When, and how, to feed and fertilize your palm trees

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The biggest mistake gardeners make in their tropical paradise is failing to feed their plants regularly. If you just put your palm tree in the ground and water it, it will starve to death. Yes, you can return it up to year later for a refund if you got it at Home Depot, but wouldn't it be better if it lived?

Here is how you do it. Go buy a small bag of dry plant food. If you can find a plant food for palm trees, that would be best, but if not, just buy some. You can get a good-size box of plain plant food at Big Lots for a couple of bucks. The plant food in the picture at left cost me about five dollars at Home Depot today. And here is the most important part - don't put it on a shelf in your garage. Go out to your garden and use it all up. All of it. Toss in on to the soil at the base of your plants. If you have a bit more energy, you can scratch it in, which sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. And the most import part is to water it in thoroughly. Get out there with the hose!

It's summer now and your palm trees are hungry. Feed them! Do it again next month, and the month after that. You can ease up in the winter time, but remember that palm trees, unlike cycads, are always growing. And always hungry! And, yes, you can use the same plant food for all of your plants in your Tropical Paradise.

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