Why Is My Majesty Palm Drying Out?

The Majesty Palm can be a great addition to home décor since the grand leaves and foliage add a beautiful pop of color. The royal, lush green fronts go well in any indoor space. It can grow beautifully if you give it enough attention and time. They just need a few basic things to grow: the correct humidity, light, water, and fertilizer.

However, if it seems to be drying out, here is a guide to help you.

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Why Is My Majesty Palm Drying Out?

Low humidity is often the cause of majestic leaves drying off. Originating from tropical regions, majesty palms have evolved to thrive in humid environments. The palm’s leaves get crispy and dry because indoor humidity is substantially lower than in the palm’s natural habitat.

In Madagascar, where there is regularly high humidity of 40%, majestic palms are suited to growing near river banks and lagoons.

The humidity in homes is typically approximately 10%, although indoor heaters in the winter and air cooling in the summer may cause it to drop much lower.

Because of this discrepancy in relative humidity, the majesty palm loses far too much moisture via the leaves before it can send water to the roots, which causes the foliage to dry up and become crispy and brown.

Low humidity is the main reason for a palm drying out; however, dry soil also plays a considerable role.

Majesty palms thrive in soil that drains well while being consistently damp in their natural habitat.

The leaves of the majesty palms dry up and become brown and crispy if the soil surrounding the root ball dries out due to inadequate watering frequency and excessive soil moisture.

If you are cultivating the Majesty Palm indoors, you can’t let its soil dry out. The palm tends to grow near streams and rivers in the wild, so it thrives in soil that is dense and moist. The container needs to have proper drainage holes that let out excess water since that might make it go brown, drown, or decay. However, the soil should still never be completely dry.

If you aren’t sure whether the palm has received enough water, you can use this simple technique: look carefully at the fronds. If their tips are beginning to dry up and spread, this indicates the soil is too dry. If the leaves turn yellow, it is too moist.

You might have a drought-stressed Majesty palm that has dried out leaves if potting soil has become hydrophobic (repelling water). This happens because it prevents water from adequately penetrating its roots and forces it to flow off the top of the soil.

If the soil contains the right amount of moisture, check the water quality you’re using. It might even negatively affect the palm if you are using tap water.

Many indoor plants, particularly grandeur palms, are delicate to the chlorine found in tap water. Instead, use pure, distilled, or rainfall to water the Majesty’s hand. To allow the chlorine in tap water to dissipate, you may also leave it out for 8 hours.

Consider the most recent fertilization time if it doesn’t appear to be the issue. The majesty palm could need nutrition if it’s been over a few months and it’s presently growing season (late spring to early summer). Begin fertilizing often using Indoor Plant Food, which provides the ideal nutrients to aid Majesty Palms in developing a lot of enormously gorgeous fronds.

If you’re properly feeding and watering the plants, consider the humidity levels in their environment. This plant thrives in moderate humidity since it is a tropical species. The optimal humidity level is 40% or more; however, if you live in a dry area or often change the temperature inside your home, you may place a humidifier next to your plant. You can also place it on a humidity tray, combine it with other plants, or just sprinkle the leaves daily.

Extreme temps (typically in winter with interior heating) and too much sunshine may dry out the soil and generate unfavorable circumstances that cause the majesty palm’s leaves to get crispy and dried up.

Pruning Routine

Maintaining the plant’s health and attractiveness requires pruning! Here are the correct times to trim your Majesty’s palm.

Remove leaves that are dying, dead, or otherwise damaged from the majesty palm so that the plant may focus its efforts on developing healthy, fresh leaves.

Trim away any dead leaves with scissors or clean shears. To prevent cutting into good foliage, be careful to trim within the damaged region when removing a portion of a damaged leaf, such as dried-out tips.

The size and form of the majesty palm can be managed by pruning, but this might not be necessary given how slowly it grows. If you prune for appearance, we advise marking the cuttings in advance with colorful ribbon or tape and avoiding removing more than 10% of the leaves at once since this might shock the palm.

Can Brown Palm Leaves Reverse Their Color?

Regrettably, no. A leaf cannot go back to being green after it has become brown. When a problem is resolved, such as when nutritional deficits are addressed, yellow leaves may turn green, but they do not get better in most cases.

Remove damaged leaves as soon as possible so that the plant may concentrate on producing new, healthy leaves to recover the missing ones.

How to Resurrect a Brown-Leafed Majesty Palm Plant?

Drench the root ball in a water container for 10 minutes if the majesty palm is under drought stress. When the soil dries up, it may occasionally become hydrophobic (repulses water), causing the water to flow off the top rather than permeate the soil and enter the roots. When the root ball is submerged, the water may permeate the soil and go to the roots.
Always give the grandeur palm a good soak (about once a week) so that any extra water drips out of the pot’s base. The topmost inch or two of the soil remains wet if it isn’t watered enough, and the water does not go to the roots, where it’s needed. Each alternate day, mist the foliage or use a humidifier for plants. Mistreating the foliage may prevent the leaves from becoming brown and mimic the humidity of the majesty palm’s natural habitat.
Keep the temperature between 65 and 75 degrees and 10 degrees colder at night to combat the drying effects of indoor air conditioning and heating. This temperature range closely resembles that of the majesty palms’ natural habitat. Protect the palm from any heat sources to prevent the soil from drying out too rapidly and going brown and crispy.
Do not feed majesty palms with regular fertilizer; follow the guidelines to prevent the leaf tips from turning brown. To prevent damaging the plant, it is advisable to fertilize just twice a year, in the growing season, and only with particular palm fertilizer.
Make sure that the leaves of the grandeur palm are not touching any windows. This protects the leaves from oxidizing owing to cold stress. It’s a sign of overwatering or inadequate drainage if the leaves are becoming yellow and brown. The majesty palm leaves are probably turning yellow and brown since you water them more frequently than once a week. Reduce watering to once per week, check that the pot’s base has drainage holes, and remove any trays, saucers, or ornamental outer pots that may have collected extra water to enable water to drain correctly and prevent the soil from becoming soggy.

Why Is My Majesty Palm Drooping?

The trunk of the Majesty’s palm has likely decayed if it is sagging. Make an effort to properly inspect the tree to discover any soft spots or more liquid-oozing areas. These symptoms appear to exacerbate some of the first indications of a fungus infection in humid conditions.

Ample water must also be added, and the root structure should be looked at to prevent the palm plants from drooping. Prevent overwatering to prevent the roots from becoming soggy. Sometimes poor drainage causes water to be unable to reach other sections of the tree, which causes the roots to rot.

Final Thoughts

Majesty Palms are great additions to indoor gardens. They add a pop of color with their lush-green leaves. But, if you want to prevent them from drying out, try to remember where they come from.

They are native to Madagascar wilds where they grow near rivers, streams, and lagoons. They thrive in humid conditions with moist soil. If you think the palm is drying out, it is literally from lack of water. Add a humidifier nearby and change the watering schedule to prevent the leaves from drying up.