A good 10-10-10 miracle grow would be better I would thing or something along those lines. You just mix it with the water and water it in. A fertilizer spike might burn the roots if it's a smaller palm tree. I've never used the spikes before personally.

Bill

Miracle Gro makes plant spikes for different types of plants.

What are the N P K numbers on the spike package? (in that order)

Bill has great success with his palms, but if you lack some experience growing palms, you might want to read this info:

The only remotely "universal" fertilizer type is palm fertilizer

Extra sensitive palms like pygmy date palms, sagos, queen palms, royal palm, foxtail and paurotis will probably die without these critical nutrients. To be 100% sure, go ahead and by both magnesium and manganese as separate supplements to apply when you apply regular palm fertilizer

Taken from this link...the rest of the article is excellent too.
http://mgonline.com/articles/fertilize.aspx

Barb

Barb,
That was a really good link for fertilizer. I burn most of my palm tips from the juice, most of you know this 🙄
Bill

Bill,
Ah, what's a little burn when your palms are throwing 20 fronds... 😀

I bought two huge jugs of that "palm special fert" out of White Plains New York (to make the shipping worthwhile).
Has humic acid in it, and chelated trace which are important.
Smells brutal, I think I could just let the palms smell the bottle cap and they'd grow 😆

bgoins12, I don't want to badmouth MG, but have heard time and time again that palms did better on, say, Peter's fertilizer, than MG.
Don't think Peters has a palm fertilizer, though so be careful with 20-20-20.
Just try to maintain the N P K ratio of 2-1-3, so 8-4-12 is good, 6-3-9 maintains the same ratio, and so on.
Just remember the manganese and magnesium usually aren't included, and that's what most palms need to thrive.

Magnesiium is easy to provide, just pick up epsom salts at your drugstore. Cheap. Dilute a teaspoon in large watering can.
It's a great "tonic" for greening up plants, they love it.
Manganese can be bought separately too, but I've never done that so I don't know how much to use.

Plus...resist the urge to buy potting soil that has fertilizer in it.
It's just a marketing scheme.

Chinese Fan Palms like really high humidity; maybe mist twice a day.
(This coming from the person who almost killed one!) 😳
It's coming back finally.

Let us know how your Chinese Fan does.
Barb

Sorry it took me so long to respond....

The spikes I have are 6-12-6... these are the ones

http://www.scotts.com/smg/catalog/productTemplate.jsp?proId=prod70156&itemId=cat50108&tabs=general

Hi bgoins12,

Too much phosphorus (the middle number). Palms don't need a lot of P.

That's why ratio of 2-1-2 or 2-1-3 is now recommended for palms, as long as magnesium and manganese are also provided.
Palms really benefit from chelated trace elements, as most good palm fertilizers include.

I dug around and found a very old Jobe's Plant Food Spike package (that I haven't used).
It's 16-2-6 and says "for lush ferns and palms".
Those numbers--while not bang on--are pretty good and will provide considerable green up because of the 16 N...a little high, but OK.

Your 6-12-6 is not for palms.
Because the middle number (P) is higher than the rest, your fertilizer is good for plants that bloom, like hibiscus and many flowering houseplants or outdoor flowers.

Hope this helps.
Barb

Barb that`s great info on fertilizer. I think a teaspoon of epsom salts may be a little low per large watering can. I got info from a another palm site a few years ago and it has stuck with me. 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. It might be best to disolve the epsom salts in a warm to hot cup stir then pour it in the gallon jug. Always makes my palms smile green 😀 The palm fertilizer I use after treating them all with the epsom salts numbers are 10 5 8 "Lady Miller"with a host of micro nutrients. What was the name of the fertilizer you got from NY? I`m always looking to experiment with something new.

John

I agree on the Tablespoon to a gallon(epsom salts)
I usually just sprinkle it down liberally on the soil before a nice rain,like the 2" we had last week.
The soil temps are getting into the 50s now and you can really notice the difference in the color of the palms.
Probably snow this weekend though,the fun is over starting Saturday but Thurs-Friday are in the mid to upper 60s-
gotta enjoy it while it lasts this time of year.

BTW,I hit my palms with some Potassium I bought off e-bay last fall(0-0-60),
without a doubt they LOVE potassium!-more of a reaction from that stuff then anything I ever put on them.

Jim I will have to try some potasium next year. I have a feeling next winter they will really need it. I hope the white stuff is done for you after this.

John

I wasn't able to get your L.Miller fertilizer from the Coast, so I got this online.
Here's the fert from New York:

Sprinkling mg on the soil works too; I like to dilute mine in water so the little prills aren't all swept off to the sides of the pot as I pour water on the soil.
You guys are correct...TABLESPOON of epsom salts (not teaspoon).
No wonder I can't cook 😆

And potassium is fabulous.
Read somewhere that Florida's "lethal yellowing" disease that is killing many of their palms is due to lack of potassium apparently.
Especially good for Fall applications, potassium helps plants resist and survive cold too.
Potassium is applied to golf course greens here in Oct/Nov. to help them overwinter...

Glad you've had some good weather Jim, you sure deserve it after that brutal couple of months.

John's probably tanned the colour of a saddle by now...right John?
BC weather has been superb...a little chilly last night again, but sun sun sun sun sun....

Barb

Yea,our weather has been great too!

Don't really care one way or another at this point about snow as long as the it doesn't stay cold.

I am hitting my palms with P next time the weather is mild through the 10 day forecast so I
know they are using it.
It will be interesting to see what a few days of chilly weather will do to the soil temps which will be in the low 60s(f)
after today and tomorrow.
Tomorrow the mulch and covers go back on for a couple days.
My palms really took off last year after hitting with P!
I think it will bust them out of there spearless state pretty fast-
P is good for structure,flowering,rooting and increases cell wall thickness which is beneficial
to cold hardiness and insect resistance and is quite the boost to help them out of the doldrums after a long winter!

Here is a link to the Potassium on e-bay-it's actually 0-0-50 Great seller,ships fast!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350221239869&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Good link, Jim, thanks.
He sure seems to know his stuff, wide variety.

The sulphur in potash is as beneficial to palms as the potassium.
Didn't (years ago) potash used to be wood ashes? "Pot ash"

So it's alkaline, like sprinkling wood ashes around my clematis, which they love (clematis hates acidic soil).

Then the combined acidic sulphur and alkaline potash are a perfect combination.
Gives the plants what they need without changing the pH more than just a hair.

🙂

Barb

Thanks Barb for the info on your palm pro liquid .I should order some.Barb the tan is wearing off quick until we get those warmer 70`s days of spring. Jim I always thought potassium "potash" was for overwintering to build carbs up for the winter. I`ll try some on a couple of palms this spring.

John

I am going to give it to half of the 10 palms I have with spear pull and see if it makes a big difference.