I'm not the brightest when it comes to being able to tell you what kind it is. As far as taking care of it, I would give it some nutrients (palm fertilizer). Looks like the new shoot is pretty green so thats a really good sign of it being in good shape. Put it in the ground near full/partial sun. Doctor it and it will be fine. Nice lookin palm by the way.

It's a big potted Majesty palm. Give it lots of water and ferlizer=palm fertilizer to keep it green.
Ravenea rivularis. If you plant it in ground,it will become a large palm with a heavy trunk. The size it is now is about as large as they get in a pot before they become stunted(bad) and decline.

yep definitely a majesty palm. wildely available at local home improvement stores, walmart, plant nurseries, etc. They are semi aquatic and heavy heavy feeders so will need a palm fertilizer every few months during the growing season. Epsom salts around the base of the tree every month or so will give it magnesium which will keep it lush green. Can't take frosts or very cold temps. usually no lower than 40-50* but i planted mine on a whim in ground last year and after several below freezing nights and even snow they have somehow managed to make it. NOT COMMON here in south Louisiana. If you live in zone 10 or higher then planting in ground is okay otherwise def. a potted palm. Some stores sell them as indoor palms which isn't the best idea since they do need a fair amount of sun and humidity but if in a sunny window with bright light and some misting they'll be fine. although the spider mites are another story. fast grower with a fairly large root ball. when repotting roots can be cut down to make smaller rootball but no more than 1/3 of rootball. will look a bit stressed for a couple of weeks but will bounce back in no time.

Dearest Hopeful_Grower, Stanofh, and GardenPearl,

Thank you.......What a wealth of information in your posts!
So much more personalized than anything I found on the Web yesterday.

I went to Ho-De this morning and to my surprise, there are several brands of nutrients for Palms.
So I asked the guy in the apron that was in charge of the gardening section, which product would be the best for my Palm.
He gave me that deer in the headlights stare.
His words "Well, I imagine they'd all be about the same considering they all state on the package they are for Palm trees".

Do any of you have a favorite brand for fertilizing your Palms?

Epsom Salts....the same type I can buy from my local grocery store? If so, how much....a whole box every month or so?

Also, in reading the past posts here, I see that many people cover their Palms during the cold weather.
I am in Zone 10 but last year and the year before we had very unusual cold nights that got down to 40 degrees....I lost 2 Brugs and a huge, 10 ft. tall by 8 ft. wide split-leaf philodendron (I literally mourned their loss as if they were family!)
Would a King-size, flat bed sheet be enough to protect the Palm should we have those cold nights again next winter?
Or should I use something heavier?

Also; my neighbor's husband is now deceased--he's the one that planted the Palm about 5 years ago. Neighbor is NOT into gardening of any sort so asking her questions about the Palm's history is useless.

Would it be safe for the Palm to pull it up and check to make sure her husband planted it correctly, with lots of drainage/rocks/pebbles and maybe I could freshen the soil at the bottom of the container at the same time?

Amity

Here is a link that might be useful: My Back Yard Photo Album

Go easy on the Epsom salt or your palm will be ugly or dead.All you need is a palm fertilizer and you can add a handful(for that pot size)of Epsom salt with it every 2 1/2 or three months in the growing season.P.S. if you have small hands you should use 2 handfuls (Smiley face)

Put it in the ground, give it water and some fertilizer and presto! no magic needed, no repotting, no need to check if there is proper drainage in the pot. If you plan to keep it in the pot, keep in mind that it will begin to decline at some point and simply die. Majesty palms do well in the ground in most parts of southern california. I have one here in zone 9 in inland, central california and it's done fine for three years. you have nothing to lose, so if I were you, i'd put it in the ground and forget about it except for a dose of fertilizer every couple of months.