For reference, I am in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 8A. We've had these palms for over a year now and moved them inside to winter as it was getting too cold for them. During this time, they were mostly healthy except for the dreaded spider mites which we tried our best to handle/remove. A combination of removing completely dead/infested fronds and spraying with water seemed to do the trick, and they went back to being healthy. We moved them back outside a few days ago once the weather was consistently warm and humid, but they appear to be struggling again. I'm suspecting some sort of overwatering/drainage issue. The pots they are in have drainage holes at the bottom and I've been told there is a rock layer at the bottom about 1" in depth. The rest of the pot is filled with your average semi-fancy potting soil. Before moving the palms outside, their drainage pans were routinely being filled. Now, they are essentially empty. I know that majesty palms are notorious for being cheap and frail, but we really do enjoy having these around and would like to know if there's anything we can do to help them survive. Attached are photos of both palms and their fronds.

Ravenea Rivularis are water lovers but , crucial to ant potted plants is good drainage . You can water them as soon as the top 1-2” starts to dry out but if the water doesn’t drain well and the soil gets mushy at the bottom of the pot it can cause problems or , eventually , kill the plant. Also , any direct , hot sun on a non hardened off palm can cause burning.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with them . I know they are very common palms and if you lived in a more favorable climate , I would recommend planting them in the ground . They like being out doors rather than indoors . I have two potted ones and they are in mostly shade under other palms . I also have one in the ground and it got huge. Harry

Yeah, I think we made the mistake of thinking that they absolutely couldn't be out until it was super warm and sunny. Thanks for the suggestions! Any good way to check the drainage that I should try?

It looks like it’s overpotted, this has caused the drainage issues. Most likely if you were to tip the palm out of the container the bottom portion of the soil would be sour. Creating problems with drainage issues, lack of oxygen and wet sour soil, not a good combination!

When your plants decline, you should ask yourself what has changed? Were the palms looking good before you moved them outside? Even up north, moving palms outside should be done carefully. In the house, they were protected from some uv rays. It might be sun damage. Or maybe the move outside exposed them to colder temperatures than they were used to. Most homes stay in a narrow range of temperatures but outside it could fluctuate 30-40 degrees in a day. You can check the soil by digging down with your hand along the pot. Or you could just lay it sideways and pull the whole rootball out. If it is wet and mucky, you could change out the soil. Potting soil is difficult anyway. There is no standard on what potting soil should be. It can be ground bark, peat moss, compost, sticks, rocks, or whatever. Some have perlite, some don’t. Generally, I have found that potting mix (not soil) works better for indoor plants because it is lighter, freely draining and you can control the nutrients.

I would certainly remove from the pot and check the bottom . Another thing about house plants , they enjoy some outdoor time on a shady porch or under a protected area . Let the breeze blow through them for a few hours if you get a break in the weather. In the summer , they will need shade most of the day at that age . Harry

@pooroldmajesty NICE TO MEET YOU AND WELCOME TO THE FORUM!

Majesties in habitat literally grow standing in water, or at least "dipping their toes" (of the roots) in it. I sincerely sincerely doubt you're anything close to overwatering them. Now that the weather is warm, I'd separate the ones in your pot and give each its own pot, and stand it in a deep saucer and keep the saucer full of water. They're thirsty things. A good friend from Eire called them "like Irish fish."

3 hours ago, happypalms said:

It looks like it’s overpotted, this has caused the drainage issues. Most likely if you were to tip the palm out of the container the bottom portion of the soil would be sour. Creating problems with drainage issues, lack of oxygen and wet sour soil, not a good combination!

If it is, in fact, overpotted (too big of a pot) it won't be for long. They're fast growers, if they're happy.

6 hours ago, DoomsDave said:

@pooroldmajesty NICE TO MEET YOU AND WELCOME TO THE FORUM!

Majesties in habitat literally grow standing in water, or at least "dipping their toes" (of the roots) in it. I sincerely sincerely doubt you're anything close to overwatering them. Now that the weather is warm, I'd separate the ones in your pot and give each its own pot, and stand it in a deep saucer and keep the saucer full of water. They're thirsty things. A good friend from Eire called them "like Irish fish."

I have seen one growing in a dam with about one foot of water around the trunk, a true aquatic in this case!

They are true water lovers!

I also grow mine in pots. They seem to be pretty low maintenance palms trees for me. They spend their time mostly outside once temperatures climb above freezing. I've had no issues keeping them outside in the upper 30s at night. Good drainage is the key to success . They love the water.