My mom gifted me a new majesty palm near the beginning of April. It was doing well at first then started to slowly die. One thing I've noticed is that the fronds begin to yellow around the edges and tips first, then makes it way inwards, turning the whole leaf yellow and eventually brown. The parts of the leaves that stay green begin to turn a very light, speckly colored greenish-yellow before yellowing completely. Also, some of the fronds are completely healthy looking, with no yellowing or browning. However, there do have tiny holes in some of the leaves, almost like something was munching on it. Some other things I've noticed: tiny tiny little black dots on some of the leaves (I don't think its scale because they can't be scratched off), some of the leaves bend in half, there's little tiny (almost microscopic) white-ish bugs crawling in the soil when you blow on it. There are several new fronds growing but none of them have opened since I've had the plant. I repotted it about a month ago because it was root-bound but it doesn't seem to be doing better. I try to keep the soil moist without overwatering, it sees bright indirect sunlight, and I mist it with warm water a few times daily. Any tips/tricks would be immensely appreciated! TIA

This was on 4/6:


This was on 5/6:


This is now:


These are the tiny dots I was talking about (look at the middle of the leaf closest to the bottom) :


The yellowing/browning that's happening:

You need more light for your Majesty Palm! Your Majesty Palm will thrive indoors if it gets at least 4-6 hours of bright, indirect light per day. Maybe you can find a spot with a little morning sun.

Majesty Palms inevitably decline when grown indoors even when given lots of sunlight. They require outdoor sun, fresh air, good humidity, and copious amounts of water. They are also very prone to spider mite infestations.

Do your best with it, but keep your expectations low unless you can move it outside during warm weather.

oneeyeluke said:You need more light for your Majesty Palm! Your Majesty Palm will thrive indoors if it gets at least 4-6 hours of bright, indirect light per day. Maybe you can find a spot with a little morning sun.

Thanks for your reply! I was wondering if that was the case... it currently sits about 5.5 feet from an East-facing window but also gets a little direct sunlight in the evenings (around 4-6 pm). I was worried that giving it more sun would burn the leaves, but I will definitely try! Thanks for your help!

WillC said: Majesty Palms inevitably decline when grown indoors even when given lots of sunlight. They require outdoor sun, fresh air, good humidity, and copious amounts of water. They are also very prone to spider mite infestations.

Do your best with it, but keep your expectations low unless you can move it outside during warm weather.

Oh yes... I have seen that they do not make great indoor plants from my research- which is such a bummer! Another thing is that my mom, a total non-plant person, has kept hers alive for well over a year now with only slight browning at the tips when she waters it! It's starting to be pretty warm daily now, so I think I'll try moving it outside during the day. Should it be brought back inside at night as temperatures lower? I appreciate your help!

Kudos to your Mom! Are you sure hers is a Majesty and not another Palm species? Palm species can be hard to distinguish. If it is, try to duplicate what she has done.

If you move yours outside, keep it in light shade and avoid full-on direct outdoor sun.