Palm trees are fun, beautiful trees to grow, and thrive perfectly in our sunny Florida climate. Because of this, many homeowners enjoy growing palms in their yard. While palm trees are extremely rewarding to grow, they require special care to ensure they grow strong and healthy.
Here are some tips for preparing your palm trees for cooler weather in Palmetto, Parrish, Bradenton, and the surrounding areas.
Acclimate Your Palms Before Planting
When planting a new palm, it’s important to provide it with specialized care to prevent it from dying. Your palm’s root system is very sensitive and fragile, therefore you should never fertilize it before planting as this will burn the roots and cause your tree to die. Acclimatize your palms before planting them in direct sunlight. Many nurseries can be shaded, and if your palm was grown under shade, you need to make sure it acclimates to your specific area before planting it in the ground. To do this, keep it in a screened-in, shaded area to avoid sunburn and slowly place them in areas with more and more direct sunlight.
Provide Well-Draining Soil & Water Properly
Palms like moist but well-draining soil. You can improve the drainage of your soil by adding 30 to 50 percent sand to your soil mix. For the first six months after planting your palm tree, you should water it every day, then decrease to three times a week after it’s established. Occasionally deep watering your palms is also good as this allows the soil around your palm more time to soak up more water. Build a soil barrier around the base of your palm’s trunk to form a dam that holds water in and apply one to two inches of organic mulch to keep the base moist.
Thanks to our tropical, rainy climate, you can actually water less frequently; approximately twice a month during the warm months and once a month during cooler periods.
When & How to Fertilize Your Palms
While palms can definitely benefit from fertilization, it’s important to make sure you don’t overfertilize or fertilize too soon after planting. Newly planted palms should never be fertilized for the first three to four months as this can burn and damage the roots. Placing fertilizer too close to your palm can also damage it. Always place fertilizer roughly two feet from the trunk to avoid burning it. When applied properly, fertilizer is an essential component of your palm tree’s health. You should fertilize a well-established palm four to five times a year.
Trim & Prune Trees with Care & Diligence
Most palms shed their fronds naturally. Only yellowing, browning, or old fronds that fail to fall off naturally should be removed from the tree. Never remove young or healthy leaves as this can actually hurt your tree by taking away much-needed nutrients. When you do trim or prune your palms, never remove more leaves than are produced in one year at a time, as this can lead to poor health, balding, and a sickly appearance. Always be careful to leave enough space between your palm’s fronds and its trunk, as cutting too close to the bark can damage it and cause wounds in the trunk. These wounds are the perfect entry points for diseases and insects to infest and harm your tree.
Are you looking for beautiful, healthy palm trees for your property?
If you’re looking for high-quality palm trees for your property, stop by our nursery or call us today at 941-748-4613. We sell several varieties of palm trees for properties in Palmetto, Parrish, Bradenton, and neighboring areas of Florida.
