Though
most people consider a Queen Palm a tree,
it is more closely related to grass in structure
and growth characteristics. Accordingly, watering
requirements and scheduling will similar to
those of grass.
The biggest mistakes made in watering Queens
are not watering often enough not watering
wide enough.
Given that Queen Palms are similar to grass,
they do not have extremely deep roots (1'
to 4' avg.) They do, to most peoples surprise,
have fairly wide roots (usually at least as
wide and the fronds). As a Queen Palm grows,
its root base gets wider. Most of the water
absorption takes place at the tips of the
roots. It is important to adequetly water
the entire root base each time water is applied.
A good rule of thumb is to water an area at
the base of the tree at least 5 times as wide
at the diameter of the trunk. (e.g. a 1 foot
wide trunk should be watered at least 5 feet
wide) When watering by had or a drip system,
this area should be saturated to a depth of
at least 3 feet. To check saturation, you
should always be able to insert a long screwdriver
into your soil 2 to 3 feet away from the trunk.
If you can't, water more often and wider.
Another common mistake is failing to move
drip system emitters wider as the tree grows.
In many cases where Queen Palms are struggling,
the drip emitters are right against the trunk
many years after the tree was planted!
How often to water Queen Palms will vary somewhat
with soil conditions, rainfall and temperature.
Use the following schedule as a guide, but
make adjustments, if necessary, based on the
above mentioned variables.
Average
High Temperature
Water
Times Per Week
95
or above
Every
day
85
to 94
4
times
75
to 84
3
times
74
or lower
2
times
If you have further questions, please email
us or call any Moon Valley Nursery listed
at the right of the page.
