Palm Tree Care

To keep your palm trees looking healthy and vibrant, it is essential to understand how to care for palm trees that have been transplanted and shipped to your location.

Palmco has been proudly growing the highest quality selection of field grown Florida Fancy (FF) palms for 30 years and is one of the largest palm and bamboo plantations in North America, with over 600 acres in production.

Visit our farm to see unusual palm varieties, such as the rare Mule Palm (xButiagrus nabonnandii), a hybrid from the Pindo and the Queen palms. These “parent” palms produce an exceptionally cold hardy offspring that is prized by its owners for its massive caliper and beautiful pinnate fronds.

Other stunners include Adonidia, also called the Christmas Palm, which often has a double or triple trunk, the Foxtail Palm, a showstopper with single or multiple trunks and stunning large, fluffy looking fronds, and the lush Areca Palm, with its dramatic wide canopy. Palmco is a leading supplier of field-grown Arecas in a variety of sizes.

Caring for Transplanted Palms

One of the hazards of having a palm tree transplanted and shipped is that the tree may experience what is known as “transplanting shock.” Palm trees are really not built for movement, and transplanting them sometimes results in severe root loss. This root loss makes it difficult for the existing roots to deliver needed water to the tree, resulting in shock.

Although transplant shock is virtually unavoidable, we take special care to minimize the shock to the trees we provide our customers.

Tying Up the Root Ball and Keeping it Moist

A root ball is basically the root of the palm tree. We do our best to keep a good portion of the palm root. Then, we wrap it up so it is exposed to as little sunlight and air as possible. Keeping the root ball moist and taking the soil with the root ball is also vital to minimizing palm tree shock.

Tying Up the Heads

We tie up the heads of the palm as well. This helps prevent damage during the transport process. We generally recommend that the palm head stay tied up for two to four weeks during dry, windy, hot (or cold) drought-like conditions. If the air is wet and humid, then one or two weeks are probably enough time to leave the head tied up.

Root Stimulators

Generally, we recommend that our customers use a root stimulator after the palm has been transplanted. Treatments that have endomycorrhizal fungi, amino acids, growth hormones, and humic acid work best. We also recommend that each tree have its own dedicated source of water, such as a two to three gallon per minute bubbler.

Treating a Shocked Palm Tree

If your palm starts to show signs of shocking, including wilting, there are a few things you can do to help:
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