Florida Palm Trees

After getting transplanted, palm trees usually experience what is called “transplant shock”. Transplant shock caused due to roots being disturbed and exposed to air and sunlight. This happens because palm trees were not designed to be moved from one place to another. When you move a palm tree, it loses a lot or most of the roots. Remaining roots have a hard time providing palm with enough water. That leads to a water stress. That is one of the reasons why you should keep the rootball of the palm moist as much as possible. Any disturbance of the roots will cause a stress. While there is no way to prevent transplant shock, there are ways to minimize it.

Tip 1: Acclimatize the palm before transplanting Palm trees don’t like sudden changes in temperature and light levels. If you transplanting a palm from the pot into the ground, you can place the palm in the area in which it will be planted a week in advance. That will give your palm enough time to acclimatize to the temperatures and the light levels of that location.

Tip 2: Disturb palm roots as little as possible
Depending on the species, palm trees lose some or all of the roots when transplanted to the new place. Palms grown in a container usually have roots that wrap around the inside of the container. There is no need to trim them. Palm will rely on the old roots for getting water, while the new roots are developing.

Tip 3: Leave as much old soil on the rootball as possible
Since the palm is already used to the soil, it will minimize the stress. Unless you are planning on replacing the soil with a better one, I would recommend leaving as much old soil as possible.

Tip 4: Transport palm properly
If you have a large palm that is being transported by a trunk, make sure to protect it by wrapping it with damp tarp. Also, tie up the fronds and attach 2 splits to the trunk and a leaf bundle to prevent trunk from snapping.

Tip 5: Do not fertilize after transplanting
Fertilizing palm right after planting will only create more stress. Give it some time to establish and develop new root system.

Tip 6: Water it thoroughly
Keep the rootball and the soil as moist as possible. Providing enough water will dramatically reduce the transplant shock. Palms should be watered every day for the first week after transplanting and every other day the week after. Here is more info on palm tree watering.

Tip7: Pick the right time.
Evening hours is the best time for transplanting, since the sun is not as strong and temperatures are usually cooler. This will give you palm tree all evening and all night to adjust to the new place before getting exposed to sunlight. ~Susan Brian

P.S. If you like this article, please click “Like” button below.

Filed under: Palm Tree Care by Susan Brian
1 Comment »

This is probably the easiest transplanting project out of all of them because you don’t need to dig out the palm or transport it somewhere. Also, if you moving a palm from one container to another, that means your palm is small. Remember, palm trees can’t grow in the container forever. Eventually, you will have to transplant it into the ground or it will die.

Step 1. Bigger container. Start by getting a bigger container with holes at the bottom to ensure a good drainage.

Step 2. Removing the palm. Next, lay the palm on its side and slide it out of the container. You might need to tap it on the sides. Container grown palms often have roots that wrap around the inside of the container. Those roots don’t need to be cut like in broadleaf trees. Also, try to keep the old soil around the rootball. That will help minimizing the transplant shock. Be careful not to damage the roots when transplanting.

Step 3. Soil Mix. I recommend using getting some organic soil and mixing it with sand to provide good drainage. Recently, stores have been selling a lot of soil mixes with added fertilizer. Those are the worst. It is guaranteed to burn the roots of the palm. Just use an organic soil mix. I like to mix three parts of soil and one part of sand.

Step 4. Planting the palm. Palms should be planted on the same level as it was grown before unless it was planted to high from the beginning. Planting it too deep might result in nutrients deficiencies. Place some soil at the bottom on the bigger pot. Drench it with water. Next, place the palm into the new container and fill the rest of the space with soil mix.

Step 5. Watering. Water your palm making sure the soil around the root ball is moist. First two weeks after transplanting, water your palm every 2 days. Then you can go back to the regular watering schedule.

Step 6. Fertilizing. Do not fertilize the palm for the first two months or until you see the new growth. Since your palm will be experiencing a transplant shock, it doesn’t need to be stressed out even more.

Keep your palm in the same location it was growing before. You can move it after you see that it is doing well in its new container.

