Warm weather palms: Cuban or Florida Royal Palm. Cold tolerant to 22° F (-5° C); full sun to partial shade. Sago Palms. Cold tolerant to 20° F (-6° C); filtered sunlight to full sun. Canary Island Date Palm. Cold tolerant to 19° F (-7° C). Queen Palm. Cold tolerant to 18° F (-7° C); full sun. Cold weather palms: Mexican Fan Palm. Cold tolerant to 15° F (-9° C). Cabbage Palms. Cold tolerant to 12° F (-11° C); full sun. Pindo Palm. Cold tolerant to 10° F (-12° C). Chinese Windmill Palm. Cold tolerant to 8° F (-13° C); full sun.
Budget: Small palms cost less money; big palms cost more. Small palms can cost as little as $100 while big behemoths can cost thousands of dollars. Aesthetics: Do you want to watch your palm grow, or do you want it to immediately fit into your landscape? Mature trees cost much more than immature trees. Maneuverability. Starting with mature palms is expensive, sometimes so big that they need to be trucked and craned into the site. [3] X Research source If you’re trying to plant in a location where maneuvering big trees is going to be hard, you may want to opt for a smaller one.
For example a Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta) can be buried 4 to 5 feet (1. 2 to 1. 5 m) deeper than the original top of the root ball. This can be advantageous when you are trying to match all trees to a specific height. It would also eliminate the need for bracing. Do not bury the root crown (top of the tree ball) or trunk of any other palm trees; please consult with a certified arborist prior to planting if you have any doubts about how deep your palm can be planted.
Try a quick drainage test, if where you’re digging the hole is poorly drained clay or has much exposed rock or stone ledges. Dig a hole 16 inches (40. 6 cm) deep, in soil with normal moisture, then fill it with water (extremely arid, dry or wet/soggy soil is not able to give a good test result). If it drains within an hour or two, you have excellent drainage. If it drains within 12 hours, you have acceptable drainage. If it hasn’t drained after 24 hours, you have a drainage problem, and you probably shouldn’t plant at that location without fixing it first. Be sure that the hole is deep enough to barely cover the top of the palm’s root ball, but not so deep that the trunk can be drowned and rot. Exposed top of the tree’s root crown is good – but grading soil up to and exposing the root ball is a no-no. Palms with exposed root balls are said to be “on their tiptoes,” and are less stable. On the other hand, palms planted too deeply risk rot on their trunks, also destabilizing them, causing disease and rot.
Also make sure to find the front side of the palm, e. g. the side that has been given the most sunlight. Depending on your preference, you’ll probably want the sunny side of the palm facing a spot where you can enjoy it. If the palm is in the front yard, that probably means facing the street; if it’s in the backyard, that probably means facing the house.
Wrap the trunk at least 1/4 up the tree’s height with a 16 inch (40. 6 cm) wide piece of burlap to keep the bracing board cleats from chaffing the bark when the tree tries to sway in high winds. Drive stakes on three sides, equidistant apart around the tree’s circumference, and fasten lumber support braces (2X4 treated lumber will work) to blocks of wood secured to the trunk with tie wire, placed over the burlap.
When you do decide to fertilize, remember to use a slow-acting fertilizer, and hold off placing the fertilizer directly near the trunk. Place the fertilizer one or two feet around the trunk of the tree to avoid over-fertilizing. You should also consider improving your palm’s soil with mycorrhizal fungi. Palms evolved to have a symbiotic relationship with these fungi and thrive when they are present in the soil, as the fungi colonize the tree’s root system and help it take in nutrients and water. You can purchase mycorrhizal treatments online or from plant stores. [5] X Research source
