How To Plant A Palm Tree

This is probably the most important factor in successfully growing a palm tree. And it is a very exhaustive topic as there are over three thousand species of palms. Unless you want to spend hours or even days researching the topic, it is often best to go to a reputable nursery that specializes in palm trees. Such a nursery will really know their trees while typically the large retail stores know very little about the palms they sell and are not geared to provide cultural knowledge to the customer. And, they typically don’t know how to guide customers when cultural problems arise. Because of this fact, we get at least ten calls a week from such customers who are having problems with the plants they bought elsewhere. Starting with a specialty palm nursery might avoid such difficulties.

Tolerance of sun and cold are the most important factors in selecting the right species. Many species don’t want full sun while others demand it. Some palms don’t like real cold weather.  Other articles at this Site will help educate you on these points.  Or, if you don’t have time to research it yourself, just drop by and we’ll guide you in your purchases. One final point is that it is preferable to buy nursery stock that is locally grown in your area. Often imported plants brokered in from more tropical areas (Florida or Hawaii for example) and sold through big outlet stores perform poorly. Locally grown palms might have seen years of our colder Southern California weather and this improves your chances of success.

The customer has to decide what size plant he wishes to purchase.  Some people prefer buying small palm trees and “watching them grow”.  Others prefer a medium sized plant that is “something to look at right now”.  And, when finances permit, some prefer larger plants or mature crane sized palms that offer instant gratification.  There are advantages and disadvantages to each size of palm plants.  Small plants (band size and one gallon) are inexpensive but will take quite a few years before they look like something.  They may also be more vulnerable to cold.  Medium sized plants(5 and 15 gallon size) are sturdier and probably improve your chances.  Larger plants (20, 25 gallon and boxes) are wonderful if one’s finances permit such a purchase.  Acclimation is typically easier with larger plants.  And, at the far end of the spectrum are the plants that are dug from somewhere else and craned into your yard.  Such plantings are extremely expensive and sometimes disruptive to the garden.  We sell the first three groups of plants mentioned above.  People who only dig and crane large palms are known as “relocators” or “diggers” and are not true nurseries by definition.  We work with some of these latter specialists and give referrals when needed. 

In general, as the size of plants goes up, the availability of species goes down. The rarest of species are seldom available in the largest sizes.  This varies from nursery to nursery.  At our nursery, in the 24 inch box size and below, we offer about 800 species of palms.  It is almost impossible to find an extremely rare species in the crane size.  This is because the rare species are either not available or not for sale.  But, remember that all sizes will eventually end up giving the same mature plant if grown well.  It’s merely a question of the customer’s patience and financial capabilities.  Our most popular size sold is the 15gallon.  It is big enough that you appreciate the plant and is still affordable for most.  If you get plants larger than a 24 inch boxed size, be prepared to use heavy equipment to plant.  Men can lift and transport a 24 inch box size.  30 inch boxes are near impossible for men to lift.  Above this one needs a tractor or crane.  And, this dramatically increases your costs. 

As mentioned, the most popular size we sell is the 155gallonplant.  (see illustration).  It is easy to lift and move and not that difficult to plant.  When you drop by, we can often show you various sizes so you can make your decision on the spot..

When you buy a palm tree, pay attention to the growing conditions that the plant was in when you purchased it.  It may need acclimation to your growing conditions.  Sometimes you might purchase a palm tree that was grown inside a greenhouse or under shade cloth.  This is quite common.  If you plan on planting a palm tree in full sun in your area, it will need to be acclimated to your conditions for optimal performance. People do this all the time.  This process can take six or eight weeks but will assist you in avoiding sunburn to the leaves. Also, remember that localities for inland or in desert areas are much different than coastal climates. Even if a palm was in full sun along the coast, your sun may be brighter and hotter. Trained staff at a reputable palm nursery will guide you on acclimation requirements.  An alternative to acclimation in the container is to plant the palm into the garden.  One then builds a temporary shade cloth  protector above the plant.  As time passes, one cuts holes in the shade cloth to allow a gradual increase of sun through the filtering cloth.  Eventually full sun is achieved.  This process is a bit more work, but the plant is growing and establishing roots while one is waiting for acclimation.   