~Susan Brian

Related Articles

• Top 10 Transplanting Palm Tree Mistakes
• Transplanting Palm Tree from One Location to Another
• Transplanting Palm Tree from a Container into the Ground
• Palm Tree Planting Step-By-Step

P.S. If you like this article, please click “Like” button below.

Filed under: Palm Tree Care by Susan Brian
No Comments »

In this article I wanted to list top 10 most common mistakes gardeners make when transplanting a palm. Of course there are much more things that can go wrong but this should help.

Mistake 1: Planting too deep. The palm should always be planted so that the top of the root-shoot interface is about one inch below the surface of the soil. Planting too deep might result in water stress, nutrient deficiency and eventually death of the palm.

Mistake 2: Planting too high. If the roots are exposed, then the palm was planted to high. Such palms are said to be “on their tiptoes”. Palms with exposed roots are unstable and can topple over from a high wind.

Mistake 3: Fertilizing. Do not put fertilizer into the hole before putting the palm in. It will burn palms roots. A lot of people do that and then are very surprised when their palm is dying. After transplanting, palm tree should not be fertilized until it produces new growth. Also, I recommend using slow release fertilizer.

Mistake 4: Planting too late. Depending on the climate in your area, planting too close to winter might be a bad idea. It takes some time for the palm after being transplanted to develop new root system. Without new roots it might not survive the cold weather.

Mistake 5: Soil air pockets. When backfiling the hole, make sure there is no air pockets. Otherwise, the root ball will sink in after some time leaving the palm too deep in the ground.

Mistake 6: Supporting blocks. When installing supporting blocks, don’t nail them directly into the trunk of the palm. Wounds to a palm trunk are permanent and can lead to palm diseases.

Mistake 7: Root pruning. Unlike broadleaf trees, palm trees roots don’t need to be pruned. A lot of palms depend on the old roots until the new root system is developed. Pruning the roots, will leave the palm without any mechanism to get water.

Mistake 8: Leaf Removal. Nurseries remove some of the old palm fronds to help the palm with water stress after transplanting. Don’t remove all of the palm fronds as this will get the palm into a shock. You should remove no more than ¾ of fronds. Removal of the middle leaves might even kill the palm.

Mistake 9: Keeping the leaves tied up. Most nurseries tie up the leaves before transporting a palm. You should untie them after the palm is in the ground. Leaving them tied up will not improve the growth, but might provide a favorable environment for palm diseases.

Mistake 10: Not planting the palm right away. Leaving the palm just laying there with the exposed roots is the worst thing you can do. If you can’t plant the palm right away, wrap the root ball in a damp tarp and spray it with a hose as often as necessary to keep the rootball moist.

~Susan Brian

Related articles:

• Transplanting Palm Tree to a Bigger Container
• Palm Tree Planting Step-By-Step
• Transplanting Palm Tree from One Location to Another
• Transplanting Palm Tree from a Container into the Ground

P.S. If you like this article, please click “Like” button below.

Filed under: Palm Tree Care by Susan Brian
No Comments »

Whether you are trying to move a palm tree from one location to another one in your garden or getting a field grown palm tree from a nursery, the planting steps would be the same.

Understanding how palm roots grow and respond to being cut will help you avoid damaging them and increase palms survival rate. Palm trees don’t have woody roots like broadleaf trees. They have a lot of small roots, tightly packed together, growing from the base of the trunk, similar to grass roots. Unlike broadleaf trees, palm roots don’t increase in diameter and remaining the same size as they first emerged from the base of the palm.

Research showed that different palm species respond differently to root cutting. Roots of some palms like Sabal palmetto will die back after being cut and will be replaced by the new roots. So, it really doesn’t matter how close to the palm base you cut them. In some palms like coconut palm, half of the cut roots will survival no matter how close you cut it. It will produce very few new roots after transplanting.

However, most palm species depend on the existing root survival. If you are not sure how sensitive a particular palm species is to root cutting, leave enough distance from the trunk. I would recommend leaving at least 3 feet. Since rootball is three-dimensional, you will also need to dig 3 feet down.

