Transplanting Tips from Your Growers at Desert Empire Palms
To incorporate healthy, vibrant palm trees into your landscape, it’s important to understand the process of care when transplanting them. As with all trees, palm trees can experience transplant shock when shipped and delivered to your home from their original location. Luckily, there are things to watch for and ways to treat your transplanted palm tree in the Coachella Valley from Desert Empire Palms so you can enjoy your trees for years to come.
Call Desert Empire Palms for a large variety of beautiful, healthy palm trees and to speak with our Coachella Valley palm tree experts to learn more.
What is Palm Tree Transplant Shock?
Transplant shock can occur with any plant or tree. This phenomenon happens when a palm tree is uprooted, delivered, and transplanted into its new environment, causing the tree to experience stress and root loss.
Root loss is due to aggravation when being uprooted, then exposing the roots to sun and air during delivery. This process all results in transplant stun or shock. This prevents the tree from taking in needed water and nutrients and can be detrimental to the health and life of the tree. When you choose a palm tree from Desert Empire Palms, we ensure maintaining hydration of the root as much as possible to ensure minimum drying out of the roots during transport.
The Signs of Palm Tree Shock
Though palm trees are hardy trees and work well in the desert climate with adequate care, they are still susceptible to experiencing shock when delivered and planted. It is easy to notice when a tree is experiencing transplant shock by their brown, yellow, and/or drooping leaves. It takes some time to fully revive and acclimate a transplanted palm tree that experienced some level of stun or shock. It could be 2-4 weeks for your palm tree to begin recovering, but up to three years to fully settle into its new environment. Be patient and diligent, and you will be rewarded!
Avoiding and Treating Palm Tree Shock
Avoiding shock to a transplanted tree completely is unlikely—the goal is to avoid a detrimental level of shock that your tree cannot recover from.
- Knowing your palm tree variety: When purchasing palm trees from Desert Empire Palms, we will ensure you are educated on exactly what palm tree variety will work best with your landscaping goals, as well as exactly how to care for it after delivery to better avoid transplant shock. All palm trees receive water and respond to temperatures differently, so it is important you are aware of when, where, and how to transplant your palm tree.
- Acclimate the palm before replanting: After your tree is delivered, if it is in a pot, do not plant it in the ground right away. It will need to adjust to the sun, air, light and temperature. Place the potted tree where you plan to plant it for about a week before moving it into its new home.
- Do not transplant during midday sun: Especially depending on the time of year, the Coachella Valley desert sun can be relentless. Planting your new palm tree in the early evening will give it all night of cooler temperatures to adapt before the following day of sun.
- Don’t fertilize right away: Wait 2-4 months to introduce fertilizer to your transplanted palm trees, as you need to wait for the tree to mature and grow new healthy roots. Instead, use a root stimulator treatments to encourage root regrowth, such as ones with endomycorrhizal fungi, amino acids, growth hormones, and humic acid.
- Water a lot: You should keep the soil as wet as possible for the first 7-10 days after transplanting by watering every day. Then, continue to water every other day for the following 7-10 days to ensure the roots are completely rehydrated after sun and air exposure during transportation. Once the tree has adapted, you can return to a normal watering schedule.
If you notice signs of shock with your transplanted palm tree, simply remain diligent with the above care. The experts at Desert Empire Palms are always available to answer questions about your new palm trees!
Desert Empire Palms: Your Coachella Valley Palm Experts
The Coachella Valley palm tree growers at Desert Empire Palms have decades of experience growing thriving, beautiful palms. We understand the needs of different palm varieties and environments, and what will be the most successful for your own landscaping goals. Our palm trees are grown with care and attention so that every palm we sell has the best chance to thrive once we deliver it to your home.
Call the Coachella Valley palm experts at Desert Empire Palms for palm tree delivery and installation!