How to Care For a Palm Tree

Palm trees need to be fertilized and watered regularly. They don't need to be pruned very much. If you want to prune some leaves off for appearance's sake, you have to be careful. Follow these steps to care for your palm tree.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Water the palm regularly. The base of the tree should be soaked with a hose or a slow-drip system for a couple hours. Water the palm twice a week for the first six weeks after it's planted. Water mature trees at least twice a month.
   

2. Fertilize the palm with a slow-release fertilizer two to four times a year. Use fertilizer formulated especially for palms. It comes in spike or pellet form. These are available at garden centers or the Internet.

3. Prune the palm as little as possible. Dead leaves will fall off on their own. Remove dead leaves only if they hang below a line parallel to the ground. Don't rip or pull leaves off of the palm.

4. Add mycorrhizal fungi to the soil around the palm. This is a beneficial fungi which lives in symbiosis with the tree's roots. You can buy this at garden centers or the Internet.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful when pruning palm trees, mowing or using other gardening equipment around them. The bark is easy to damage and this can allow harmful fungi or insects to attack the palm.

[Lung]

on 7/11/2007 Most palm trees in California are sick and diseased, and most people don't even know it.