Palm Tree Care
The Basics of Palm Tree Care
Most home gardeners have never been faced with the types of challenges that palm tree care can bring up. If you want your palm trees to thrive and stay healthy, you need to understand the special needs of palm trees, and be ready to supply the extra care.
Above all, palm trees need good soil. The soil type will determine the water and nutrients that your tree will receive. You will want to add a beneficial fungi called mycorrhizal to your soil. This may be the single best move you can make for your palm tree.
Fertilization is also an integral part of palm tree care. Palm trees generally require a specially formulated type of fertilizer. You can speak to someone at your local garden center about what formulation is best for your palm tree.
The actual planting of palm trees isn't a lot different than planting many other types of trees. If you buy a nursery palm, it will probably be either balled and burlapped, or potted. Plant your tree as soon as you can after purchasing it. If you won't be able to plant the tree as soon as you purchase it, keep the tree's root ball moist. Don't soak it though, as this could cause root rot.
When you are handling or transporting a palm tree, care must be taken to insure that you don't damage the bark. This would make your tree more vulnerable to fungus and insects. The best time of year for palm trees to be planted is in the summer, when the temperature of the soil is 65 degrees or higher.
You will want to dig a hole that is fully wide enough for the root ball, with extra room around it. It's actually acceptable to make the hole twice as wide as the root ball. That way you know the roots will have plenty of room to grow. Dig the hole deep enough so the tree will be planted at almost the same depth as when it was grown. Don't plant the tree any deeper than it is accustomed to, or you may be depriving your roots of the water and nutrients they need to thrive. After you situate the tree into the hole, fill the hole back in with the soil you dug out.
After you plant, as you gaze happily at your new tree, understand that your palm tree care is only beginning. You next need to build a barrier of soil around the outside of the hole. This will help to hold water, by acting as a type of dam. Then you will need to lay an organic mulch barrier all the way around the tree, at least three inches deep.
You will need to water your new palm tree frequently. For the first couple weeks, water daily, and then taper your watering off over the next several months, as your tree becomes established. Be sure not to let the soil around the tree dry out, or it will weaken your new tree. Take good care of your palm tree, and it will give you many years of pleasure.