]

Just a bit to let it really soak in.  They suck it up so fast, it's gone overnight. These palms are really different from most palms.  The other commonly available ones that are quite like this are Cat palms (Chamaedorea cataractarum). Both live in areas that are seasonally flooded.  Too many people follow the familiar advice to "let dry between waterings", one size does not fit all palm species.

I will post a pic of mine tomorrow.

 

[spike]

33 minutes ago, oasis371 said:

Just a bit to let it really soak in.  They suck it up so fast, it's gone overnight. These palms are really different from most palms.  The other commonly available ones that are quite like this are Cat palms (Chamaedorea cataractarum). Both live in areas that are seasonally flooded.  Too many people follow the familiar advice to "let dry between waterings", one size does not fit all palm species.

I will post a pic of mine tomorrow.

 

do you change your watering schedule with the temperature?

[ZPalms]

3 hours ago, oasis371 said:

Just a bit to let it really soak in.  They suck it up so fast, it's gone overnight. These palms are really different from most palms.  The other commonly available ones that are quite like this are Cat palms (Chamaedorea cataractarum). Both live in areas that are seasonally flooded.  Too many people follow the familiar advice to "let dry between waterings", one size does not fit all palm species.

I will post a pic of mine tomorrow.

 

I just repotted my mine after trying to separate them, but I didn't end up doing it, so they are in a big pot now just recovering from the shock that I put them through and hopefully I didn't do too much damage, I don't know how much water mine could actually reach if I filled the bucket I sat it in since the water that I let drain out is still sitting in the bucket that I sat it in to drain 

[96720]

I don’t know about majesty palms but my cat palm has been in my pond for a year now and doing great 

[Mohsen]

This has been 2nd fastest palm I planted ( after my triple Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) ... its now after 6 years I have planted from small in pot ...also it is in not ideal position, practically it is on rocks, not sure where the roots are gone ...I always was very generous watering it when there was no rain ...also  never knew though its being under full sun or any deficiency as it was never been very green ....

[ZPalms]

3 hours ago, Mohsen said:

This has been 2nd fastest palm I planted ( after my triple Archontophoenix cunninghamiana) ... its now after 6 years I have planted from small in pot ...also it is in not ideal position, practically it is on rocks, not sure where the roots are gone ...I always was very generous watering it when there was no rain ...also  never knew though its being under full sun or any deficiency as it was never been very green ....

Wow that's amazing, Do you think it would of been faster not sitting on a rock?

[Mohsen]

6 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Wow that's amazing, Do you think it would of been faster not sitting on a rock?

I would say yes, it could be , but I think being on rock , giving it access to more water as drainage is poor....im planting a new one in the new garden, will share the picture soon 

[James B]

Very fast as far as pushing new spears. My biggest always has 3-4 spears going and probably opens 12 leaves a year. Never seen any frost damage on it. Slower as far as putting on trunk height. But from what I understand it speeds up once it gets a few rings of trunk. Mine just started trunking. Overall height is 10’

Edited February 22, 2022 by James B

[ZPalms]

6 hours ago, James B said:

Very fast as far as pushing new spears. My biggest always has 3-4 spears going and probably opens 12 leaves a year. Never seen any frost damage on it. Slower as far as putting on trunk height. But from what I understand it speeds up once it gets a few rings of trunk. Mine just started trunking. Overall height is 10’

Looks amazing! Do you give it tons of water or give it the same amount you'd give the other palms? and does it push new spears quicker during the hotter months with more water?

 

8 hours ago, Mohsen said:

I would say yes, it could be , but I think being on rock , giving it access to more water as drainage is poor....im planting a new one in the new garden, will share the picture soon 

Oh awesome, Can't wait to see it!

[James B]

Lots of water. The only palms I give more are my two Royal palms. I’d say on par with what I give my A.Maxima. 

These palms grow in the middle of bodies of water in their natural habit: lakes, streams so their watering needs are very high.

