How do you plant a palm tree
How to Plant a Palm Tree | Palm Tree Care
Want to get that tropical look in your yard? Learn how to plant a palm tree.
Best Time to Plant Palm Trees
Mature palm trees with well-developed trunks can be dug and transplanted from the field. Young palms cannot. The roots of young palm trees are not sufficiently developed, so they are typically planted from container-grown stock. Perfect Plants delivers their windmill palm trees (a variety of fan palms) in one and three-gallon containers – perfect for planting out in the home landscape.
This Windmill palm against a house is getting full sun and growing in optimum conditions making bright green foliage appear
The best time to plant any new tree is in the spring, but trees delivered in containers can be planted any time of year. Still, we recommend setting out your new palm tree in spring or early summer so the warming weather will get it growing right away.
In any case, plant your new palm tree as soon as possible after it arrives. Until then, be sure to keep it in the shade in bright indirect light and keep the root system moist (but not standing in water). Just before planting, however, you should thoroughly soak the root mass in a bucket of water.
Palm Tree Plant Care
Specially formulated palm fertilizer will nourish your palm plants for 3 months
Palm trees like natural light. Dig a hole twice as wide and a few inches deeper than the root ball. Some experts advocate putting a six inch layer of sand in the bottom of the hole.
Add a handful of slow release palm fertilizer to the center of the hole and work it into the bottom and sides. Remove the root ball from its container and carefully straighten out or cut back any badly coiled roots. Try to minimize potting soil loss around the roots which are delicate and fragile.
Place the top of the root ball in the hole and fill the hole with a mixture of one-half native soil and one-half rotted manure or compost.
Water as you backfill, and ensure there are no air pockets. Be sure the palm trunk is no deeper than it was in the original container and that there is nothing exposing the roots!
When the planting hole is filled, build up a berm around the outside of the trunk to retain water over the root zone. Water thoroughly. Apply a six-inch layer of organic mulch over the root zone and beyond for a few feet. Mulch will help protect cold hardy palms during the winter months. Water the tree again. Leaves will turn brown without enough water while the roots establish.
Windmill Palm, Trachycarpus fortunei
Palms prefer well draining soil to prevent root rot. Poorly drained soils will hold water and cause the trees root ball to get mushy. If planting in a container, make sure it has drainage holes.
Keep your newly planted palm tree well watered (daily unless it rains) for at least a couple months. After 3-4 months you can apply a slow release fertilizer formulated specifically for palms.
This plant food is good for any variety of palm and should only be applied during the active growing season.
Palm trees are our #1 pick for tropical plants that are low maintenance. Read more about palms and other salt tolerant plants.
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How To Plant Palm Trees | PlantingTree
The mere sight of palm trees conjures up thoughts of warm weather, sunny days, and tropical beaches. And this immediately makes us relax and unwind! There are many palm trees to choose from whether you want to grow them indoors or out. They make great patio plants in warm and cool climates. Palm trees can also bring the tropics indoors in any home. Planting palm trees is a snap if you follow a few simple steps. Learn how to plant palm trees in a variety of ways, whether in a pot or in the ground.
How to Plant Palm Trees in the Ground
- Before planting your new palm tree, water it thoroughly.
- Dig a hole that is about twice the width of the root ball and the same depth.
- Place your palm tree in the hole ensuring that it is level and even on all sides.
- Do not plant your palm tree too deeply. The top of the root ball should be slightly higher than the existing soil line.
- Backfill with the native soil or a 50/50% mixture of the native soil and an organic planting mix. Pack the soil in with your hands to remove air pockets.
- Water thoroughly.
- Water every day for the first 3 to 5 days. Then water deeply about twice per week for 2 to 3 months while your palm tree’s roots are establishing.
Planting Palm Trees in Pots
- Pick out a pot you like that has good drainage and is a size or 2 larger than the existing container.
- Place organic planting mix in the bottom of the pot. Then place your palm in the pot, filling in the potting soil around it. Only put a thin layer of fresh soil on the top of the intact root ball.
- Water your palm tree well. Be sure the entire root ball is completely saturated. You may need to put the planter in a sink or take it outside so you can allow the water to flow from the drainage holes in order to ensure it is watered thoroughly.
