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Instructions

Receiving Trees

It is very important to plant your trees as soon as possible. If a few days are needed, take the tree out of the box, leave the root wrap on, and place in a shady ventilated location. Be very careful with the handling of your tree, the bark is easily damaged and the resulting wounds can be entry points for insects and disease.

Planting Trees

Dig the hole two to three times as wide as the root system to allow loosened soil for new root growth. Fruit and palm trees like well drained soils so add 1/3 sand or pea gravel mixed in with the extracted soil is recommended for compact or heavy clay soils. However, the hole needs to be just deep enough so that the tree is planted at the same depth at which it was grown. Do not bury the trunk. The base of the trunk should be at ground level; on grafted trees, leave the graft knot at the base of the tree one to three inches above the ground. Backfill the hole with the soil and or gravel mix. Tamp the soil with your foot to remove any large air pockets that may exist. Now build a soil barrier around the circumference of your hole to form a dam that will return water. Finally, water the tree. Soak it. Adding a two or three inch layer of mulch around the tree is recommended.

Watering Trees

The most important consideration is to ensure that your palm receives sufficient water for healthy growth. In desert areas and in the absence of regular rainfall, periodic watering is essential. Slow drip or bubble type watering over a number of hours is better than a simple drenching with a hose. As for how often, this will depend on the climate, season and rainfall frequency. In many areas, twice a month during the summer decreasing to once every six weeks during the colder season should be enough.

Pruning Trees

As they grow, the older fronds of palm trees will turn brown, die and, eventually, fall off. For esthetic reasons, you may wish to speed the process along a little by pruning off the dead fronds. Use some caution when pruning a palm tree. Prune only the dead fronds and remember not to cut too close to the trunk. In the case of a large tree, this is a job that should be left to a tree maintenance specialist.

Fertilizing Trees

To maintain a healthy tree, you will want to fertilize your tree in the Spring, Summer, and early Fall. Besides nitrogen, trees must have minor nutrients such as manganese, magnesium, potassium, iron, and copper sulfates. A slow release fertilizer is recommended. Bare root trees should not be fertilized until the year after planting.

Good Fungi for All Trees

Another natural organic additive that will give a powerful health boost to your tree is a Mycorrhizal Fungi. This is a naturally occurring fungi that has a symbiotic relationship with most trees and plants growing in native woodlands. Mycorrhizal fungi helps plants exchange nutrients and moisture. It is not 100% necessary to make your tree survive but, considering most urban areas are deficient of this beneficial fungi, it would provide an enormous enhancement for your tree's survival, overall health, and growth rate. If you are interested in purchasing fertilizers or Mycorrhizal fungi for your tree, please give us a call and we can supply you or help you obtain them.

 Protecting Trees from the Cold

Generally speaking, the homeowner who is concerned about the effects of winter weather on their palms has little to worry about. However, the unpredictable climate of the winter months can sometimes produce unexpected 'cold snaps'. It is in the face of freezing temperatures such as these that your palms will require extra attention. Cold weather can affect plants in a variety of ways. First, frost or freezing temperatures can damage the actual tissue of the plant as well as limiting the conduction of water through the trunk. As well, cold weather will slow down the growth of your palm and reduce the activity of the roots. As this occurs, the palm is weakened and susceptible to the perils of disease.

There are, thankfully, a number of preventative measures one can take to encourage the survival of palms through the winter. If you have the advantage of being able to choose where to plant a new palm, ensure that you decide upon a warm and sunny spot well protected from winter winds. Winds from the north and west are particularly harmful. Any number of evergreens will serve as adequate windscreens - fences or walls that allow some air through work well also. If you are able, situate your palm close to the south or east sides of your house. The heat of your home will further protect them. If you are aware of an oncoming 'cold snap', there exist a number of easy, preventative measures. If your palm is small, a box or blanket placed over it, and weighted down, will protect most species. Be careful not to leave the cover on the plant for more than five days at the most. Burying your smaller palms under a mound of straw or other type of mulch can also provide effective protection for your smaller palms. It should be noted that when the weather warms up, the mulch should be removed immediately so as not to promote rot. For larger palms with tall, exposed trunks there are slightly different methods of protection. Again, when a colder period is impending, one can protect the plant by tightly wrapping the trunk in burlap, blankets, or similar materials. These materials should also be removed once the weather warms up. In the case of preventing disease from over-powering a cold-damaged plant there are also proactive measures a homeowner may wish to employ. When a palm is weakened by winter damage, the bacterium that exists on a palm is capable of causing great damage to the plant. Treating your palm with a fungicidal copper spray before the onset of freezing temperatures may help to lower the levels of possibly harmful bacteria. As well, proper fertilization of your palm in late summer and early fall, can help ensure that your plant remains stronger through the winter months.

Treating Cold Weather Damaged Trees

For any other questions concerning the care of your tree, please email our customer service and a tree expert will answer any questions you may have.  You can email us at palmtreeplant@yahoo.com