Several palms in my neighborhood are neglected and they never look good. However a mature Majesty palm that is taken care of is a sight to behold. 

Also many have mentioned they require more fertilizer than most palms which may be true. I feed all of my palms well with Palmgain and have yet to have any health problems related to nutrient deficiency. 
 

Edited February 22, 2022 by James B

[JohnAndSancho]

They're water hogs. I've got one on my patio that needs repotted. If you search on here, they are always miserable indoors. 

 

Mine gets some slow release (Carl Pool) a couple times a year when it's warm, and I also give it my "stink water" blend more in summer. Mine doesn't like full sun. 

 

This is Groot Junior, about a year and a half from a small HD plant. I had some unknown issues with Groot Sr, he turned yellow and I nursed him back to health and then his trunk just got soft and squishy and he got yeeted into the dumpster. 

 

Something else you might want to consider is getting a water filter. I've got a $30 deal on my kitchen faucet and it gets most of the chlorine and crap out of the water so the plants don't brown tip as much. I was buying distilled water but that got expensive. 

[ZPalms]

1 hour ago, James B said:

Lots of water. The only palms I give more are my two Royal palms. I’d say on par with what I give my A.Maxima. 

These palms grow in the middle of bodies of water in their natural habit: lakes, streams so their watering needs are very high.

Several palms in my neighborhood are neglected and they never look good. However a mature Majesty palm that is taken care of is a sight to behold. 

Also many have mentioned they require more fertilizer than most palms which may be true. I feed all of my palms well with Palmgain and have yet to have any health problems related to nutrient deficiency. 
 

do they like poorer draining soil since they practically sit in water, I'm unsure how much to water mine or how moist should I be leave the soil if they like sitting in water because I'm sure the water outside has movement and oxygenated at all times

48 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

They're water hogs. I've got one on my patio that needs repotted. If you search on here, they are always miserable indoors. 

 

Mine gets some slow release (Carl Pool) a couple times a year when it's warm, and I also give it my "stink water" blend more in summer. Mine doesn't like full sun. 

 

This is Groot Junior, about a year and a half from a small HD plant. I had some unknown issues with Groot Sr, he turned yellow and I nursed him back to health and then his trunk just got soft and squishy and he got yeeted into the dumpster. 

 

Something else you might want to consider is getting a water filter. I've got a $30 deal on my kitchen faucet and it gets most of the chlorine and crap out of the water so the plants don't brown tip as much. I was buying distilled water but that got expensive. 

I have well water with a salt filtration filter which I think is ok, all my other plants seem to like it and the coconut enjoys it, Do you know how much you water your majesty? Is your soil well draining? Looks amazing and thick being potted

Edited February 23, 2022 by ZPalms

[JohnAndSancho]

Welp, they like water but flowing water - so drainage is still important. I think this one is in Fox Farm soil, i don't remember. I tried a few brands before i started buying cheap soil and adding stuff to it. But yeah, I've been watering a couple times a month when it's cooler and at least weekly when it's hot, bring it inside when temps hit 40, etc etc. The pot it's in is a Bloem Lucca, it's technically a bottom watering pot, but i top water it and it's super easy to drain it if we get lots of rain. Should be a unit after this year. 

[ZPalms]

13 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Welp, they like water but flowing water - so drainage is still important. I think this one is in Fox Farm soil, i don't remember. I tried a few brands before i started buying cheap soil and adding stuff to it. But yeah, I've been watering a couple times a month when it's cooler and at least weekly when it's hot, bring it inside when temps hit 40, etc etc. The pot it's in is a Bloem Lucca, it's technically a bottom watering pot, but i top water it and it's super easy to drain it if we get lots of rain. Should be a unit after this year. 