- Water when then the soil begins to dry down about 2 inches. You can use your finger to test the soil moisture.
Best Outdoor Palm Trees
European Fan Palm
Chamaerops humilis
Growing Zones 8-11
Mature Size: 8 to 15 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide
This clumping palm is a beauty! It comes as a single or multi trunk and has gorgeous fan-like fronds. The European Fan Palm tree is extremely heat and drought tolerant.
Pindo Palm
Butia capitata
Growing Zones 8-11
Mature Size: 15 to 20 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide
The Pindo Palm has a classic palm tree look with long feathery fronds and textured trunk. These sun-loving, heat-loving, salt tolerant palms are great for coastal areas.
Windmill Palm
Trachycarpus fortunei
Growing Zones 7-11
The Windmill Palm is one of the most cold hardy palms. It is a traditional-looking palm tree that is perfect for adding a touch of the tropics around your pool. Check out our blog for more information on landscaping around a pool.
Best Indoor Palm Trees
Chinese Fan Palm
Livistona chinensis
Growing Zones 9-11
Mature Size: 8 feet tall and 5 feet wide, larger when planted in the ground
Also known as a fountain palm, this pretty palm tree is the perfect tropical addition to your indoor living space. This unique houseplant is low maintenance and extremely adaptable and hardy.
Majesty Palm
Ravenea rivularis
Growing Zones 9-11
Mature Size: 10 to 15 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide
The Majesty (or majestic) Palm tree is one of the best indoor tropical trees. This plant softens up your space while cleaning the air in your home.
Robellini Palm
Phoenix Roebelenii
Growing Zones 9-11
Mature Size: 6 to 10 feet tall and wide
This unique palm tree can be grown outside in subtropical climates or indoors in cooler climates.
Sago Palm
Cycas revoluta
Growing Zones 8-11
Mature Size: 6 to 10 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide
The slow-growing Sago Palm is easy to grow indoors or outdoors in the appropriate climate. This neat palm-like plant is pest, disease, and deer resistant. It is very easy to grow.
Now you know how to plant palm trees and about some different palm tree varieties for growing indoors and out. Whether you want to grow palm trees indoors or outdoors, they aren’t complicated plants. In fact once they are established they are low to no maintenance and easy to grow. Go plant a palm tree and grab a tropical drink! You’ll be transformed into your “island self” in no time. Happy planting!
How to transplant a palm tree at home?
Palms are hardy plants that are quite easy to grow at home.
They can be placed in a house, in an apartment or even in an office, they are also found in commercial premises. Often they order ready-made specimens, which are sent from the store already in a cache-pot. Such an indoor palm tree received comprehensive and timely care, therefore it is full of strength for full growth and development. In order for her to continue to delight with her appearance, she needs to provide good conditions for growth.
Contents:
1. Do I need to transplant a palm tree immediately after purchase?
2. How to transplant a newly purchased palm tree?
3. How to transplant an adult palm tree?
4. How often will a transplant be required?
If you have acquired a palm tree, sooner or later the question arises about its transplantation. This procedure is simply necessary for the normal development of the root system, and hence the whole plant. If you ignore planting in a new pot, growth retardation will appear, diseases may occur and pests may be disturbed.
To avoid these unpleasant consequences, you need to properly monitor the exotic representative and provide him with the proper conditions for development.
Do I need to repot a palm tree immediately after purchase?
As a rule, after the purchase, many people try to immediately replant the plant, but this is not always necessary. First, it is advisable to quarantine it, separating it for 2 weeks from the rest of the flora. This will help prevent infecting others if the palm is infected with fungus or pests. If she is sick and needs to immediately change the pot, she may die from such stress, since there will be no strength to recover.
But in certain cases it is better to transplant the palm tree right away - this information is listed in the table:
| Small planter | Often, when selling, a palm tree is planted in a rather narrow and shallow pot and the root system simply does not have enough space for normal growth. If you delay with a transplant, there may be difficulties with further cultivation. |
| Spring | This time of the year just corresponds to the transplant. If it is not possible to withstand quarantine, you can carry out the main procedure, and then isolate the plant for 2 weeks. |
| The tree began to get sick, but there are no signs of diseases and pests | These symptoms indicate that the root system is cramped in a store planter. An urgent transplant is required into a new soil and into a wider and deeper container. |
| As recommended by the seller | Honest florists always give useful advice when buying and hide nothing. If you are advised to transplant a palm tree immediately, you need to urgently address this issue. |
How to transplant a newly purchased palm tree?
