Palms can be planted throughout the year, but the best time is during warm weather, when root growth is most active. This generally includes the period from April through September. The preferred time is late spring and early summer. 

A fertile, well-drained soil will promote luxuriant growth. Dig the planting hole as large as practical. In areas of caliche, a planting hole five feet wide and five feet deep is not too large for the bigger species. If necessary, dig a drainage chimney down to a porous strata to permit excess irrigation water to drain from the planting hole. 

Add 1/4 to 1/3 organic matter by volume to the soil which is put back around the palm. This may be wood residue products, peat moss or well-rotted manure. Do not use large amounts of manure unless you can prepare the planting area several weeks in advance and irrigate throughly to leach out excess salts. In any case, thoroughly mix organic matter with backfill soil to be used in the planting hole.

Small container-grown palms are set out so that the top of the root ball is 1/4" to ½" below ground level. Water thoroughly at planting time. Palms that are set out in warm to hot weather will probably need to be watered every day for the first seven days after planting, then every two or three days for the next several weeks, depending on the soil. Check the soil moisture content in the root ball to determine this. The goal at this stage is to keep the soil moist but not constantly soggy wet. The palm root ball will often dry out faster than the surrounding backfill soil. This difference may be visible at the soil surface. 

As roots begin to grow out and draw moisture from a greater volume of soil, irrigation can be spaced further apart. The irrigation schedule for palms on a bubbler system may go from every day for the first two weeks to every two or three days for the next several weeks, then every five to seven days for the remainder of the first growing season. Palms irrigated by drip irrigation systems on timers may receive water on a more frequent schedule. To encourage rapid establishment, fertilize the new tree lightly several times during the growing season. 

If no other fertilizer is available, any good lawn fertilizer such as 16-6-8 with minors will promote good growth and leaf color. Make the first application about a month after planting and use the lowest rate recommended by the manufacturer. Repeat applications can be spaced at four to six week intervals, and the last treatment applied in late summer.  

Large landscape palms are usually dug from established groves or landscape plantings. The roots cut in transplanting generally do not resume growth as they do with other plants. Instead the palms develop a new root system from the root crown and that portion of the stem below ground level. The larger the rootball taken with a mature palm, the more undamaged it will have and the faster the tree will recover. 

Large palms must be handled gently and with care in all phases of the transplanting operation. Rough handling or bumping can damage the terminal bud and kill the tree. Once dug from the original location, palms should not be left lying out in the hot sun for long periods of time either at the digging site or at the planting site. One way to accomplish this is to cover the root ball with burlap that is kept damp. Do not use plastic for this purpose. 

Fifty percent or more of the lower and older green fronds are removed from the crown of large palm that is to be transplanted. The smaller the size of the rootball, the more leaves that should be removed. The remaining fronds are tied together over the tender bud with soft rope or binder twine to protect it from drying and sun scald. These fronds may be cut back 30 percent to 50 percent of their length to reduce plant water loss and wind resistance. This seems more important for fan palms than for feather palms. Depending on the time of year the palm is planted, the fronds may be left tied around the bud for two to six months. When new growth begins to bulge out below the point at which the fronds are tied, the rope or twine can be cut to release the foliage crown. In hot summer weather it may be preferable to gradually loosen and open the tie over a period of several weeks. Some landscape contractors prefer to let the tree break the twine as the twine rots and the expanding new growth exerts pressure.   

One of the most important requirements for success with transplanting large palms is that the planting site be well-drained. Caliche, hardpan, compacted soil layers, or abrupt changes in soil texture ("layering") prevents good soil drainage and aeration. The result is constantly wet, saturated soil in the planting pit and almost certain death of transplanted palms. 

Once  the planting pit has been dug, fill it with two to four feet of water. If water does not drain at the rate of at least two inches per hour or four feet in 24 hours, alternate provisions must be made for drainage. Good water drainage in and below the planting pit, and irrigation scheduling based on plant water use are essential to the survival of large transplanted palms. 
   

Palms, especially Mexican and California Fan Palms that were not pruned prior to transplanting, may have unsightly dead leaves and ragged leaf bases along their trunks. These can be removed to make the tree more attractive in its new location but avoid "shaving" or "skinning" the trunk too high. This often results in serious injury to the sensitive area beneath the terminal bud. Removal of old leaf bases higher and higher on a palm should stop when there is a distinct change in the color of the trunk or oozing sap is seen on the trunk surface. Skinning should not be done at the same time of transplanting as it causes undue stress on the tree. It is better to wait for several months after transplanting the tree, or if practical, do it several months before transplanting. 

Deep watering on a regular basis is vital to good growth of all species of palms. To some extent, growth rate can be regulated by watering practices. In general, trees growing in sandy soils need irrigation more frequently than those planted in fine-textured silt or clay soils. Established palms of most species do well with six to eight inches of water every two to three weeks during the growing season and the same amount every four to six weeks in winter. 

A minimum of two bubblers or two to four drip emitters should be positioned on opposite sides of the palm trunk. The irrigation basin for bubblers should be circular and extend 24 to 36 inches from the trunk in all directions. Make the basin at least 12 inches deep. Bubblers can be installed in three inch perforated plastic pipe sections placed to a depth of 8-10 feet within the irrigation basin at planting time. This makes it easier to moisten the root zone soil to the desired depth. In sprinkler irrigated lawns, do not allow water to hit the terminal bud or palm leaves. Moisture in the heart frond area can activate a serious bud rot disease. 
   

The technique for pruning palms varies from species to species and is based to some extent on personal preference. As new foliage is produced from the terminal bud at the top of the palm crown, the lower and older leaves (fronds) gradually turn brown and die. If these leaves are to be removed, the task is much easier while they are still partly green. Palm leaf stalks are much tougher after they have turned brown and dried out. In some cases, old dead leaves persist for a long time forming a thatch or "shag". Eventually, the oldest leaves of the thatch decay and fall away. If the are unsightly on the tree, it is better to remove them before they are ready to drop. When old leaves are pruned out, the leaf bases are often left on the trunk. These are easier to remove after they have aged and weathered for one to several years. 

Another group of palms lose leaves almost as soon as they begin to age. Some develop a smooth trunk which shows a pattern of ring-like scars where the old leaves were once attached. A thatch or shag of dry leaves is left on Washingtonia palms by those who feel that this is part of the character of the trees. Those who consider the dead leaves objectionable have them removed each year. The old leaf bases on both California and Mexican fan palms can be cut off with a sharp linoleum knife. Simply make a shallow horizontal cut along the base of the leaf sheath. Don't prune too high since this exposes tender tissues and may leave ugly scares or cause splitting or constriction in the trunk. Large specimen Mediterranean fan palms may be treated in the same manner. 

The Canary Island date palm needs considerable grooming to look good and is often closely trimmed with a power saw or axe to bring out a neat diamond pattern on the trunk. Pruning of the date palm consists primarily of removing old leaves each year. The leaf stalks should be trimmed back neatly to an even length. Haphazard pruning produces a messy looking tree. Palms in the genus Phoenix have very sharp spikes at the base of the fronds and should be handled carefully to avoid painful stab wounds. Goggles are a must when a power saw is used to prune date palms. Pindo palms can be pruned with the same techniques used for Date palms. The Guadalupe fan palm is self-pruning, but its near relative, the Mexican Blue palm, holds its old leaves and fruit stalks indefinitely if they are not removed.