Root rot
Browning fronds together with dark, soft, mushy stems at the soil line mean root rot — and it spreads fast.
Diagnosis
Root rot
What's happening
When a majesty palm's roots sit in waterlogged soil too long they suffocate and decay, and that rot creeps up into the base of the trunks. Affected stems go dark, soft, and mushy, often with a sour smell, while fronds brown and collapse from the bottom up. Left unchecked, the rot can take the whole clump.
How to fix it
Act quickly. Unpot the palm and rinse the roots clean, then cut away every black, soft, mushy root and stem with sterilized scissors until only firm, pale tissue remains. Repot the healthy portion into fresh, fast-draining mix in a clean pot with drainage holes, and water sparingly while it recovers. Empty the saucer after every watering — a majesty palm wants moist soil, but its roots must never stand in pooled water.
What fixes it
- Pots with drainage holes — Repotting into a clean pot with real drainage stops water from pooling and re-rotting the roots.
If that doesn't fix it
This is general guidance based on common symptoms; individual plants vary.
Read the full Majesty Palm care guide →
Reviewed June 2026 · how we check this