The general rule is with old soil, so as not to injure the roots.
For the first landing, you need to use a specialized substrate purchased in a store; you should refuse to prepare it yourself. The pot is selected 3-4 cm more than the previous one, and drainage is formed at its bottom, so there should be holes. It is better to abandon plastic containers, opting for ceramics. Under such conditions, the root system will have a place for new growth, it will “breathe”, and the soil will not be waterlogged.
For replanting, the following actions are carried out:
- the old soil is poured abundantly so that it can be separated from the walls;
- in a new container, a layer of coarse gravel is laid on the bottom to ensure drainage;
- , if necessary, a small layer of earth is added if the pot is higher than the previous one;
- then the plant is transplanted into a new container carefully so as not to damage the stem and roots;
- free space around the periphery is also sprinkled with new soil.
This is the first transplant done with the old soil, so the tree should not get sick. If any symptoms appear, they will talk about acclimatization in a new place. Further procedures are carried out already with the change of the substrate and they require more responsibility.
How to transplant an adult palm tree?
But if the plant has already acclimatized and stood in the room for several months, its transplantation is a little more difficult:
- We prepare the substrate - for it you need to take 1 part of rotted manure, 2 parts of light clay-turf, 1 part of peat, 2 parts of humus-leaf soil, 1 part of sand and a little charcoal. This is the most optimal substrate; palm trees do not grow very well on others.
- We select a pot - depending on the state of the measles system. To do this, you need to carefully remove the tree and inspect the roots: if they have grown in width, you will need wider dishes. When they accumulate at the bottom, we select a deep container.
- We prepare a new pot - we pour small pebbles on its bottom, then sand and a pre-formed substrate. In the center, be sure to make a hole for the convenience of landing.
- Then water the palm tree abundantly so that the old soil softens. You can additionally lower the pot into water and leave it there for 10-15 minutes. You can check the condition of the soil with a tool.
- Carefully remove the palm tree from the pot, separating the old soil. This is done manually so as not to damage the root system. We cut off old and dead tissue with secateurs.
- We plant a tree in a new pot, sprinkle the roots with earth, but don't tamp down much. Water thoroughly and leave in partial shade at room temperature to restore.
The palm will be sore for a few days and this is absolutely normal. It needs to be watched, periodically watered, but not too plentifully. The exotic tree is very afraid of drafts, especially at a young age. It is better to put it in a place with good lighting, but avoid direct sunlight.
How often will a transplant be required?
Usually the first transplant is carried out immediately after purchase, in the year and at 3 years, then every 3-5 years is allowed. Mature trees do not like this procedure very much and can live in a pot for quite a long time. If the container is spacious, and the conditions for development are suitable, this representative feels comfortable for years, grows and develops normally. If you need a transplant, you need to treat it as responsibly as possible.
Author
Lilia Ivanova
Florist, freelance brand creator and author of Artplants.ru blog articles
We grow a palm tree in an apartment
Russia is predominantly a northern country. Maybe that's why palm trees are so popular with flower growers who grow indoor plants. They bring a bit of southern exoticism into our everyday life. Most representatives of the palm family look very impressive, so interior designers are willing to use them in their work.
Almost all representatives of the palm family are tall, they occupy a fairly large space in a home or office. Most palm trees come from the tropics or subtropics. In their natural habitat, palm trees are not limited in growth, so they often reach enormous sizes. In some species, only leaves grow up to 17 m with a two-meter width. But they grow slowly, many species do not require complex care, so flower growers in our country have long and successfully grown many varieties of palm trees in urban apartments. Although the optimal place for growing such plants in captivity is, of course, a winter garden.
There are many types of palm trees that are often found in our apartments. Flower growers call such varieties - house palm trees, cultivating them as houseplants. Depending on the shape of the leaves, home palm trees are divided into two large groups:
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Pinnate - these include coconut, dipsis, chamedorea, date, howe.
