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For homeowners and plant parents, taking care of your garden or container palms is of utmost importance to keep them looking healthy and strong. We will teach you everything you need to know about how to maintain your palms, including how to water them, fertilize them, treat diseases, and trim and clean them. But first, let’s find out what kind of palm you are caring for.
What kind of palm do I have?
There are many different types of landscape and container palms, so we’ll go over the most common palms in the Tampa Bay area. To see the full list of palms Green Thumb Nursery carries, check our Palms & Cycads inventory. Even if your palm is not on this list, many of the treatments we will recommend will still work for your palm. Let’s go over the list.
Pygmy Date Palm
Also called a robellini, the pygmy date palm (Phoenix roebelleni) is defined by its robust canopy of leaves and rough trunk. Their leaves are spiky as they get closer to the trunk. They are typically found in clumps of two or three trunks but can also grow as a single trunk or in a clump of 4 trunks. They grow to 12’ tall and about 6’-8’ wide.
Adonidia Palm
Also called a Christmas palm, the Adonidia palm (Adonidia merrilli) is a beautiful, clean palm with large leaves. They typically grow as single trunks and can do better in small spaces than most other palms. Once they reach 6’ tall, their growth slows, but they can still reach upwards of 25’ tall given time.
Areca Palm
Also called a yellow bamboo palm, the areca palm (Dypsis lutescens) is a palm whose trunks resemble bamboo shoots. They grow in clusters of many trunks with dense foliage that can grow upwards of 12-20’ tall. They make an ideal natural barrier or fence for your property. They also make an excellent houseplant.
Foxtail Palm
The foxtail palm (Wodyetia bifurcata) has bushy fronds similar to the appearance of a fox’s tail. It grows relatively fast and can reach heights upwards of 30’. They are typically grown as single trunks, but may be grown in clumps of two or three.
Queen Palm
The queen palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) has feather-like fronds and a smooth trunk. They can grow up to 50’ tall and do well against colder temperatures. They grow as single trunks and have gracefully arching canopies.
Photo Credit: UF/IFAS
Royal Palm
The royal palm (ROYSTONEA REGIA) is one of Florida’s most iconic palms. Like the queen palm, they also have smooth trunks and feather-like fronds. They can grow up to 70’ tall and 25’ wide with gracefully arching canopies.
Photo Credit: UF/IFAS
How do I trim my palm?
Depending on the type of palm you have, you may not need to trim their fronds at all! Adonidia palms and foxtail palms are considered “self-cleaning,” meaning that they naturally shed their old fronds as they grow new ones. They tend to brown naturally as they reach this stage. You can peel the fronds off once they are dryer and have less tension when pulling. Alternatively, you can cut them early as you see the signs of their shedding. You can also let the palm shed the old frond entirely on its own!
If your palm is not one of the naturally “self-cleaning” types, such as the pygmy date palm and the queen palm, you will have to trim the fronds yourself to maintain its beauty. Now imagine you have a clock, and the pygmy date palm is on the clock. As you look at the face of the palm-clock, you want to prune the fronds that fall in the bottom half of the 9 to 3 o’clock range. That is where the fronds start to droop and brown. Trimming those fronds off will be healthier for the palm, as it is no longer diverting energy to fronds that are losing their luster. We recommend using a long pair of loppers to get good leverage on the cut as well as to avoid getting poked by its spikes. Cut them as close to the trunk as possible.
If you are cutting a queen palm, it might take some heavy equipment. If your tree is taller than 10’, a ladder may be required to reach the top. You want to use the same clock rule that we used to explain the pygmy date palm’s cutting guidelines - you want to cut fronds that are in the bottom half of the 9 to 3 o’clock range. Check the base of the fronds to see if they are brown. If so, you may cut them. Do not cut fronds that are still green at the base. Use a saw to cut the dead fronds. Protective eyewear may help. Royal palms can be cut in the same way.
Areca palms, which are technically self-cleaning, will require some clean up towards the base of the plant. This is usually as simple as peeling and pulling some of the old fronds off the trunks, similar to how you would with an adonidia or foxtail palm. Avoid trimming the tips of the live branches, as that will essentially terminate the whole branch.
How should I water my palms?
There are several factors you need to take into account to determine how you should water your palms.
What kind of fertilizer should I use?
You should use fertilizer specifically designed for palms. We offer many different products, including granules, liquids, and spikes. We’ll go over each of the products and when to use them, but you should always keep a general palm fertilizer in stock. Our
Sunniland Palm Fertilizer is a granule that works for any type of palm, whether they be in the ground or a container.
Lutz Palm Maintenance Spikes are ideal for large palms planted in the ground. They are a slow release fertilizer that is absorbed gradually over time.
Fertilome Tree & Shrub Food is a good general purpose granular fertilizer that will work well for palms while also being suitable for most of your other trees and shrubs.
Why is my palm yellowing?
If your palm is gradually turning yellow from the tip of the frond to the base, then your palm may have chlorosis. Chlorosis is the yellow discoloration of the fronds caused by a specific nutrient deficiency which can be treated with magnesium sulfate. Magnesium sulfate restores the healthy coloration of your palms to its natural green state. One application of magnesium sulfate should be fine most of the time, but if the problem is severe, multiple applications spread out by two or three months may be needed.
