How to use PalmGain correctly. Please advise

[Kari L.]

Hello,

I am looking for specific advice on how to correctly use PalmGain fertilizer for my 2 King Palms.  I'm in Southern California and have 2 trees about 15 ft. tall and they are in 5 foot wide brick-ringed planters.  The planters are open at the bottom so the roots have had plenty of room to grow downward.  The trees have been planted in my front yard for 18 months and were mature when they came from the nursery.  I do not know how to figure the correct amount of PalmGain to use for such a small surface area of exposed soil.  I also don't know how often to apply the fertilizer  throughout the year and when.

Any specific advice would be so appreciated!  I don't want to burn the roots and know I probably will need to work it into the soil, so any directions on what to do will help me save my stressed palms.

Thank you in advance!

[happypalms]

Greetings while iam unfamiliar with palm gain, I can say with fertiliser a little goes a long way and less is best, always adhering to manufacturers recommendations. Sometimes using less than the recommended rate is best if you are unfamiliar with a product. By looking at your palm I would a good handful sprinkled around the base of your palm, not directly at the base but about 1 foot away from the trunk and a little further to encourage root development to grow outward thus encouraging the roots to grow further out where they can seek more moisture and nutrients. All plants have a drip zone that is the widest part of the foliage where water drips of the leaves. You want to encourage root development to that area giving the plant more roots means a healthy plant. You need to look at the NPK ratio of your fertiliser and look at the percentages of that ratio Nitrogen could be 12% phosphorus 3% and potassium 8% once you understand the percentages you know how much your feeding your plant you want a low ratio for palms. Then you can get into trace elements but that’s another story boron,manganese, iron, zinc etc. less is best you can’t force feed plants to much and the trouble begins. 

[Kari L.]

Thank you for the advice.  I agree, it would be wise to use less until I am familiar with how it affects my palms.  However, they are ringed by a 5 foot diameter decorative brick planter ring.  The roots about a yard down are free to grow outward, but i only have a limited area to apply the fertilizer.  PalmGain is a 8-2-12 mixture and was highly recommended by many on this site.

 

[Jim in Los Altos]

First and foremost is irrigation. King palms are semi-aquatic palms and need lots of water. A properly watered one will have 7”-12” of space between trunk rings. Less water and the rings will be closer together indicating a less than vigorous palm. 
 

PalmGain is an excellent fertilizer choice. It’s time released so it’s hard to overuse. A two pound bag should be enough to feed both King palms. I have 50 King palms on my property and some are in more restricted space than yours. I apply the fertilizer to the soil area and just avoid any touching the base of the trunks. Water in well and continue to keep those palms well watered. It’s impossible to overwater them. They will even grow happily in a year round swamp. 

 

[Foggy Paul]

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a different (related) question. How do those with drip irrigation get Palmgain or similar fertilizers to leach into the soil? Is there any alternative to hand watering in addition to the drip?

[NorCalWill]

22 hours ago, Foggy Paul said:

Not to hijack the thread, but I have a different (related) question. How do those with drip irrigation get Palmgain or similar fertilizers to leach into the soil? Is there any alternative to hand watering in addition to the drip?

I use drip, and I also rely on rainfall and hand watering to leach fertilizer down into the soil. You would probably have success using Netafim tubing, or a similar product, with built in emitters that are evenly spaced, and loop it around the trunk to soak the soil in a broad area.