Fertilization Rate and Placement Effects on Areca Palms Transplanted from Containers or a Field Nursery

摘要

Areca palms (Dypsis lutescens [(H. Wendl.) Beentje and J. Dransf.]) were transplanted from containers or a field nursery and were treated with fertilizer placed at the bottom of the planting hole, incorporated into the backfill, or on the surface of the root ball to determine the effects of fertilizer placement at planting on palm growth and quality. Fertilizer was applied at 0, 250 g (20 g N), or 500 g (40 g N) per tree for each placement method to determine fertilization rate effects. Areca palms transplanted from containers grew best when fertilizer was incorporated into the backfill, but any fertilizer placement or rate was better than no fertilizer. When areca palms were transplanted from a field nursery, there was no consistently best fertilizer placement method. However, fertilized plants grew better and had less severe nitrogen and potassium deficiency symptoms than unfertilized palms. There was no benefit to higher fertilization rate for either container- or field-grown areca palms.