Transplant Shock

It is a little more traumatizing for the palm being transplanted from one location to another than from the pot into the ground, since when you are moving the palm from the pot, you can just slide it out and put it into the ground without damaging the roots. Be prepared for your palm to undergo so called “transplant shock”. Transplant shock happens when palm tree experiences number of stresses after being recently transplanted. Those stress include new soil, new sunlight levels, new temperatures.

Step 1. Leaf Removal. To reduce amount of water stress in transplanted palms, a lot of nurseries remove ½ to ⅔ of the old palm leaves. I’ve also seen some people removing all of the leaves. From my personal experience and by looking at the recent research, leaving some leaves on the palm will significantly improve regrowth and survival rate. If you’ve visited Florida during spring months, you’ve probably seen a lot of just planted palms all looking like a rooster.

Step 2. Get the soil moist. Since palms lose some of the roots, they are often stressed by lack of sufficient water. So, prior to digging, get the soil moist around the palm. If the palm is small, it can be dug out by hand or with mechanical tree spades. If the palm is over 30 gallon, you will need a tractor or a crane depending on the size supporting and lifting the palm.

Step 3. Tying up the fronds. Before lifting the palm with a crane, tie the fronds together to prevent leaf damage. Also, slender palms can easily snap. To avoid that, attach 2 splits to the trunk on opposite sides and the leaf bundle.

Step 4. Lifting the palm. Since the bark can be easily damaged and damaged areas leave the tree vulnerable to insects and fungus, never attach chain, ropes or cables directly to the trunk. Wrap a nylon slings around the trunk and then attach it to the crane.

Step 5. Palm Transporting. To transport a larger palm tree you will need some heavy equipment. If transported by a pick-up truck make sure to wrap the entire palm with a damp tarp. This will not only protect from damaging roots, bark, and fronds, but will also help to prevent roots from drying out from the wind during the trip.

Step 6. Planting the palm. Try to plant it as soon as possible. If you can’t, place it in a shady spot and keep the roots moist. Dig a hole twice the diameter for the root ball. Since palms require a good drainage, add some sand to the soil mix. I like to use three parts of native soil with one part of organic soil mix and one part of sand.

The palm should be planted on the same depth at which it was growing before. Planting it too deep may result in water stress and nutrient deficiencies. Planting the palm too high is also a not a good idea. Since roots of the palm have not established yet, wind can actually blow it over. Saturate the soil with water before planting. Center the tree in a hole, then backfile the soil making sure there are not air pockets.

Step 7. Soil barrier. After you are done backfilling, create a soil barrier on the perimeter of the tree to retain the water.

Step 8. Watering. Leave a water hose with slowly dripping water for 20 min to make sure soil around the root ball is moist. It takes time for the soil to absorb water.

Step 9. Untying the leaves. There are a lot of arguments about this one. Recent research shows that keeping the leaves tied up will not improve the growth, but might provide a favorable environment for plant diseases. I would strongly recommend untying the palm fronds right after planting.

Step 10. Creating support. Tall tree should be supported by timbers. Never nail anything directly into the trunk. Attach short lengths of lumber to the trunk and nail four or five support timbers into these pieces. Leave the support for 1 year.

Step 11. Adding mulch. Add about 3″ layer of pine straw, compost, or pulverized bark around the tree.

Step 12. Fertilization. Do NOT fertilize the palm until you see new growth. I see a lot of articles on Internet recommending to apply a fertilizer right after transplanting the palm. Until the palm grows a new root system there is really no need to fertilize it. In about two months apply slow release fertilizer.

After transplanting, it will take your palm some time to develop a new root system. During this time, it will be suffering from water stress. That is why you should establish a frequent watering schedule. Water the palm every 2 days for 2-3 weeks. After, you can go to the regular schedule. Be prepared for your palm to experience a “transplant shock”. There is little you can do. The palm needs to get used to the new place and grow new roots. It might take up to 4 months for the palm to get acclimatize. Be patient.

How to Transplant Large Palm Trees From One Location to Another

I found a great video that shows how to transplant large palm trees using a heavy equipment. The few things I would do differently is I would leave more space around the trunk for the roots, remove 1/2 of the fronds before digging and tie remaining fronds together to avoid the damage.

