UF/IFAS Okeechobee County Extension Service

458 Highway 98 North

Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578

Phone: (863) 763-6469

E- mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu

April 9, 2003

Feature Article - for release the week of April 14, 2003

Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent

Palms for Okeechobee

Last Sunday was Palm Sunday - and for transplanted gardeners, it might be a day to celebrate one of the unique fixtures in Florida’s plant list. In preparing for my last column on native plants, I found that there are only four palms that are true natives to the Okeechobee area, plus another palm look-alike that could be considered a local.

Beyond natives, there are hundreds of other palms that can do well in local landscapes. The trick is to put the right palm it the right spot, and to choose a palm that is suited to the level of care that you can provide.

Among the well known natives are the Cabbage palm and the Saw Palmetto. Cabbage Palms are our state tree because they are found in every corner of our state. The growing point at the top can be cut out and made into "swamp cabbage", but doing so will kill the tree. There are very few pests of Cabbage palms. The worst pest is a two legged kind, often seen with a ladder and chain saw, that removes too many of the green fronds. Over pruning can hurt a Cabbage palm.

Ranchers may be surprised to know that Saw palmettos are gaining favor in some landscapes because they are so easy to care for. However, even though they are hard to remove from pastures, they are nearly impossible to transplant into the landscape. If you want a palmetto, you will find them to be expensive because they are very slow growing - but once established, they need virtually no care.

Among the more popular non-native palms is the Queen palm, which has a smooth gray trunk and long feather like fronds. They are quite adaptable to many locations, but for them to do well, they require regular applications of a palm special fertilizer and access to either rainfall or irrigation. However, providing too much water and fertilizer to this palm will make it grow so much that they will require excessive pruning.

I recently visited a landscape that was having a problem with their Queen Palms - they were not growing and had yellowed leaves. The landscape manager told me they were using the right fertilizer and providing regular watering. The problem here was the roots were restricted and the soil was just too wet to properly take in the nutrients. Few plants can do well if their roots are restricted due to poor drainage.

As a rule, landscape palms need supplemental fertilizer to do well. Choose a product that has equal amounts of nitrogen and potassium, and be sure it contains trace amounts of magnesium as well. Apply 5-8 pounds for mature sized palms and do this three to four times a year to keep your palms healthy. For special situations or problems, stop by our office for a copy of the University of Florida’s Palm Nutrition Guide. It is also available on the Internet at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/EP052.

If you need additional information on palms, call or stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North. Our phone number is 763-6469, and you can email me at dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu .

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