Q: I want to plant some salt tolerant palms near a marsh area. I like how palms provide a tropical look but since it is near the salt marsh I know I will have only a limited number of choices.
A: The following are salt tolerant palms:
- Cabbage palm, Sabal palmetto
- Saw palmetto, Serenoa repens
- Washingtonia palm, Washingtonia spp.
The cabbage palm, which is our native State Palm, can reach heights up to 60 feet. The Washingtona can grow to 80 feet tall. The Saw palmetto, grows in a more horizontal manner but reaches heights up to 10 feet. There are native varieties of Saw palmetto currently available at local nurseries in which the fronds are more blue-gray then yellow green.
Moderately salt tolerant varieties are:
- Canary island date palm (30 feet tall) Phoenix canariensis
- European fan palm (10 feet tall) Chamaerops humilis
- Lady palm (15 feet) Rhapis excelsa
- Pindo palm (30 feet tall) Butia capitata
- Windmill palm (20 feet tall) Trachycarpus fortune
- Native coontie (4 feet tall) Zamia pumila
The Canary Island date palm and the Windmill palm are susceptible to Lethal Yellowing.
It is important to keep all palms and cycads on a regular fertilizer routine using palm fertilizers with an 8-2-12-4 (N-P-K-Mg) configuration. The palm fertilizer should be applied once during spring, summer and fall. Once established, these palms do not require heavy amounts of irrigation so be sure to not treat them the same as lawngrass. This is especially true when discussing the palm nutrient needs. High nitrogen on palms can be detrimental to their overall health and ability to withstand environmental stress. Attached is the University of Florida Palm Education and Research Center in Ft. Lauderdale. http://flrec.ifas.ufl.edu/palm_prod/palm_production.shtml
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