~Susan Brian

Related articles:

• Transplanting Palm Tree to a Bigger Container
• Palm Tree Planting Step-By-Step
• Top 10 Palm Tree Transplanting Mistakes
• Transplanting Palm Tree from a Container into the Ground

P.S. If you like this article, please click “Like” button below.

Filed under: Palm Tree Care by Susan Brian
2 Comments »

After growing in a container for a few years, palm trees should be transplant into the ground. Early spring would be the best time for transplanting due to a rapid root growth during warm months. Try to do it later in the day when it is not too hot.

Be ready for the palm tree to undergo what is known as “transplant shock”. It happens because roots get exposed to air, light and new soil. To minimize the shock, acclimatize your palm by placing it in the new location a week prior to transplanting. That way by the time you are ready to do transplanting it will be used to the new light levels and temperatures of that area.

Step 1: Select a location. Start by selecting a new location in the yard. The best way to in-vision the palm tree in its new location is to place it there while it is in the container. Think about the amount of light it will be receiving in that area. While some palms need full sun, some palms prefer partial sun or shade.

Step 2: Start by digging a hole. The hole should be twice the diameter of the container.

Step 3: Think about the soil. Check to see what type of soil you have in your garden. Since palms like good drainage, adding sand can help a lot. Some palm enthusiasts like to supplement the native soil with some organic soil, while others use only the native soil. I agree that the palm roots will eventually have to get used to the soil of your garden even if you apply the organic soil mix when planting. But, I also think that mixing them together will minimize the transplant shock. If you have a clay soil, use a three parts of native soil, one part of organic soil mix and one part of sand. If you have a sandy soil, use three parts of native soil with one part of an organic soil mix.

Step 4: Removing palm tree from a container. If you have a small palm, about 5 gallon, flip it upside down and tap the bottom of the pot. The palm should slide out. If you have a larger palm, carefully place it on its side and gently slide the root ball out the pot. If it is in a plastic container, cut it with scissors first. It is important not to damage the root ball. After growing in the pot for some time, the roots of the palm wrap around the inside of the container. There is no need to trim the them. Try to plant your palm as soon as possible.

Step 5: Planting the palm. Palm tree should be planted to the same depth at which they were previously growing. Planting it too deep may result in a root rot development due to nutrient deficiencies and water stress. Some palms might suffer from it for many years and can die at any time. Place some soil mix into the hole and water it. You don’t need to remove soil around the root ball. Leaving the old soil around the roots will decrease the transplant shock.

Place the palm in the center of the hole. Then backfill the hole with a soil mix making sure there is no air pockets. If you don’t pack the soil properly, the root ball can sink into the hole over time resulting in a palm being too deep in the ground.

Step 6: Soil barrier. Build a soil barrier outside of the hole to form a dam that will retain water. Now, you are ready to drench the palm with water. The goal is to make sure there is enough moister around the roots to avoid root hardening.

Step 7: Watering the palm. Deep watering works the best. Leave a water hose near the base of the palm with slow running water for 20 min. This will guarantee the soil had time to absorb all the water. You should water new planted palm every two days for the first two weeks. Then slowly get to the regular watering schedule.

Step 8: Fertilizing a palm. I see that a lot of web sites recommend fertilizing a palm right after planting. Do NOT apply any fertilizer. Give your palm enough time to get used to the new place. Apply a slow release fertilizer after you see a new growth. That would be about two months after planting. Fertilizing the palm after planting will create more unnecessary stress adding to the transplant shock.

Step 9: Provide Support. Tall palm trees should be provided with some support to avoid toppling over. Use 3-4 wooden blocks and adjustable straps to support the palm. Don’t nail supporting blocks directly into the trunk. The support should be left for one year.

~Susan Brian

Related articles:

• Transplanting Palm Tree to a Bigger Container
• Palm Tree Planting Step-By-Step
• Top 10 Palm Tree Transplanting Mistakes
• Transplanting Palm Tree from One Location to Another

P.S. If you like this article, please click “Like” button below.

Filed under: Palm Tree Care by Susan Brian
No Comments »