Cat Palm vs Majesty Palm (Key Differences)

If you are having difficulty choosing between Cat Palm vs Majesty Palm, our choice for the greatest indoor plant is the cat palm. We debated between a cat palm and a majesty palm while deciding which indoor palm tree to purchase for our living room. Both are lovely houseplants, but we needed something that was manageable and likely to succeed.

The palm of majesty or the palm of the cat, which is better? The cat palm is the undisputed champ among indoor plants. The Majesty palm is more challenging to maintain inside, and stress frequently results in the leaves turning yellow and a loss in look.

It is also more vulnerable to pests like spider mites. On the other hand, the cat palm does well inside given the correct circumstances. So that you can choose wisely, let’s compare the two palms. I’ll also explain why we picked the cat palm over the majesty.

Cat Palm and Majesty Palm Differences

Looking at the chart below, it would appear that all plants could be grown using nearly the same maintenance procedures due to the abundance of similarities. It’s a little more difficult than that, in actuality.

I want to highlight once more that you can grow these plants indoors and that they will both produce attractive indoor specimens for you. It is crucial to remember that the cat palm is a considerably smaller plant in its natural habitat.

You may be looking for a tall Majesty palm to considerably diverge from its typical circumstances, which frequently leads to issues.

Pin

 

Cat Palm vs Majesty Palm – Indoor Care challenges

One of the toughest and simplest palms to cultivate indoors is the cat palm. It is a component of the elegant parlor palm (Chamaedorea), which got its name from being used in Victorian drawing rooms. This palm will grow well with enough soil moisture and strong indirect light.

The popular name for the species comes from the fact that all house palms make wonderful inside plants. The Neanthe Palm, Bamboo Palm, and Grass Palm are further species.

On the other hand, Majesty palms need strong light or direct sunlight, a lot of water, frequent misting, and generous feeding. The majesty palm, which is often cultivated outside in tropical areas, is extremely lovely, but only if its maintenance needs are satisfied. And doing it inside is challenging.

Without adequate care, the majesty palm either loses all of its leaves or gets yellow and wilted foliage, brown leaf tips, or both. The plant will wilt and die if there is insufficient moisture and humidity. Of fact, the cat palm may be regarded to be similar, but as a home plant, it is simpler to keep healthy.

While growing a stunning palm tree inside is not difficult, it is not recommended for novices. A home palm (such as a cat palm) is suggested if you’re seeking for an easy-to-grow palm.
Majesty is a fantastic option unless you want a challenge.

Cat Palm vs Majesty Palm – soil pH

You may use commonly available potting soil for houseplants and just a little perlite to improve drainage because the cat palm thrives in almost neutral soil. Majesty palms are frequently cultivated in the cactus mix with a little peat added to reduce the pH since they like more acidic soil.

This can be challenging for both beginning gardeners and occasionally even seasoned houseplant experts. To the point when your plant is entirely content, it may take some experimenting.

Humidity

This is where I think the largest distinction lies. The cat palm can tolerate a broad range of environmental factors, therefore it is likely to thrive happily in most households. Place it on a tray of gravel or softly wet it if it exhibits any indications of moisture stress, and it will soon look its finest once more.

ou might need to take more drastic efforts to maintain the Majesty Palm’s appearance because it needs continual watering. That doesn’t imply it can’t be done, though. Simply keep that in mind when picking out plants.

Using an affordable hygrometer, you can keep an eye on the humidity level in the vicinity of the plant. You must remedy the situation if it begins to stray from the plant’s preferred range, which may include using a humidifier.

Even this is not a deal breaker because these devices are no longer unaffordable. They make it considerably simpler for you to manage humidity levels.

The humidity in your home will probably range from 30 to 40 percent. The Majesty palm and the cat palm both prefer humidity levels of about 50%.

The Majesty palm is more of a prima donna and pouts if its humidity dips too far below that 50 percent, but the cat palm is extremely tolerant of variable humidity levels.

Cat Palm vs Majesty Palm Diseases and pests

These plants are rarely afflicted by diseases, however, if the humidity level drops too low, both cat palms and magnificent palms are vulnerable to spider mites. It’s anecdotal, but according to the houseplant growers I’ve spoken to over the years, the issue tends to affect majesty palms more frequently than other kinds of houseplants.

This size of palm necessitates more regular watering and high humidity, making it simpler to unintentionally allow them to dry out. Spider mites can attack dry leaves when the humidity is too low since they like dry environments. To maintain the humidity level high enough, you might need to spritz the leaves every two to three days.

Take your Majesty palm outdoors and give it a water spray to get rid of any spider mite infestations. Every few weeks, spritzing with warm, soapy water can also aid in infection prevention.

Even though it is vulnerable, we awarded cat palm the nod in this area since it often doesn’t need frequent spraying to stave off spider mites.
It’s about equal since a humidifier put next to a Majesty palm tree can eliminate the need for misting.

We were pushed over the edge toward the cat’s palm, however, by anecdotal information that these grand palm trees are more prone to draw mites.

Size and growth Indoor

A cat palm may grow four to six feet tall indoors, making a stunning show for lobbies, foyers, living rooms, and corridors. When it is at its tallest, this plant makes a nice display in a sunny spot without being too big or imposing.

The cat palm is one of the slower-growing indoor palms. It does well inside container growth and won’t require frequent repotting.

When grown in a big enough container, the grandeur palm may reach a height of more than 18 feet. It is a large tree that may grow to a height of more than 80 feet outside. In comparison to most other indoor palms, Majesty grows swiftly.

To keep the height moderate, the pot’s size should be restricted. We gave the cat a point for growth and size because its palm did not extend higher than our ceilings.

Cat Palm vs Majesty Palm – Leaf Texture and Shape

The leaves of these two plants are curled and dark green. While the cat palm’s leaves are a little softer, the Majesty palm’s bigger leaves have a tendency to grow rather rigid. The Majesty Palm would grow enormous in the wild, whereas the Cat Palm would stay considerably smaller.

Both of these plants are foliage plants as they cannot produce flowers when cultivated inside. That’s good though because both of these plants have thick, lovely foliage that gives them a strong architectural appearance.

Pin

Final Judgment

Both of these palms require many of the same circumstances for growth, as can be seen by looking at their growing requirements. And it is reasonable to think that growing them at home is just as simple.

Unfortunately, the Majesty palm is far more difficult to cultivate, according to the majority of growers. It’s not that it needs really unique circumstances; rather, it merely tolerates less-than-ideal circumstances less well.

It will repay you by developing into a gorgeous architectural plant and a certain focus point in any area if you can provide the perfect circumstances that make this plant happy.

We decided against majesty palm and went with cat palm. Both are lovely indoor plants, however, when put side by side, the cat palm won out for the following reasons:

• easier to maintain indoors
• less vulnerable to bugs and spider mites
• controlled, slower growth

The cat palm scored a 3 whereas the magnificent palm obtained a 0 in the categories of care difficulties, pests, and growth. Actually, there is no contest. We advise a cat palm or any other palm that is simple to grow over time unless you are an expert, experienced gardener wanting for a challenge.