Majesty Palm

Description

The Majesty Palm, or Revenea rivularis, is a native of Madagascar where it is now considered rare in the wild because most of the island’s original forest has been destroyed.  Lucky for us, though, it’s long been in cultivation in the USA as a houseplant and its popularity is on the rise.  Here’s how to keep yours in majestic condition:

Watering

Your Majesty Palm will enjoy an occasional thorough watering.  Like many houseplants, it likes moist conditions produced when it is watered thoroughly and then allowed to dry down, but don’t let it get “desert dry” – evenly moist is what you should be shooting for when checking with your soil probe.   See our watering guide for more information.

Light

Although it can sustain some lower light conditions, it’s still a palm that needs good filtered and indirect sunlight to thrive.  Get it on a screened patio or near an east, south, or west window and it’ll continue to grow for a long time.

Nutrition

This palm, cultivated in Florida, will not need to be fed during the first 6 months after it has shipped. During this time, it will use the residual nutrients from nursery production. After 6 months, it can be fed quarterly with a complete fertilizer formulated for interior plants. Please refer to our nutrient guide for details.

Cleaning

Like its cousins – the Areca and Kentia Palms with long arching fronds with numerous leaflets – it can be a challenge to clean.  Fear not though – the fronds can be stroked from their base at the stem towards the apex with a damp cloth soaked in water and a light soap solution making sure to wipe both the top and bottom of the leaflets – and that’ll keep it clean and green.

Pruning

When older fronds go off-color (a nice way of saying “yellow or brown”), they can easily be removed by cutting the entire leaf from the plant all the way back to a main stem.  Removing older “off-color” fronds will give your palm a nice upright posture and help push new growth from the apex.

Bugs

Keeping it clean with a good wipe-down once a month will keep your Majesty Palm bug free.  Lacking a monthly cleaning, keep an eye out for spider mites setting up camp on the underside of the fronds and leaflets.  Again, if you see mites or their characteristic webbing under a leaf, break out the soapy towel and wipe it off.

Pets

This plant has no known toxicity issues for pets, so it’s considered ‘pet friendly’.

Trouble

Just watch the tips of the leaflets – yellowing can indicate that you’re overwatering; brown tips can indicate you’re under-watering it.  In good light, this plant will thrive.