How to plant a palm tree in Arizona - placing in the tree

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Once the hole is dug, it's important to measure its depth compared with the amount of soil in the container. You really have to get this right - having the plant stick up too high is bad and so is letting it sit too low in the hole. I measured it using a broom and a saw. I stuck the broom handle into the hole and laid the saw against it horizontally and made a small scratch on the broom. Then I compared that distance to to the container. The tree was badly root-bound in the container, so I trimmed a fair amount of roots off of the bottom to make the distance perfect.

It's important to put some fresh potting soil on the bottom of the hole, which will encourage root growth there and help smooth out any irregularities in the hole. I added some Osmocote® and some moisture crystals. To get the plant safely out of the container, cut along one side of it and gently tease the plant out by tipping it on its side. Don't try to pull it out by the trunk straight up - it's bad for your back and not so good for the plant. Tip it gently into the hole and check the depth. If it's wrong, take the plant out and make adjustments either by digging some more, or conversely, by adding more potting soil to the bottom. If you skipped the measuring step, you probably won't skip it again in the future!

Now you are going to get really dirty and muddy. Fill the surrounding area of the hole with half potting soil/half native dirt. And squash it all in as hard as you can. Use your hands, your feet, and mash it down. Then add a lot more water and do it again. What you are doing here is removing any air holes that may be in there. Keep it wet and gushy. Build a little dam along the edge to hold the water in the hole. This is temporary, and you will remove it to allow water to drain in the future. The next step will be removing the dam and adding more potting soil to the top, which will hold in moisture and just look better!

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