Fertilizer to Support Canary Island Date Palms

[SeskinFarm]

Hello,

We have a grove of Canary Island Date Palms that were planted about 20 years ago and over the past 6 years they were left untouched. We purchased the property a little over a year ago and have been working on getting the trees tidied up. We had a soil test done and it looks like the trees could use some support with fertilizer however we are not sure what the best way to go about finding the correct fertilizer would be. 

I am hoping that someone here might have some suggestions on a good fertilizer to use. We have had the soil test reviewed by a lab and they suggested the following: 

"a program using a combination of calcium nitrate or a urea based product for your nitrogen source along with K-Mag and some occasional super triple phosphate."

Any and all suggestions and insights are welcome. We are learning and would like to do the best thing for the trees.

Thank you!

Seskin Farm

[Johnny Palmseed]

7 minutes ago, SeskinFarm said:

Hello,

We have a grove of Canary Island Date Palms that were planted about 20 years ago and over the past 6 years they were left untouched. We purchased the property a little over a year ago and have been working on getting the trees tidied up. We had a soil test done and it looks like the trees could use some support with fertilizer however we are not sure what the best way to go about finding the correct fertilizer would be. 

I am hoping that someone here might have some suggestions on a good fertilizer to use. We have had the soil test reviewed by a lab and they suggested the following: 

"a program using a combination of calcium nitrate or a urea based product for your nitrogen source along with K-Mag and some occasional super triple phosphate."

Any and all suggestions and insights are welcome. We are learning and would like to do the best thing for the trees.

Thank you!

Seskin Farm

That is a very generic recommendation and probably will not help you much. Especially the occasional super triple phosphate. That is not something I have heard recommended before. If you can provide the specifics of your soil test, it might be more helpful. Sandy or clay soil, pH, desert or moist, etc… Palm Gain is frequently recommended one here or Florikan palm specific fertilizer. It would help if you could provide pictures which could be used to identify potential nutrient deficiencies. Also, where is Woodland? Local people will be able to give better advice.

[SeskinFarm]

Hello,

Here is the soil Analysis that was done.  Seskin Farm Soil Sample.pdf.   The Recommendations are based on a fallow field so are not correct but the amounts available in the soil are of course correct. The trees are in Woodland CA and can be seen at https://www.seskinfarm.com of course not all of the trees are on there but there are images and video available.

I know that a lot of people use Epsom Salt but I worry that that is not specific enough for our needs?

Thank you!

[SeskinFarm]

If any one has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

[Merlyn]

4 hours ago, SeskinFarm said:

If any one has any suggestions, they would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

So based on the photos in the gallery, the only real nutritional issue I see is a mild Magnesium deficiency.  This causes yellowed tips on the older fronds.  A good palm fertilizer like Palmgain or Florikan will have that, and also the other micronutrients like Boron, Manganese, Calcium, etc. 

The typical dosage is 1.5lb of 8-2-12 for every 100sqft of canopy, 4x per year.  So a 20' diameter CIDP is 315sqft or 4.7lb per palm.  I'd add a couple extra handfuls of Magnesium Sulfate to help fix the mild Magnesium deficiency quicker.  500 palms at 4.7lb each is something crazy like $3000 in Palmgain 4x per year.  Other companies probably make good fertilizers too, just stick to the general total amounts of N and K per palm and they should grow fine.

[Johnny Palmseed]

You could take your soil analysis to Site One or whatever similar facility you have near you. They have so many formulations of fertilizer and they can match up with your needs. The only concern I can see is that your Boron level is very high. You wouldn’t want to add any more.