Growing Palm Trees

Experts say there are over 3800 varieties of palms. So it’s important to pick the right palm tree for your garden. Most of the palm trees like warm weather with a lot of sun. So if you live in a warm place like California, Florida or Hawaii you have nothing to worry. If you live in a colder climate check your climate zone to see what palm trees will grow well in your weather. You don’t want your palm tree to die after few weeks, right?

I just found very good book for beginners that has step-by-step planting, growing and care instructions for palm trees, all nicely illustrated - "All About Palms." It has around 200 different species with a lot of beautiful photos. This book is perfect for an average homeowner who loves palm trees.

5 Key Factors That Effect Healthy Palm Tree

To grow a healthy palm tree you need to consider 5 Key Factors: Soil, size, temperature, sunlight, and water. Palm trees can reach a height of 50 feet or more so make sure you have enough room on your property for your palm tree.

Most of the palm trees like warm weather with a lot of sunlight. But some of the palm trees prefer shady conditions to full sun exposure. One of the common problems is soil that is overly comprised of sand. Try to avoid this type of soil or add store bought soil to compensate for the sand.

Fertilizing Palm Trees

Additionally, you should purchase nutrient packets for the soil. Providing your palm tree with a quality fertilizer or plant food "supplements" is important, so it can maintain its good "health." For palm trees, you will usually want to use a fertilizer that has nitrogen, phosphate, and potash. I recommend not to buy cheap fertilizer because they simply don't work. It's better to use fertilizer that has continues release formula that feeds your palm tree for few months rather than using a cheap fertilizer that will wash away after 2-3 rains.

I personally use MG 4.5LB Palm Foodthat feeds plants up to 3 months. It has all the elements most palm tree needs and easy to use. So if you don't know what fertilizer to choose or tried other plant food that doesn't work I would recommend trying MG 4.5LB Palm Food.

Maintaining Palm Trees

It’s harder to maintain some of the palm trees than others. If you don’t know how to properly trim or prune the palm tree it’s better to leave it to professionals. If you live in a palm tree heavy area, there are probably many trimming companies that have special deals. So before doing it yourself check to see if you can find a company that can do it for you and it might not be as expensive as you might think.