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Fan-leaved - palm trees, the leaves of which are similar in shape to the correct fan.
This group includes chamerops, karyota, trachycarpus, etc.
How to care for house palms
Usually, palm trees cultivated as indoor plants need a large area. It is advisable to place them in the living room or in the spacious hall. Even if the variety you grow is not too tall, the palm remains a solitary plant, all interference must be eliminated. Keep in mind that cats are often a big threat to house palms, as their leaves can be a welcome treat for pets. Indoor palm trees need minimal care, regular and timely watering, periodic feeding with nutrients, removing dust from the leaves. A certain difficulty can only be caused by a regular transplant, and then when the plant has already reached an impressive size.
A native of the tropics needs light
Palm trees need to be grown in a bright room, into which the sun's rays freely penetrate all day. At the same time, oddly enough, tropical palms prefer bright light, but diffused. Not all of them love direct sunlight, most of them even need shading in the hottest period of spring and summer.
It is necessary to protect plants from the sun from 11 o'clock to noon. For shading, it is enough to use light tulle, covering the window with a translucent curtain. But shading is needed only in the summer. From August until the onset of spring, palm trees are not afraid of the sun's rays.
Often palm trees are placed in the dark corners of the room, thus making a big mistake, since there are no indoor plants that would love the shade. There are only shade-tolerant ones. In addition, most palm trees have a fairly spreading crown, which requires uniform lighting. If this condition is not met, then the leaves will grow asymmetrically, which will worsen the decorative effect of the plant. So even a meter away from the window, it's time to think about lighting the palm tree with artificial sources.
Linear LED lamp UNIEL for seedlings and flowering 35W IP40 housing white
Temperature rating
It is different for tropical and subtropical palms.
The first must be kept warm in winter, while the temperature should not fall below 16 ° C. But excessive heat is also not needed, 24 ° C should be the upper limit. But subtropical palms in winter are kept in rooms with a lower temperature, about 8-12 ° C. Palm trees of any variety do not like drafts, which adversely affect their development. Especially dangerous is the cold air that enters the room during winter ventilation, when both the window and the door are open at the same time. The root system of a palm tree is very sensitive to cold, so pots and planters in which they grow cannot be placed directly on a cold windowsill or marble tile floor. To avoid hypothermia of the root system, a pot with a palm tree growing in it is placed in a larger one or in a wooden barrel, and the space remaining between the walls is insulated by filling it with expanded clay or moss.
Palm trees such as cariota, areca, coconut, acanthophenix, and chamedorea need warmth even in winter. They need a fairly high temperature and high humidity.
Wintering in cool rooms should be chamerops, trachycarpus, washingtonia, etc.
How to water palm trees
All representatives of the palm family, including varieties that grow naturally in arid places, love moisture. In the summer they need to be watered almost every day, and plentifully. In winter, watering should be moderate. But only palm trees that grow in loose soil with a light texture and good drainage can be cared for in this way. The main rule that must be observed when watering is that until the next soil of the upper part of the pot, in which the palm tree grows, must have time to dry. Whereas in the depths, the soil mixture should always be slightly moist - not to be confused with damp! It is necessary to choose the frequency of watering, taking into account the air temperature in the room. For example, if a palm tree is kept in a cool room in winter at a temperature of only 5-7 ° C, watering should be carried out extremely rarely. It is enough once every one and a half or even 2 months, sometimes it can be completely replaced with light spraying.
After watering, the soil in the pot should be periodically loosened.
Humidity control
Palm trees need a fairly high humidity, the optimum humidity level for them is 40-50%. To ensure it, plants need to be sprayed regularly. This procedure is especially necessary on the hottest days of summer, but in winter - only if your home or office is intensively heated. Excessive dryness of the air can adversely affect the condition of the leaves: their ends will dry out, the plants will lose their decorative effect. You need to spray the palm carefully, directing the sprayer onto the leaf from both sides - both from the top and from the bottom.
Humidifier SCARLETT SC-AH986M22 3.8l 300ml/h white
In winter, in urban apartments, the humidity is about 20-25 percent. In such a situation, spraying becomes only a measure to reduce the criticality of the situation, while watering should not be increased against the usual amount of moisture for this season.