I'm the worst at making good draining soil; I just do what I can with what I have. I used Sta-green tree and bush soil, perlite, and very fine vermiculite because when I bought it, I thought it was more pebble-like, but it was finer, but that's all I have right now. I'm not sure how often I should water more because I don't know what to look for in the soil to determine how moist the soil needs to be. 

Good to know they can be outside above 40F, I've been scared to place it outside because I want to acclimate it to the sun and didn't know what lows it could handle

Edited February 23, 2022 by ZPalms

[JohnAndSancho]

42 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

I'm the worst at making good draining soil; I just do what I can with what I have. I used Sta-green tree and bush soil, perlite, and very fine vermiculite because when I bought it, I thought it was more pebble-like, but it was finer, but that's all I have right now. I'm not sure how often I should water more because I don't know what to look for in the soil to determine how moist the soil needs to be. 

Good to know they can be outside above 40F, I've been scared to place it outside because I want to acclimate it to the sun and didn't know what lows it could handle

Welp. When my collection grew, the hoity toity pinkies out soil brands got expensive lol. Now i buy a bag of crappy garden soil, and I add in some "mondo clay" from Bonsai Jack, and I buy some ReptiBark from Petco. Sure, I could buy a 50 pound bag of Turface MVP for a lot less than the Mondo Clay, but I just don't have storage space or the need for 50 pounds of clay in my uber tiny apartment.  

[spike]

54 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Welp. When my collection grew, the hoity toity pinkies out soil brands got expensive lol. Now i buy a bag of crappy garden soil, and I add in some "mondo clay" from Bonsai Jack, and I buy some ReptiBark from Petco. Sure, I could buy a 50 pound bag of Turface MVP for a lot less than the Mondo Clay, but I just don't have storage space or the need for 50 pounds of clay in my uber tiny apartment.  

jeez that must be expensive, is it me or does most other stuff not care about soil? I've got most stuff (and washingtonias) in heavy clay loam from the ground, except plumeria, coffee and potted roses. Not my ravenea either, thats in the walmart mystery mix.

[JohnAndSancho]

7 minutes ago, spike said:

jeez that must be expensive, is it me or does most other stuff not care about soil? I've got most stuff (and washingtonias) in heavy clay loam from the ground, except plumeria, coffee and potted roses. Not my ravenea either, thats in the walmart mystery mix.

I live in a teeny tiny apartment, so digging soil from the ground isn't really an option. My palm addiction started in 2020 when I was on a covid layoff so I got that extra $600/week. Jesus I miss that - it was so nice to be in pajamas 24/7 not dealing with people, but life goes on. But, yeah. Gotta pay to play.  Still cheaper than putting everything in high dollar potting soil. Plus, with all the leftover soil sitting in a Home Depot bucket, I think our various Texas freezes have killed off any fungus gnats. Fingers crossed for repotting season. 

[spike]

10 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I live in a teeny tiny apartment, so digging soil from the ground isn't really an option. My palm addiction started in 2020 when I was on a covid layoff so I got that extra $600/week. Jesus I miss that - it was so nice to be in pajamas 24/7 not dealing with people, but life goes on. But, yeah. Gotta pay to play.  Still cheaper than putting everything in high dollar potting soil. Plus, with all the leftover soil sitting in a Home Depot bucket, I think our various Texas freezes have killed off any fungus gnats. Fingers crossed for repotting season. 

I guess something positive is that palms don't need repotting that often, I don't know how it is with you. I also tend to overpot my palms because I forget to water.

[ZPalms]

I can't find any Turface MVP in stores and I don't wanna have to buy it online because it's so inconvenient, but for soil I usually buy the cheap garden soil from Dollar General because it actually has better drainage than any of the branded stuff from Lowes or Home Depot. It has actual soil I think and not just peat, and it has wood chips and a bit of vermiculate, but I add more because I can, but what is up with brands creating mixes that claim to be fast draining but usually aren't 

Edited February 23, 2022 by ZPalms

[ZPalms]

I was just thinking that a majesty palm would make a fantastic hydroponic plant and I've been thinking of trying to do a hydroponic house plant jug eventually. I'll try either a majesty or a washie and I'll probably do it in the way this guy does with his coffee tree.

