Advice: Getting ready to plant King Palm in 9B (San Jose, California)

[ramooi]

Hi there. We've had this King Palm in the pot in the backyard for a week and the roots are starting to come out of the bottom. I want to plant it soon. It has been pretty cold at night (35-40) so I was hoping to hold off until it warms up. Should I wait? It looks like it will be warming up and the lows will be around 45-48 overnight. Mostly sunny and in the mid to upper 60's during the day.

I will post 4 pictures in a row here so check out all of the photos and let me know what you think. First, how does the condition of the Palm look? It was pretty cold here at night lately and freezing on various days. Do you notice anything that I should know? Anything I should do? I am a newbie and want to make sure I do the right thing when I plant it because it is so cool. It is in a pot that is 16" in diameter and 17" tall. The Palm is probably 8 feet tall.

Please give me advice on the size of the hole and how much room I need around the hole. Any other advice would be great. Thanks so much!

[ramooi]

Here is one more photo.

[WestCoastGal]

Ramooi, since San Jose is so wide spread what's your Sunset Zone?

[Sutter Bob]

Hi Ramooi.

It's great to see another King grower in northern California.

I know there are a few around the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Glenn Harris has posted here about his trees growing in Modesto - they are probably the biggest I've seen that far north.

I have a handful here that got pretty fried in January. It was pretty rough here.

I've pruned them back to spindles, but most look like they'll come back.

They love the summer heat here. Hopefully next winter will be milder.

I'd plant yours now and try to keep it close to the south side of your house if you can.

The usual recommendation is to dig a hole at least twice the size of the pot.

I'd use palm/cactus mix soil.

Give it plenty of water and fertilizer when things warm up.

Good luck.

[ramooi]

Ramooi, since San Jose is so wide spread what's your Sunset Zone?

Not sure what you mean. The map shows the entire city of San Jose as sunset zone 15. You are saying there is more than one sunset zone in San Jose?

[ramooi]

Hi Ramooi.

It's great to see another King grower in northern California.

I know there are a few around the Bay Area and Central Valley.

Glenn Harris has posted here about his trees growing in Modesto - they are probably the biggest I've seen that far north.

I have a handful here that got pretty fried in January. It was pretty rough here.

I've pruned them back to spindles, but most look like they'll come back.

They love the summer heat here. Hopefully next winter will be milder.

I'd plant yours now and try to keep it close to the south side of your house if you can.

The usual recommendation is to dig a hole at least twice the size of the pot.

I'd use palm/cactus mix soil.

Give it plenty of water and fertilizer when things warm up.

Good luck.

Thanks so much. Does that also mean dig twice as deep as the pot too or just twice as wide? How close can I plant it to the sidewalk?

Anything I can do to protect it from the frost?

[ramooi]

When I add the palm/cactus mix, do I mix it with the native soil? Should I step on after I put it in the hole it to compress it down around the palm so it is firm, making the tree more sturdy?

The bottom of the trunk need to be a few inches above the ground, right?

I only have one spot to put it in the front yard, which is facing south. If the drainage there is not the best, should I put something under the palm/cactus mix? When I test the drainage and fill the hole with water first, how fast is good drainage?

Will the neighbors dog-piss mess up the tree? I wasn't sure if I needed to put a barrier around it until it gets stronger in the ground.

Thanks for your help.

[WestCoastGal]

Ramooi, since San Jose is so wide spread what's your Sunset Zone?

Not sure what you mean. The map shows the entire city of San Jose as sunset zone 15. You are saying there is more than one sunset zone in San Jose?

It's been a while since I looked at the Sunset Map but I know that San Jose is one of the largest cities landwise in our area and if I'm not mistaken encompasses land all the way north by Milpitas, east to Alum Rock, west to 280 near Cupertino, Saragota, Los Gatos, Almaden area and south to the borders of Morgan Hill. I'm guessing Zones 15, 16 and 14 even.

Our palms were planted by the nursery but I know Jungle Music actually has a pretty good article on planting out palms that might be helpful: http://www.junglemusic.net/articles/HowToPlantAPalm.html

Edited February 24, 2013 by WestCoastGal

[Jim in Los Altos]

When I add the palm/cactus mix, do I mix it with the native soil? Should I step on after I put it in the hole it to compress it down around the palm so it is firm, making the tree more sturdy?