There is controversy over this issue. Traditional thought is to plant more tender or marginal species from Spring to Fall. This avoids a palm’s throwing new leaves during the coldest months. Others would argue that planting when it’s cold gives the plant’s roots time to grow and establish strength for rapid Spring growth. If you are in an extremely hot area like Palm Springs or Las Vegas, avoiding planting during the extreme hot months might be warranted. However, there are very sturdy species that can essentially be planted any time of the year. It’s probably best to check with your palm expert at the nursery when you buy your plants.  If you decide wait to plant your palm, this gives you ample time to fully acclimate the plant to the desired location.

The question arises as to whether one should add amendments to the native soil in the garden prior to planting. This is a topic that even the experts don’t agree upon. The “do nothing camp” would argue that your plant eventually has to grow in your native soil and that amendments are postponing the plant’s eventual need to “grow in what you have”. Those that prefer amendments would argue that these additives help the plant’s roots expand and grow first into the amended soil and then into the native soil. We tend to prefer that you amend your soil when you plant a palm. The amendments available will vary on where you live. In our locality, we use two things: organic material and sand (if needed). By organic additives is means some type of wood or organic product that have been ground or decomposed into a finer material. Examples would be redwood or fir shavings, bark mulch, ground bark, sawdust, aged leaf matter, aged lawn cuttings, etc.

We typically recommend digging the hole six inches wider on all sides and six inches deeper than the plant’s existing root ball. One determines the root ball size before digging by using a tape measure. It is the width of the pot (not counting the overhanging lip) and the height from the ground level at the top of the pot to the bottom of the container. Thus, if the root ball is 14 inches tall, one would dig a hole approximately 20 inches deep. Remember that the soil dug is thrown to the side for adding amendments (above). We typically do not recommend adding gravel or rocks to the bottom of the hole. People that do this will comment that it “promotes drainage”. But, if you think about it, drainage is determined by the characteristics of your soil (addressed above). If you have terrible drainage, a few inches of gravel solves nothing.  Sometimes digging the hole can be difficult and digging bars, picks, or even jackhammers are needed.  If you soil is very difficult to dig, you may have areas of sandstone or other dense material.  If this is the case, it is imperative that you check your drainage! 

I might mention here that some have advised putting vertical pipes into the hole for the mere purpose of providing “deep watering”.  The concept is to add water to the pipe and water goes to the bottom of the hole and waters the deepest roots.  Although this may be advisable under some circumstances, I know of few people who actually do this and most grow their plants perfectly.  I would not recommend it as a standard practice.   

Most people plant their palm so that the soil level in the container matches the soil level of the garden. But, you might want to plant it an inch or two deeper to create a “watering well”, which is actually a shallow hole in the surface for water to collect and drain down to the roots. This is particularly true for those who will do hand watering. One definitely does not want the root ball higher than the garden soil as this will end up exposing the roots. Such plants are said to be “on their tiptoes”. Plants with their roots showing tend to be unstable and wind can actually blow them over.  When roots are exposed, you should plant the palm a bit lower so that when you cover the exposed roots the plant is not too high in the hole.  See the photograph for an example of a plant with exposed roots.  The opposite is true as well. Don’t plant the root ball so that a significant portion of the trunk is below the ground level. This potentially can lead to rot and death of the tree. Accurate root ball measurements insure that the plant is perfect for your needs.  Remember that the pot size is not the same as the root ball height.  Plants in containers typically have a few inches of space to hold water.  When you measure root ball height, measure from the bottom of the root ball to the top.  If a root ball is irregular or falling apart, you will have to adjust accordingly.  One can actually suspend the tree in the air in the hole and gently pack soil around the roots of a misshaped root ball.  This is very common when planting cycads.

