What You Need To Know About Palm Trees
How to Plant Palm Trees
Start by digging a hole about twice the width of your Palm Tree’s root ball and not quite as deep as the root ball is tall. Place your tree evenly in the hole. The top of the root ball should be slightly higher than the existing soil line. Next, backfill with the soil you originally removed. Water deeply until the ground is fully saturated. Apply 1 to 2 inches of mulch around your tree and extend the mulch mound a couple inches beyond the tree’s canopy.
For indoor Palms plant your tree in a similar way, but in a pot and soil that both drain well.
How to Care for Palm Trees Outdoors
Most Palm Trees will grow best in full sun, but they can tolerate some shade. Newly planted trees should be watered deeply twice weekly until they are established. A balanced slow release fertilizer can be applied in the spring. During severe winters palm trunks can be wrapped with frost cloth or burlap to protect them from damage. A deep watering and a thick layer of mulch will help to protect the roots during severe freezing temperatures as well.
How to Care for Palm Trees Indoors
Plant your Palm Tree in a high quality planting mix. Choose a pot slightly larger than the pot you are repotting from and make sure it drains well. Water when the soil is beginning to dry. Majesty palms prefer consistently moist soil, but other palm trees prefer drier conditions. Palm trees do grow naturally in humid climates so misting them with water especially when your home is dry in winter is beneficial.
How to Trim Palm Trees
Palm trees don’t generally need pruned, but in cooler climates or even in a harsh winter in warmer climates foliage may be damaged. Trim the fronds back to where the stalk meets the trunk or to the juncture where it meets up with other foliage. Trim with an appropriate tool depending on the size of your Palm Tree. You can use scissors, pruning shears, loppers, or even a pole saw for large trees. These tropical trees will have fronds that die back naturally. For indoor Palm Trees, simply trim them off with scissors for a clean and tidy look.
Featured Palm Trees
Ravenea rivularis
Growing Zones 9-10 or Indoors
Mature Size: 10-16 feet tall and 4-5 feet in width
The Majesty or Majestic palm is an easy to grow houseplant that purifies the air in your home. The long green fronds add a tropical look to your living space. The Majesty Palm tree is one of the most popular tropical trees for indoors and is non-toxic for pets.
Cycas revoluta
Growing Zones 8-10 or Indoors
Mature Size: 6 to 8 feet tall and 5 to 6 feet wide
The King Sago Palm can be planted in your yard in zones 8 to 10 or used it as a houseplant. This easy to grow palm tree grows slowly and stays smaller in pots. In the ground in can reach over 10 feet tall at maturity. Sago Palm trees are resistant to pests, disease, and deer.
Trachycarpus fortunei
Growing Zones 7-10
Mature Size: 20 to 30 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide
This palm tree is cold hardy through zone 7. Add a tropical look to your pool area or patio with the Windmill Palm tree. These trees are pest, disease, and deer resistant and drought, pollution, and salt tolerant.