How Much Water

[stopsail]

Hello, I planted two Sabel Palms in Topsail Beach NC.. They are 12-15ft tall. Planted in Dec 2020. The contractor planted them in 100% sand.  One tree has lived while one died. They replaced the dead one back in Sept of 2021 and now it has died.  They state I am giving them too much water. I have a drip irrigation.  I watered everyday for the first week, every other day for the second week,  every third day for third and fourth week, then once a week.  They are getting about 50 gallons once a week unless it rains.

Question  1:  What can I do better when I have it replaced for the 2nd time as far as watering?

Questions 2: The 2nd Palm that is still alive, can you tell from the image if that is too much or too little water?

 

Thanks for your help

Dave

[Palmlover_78]

https://landscapingthegulfcoast.com/sabal-palm-tree-care/

[Xerarch]

I'm not sure that a sabal can be overwatered in sandy soil. These things grown in swamps all over the SE US.  That being said I don't think they would need any supplemental water in your climate after establishment, unless you are in a particularly dry spell.  Interesting that the second replant died within like a month? That's a pretty fast demise.  As for your one that's alive, if you get as much rain as nearby Wilmington which gets 60" a year, that's plenty of water provided the distribution is reasonably spread out.  Sabals are slow growers so I'm not sure how long after transplant they take to start looking good.  Maybe compare against others in the neighborhood that have been planted with the last couple years if there are any.

[knikfar]

I have several in my yard here in Raleigh. I always plant palms in my yard toward the end of February, to give them the longest amount of time prior to having to experience real cold the next January. I water them daily for one week and then stop. After that, I just let them get watered whenever it rains, unless its been unusually dry. So far, so good.