How to Transplant Date Palm Trees
The date palm, a well-known fruit-producing ornamental, is relatively easy to transplant, according to the University of Florida Extension. Date palms tend to be hardy and drought-tolerant and make a nice addition to the landscape. Whether you have a pot-bound palm that has been in a container for some time or a relatively young palm grown from an offshoot or tissue culture, the same transplanting techniques apply.
Dig a hole in the ground where you wish to plant your palm about a month prior to transplanting. Make the hole approximately 36 inches deep and 42 inches in diameter. Mix the soil from the hole with compost. Date palms are tolerant of a wide range in pH, but if your soil is outside the range of 6.0 to 8.0 amend the soil accordingly. Refill the hole and water the soil.
- The date palm, a well-known fruit-producing ornamental, is relatively easy to transplant, according to the University of Florida Extension.
- Date palms are tolerant of a wide range in pH, but if your soil is outside the range of 6.0 to 8.0 amend the soil accordingly.
Plant the palm in the early morning. Dig a hole two to three times as wide as the root ball and about the same depth as the container the date palm has been growing in--deep enough to place the root-shoot interface about an inch below the soil surface.
Place the palm in the hole and carefully fill in with soil around the palm. Firm the soil, creating a shallow basin of soil just outside the perimeter of the root ball. This will help hold water near the plant’s roots.
Top-dress the transplanted palm with a high-nitrogen fertilizer. Spread fertilizer in the area of the root ball and out to 12 inches beyond the root ball’s edge.
- Plant the palm in the early morning.
- Spread fertilizer in the area of the root ball and out to 12 inches beyond the root ball’s edge.
Mulch the area around the date palm tree, creating a circle about three feet in diameter around the tree, but do not allow the mulch to touch the palm trunk.
Water the date palm. Depending on the weather, maintain a schedule of watering about every two to three days for the first six months, or until the tree is established.
Tip
The University of Florida recommends a high nitrogen fertilizer for the first six months after a container date palm has been planted in the landscape. Once the palm is established, however, it will grow best with a fertilizer containing a relatively low nitrogen content.
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Tips
- The University of Florida recommends a high nitrogen fertilizer for the first six months after a container date palm has been planted in the landscape. Once the palm is established, however, it will grow best with a fertilizer containing a relatively low nitrogen content.
Writer Bio
Ann Wolters has been a writer, consultant and writing coach since 2008. Her work has appeared in "The Saint Paul Almanac" and in magazines such as "Inventing Tomorrow" and "Frontiers." She earned a Master of Arts in English as a second language from the University of Minnesota.
