What Can Make a Majesty Palm Turn Brown at the Tips?

Plants can elevate the decor in any room, but it's important to note that plants like majesty palms are not just another home decor accessory. If your majesty palm (​Ravenea rivularis​, USDA zones 10-11) is turning brown and you're panic-searching online what can make a majesty palm turn brown at the tips, don't be alarmed. Brown tips on a majesty palm can happen regularly. You just need to tweak your care process a bit.

The majesty palm is a tropical palm that originates from Madagascar. It has bright-green, symmetrical leaves that grow from the trunk. The leaves grow straight up, but then they arch at the ends, forming a large crown at the palm's top.

If you're noticing brown tips on your majesty palm, don't worry. This is actually a common occurrence. Before you panic, several factors could be causing the brown tips. The first reason your majesty palm may get brown tips is due to dry air. Since majesty palm is a tropical plant, it thrives in humid climates.

If you're caring for a majesty palm indoors and your air is super dry, the palm tips can turn brown. If your home's air isn't dry, assess how you're feeding and watering the palm. Although you can give majesty palms fertilizer, you don't want to overfertilize the palm. One may think the more nutrients the palm gets, the better it will grow, but a high concentration of nutrients can stress the palm's roots.

If the palm's roots get stressed, the leaf tips will burn and turn brown. While overfertilizing can cause brown tips, underwatering your palm can also cause brown tips. If the potting mix is super dry, the palm's fronds (leaves) will brown at the ends, and the browning may overtake the entire frond, not just the tips.

To make your palm feel special and loved, your care approach needs to include the right amount of watering, light and humidity. Majesty palms love a lot of water. Although one may think desert palms wouldn't like a lot of water, majesty palms come from a wet area. They grow right along the streams and rivers in Madagascar, so you need to mimic their original home.

You don't want the palm sitting on soggy soil, but make sure you're regularly watering your palm and never allow the soil to dry out. To best care for your palm, boost your room's humidity by growing your palm near a small humidifier. Also, try to group your majesty palm with other plants. Plants release moisture into the air when they breathe, so your palm will soak up some of that moisture.

Another way to increase humidity is by setting your majesty palm's pot on top of pebbles sitting above water. Don't sit the pot in the water. The pot should sit on top of the pebbles. Light is also very important. Majesty palms love lots of light, so set it near a sunny window and make sure it gets six to eight hours of bright light per day.