Single stemmed full sun palms such as carpentarias are quite gross feeders! If they have
water and mulch, regular applications of a good tropical quality fertiliser will make them
grow quickly.
Here's a feeding guide for Sun Hardy Palms.
The first golden rule is make sure single stemmed species like Carpentarias are about
1m tall before you plant them out. Smaller than this, they will suffer and progress only
slowly.
The second golden rule is install a drip system and mulch.
FERTILISER AND SOIL CONDITIONER AT PLANTING TIME
This is critical. Firstly use a soil conditioner in the planting holes. Tropigro
Claybreaker improves hard dry soils and gets bacteria working. A good handful in the
bottom of the hole and another around the surface is sufficient for one year.
Slow Release Monsoon Tablets are the perfect planting fertiliser for palms. For a 60cm
palm place 2 x 20 gram tablets against the roots, half way up the side of the root ball.
They feed the palm for one year! Increase the number of tablets if your palms are bigger,
25 - 50 grams of Tropigro Nurserycote 4 month Palm Food around the surface will give a
fast start.
Monsoon tablets contain all the major and micronutrients young plants need and the
release pattern is designed for tropical species. You can buy a pack of 15 or a handy
economical bucket of 70. Apart from tablets sprinkle a small dose of Tropigro 10-97 on the
surface (about 50 grams) and water in well. For big jobs you can buy a carton of 750
Monsoon Tablets!
YOUNG PALMS IN THE GROUND
You can use Monsoon Tablets at the rate of 1-2 tablets for each metre of growth. But
it's still a good idea to sprinkle Tropigro Nurserycote on the surface as well. This will
give your palms an initial kick as well as a slow release effect. You need to apply
Tropigro Nurserycote every 3-4 months in the first 3 years of growth.
If you favour organic fertilisers try Tropigro 10-88 or better still use Tropigro
Pelleted Fish Fertiliser every 4-6 weeks.
SENSITIVE PALMS
Shade loving and sensitive palms need a slightly different treatment. Monsoon tablets
are still the best fertiliser because they will not burn even at high rates. Apart from
monsoon the only safe fertiliser on young specimens is Tropigro Nurserycote. After 3 years
you can use Tropigro 10-88. Each month on sensitive species, 2 handfuls per metre of
growth spread evenly around the drip line is a good rate. Water in well. Mulch well. |