How to Care for a Malaysian Palm Tree

The Malaysian palm tree adds a tropical touch to the landscape.

The Malaysian palm tree, or Cocos nucifera “Malayan Dwarf,” is also referred to as Malayan dwarf coconut palm. This heavy-crowned and slightly curved-trunk palm tree adds a tropical touch to the landscape. This coconut palm grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 10b and 11. Caring for a Malaysian dwarf coconut palm tree requires selecting the best planting location, since this dwarf palm typically grows 30 to 60 feet tall with a spread from 15 to 25 feet wide.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel
• Hose
• Mulch
• Mirco-nutrient spray
• Palm fertilizer

Instructions

1. Find a location in full sun with plenty of room for the Malayan coconut palm’s mature size. Choose a site with well-draining soil, but away from areas where the fallen coconuts could hit and severely injure someone or something.

2. Dig a hole for the palm tree that is double the width of the container holding the tree, but the same depth. Do not plant the palm tree any deeper than it grew in the container.

3. Place the palm tree in the center of the hole, and then back-fill part of the way. Allow a hose to run water in the planting hole as you fill it. This will remove any air pockets and force the soil against the root ball.

4. Finish filling the hole and then use the remaining soil to create a watering basin surrounding the planting hole. Pile the soil up 2 to 3 inches just beyond the diameter of the planting hole to use for watering.

5. Add a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch, such as wood chips, around the base of the coconut palm. Keep a 6-inch mulch-free area next to the palm’s trunk and extend the mulch out 3 feet. Replenish the mulch annually every spring to maintain the same depth.

6. Fill the watering ring with water, as needed, to maintain moist but not soaked soil around the planted palm for the first growing season to establish the Malaysian palm tree.

7. Fertilize the Malaysian palm tree for the first season with a foliar micro-nutrient spray every three or four months. Apply a slow-release palm fertilizer every four months as well. Only apply the palm fertilizer as directed beginning in the second year.

References

• University of Florida Extension; Cocos Nucifera “Malayan Dwarf”…; Edward F. Gilman, et al.; November 1993
• University of Florida; Planting a Palm Tree; Henry M. Donselman; March 1991

Resources

• Floridata; Cocos Nucifera; Jack Scheper; April 1997