So you picked up an indoor majesty palm at IKEA or Home Depot and now you want to know what to do with it. First off, congrats! In my opinion, they are the prettiest palm trees out there. Second, I’m going to walk you through how to care for your indoor majesty palm.
When my husband and I bought our first house, I knew I needed to fill my sunroom with palm trees. Historically, I haven’t had the best record with plants. (I am pretty good now, though!) So I was surprised when I not only didn’t kill my majesty palm, but it thrived under my roof. Today I’m sharing my best indoor majesty palm care tips with you.
Indoor Majesty Palm Care Tips
(This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure here. )
1.) Do not overwater your indoor majesty palm.
Majesty palms are hearty tropical palms native to Madagascar. Typically, they grow along river beds. (How beautiful!) All that being said, they like water but don’t like to drown in it.
Make sure your pot has good drainage in the bottom to avoid overwatering. Usually, you just need a pot with holes in the bottom and a dish to catch the water. Another idea is to water your palm in the sink or bathtub once a week and let all the water drain before moving it back to its pot.
I like to water mine once a week (I do it every Saturday so I can remember) by fully watering and occasionally spritzing the fans with a mister. Otherwise, I leave it alone!
Troubleshooting Tip: If your indoor majesty palm has brown tips it needs more water and if its tips are yellow it means you overwatered it.
(PS: Watering once a week and leaving it well alone works great for orchids too.)
2.) Give it plenty of bright light.
Being a tropical plant, Majesty Palms love light but doesn’t like to be in direct sunlight for too long or it will scorch the leaves. Place your palm in a room with plenty of windows. I think mine does so well because I keep it in my sunroom where it is bright and light. The ideal amount of light is 4-6 hours of indirect sunlight.
You’ll know it’s getting too much direct sunlight if it’s leaves start to turn brown. You can also try rotating it so that no one side is directly in the sun. This also keeps the plant growing even around all sides as it will naturally grow towards the light.
It’s OK to occasionally put your plant on a porch or deck as long as it is above 70 degrees and not sitting in direct sunlight for the whole day.
3.) Prune any brown leaves.
Brown leaves won’t kill your plant. But you can keep it looking healthier by trimming off the brown ends that dried out or got too much sunlight. The best way to do it is to cut them at an angle so they mimic the natural shape of the palm. No blunt cuts.
Also, try out my DIY Miracle Grow Recipe for all your houseplants!
4.) Keep it comfortably warm.
Majesty palms can survive down to 40 degrees but are happiest somewhere between 65-80. Toasty! Also, keep it protected from any AC that may blow directly on it.
5.) Repot when it outgrows its pot.
First off, it’s best to re-pot your majesty palm in the spring but that’s not always possible. I didn’t realize mine had outgrown its pot until summer. I re-potted it then with no harm and let me tell you, it is THRIVING.
You know it’s time to re-pot when either the roots start coming out of the bottom of the pot (through the holes) OR or are growing out of the top of the pot. Check out my videos on re-potting a majesty palm on my Instagram stories.
- Lay the pot on its side.
- Untangle the roots on the bottom so you can pull the plant out of its pot and gently knock the bottom of the pot to loosen the pot. You can even use a knife to loosen the outsides.
- Gently pull the plant out.
- Fill a new pot (one to two inches larger) with about two inches of indoor potting soil. I use potting soil made specifically for palms which allow better drainage. I did this all outside but easier clean-up but you could lay a plastic sheet on the floor of your house too.
- Place the Majesty Palm in its new home and fill the rest of the pot with potting soil.
- Give it a good watering! Keep watering until it drains freely from the bottom. Then let your pot drain completely before placing it in a new potting dish.
Good luck!
Let’s Connect! Facebook || Pinterest || Instagram
I’ll keep this in mind if I get one. At the moment I have no indoor plants because I tend to kill them all! Outside plants too. Oops!
Haha majesty palms are pretty low maintenance!
WOW! I think I need a Majesty Palm 🙂 They’re beautiful! We have a Bird of Paradise and some other small plants. I’ll have to check out your other gardening tips
I love Bird of Paradise!
I love this plant!!! I think I will need to get one for my house, they are so beautiful!
They are the prettiest in my opinion. haha
I want one! I’ve recently found a new love for indoor plants and I want a big tree next. haha
Do it!
I don’t have a green thumb, but this makes me want to try my thumbs again.
Yes – you should!
I am the queen of overwatering! Trying to be better about that. I’ve also been learning about the importance of good drainage…had to rescue my poor over watered orchid this week.
same. same. haha
Wow, yours looks gorgeous! I have a few but need to repot them when I get the chance so they can continue to grow larger!
Yess! I just did mine.
What a beautiful plant! I will have to see if I can locate one for my home!!
Most home depots of lowe’s carry them!
Ikea, Lowe’s, or a home depot should have them!
I have a majesty, cat, and another one I cant remember name right now. They are in pots with the water reservoir in the bottom and about gallon size. I’m new to plants and I don’t want to kill them. So wondering if I should bump them up to the bigger size pot with actual drain holes and put on a tray or if this pot is ok. I also have a money tree in the same pot
I want to keep my plants alive so need good advice from the beginning
Thx
Yes, good drainage is key for majesty palms! They can rot if they just sit in water.
Thank you so much for your helpful info. I bought my first majesty palm a few weeks ago. It has a lot of new growth but I noticed that some roots are exposed at the surface. I have been searching for info on repotting and you are the only one I’ve found with that info. It is a beautiful palm and I plan on keeping it that way. I look forward to reading through your website and viewing your videos!
What happens if you blunt cut them. I just trimmed all the brown ends but I didn’t angle my cuts. Everything else I did as you do.
Thanks Tierre
That’s fine! I just cut at a diagonal so it looks more natural.
Hi. The leaves of my palm are turning yellow. :((
Oh no, either not enough water or too much sun!