How big are they?
What is the soil like?

They are still fairly small. Probably about 5-6ft and in the ground about a year and a half. Our soil here is more like a clay soil.

Of course now that I ask all this we've had two days of solid rain haha! But I still want to know what is a good amount of water for these winter months. We don't get rain as often as other states during winter so I just want to make sure I am doing good by my palms.
Thank you- Terra

Hi Terra, still worried about watering, huh?

I know we covered this last summer, but...I know you love your drips, but they're not the best thing for our semi-arid climate. You want to promote DEEP root growth for drought tolerance. Then you won't be asking watering questions next summer. It would probably permit you to go all winter without watering your palms at all.

Have you ever dug a hole and found the soil cooler and more moist the lower you went? That's what you want in our climate...drips don't usually offer that (from my experience). You end up wasting water to evaporation.

Did you ever amend your soil to help with the clay?

Good luck.

I'm in San Antonio, TX. I'm not growing queen palms, but I can tell you this: Our weather has been sunny and dry. The highs have been in the low 70's, high 60's. We have had no measurable rain in months.

I'm fighting thrips and spidermites on my roses. They are still growing. I have them on a soaker hose, which I have buried under mulch and landscaping fabric. They need a good soaking every two weeks.

I spent several hours watering my lawn today.

It seems that my plants need about 1/3 the amount of water that they need in the summer.

My palms are still growing. I've got a majesty in a pot that is skyrocketing, and my sabals are growing more now than they were this summer.

Have newly planted 10-12ft Queen Palms in good soil and need to know how much to water and for how long. How much water do they require once established. Are they drought tolerant?

Shanna
Are you in zone 8 ? Because i will tell you now that those queens will not survive there. I lost one right
at a month ago . They just can't take our cold i know that now. I defindtly would try to keep it as dry as possibe !
GOOD LUCK !

Scaldude-

Well, not so much still battling the water issue as trying to learn more as I go through each season. I don't LOVE my drip system, in fact I hate it for the palms and tropicals! It was my husband that installed it. It's just everything is on the drips back there.

Plus, I am trying to keep a journal so that I get all the info I need and it will be a reference guide for me to use each season.

Thanks!
Terra

I think I overwatered my queen palms too! I turned my drips off and started watering by hand deeply...Growing things in Las Vegas can be tricky!!! I wasn't sure initially if it was the heat, watering, fertilizing, or alkaline soil that's killing my queens. After this winter though, I think my soil isn't drying out very quickly. The soil is very moist a couple of inches down. Have you checked the moisture in your soil a couple of inches down?

Well it is finally sinking in with my husband about the need to help me fix the irrigation issues in the back yard.

I've been trying to do all this since summer and when I talk it goes in one ear and out the other. Of course HIS friend mentions the same thing I've been saying for months and all of a sudden HE LISTENS! Unbelievable. SO yesterday he's talking to a landscape designer and this guy is going to help us get everything straightened out back there. I want my palms off drips and on maybe bubblers or something that delivers more water. I want all my other plants figured out, too.

Sigh. If only he'd listen to me, his wife, months ago. Oh well this should hopefully get us on the right track. - Terra

Im in central ca and just bought a queen palm she's about 10feet tall stalk is about 3 inches in diameter and is sitting in a 5gallon planter where I plan to keep it since I live in an apartment complex. I have a habit of s(mothering) my plants with love and killing them shortly thereafter. What's a good rule of thumb I should use when watering since we are quickly approaching the summer months.