You now take the plant with the exposed root ball and carefully put it into your hole. Check to make sure the trunk is vertically straight. Center the root ball into the hole. You may wish to rotate the plant so that it shows best toward your viewing vantage point. Remember that every plant has a “front side”. This is typically the side of the plant that has seen the most sun. Growers usually put this side facing them from their point of observation.  Or, expose the “front” to the most intense sun.  If one shows the ‘back” of the plant to the most intense sun and the underside of the leaves are exposed, one can be sunburn on those leaves. (see photo)  If the plant is a multiple, decide if you want the smallest plants or trunks toward the front (most popular), or toward the back (more hidden). With some plants, if you plant it facing the “wrong way”, the resulting plant just doesn’t look right. With practice, one can learn to recognize the front of the plant and thus properly place it into the hole.

This, of course, depends upon your local weather and soil conditions. If it’s really hot, water frequently. If it’s cool, adjust accordingly. As a rule, we typically recommend watering it when you plant it as above (day 0) and repeat watering on days 2, 4, 7 and 10. If you live in a hot inland area, you might want to consider water every day or two for about two week. Then get back into your regular watering program.  

It’s important to emphasize again the goal in watering: to maintain adequate moisture around the roots.  Many might think that if they set their automatic sprinklers for several minutes a day that this will be adequate.  But, this amount of water at best will only travel an inch or two into the soil.  This may not be adequate.  What you’re trying to do is to replace the water loss from the soil from evaporation and usage by the tree.  If you underwater, the lower areas of the soil will eventually dry out and the plant will looked stressed and not be attractive.  It is typically best to deep water less frequently than lightly water more often.  If you have a watering well, try to fill the well three times in succession.

In general, such things are not needed. Can they help give better results? Possibly. They certainly don’t hurt. This includes things such as B Vitamins, Superthrive, foliar sprays, etc. If you like to do everything you can, give them a try. I should make specific mention of the antitranspirant agents. These are sprays that put a protective coat onto the leaves and help prevent plant desiccation. A product named Cloudcover is an example of such a product. From a theoretical point of view, their usage seems to make sense. I know of few growers that use them on a regular basis, but I have utilized them with good results on planting palms in the past. These sprays deteriorate over weeks or wash off the leaves after a few rains.

You should watch your plant carefully after you plant it. This particularly involves checking to make sure the soil isn’t drying out too much. Keep up with adequate watering. If you didn’t acclimate the palm to your conditions or hurried the acclimation process, within a few days to a week you might see signs of sunburn. This begins as a faint chocolate brown color to the leaves and ends with dry, necrotic areas to the leaves. You can diagnose this because it is worse on the leaves or leaflets that get the most sun exposure. Hidden leaves will not show the sunburn.

Be aware that the nice leaves you’ll see on the plant in about a year are typically not the leaves that are on the plant when you put it in. Plants will typically steal nutrition from lower leaves to produce new leaves. Therefore, it’s a normal progression of things to see the lowest leaves die off while new, beautiful leaves are formed. If you notice that new leaves are burning or looking bad after they emerge, check to see if you have given that palm too much sun (more than desired) or are under watering.  Or, the latter could be secondary to added fertilizer which we do not recommend applying when you plant.  To check for growth of the palm, one can use a magic marker to mark simultaneously and side by side the newly emerging leaf spear to an adjacent old leaf petiole. The spear should lengthen in comparison to the mark on the older petiole. During the growing season, this can be as much as one half to one full inch in 24 hours.  But, any movement means that growth is occurring. 

A sudden worsening of the plant soon after planting means that something drastic has happened or you have done something wrong.  Things to consider would be significant root or crown damage while handling, fertilizer burn, desiccation from lack of water, sunburn from poorly chosen species for your conditions, or no acclimation of the plant prior to planting.    Always consider this: if a species can grow in your area and you are not having success, ask yourself “what am I doing wrong?”  There is typically an answer if you look for it.