Palms are Monocots, short for “Monocotyledon”, classified as such because they bear a single leaf as they emerge from their seed. Palms are basically large “grasses”, in this sense, and behave the same way in terms of their growth. They tend to slow down in cooler months, and grow faster in the spring and summer. Palm trees are continually growing new roots that emerge from the center of the root mass at the base of the woody portion of the tree. Because their root systems are so aggressive and grow best during hot weather, they acclimate quickly to being transplanted, preferring mid spring and early summer for optimum transplant periods. Successful transplanting of any tree is dependent on quick re-establishment of the root system, and palms respond best when moved at this time. Many myths surround palm transplanting. Because so many differences exist from tree to tree in terms of what they can tolerate, the wrong techniques are often applied to the wrong tree. The Sabal palmetto, for example, seems to transplant best when all of the fronds are removed, as this seems to relieve the tree of the burden of supporting this growth. The palmetto also can tolerate losing most of the root system, falling back on the residual energy that remains within the main straw tissues of the trunk. The Phoenix canariensis, on the other hand, absolutely does not respond well to having too much of the head removed during transplanting, or really at any time. Canariensis also require a large, functioning root mass in order to survive a transplant; and while these trees are very hardy and survive even the most extreme weather conditions, they have acquired a poor reputation for transplanting because the wrong techniques are too often applied.
One common denominator all palms share is the way they must be replanted for optimal survival conditions to exist. Palms prefer a well drained, clean, sandy soil profile, one which, left to itself, would become completely dry with no irrigation. White, coarse grained sand, like beach or builder’s sand, is best. Depending on the value of the palm being moved, it is sometimes worthwhile to go to great extremes to ensure that these conditions are met. We have proven time and time again that palms can be successfully transplanted into any environment, regardless of the soil conditions, as long as a way is found to provide a well drained, clean, sandy soil profile. The planting site must be one in which the amount of water retained by the soil can be completely controlled by secondary irrigation; again, the site, left to itself with no irrigation, must have a tendency to go completely dry. Palms will not tolerate “wet feet”, even for a short period of time. This may seem to be inaccurate, as some palms, such as the palmetto, are often found growing on river banks and sometimes even in the water itself during periods of high lake levels. This does not mean, however, that a palm taken from a wet river bank will reestablish in the same type of environment; while it may require more water to be most adaptable, it will still prefer clean, well drained sand as a soil medium.
Wounds in the trunk of any palm tree are a bad thing, regardless of the species. The trunk of a palm tree has no active, living tissue in the sense of a cambium layer underneath bark. The tissue is “alive” in the sense that it is conductive, but it cannot recover from any type of mechanical injury. Wounds in the trunk of a palm tree serve as entry points for disease, and can, depending on the severity of the injury, contribute to or even cause the death of the tree. Spikes should NEVER be used to climb palms for trimming and maintenance. Always use a ladder or lift when needed to access the head of a palm for trimming.
After transplanting, it is not necessary to fertilize the palm immediately. The palm should be given the chance to root out into it’s new environment; fertilizing will be most effective on the tree after it has rooted into the soil being treated.
The root ball and surrounding backfill should remain evenly moist, but never saturated during the first four to six months after installation. Supplementary irrigation is necessary unless adequate rainfall is received during this time period. Newly transplanted specimen-sized palms should not be expected to produce a great deal of new top growth during the first year after transplanting; much of the palm's energy reserves will (and should) be channeled into root growth. Drenching the root zone two to four times during the first few months with a fungicide labeled for landscape use on soil borne root fungal pathogens is recommended for high value palms. A light surface application of a slow-release "palm special" granular fertilizer can be banded at the margins of the root ball three to four months after transplanting. A foliar spray of soluble micronutrients may be beneficial during this period, since root absorption activity is limited. Foliar fertilization is an inefficient way to supply macronutrients such as potassium and magnesium because the relatively high amounts required by the palms. When the appearance of new leaves indicates that establishment has been successful, a regular fertilization program (three to four times per year optimally) can begin.