 

Edited February 23, 2022 by ZPalms

[JohnAndSancho]

4 hours ago, spike said:

I guess something positive is that palms don't need repotting that often, I don't know how it is with you. I also tend to overpot my palms because I forget to water.

Maybe i underpotted then. I've only been growing palms since 2020 and I've got lots of rootbound green homeys. Or maybe they like the east TX summers. Or maybe it's the species I'm growing. But pretty much all of mine need more space. Even my A. Tuckerii seedlings are heavy as crap from rooting up for a year. 

[spike]

8 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Maybe i underpotted then. I've only been growing palms since 2020 and I've got lots of rootbound green homeys. Or maybe they like the east TX summers. Or maybe it's the species I'm growing. But pretty much all of mine need more space. Even my A. Tuckerii seedlings are heavy as crap from rooting up for a year. 

i doubt you underpotted, I think they just grow fast. I haven't been growing palms for very long either, just recently got into them as well

Edited February 23, 2022 by spike

[ZPalms]

Well I don’t have to remove the smaller one anymore, spear pulled so I think it’s toast 

[Las Palmas Norte]

3 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Well I don’t have to remove the smaller one anymore, spear pulled so I think it’s toast 

I grow one that I bought last year. That 5 gallon Ravenea from Costco quickly needed a 15 gallon pot, and time to re-adjust to life outside it's starter home. It seemed to hold up well in the 106°F heat wave last summer. I moved it in my unheated garage over winter. Temps don't drop below about 48°F on the coldest nights in there. Some of the original fronds are rough looking but the newer ones grown here are fine. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

On 2/21/2022 at 3:54 AM, ZPalms said:

I'm just curious to see what the growth speed for the Majesty palm is based on people's personal experience with it, potted or not, and what has worked for you indoors and outdoors, and if seed grown, how long did it take for it to go pinnate?

Here's the one I mentioned in the above post.

 

 

[ZPalms]

11 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Here's the one I mentioned in the above post.

 

 

Oh wow, Is this all growth from just 1 winter? Did you use a grow light? I can't wait for the heat because I used soil that claims its quick draining but the soil feels too moist even though I did add things too it so I need that heat to help dry it quicker, I know these palms like being on the wetter side but It might be toooo moist for too long unless thats a good thing?

[Las Palmas Norte]

6 hours ago, ZPalms said:

Oh wow, Is this all growth from just 1 winter? Did you use a grow light? I can't wait for the heat because I used soil that claims its quick draining but the soil feels too moist even though I did add things too it so I need that heat to help dry it quicker, I know these palms like being on the wetter side but It might be toooo moist for too long unless thats a good thing?

There's been very little growth over winter. It originally had elongated fronds likely due to it's conditions at the grower. The new fronds grown here last year, are about half that length. I have two 4' fluorescent fixtures with plant spectrum lights I have on a timer, in my unheated garage during winter.  I'd like to plant this out with a winter shelter, but I'm finding I have lousy soil here. We've been here almost 3 years, but I'm missing our last home for that reason alone. 

 

 

[ZPalms]

29 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

There's been very little growth over winter. It originally had elongated fronds likely due to it's conditions at the grower. The new fronds grown here last year, are about half that length. I have two 4' fluorescent fixtures with plant spectrum lights I have on a timer, in my unheated garage during winter.  I'd like to plant this out with a winter shelter, but I'm finding I have lousy soil here. We've been here almost 3 years, but I'm missing our last home for that reason alone. 

 

 

What is your winter shelter? Like you would put it in the ground?

Edited March 8, 2022 by ZPalms

[Las Palmas Norte]

22 minutes ago, ZPalms said:

What is your winter shelter? Like you would put it in the ground?