The fact is that excessive moisture still does not compensate for the effect of dry air on the condition of the plant. Buying a humidifier can help. Or, at worst, you can hang wet sheets on the radiators. If the palms are still small, then it would be good to place a container with them on a wide pallet filled with wet expanded clay or sphagnum.
Proper palm transplantation
When planning a transplant, you need to prepare the optimal soil mixture to fill the new container for your plant. It should consist of two parts of humus-leaf soil, 2 parts of light clay-soddy soil, 1 part of peat, 1 part of sand, 1 part of completely rotted manure. All this must be mixed by adding a little charcoal to the mixture. Thus, the soil will turn out to be very nutritious, the plant will develop fully. If you take ordinary soil, for example, from a garden or garden plot, or another version of a poorer soil mixture, then it will be impossible to achieve the ideal state of the palm tree, its active development.
Transplantation is carried out in the spring. Young palms that are not yet three years old require an annual transplant. If palm trees cross this line, then they can be replanted every 3-5 years. These plants, like many others, do not like transplanting too much, but if it is done correctly, then the palm tree feels good. An important condition for a competent transplant is the choice of a suitable container for planting. The state of the root system of the palm tree will help determine the pot. If its roots grow in width, approaching the walls of the pot, then the next one must necessarily be of a larger diameter. If the growth of the roots is directed downward, then you can choose a pot of the same diameter as the previous one, but its height should be greater. If during the transplantation process you see that part of the plant's roots are damaged or sick, they are removed, being careful not to damage nearby healthy tissues. Before transplanting palm trees into a pot, you need to place high-quality drainage and a pillow of 3-8 cm of compost.
The thickness of the last layer depends on the age of the palm tree and the size of the pot. After that, the plant is placed in a new container and covered with prepared soil mixture. Immediately after transplanting, plants, even if they belong to the sun-loving group, should not be placed under direct sunlight. A couple of weeks after transplanting, watering the plant should be moderate.
If your palm tree is already old enough and its roots protrude strongly from the pot, and transplantation is not yet planned, then they should be covered with wet moss on top. Since adult palm trees are rarely transplanted, while they actively consume nutrients and the soil in the pot becomes depleted, even if you regularly feed the plants in spring and summer, experts recommend removing the top layer of the earth every year, replacing it with fresh soil mixture or compost.
Soil soil universal Zhivaya Zemlya 25l
How and with what to fertilize palm trees
Fertilizers should be used only during the growth period, and not during the dormant season.
Palm trees are fed every 2-3 weeks, using fertilizers intended for decorative leafy plants. Before fertilizing, the earthen lump must be well moistened with water. For top dressing, you can use fertilizers such as Ideal, Giant, Uniflor-growth, etc. Palm trees are not fertilized in autumn or winter. Top dressing is also not carried out within 2 months after the palm tree is transplanted into a new soil mixture.
Plant hygiene
To protect the palm tree from attack by pests such as thrips, aphids and other species, each leaf must be regularly wiped with a damp sponge. If the plant is small, then it can be completely immersed with leaves in a warm solution of Persian chamomile or green soap. The leaves are kept in the solution for 30 minutes, then they are washed with warm water. In winter, palm trees, as we have said, need to be sprayed. In summer, they can be taken out into the rain or placed in the shower, if the size of the plant allows it.
How palms are propagated
You can try growing palm trees from seeds.
This does not guarantee 100% success and not everyone succeeds. The fact is that the seeds of these plants lose their germination capacity in a short time. It takes about 20-30 days to germinate fresh seeds. If the seeds are already 3-4 years old, then, under the condition of soil heating, they germinate even later - this will take from 2 to 4 months. It is better to buy fresh seeds, and do it in serious flower shops.
Before sowing, large-sized seeds with a hard shell are carefully filed without damaging the inside of the seed. If the seeds are small, and their shell is also hard, then you need to place the material for 3-4 days in warm water, the temperature of which should be approximately 35 °. The best time to sow seeds is late winter or early spring. Seeds should be soaked in warm water before sowing. Pots for seedlings are prepared small, not exceeding 15 cm in height. Otherwise, the roots of developing seedlings grow rapidly down. The bottom of the containers should have one or more holes so that excess moisture flows out through them after watering.
