Problems with my new Majesty palms | recommendation for perhaps another type

[adrock0211]

Hello everyone.  

I recently purchased three majesty palms and I have them in pots on my patio.  We are in Tampa, Florida (zone 9b) and these palms are going to near lots of direct sunlight.  The pots have one hole about 1.5 inches in diameter in the bottom of them for drainage.  The soil I used was Miracle Grow, Cactus, Palm and Citrus soil.  After only having them a little over a week, you can see they are turning very brown.  I presume this means they need more water.  I've been watering them every other day, just when I notice that the top inch of soil is dry.  

If these aren't the best for being in pots in a patio in direct hot sun, can someone recommend another palm that is more hearty?  My wife is very fond of the whispy nature of the majesty palm though, so maybe something that looks similar?  

[5am]

Welcome to the forum! I grew only a single majesty for a couple years but I can tell you they love water and sunlight. In habitat they can be even found growing directly in a river! https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Ravenea_rivularis My guess is yours needed some time to acclimate to the direct sun, or else perhaps the roots got too roughed up during potting. They become really fast growers after they put on a little more size than your two have. If the spears are green I think they'll recover. 

[adrock0211]

  On 4/2/2024 at 1:07 AM, 5am said:

Welcome to the forum! I grew only a single majesty for a couple years but I can tell you they love water and sunlight. In habitat they can be even found growing directly in a river! https://www.palmpedia.net/wiki/Ravenea_rivularis My guess is yours needed some time to acclimate to the direct sun, or else perhaps the roots got too roughed up during potting. They become really fast growers after they put on a little more size than your two have. If the spears are green I think they'll recover. 

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Thanks for the info!  I'll certainly give them much more water.

[Harry’s Palms]

Majesty palms are grown in mass quantities in greenhouse and shipped out to various retail outlets . They are given optimum conditions/ environment to produce rapid growth. Give it time to acclimate to its new home . Watch for new growth . They seem to be pretty hardy and once established should do well . Harry

[Fusca]

  On 4/1/2024 at 9:26 PM, adrock0211 said:

The soil I used was Miracle Grow, Cactus, Palm and Citrus soil

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In addition to what @5am and @Harry’s Palms stated the soil needs to be well-draining for pot culture.  It's a bit mind-boggling but for some reason this palm that can thrive in standing water will often rot in a container with mucky soil.  I'm not familiar with the MG soil that you are using but hopefully it fits the bill for drainage.  I've heard (and experienced) issues with using regular MG potting soil for container plants so not recommended.  Since yours is a multiple planting there is competition for water and nutrients between these single-trunked palms.  I grow Ravenea rivularis outdoors and haven't tried in a container but yours is probably in "shock" from the transition to sun.  If you can protect it from afternoon sun it will probably help it to recover.  Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (bottle palm) is a better palm for growing in a container but it does not like freezing temperatures while the majesty palm can.  The bottle palm is also a pinnate palm but it does look different with stiffer fronds.

Edited April 3, 2024 by Fusca

[adrock0211]

  On 4/3/2024 at 8:34 PM, Fusca said:

In addition to what @5am and @Harry’s Palms stated the soil needs to be well-draining for pot culture.  It's a bit mind-boggling but for some reason this palm that can thrive in standing water will often rot in a container with mucky soil.  I'm not familiar with the MG soil that you are using but hopefully it fits the bill for drainage.  I've heard (and experienced) issues with using regular MG potting soil for container plants so not recommended.  Since yours is a multiple planting there is competition for water and nutrients between these single-trunked palms.  I grow Ravenea rivularis outdoors and haven't tried in a container but yours is probably in "shock" from the transition to sun.  If you can protect it from afternoon sun it will probably help it to recover.  Hyophorbe lagenicaulis (bottle palm) is a better palm for growing in a container but it does not like freezing temperatures while the majesty palm can.  The bottle palm is also a pinnate palm but it does look different with stiffer fronds.

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Thanks a bunch.  I actually like the look of the bottle palm, but I was worried about how large they get.  However, if I found a smaller bottle palm, and kept it in a container like this, it would keep it from growing to its full height, yes?  Much like a bonsai, which I am more familiar with.

And yeah, this soil is not very draining, so that could be my culprit.  I may need to mix in some different organic material to assist with the drainage.

[adrock0211]

  On 4/3/2024 at 8:45 PM, adrock0211 said:

Thanks a bunch.  I actually like the look of the bottle palm, but I was worried about how large they get.  However, if I found a smaller bottle palm, and kept it in a container like this, it would keep it from growing to its full height, yes?  Much like a bonsai, which I am more familiar with.

And yeah, this soil is not very draining, so that could be my culprit.  I may need to mix in some different organic material to assist with the drainage.

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Also sorry, one more question.  Is there a better drainer soil that you recommend?  Thanks.

[Fusca]

  On 4/3/2024 at 8:45 PM, adrock0211 said:

Thanks a bunch.  I actually like the look of the bottle palm, but I was worried about how large they get.  However, if I found a smaller bottle palm, and kept it in a container like this, it would keep it from growing to its full height, yes?  Much like a bonsai, which I am more familiar with.

And yeah, this soil is not very draining, so that could be my culprit.  I may need to mix in some different organic material to assist with the drainage.

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Here's a thread with some good shots of bottle palms in containers.  They grow pretty slow so this helps with keeping them small in a container.  They also seem to be quite happy with a limited amount of soil (see photos in the thread below).  I typically make my own mix but you can take what you've got and add perlite, pumice, Turface MVP or even chicken grit to help with the drainage.  The Turface MVP is probably a better option since it is essentially calcined clay particles that help retain moisture.  Both majesties and bottles like water. 

 

[JohnAndSancho]

It could be a few things. I've used Miracle Gro palm and cactus soil in the past with ok results, but what I bought this year is just trash and takes forever to drain off for me. Honestly I'd start there - in the past I've used cheap garden soil and added something like perlite or clay, then added Repti Bark from Petco. 

I also dunno that you've got enough drainage in those pots. I was using these cheap plastic "self watering"/bottom watering pots, but I top watered. I'd dump the pots over to let the water drain out... It's funny that these literally grow in rivers, but that water is flowing, so it never gets stagnant. 

Others also mentioned the likelihood that they're in shock from going from shade cloth/greenhouse to full sun. 

As far as the bottle palms go, they're gorgeous and I think you should buy some of them too. I've had a spindle palm(bottle palm's cousin) for about 3 years in  a pot now, and it's growing steady but it'll be years before its anything overwhelming... Funny it seems to be doing better as a houseplant now.