There are hundreds of types of palm trees (Arecaceae) that grow well in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 8 through 10. Medium-sized palms grow from 10 to 25 feet and tall palms can reach heights of 40 to 70 feet. The best time to plant palms is in the spring after the last frost, so it has the longest growing season before chilly temperatures arrive. Palm trees require a specialized plant food that meets all of their nutrient requirements and helps them grow faster. Taking proper care of a palm tree will help it grow quickly and fill in your landscape with a tall focal point.
Planting Area
1
Plant a palm tree in an area with good drainage that receives full to partial sun. Dig a hole with a shovel that is twice as wide as the root ball and the same depth as the pot.
2
Spread the palm tree roots outward. Cut through any roots that grow in a circle with pruning shears. This enables roots to grow outward quickly, become well- established in the soil sooner, and encourages new growth.
3
Fill the remainder of the hole with soil and pack it down by stepping on it. Place mulch in a ring around the tree on the edges of the hole to a height of 3 inches; the watering basin holds water at the root area, so irrigation reaches the roots for faster growth.
Irrigation
1
Place a soaker hose in a circle in the watering basin.
2
Turn the hose on low and allow water to fill the basin slowly. Palms are drought tolerant but grow faster when they receive slow, deep watering.
3
Turn the water off when the watering basin is full. Check the moistness of the soil about once a week during the summer and irrigate whenever the soil is dry in the basin.
Fertilizer
1
ORGANIC - Fertilize a palm tree after planting it in the spring and twice more, with the last application in August.
2
Measure the correct amount of palm tree food for the size of your tree according to the package directions; some products determine the amount by the tree height and others determine it by the trunk size.
3
Place the palm tree food in a bowl or container. Sprinkle fertilizer in an equal distribution in the watering basin around the tree.
4
Water the plant food with a garden hose until the basin is full and the granules melt.
Pruning
1
Cut brown fronds off a palm tree in dry weather with pruning shears or loping shears on larger palms to direct the nutrients from palm food and water into the growing top of the tree.
2
Examine the tree and notice the head at the top. Imagine the head as a clock face with the horizontal axis in the center of the head. Trim off browning fronds below the 3:00 and 9:00 area.
3
Prune each frond off as close to the trunk as possible but do not cut into the trunk.
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