If your areca palms are yellowing, it may not be due to a nutrient deficiency. Areca palms naturally change color depending on the amount of sun exposure they have. If they have more sun, they turn more yellow, and if they have more shade, they turn greener. Make sure to place them in the correct spot of the house according to your wants and needs. Fertilizing them with a regular palm fertilizer is still necessary, however.
Why is my palm “frizzling?”
Frizzle top in palms is when the fronds have a “frizzled” look due to a manganese deficiency. The fronds gradually discolor from yellow to tan and become curled and crispy. This is a problem that may occur after a particularly cold winter, as palms struggle to draw in manganese through their roots. To correct it, use manganese sulfate. Like with magnesium sulfate, you may need more than one application spread out by two or three months to fully correct the issue.
It is important to note the distinction between magnesium and manganese. They look similar, but they do different things. Make sure you pick up the right bag!
Photo Credit: T.K. Broschat, UF/IFAS
Why does the new growth on my palm look strange?
Sometimes, the new growth on palms looks strange. If the fronds do not open properly or are malformed, then you may have a boron deficiency in your palm. This deficiency has many other names: hook leaf, fasciation, fishbone leaf, blind leaf, and accordion leaf. Other symptoms of boron deficiency include a drooping look to the fronds or the entire head of the palm, wrinkled or zig-zag like growth, or even the growth of multiple heads. Yellowing is not a symptom of boron deficiency, as malformed growth usually grows green if there are no other nutrient deficiencies. To treat boron deficiency, we recommend using our
Essential Minor Elements. It has a higher concentration of boron than our other palm fertilizers and also contains many other nutrients not typically found in general fertilizers that promote the health of palms, such as manganese, magnesium, iron, sulfur, copper, and zinc.
Photo Credit: T.K. Broschat, UF/IFAS
Why does my palm have brown and black spots?
If your palm has brown and black spots, it may have a fungus called black spot fungus or leaf spots. Leaf spots mostly occur due to how and where the palm receives water and are more common in juvenile palms. If the palm receives too much overhead water through either rain or hand-watering, they may contract leaf spots. It is a common occurrence during the summer time when we get a lot of rain. To treat this issue, we recommend using our Liquid Systemic Fungicide, which is available both in a
concentrate and as a
ready-to-spray hose end attachment. Follow up fungicidal treatment with a palm fertilizer. However, you want to wait until you notice that the spread of the contagion has stopped before you put down more fertilizer, otherwise you may end up feeding both the plant and the fungus. The iron in our palm fertilizers will also help correct this issue.
Photo Credit: T.K. Broschat, M.L. Elliot; UF/IFAS
What kind of bugs does my palm have, and how do I get rid of them?
Thankfully, palms are naturally resistant to most bugs, especially if they are kept outside and not in your home or greenhouse. However, in the off case where they do get infested, it is usually by the following insects. One is spider mites, which can also form a spider-like webbing on the plant. They can be removed by placing your palm either outside or in the shower and hosing the insects off the plant with water. Remaining spider mites can be wiped off with rubbing alcohol. You can also spray spider mites with certified organic neem oil to kill them. We carry neem oil in a
concentrate and a
ready-to-use spray bottle. If you are spraying a palm outside, make sure it is either in the early morning or evening, as oil based products may burn your palm if sprayed midday in the sun. Mealybugs, another type of palm insect, can be treated in the same way as spider mites.
Photo Credit: Planta; Lyle Buss, UF/IFAS
Another harmful palm insect is the whitefly. Whiteflies form spiral-like patterns with their eggs and spread quickly. A hard washing with your hose may help control the spread of whiteflies. We also recommend using a hose-attachment of spinosad with multiple applications to stifle their spread. Whiteflies can spread very easily from plant to plant indoors or in greenhouses, so if such an infestation occurs, hang flypaper or a similarly sticky trap next to the affected palm and around the area to control the bugs.
Photo Credit: Vivek Kumar, UF; Ian Stocks, FDACS
Palm aphids are another insect that tends to latch on to new growth and suck the nutrients out of it. They are best treated by being sprayed with an insecticidal soap, such as Fertilome’s Organic Spinosad Soap. We carry it in a concentrate, ready-to-use spray bottle, and hose-end attachment. It is important to do multiple sprays of the insecticidal soap, as the soap is only effective on contact with the bugs and there may be a chance that some were missed on the first application. It is safe to use multiple times on the palm.
Photo Credit: Lyle Buss, UF/IFAS
Royal palm bugs infest royal palms. Who would've thought? The bugs suck on the fronds of the palm, causing them to develop brown streaks. Eventually, the leaves will look gray and frayed from the infestation. Once the royal palms become too tall, it can be difficult to reach the fronds with an insecticidal spray. The best course of action is to use a systemic drench on the roots of the palm to treat the infestation. Our Tree & Shrub Drench comes in a quart and a gallon and is used to combat bugs on especially large and tall trees. Mix it with water and pour it on the base of the tree to kill the insects and protect the palm for up to six months.
Photo Credit: Lyle J. Buss, Doug Caldwell; UF
Conclusion
Taking care of your palms can be a challenge. Thankfully, we are here to make it easy! We hope that you found this article helpful. Remember to trim and clean your palms when needed, water them correctly, fertilize them, treat for nutrient deficiencies, and watch out for fungus. If you have any questions, you can always call our office at 813-884-3797 or come and visit us at 6913 Sheldon Rd., Tampa, FL 33615. We also have all products listed in the article on our website and at the storefront. We are happy to serve you!