The bottom of the trunk need to be a few inches above the ground, right?

I only have one spot to put it in the front yard, which is facing south. If the drainage there is not the best, should I put something under the palm/cactus mix? When I test the drainage and fill the hole with water first, how fast is good drainage?

Will the neighbors dog-piss mess up the tree? I wasn't sure if I needed to put a barrier around it until it gets stronger in the ground.

Thanks for your help.

Double wide for the hole is best but, if your soil drains poorly, digging more deeply and adding cactus mix to the bottom will help. Mixing native soil is often advised and make sure the bottom of the trunk is at the soil level or up to an inch below. No roots should be visible after planting.

I have 40 king palms in my yard, the oldest are over 20 years old and very big, and the ones in either shady conditions or growing in close together groups do MUCH better than the free standing ones exposed to hot sun, wind and frost. I live within a few miles of you depending on which part of San Jose you're in and I know for a fact that San Jose has a multitude of microclimates. Downtown is warmer as is the northwest part nearest the bay. Hilltops in the foothills are good. The coldest in the winter areas I'm aware of are the south and east areas especially in the lowest elevations. My sister and her family live in south San Jose and get tons more frost than I do here in Los Altos about 20 miles from her.

The dog piss thing isn't a problem. It's free fertilizer. Notice what happens on grass. The brown spot is like you poured too much lawn food there. Then there's the deep green ring around it were the nitrogen in the urine was the perfect amount. A five gallon palm or larger shouldn't be harmed by your neighbor's dog.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Here's just a small example of what i was referring to when I mentioned group planting. If you can purchase a few more king palms and plant them in a group, they will protect each other from hot dry winds, cold, etc.

[ramooi]

photo (23).JPGphoto (2).JPG

Here's just a small example of what i was referring to when I mentioned group planting. If you can purchase a few more king palms and plant them in a group, they will protect each other from hot dry winds, cold, etc.

Wow, thanks for the great info Jim. We are more centrally located in the Willow Glen area of San Jose. Unfortunately, we have a small front yard. i was thinking of planting it all alone in a spot in the front yard, close to the driveway and the street. Does it have little chance for survival if I plant it there all by itself? I certainly don't want to see it die. My wife already calls the palm in the pot our baby so she would not be very happy if it died after I planted it. I have two other options:

1) In a spot in the front yard, next to a Burch tree. Not sure how much space I have there because of the sprinkler pipes in the ground or if the roots of the birch tree would interfere.

2) In the Backyard between the house and covered patio. Not sure if the house provides any time of protection to the palm.

Thanks for your help.

[Jim in Los Altos]

photo (23).JPGphoto (2).JPG

Here's just a small example of what i was referring to when I mentioned group planting. If you can purchase a few more king palms and plant them in a group, they will protect each other from hot dry winds, cold, etc.

Wow, thanks for the great info Jim. We are more centrally located in the Willow Glen area of San Jose. Unfortunately, we have a small front yard. i was thinking of planting it all alone in a spot in the front yard, close to the driveway and the street. Does it have little chance for survival if I plant it there all by itself? I certainly don't want to see it die. My wife already calls the palm in the pot our baby so she would not be very happy if it died after I planted it. I have two other options:

Ramooi, obviously you want the palm to be planted where you can enjoy looking at it as well as it being happy in its location. It's hard for me to make a recommendation without seeing the rest of yor property. Can you post a few more pictures? The other thing I forgot to mention is to water your king palm often and a lot during dry times. It's practically impossible to overwater king palms and it will reward you by producing larger leaves and faster growth as well as help it look good during the hot summer months. Mine get watered three times a week thoroughly and extra water just before a heat wave is about to hit.

1) In a spot in the front yard, next to a Burch tree. Not sure how much space I have there because of the sprinkler pipes in the ground or if the roots of the birch tree would interfere.

2) In the Backyard between the house and covered patio. Not sure if the house provides any time of protection to the palm.

Thanks for your help.