Recently Transplanted Chusan Palm

[The Hef]

Hey everyone, I recently inherited a 25 year old Chusan Palm from my neighbour and I’m so excited, however I’ve never taken care of one or owned one. When my husband transplanted it we were very careful to keep the root bulb intact.

 

we live in a small coastal town where everyone has palms, so I know they do well here, however mine doesn’t not seem to be. I don’t know if it is a watering issue or if it needs to be trimmed? How often should I be watering it? I don’t want to over water or under water. Any help is appreciated! I love the palm and want to see it thrive! 

[Leelanau Palms]

How long has it been in the ground? What is the soil like? How much rain or irrigation has it received? How long was it out of the ground total?

Initial thoughts...Not unexpected transplant shock. Recommend mulch around the trunk (~4 feet diameter or more), get supplies/tools away from the palm to avoid trunk damage, get foot traffic away from root zone to avoid soil compaction, leave the existing fronds on your palm for now. Once new growth is clearly visible advancing on the top, then fertilize with a palm specific fertilizer such as palmgain.

[The Hef]

Thanks Lelanu,

it was transplanted in February and since then we’ve had a good amount of rain, but I’m thinking I need to increase the watering. I used a mix of 50% native soil and new and am holding off any fertilizer for the first 6 months at least. It was only out of the ground for less than an hour.

We are almost complete with our house Reno and have no hose bibs yet but I’ve been bringing giant buckets of water with some holes drilled in the bottom so it slowly saturates the soil, but I don’t think I’ve been doing it enough. Would you recommend a soaker hose or just regular daily watering until I see a change?

[Leelanau Palms]

I would recommend creating a temporary circular berm around the palm, applying mulch, and then watering inside. How often to water is hard to spell out because of temperature,  humidity, wind, clouds, etc. It does appear to be growing in the pictures. People debate when to fertilize transplants, but I stand by my fertilize-when-growth-appears approach if you want to prioritize a faster improvement in appearance.  Most people would agree that completely dead fronds can be removed without impacting plant resources for growth. 

[realarch]

Give it some time, you transplanted an already established palm with a well developed root system. As mentioned above, it’s suffering transplant shock, so be patient. It looks like it’s going to do just fine, although it might look kind of ratty for a bit. 

Tim

[peachy]

When I plant anything I water them in and give them a dose of seaweed liquid. It's not a fertiliser, more like a vitamin tonic and it reduces the effects of transplant shock.  I learnt about it a long time ago and have become a firm devotee. Otherwise I agree with all that the others have said. For mulch on a transplant, I recommend Lucerne hay. Please don't let the ground around it dry out completely either. 

I hope he does well for you, they are a lovely palm.

Welcome to Palmtalk.

Peachy