How Often to Water Palm Plants – Care Guide

Palm trees are plants that like water very much. But they are not aquatic plants either, summer is the time when palm trees need water the most, many people always wonder how often to water palm plants and that is why you will learn everything in this article.

There are many doubts about how often to water palm plants, in this article we will explain everything you need to know to water your palm trees correctly so that they grow healthy and strong.

How Often to Water Palm Plants

Palms Plants in Pot

Potted palms need extra care than those planted in the ground. It must be taken into account that the space in which their roots are developing is limited, so, normally, humidity is lost immediately, especially during the hottest months.

Knowing this, how often to water palm plants in a pot? It will depend on the season of the year, the climate of the area, the location of the plant, and the type of substrate we have. As there are many factors to take into account, the best thing to do is to check the humidity of the soil before watering. To do this, we can do the following:

• Use a digital moisture meter: as soon as we introduce it, it will indicate to us what degree of humidity has that portion of soil has come into contact with the meter. To make it more reliable, we should introduce it in other areas of the pot (further away from the plant, closer, on another side).
• Weigh the pot after watering and again after a few days: wet soil weighs more than dry soil, so this difference in weight will be a very good guide to know when to water.
• Introduce a thin wooden stick: if when extracting it comes out with a lot of earth adhering to it, we will not water it because it will be wet.

Palms Plants in Soil

Palms that are in the ground have the advantage of growing in free soil, where their roots can grow and develop as much as they need. In doing so, they grow stronger, so over time we will notice that they can withstand the summers much better than those that we have in pots. But how often to water palm plants in the garden?

Again, we must take into account the factors mentioned above (location, climate, season, type of soil), but it will be difficult to know exactly when to do it. The most advisable is to water them an average of 4-5 times per week during the hottest period and a little less the rest of the year. However, it is important to know that there are genera that want much more water (Archontophoenix, Cyrtostachys, Euterpe, among others) and there are others that prefer less (Washingtonia, Chamaerops, Trithrinax, among others).

How to Water Palm Trees

If our palm tree is in a pot, we must water it in such a way that the excess water comes out through the drainage holes. The soil must remain moist (but not waterlogged) after each watering.

If we have palm trees on the ground we will have to give them all the water they need. How much is that? More or less, the following:

• Palms of 6.5 ft (2 m) or less and just planted: 4 Gallons (15 liters) of water, being able to reach 5.5 Gallons (20l) in summer.
• Taller Palms: it will depend on the size, but from 8 Gallons (30l) and up. The more adults they are, the more water they will need.