Planted with a seasonally removable wood frame shelter.

[ZPalms]

Since I've had my majesty since February, I've really grown to love it. I know they are common, but they are really fun to grow, especially when it's hot outside. I just go out and flood its pot pretty much daily and it just does its thing. It's also really cool since mine was a clearance majesty, so I'm glad I was able to save one and help it get its crown full of leaves, and it really makes me want to grow one from seed.

I'll have to take a photo of it from day 1 to now when I get a chance. I'll post it here. 

[JohnAndSancho]

1 hour ago, ZPalms said:

Since I've had my majesty since February, I've really grown to love it. I know they are common, but they are really fun to grow, especially when it's hot outside. I just go out and flood its pot pretty much daily and it just does its thing. It's also really cool since mine was a clearance majesty, so I'm glad I was able to save one and help it get its crown full of leaves, and it really makes me want to grow one from seed.

I'll have to take a photo of it from day 1 to now when I get a chance. I'll post it here. 

They're cool palms, for sure. My first palm was a Majesty, and it's - well, it died last year. And this one, I bought as an Amazon clearance special - it was like $26 in the "Paradise Planter." The Paradise Planter was briefly a trashcan and now my Monstera lives in it 

[Billeb]

1 hour ago, ZPalms said:

Since I've had my majesty since February, I've really grown to love it. I know they are common, but they are really fun to grow, especially when it's hot outside. 

I'll have to take a photo of it from day 1 to now when I get a chance. I'll post it here. 

I love the look of a super nice Majesty and I think they are underrated.

 I don’t have one in the garden but only cuz my lot isn’t the largest and there is others that top the list. Water, heat & repeat. 

interested in seeing a pic  

-dale

[ZPalms]

Nothing too special but definitely looks better than before and growing steadily 

before

 

After

 

Edited May 23, 2022 by ZPalms

[JohnAndSancho]

I got a new phone and I'm struggling with resizing pics to fit the forum requirements, but Groot Junior is growing like a damn weed. He pushed himself out of a 2g pot to where he was growing crooked, and I repotted it into a 5g pot and it's crooked again. 

 

Lots of water, lots of fertilizer, and don't put them in full sun and BOOM explosion. I turned mine away from the sun to try and fix the curve and it's totally growing towards the sun again. So I'm gonna have a cool ass curved Majesty   

[JohnAndSancho]

Tldr version put it outside and water the crap out of it. 

[ZPalms]

16 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I got a new phone and I'm struggling with resizing pics to fit the forum requirements, but Groot Junior is growing like a damn weed. He pushed himself out of a 2g pot to where he was growing crooked, and I repotted it into a 5g pot and it's crooked again. 

 

Lots of water, lots of fertilizer, and don't put them in full sun and BOOM explosion. I turned mine away from the sun to try and fix the curve and it's totally growing towards the sun again. So I'm gonna have a cool ass curved Majesty   

How often do you fertilizer them? The soil I got had fertilizer in it, but when do you know it wants more? I had to turn mine like a solar panel towards the sun to hopefully encourage the new frond to fill in on the other side because as of now it has all the fronds on one side, like half its head shaved like a bang. 

I just went to see yours and thats thing is leaning! people will think it's a coconut  

Edited May 23, 2022 by ZPalms

[JohnAndSancho]

I'm a newbie just like you, fam. 

Anyway I just realized I was drastically diluting my Stink Water blend. It's supposed to be 2 tablespoons per gallon and I was doing drops. Also added some slow release Carl Pool fertilizer to the soil when I repotted. Realized that wasn't enough so I added Jobes organic palm food. He should be a monster this year. This SOB is constantly throwing a new frond already. SE TX temps nearing 100 daily combined with my extra attention and he's gonna bust out of his $8 Target pot. 

 

If he's not as big as my queen by end of summer I'll be mad lol 

 

My queen is almost 7 foot tall now