florida-royal-palm-treeThe Florida Royal palm grows best in direct sunlight. It is not very picky about soil. This palm can thrive in poor soil, but it is best suited for sandy, well-drained acidic soils.

This magnificent palm loves to be watered. Native to swamps they love humidity and plenty of water. They can handle well flooding. Surprisingly to many people it is moderately drought tolerant. The Florida Royal palm likes heat and can thrive in the desert climates. For best look it should be watered during drought periods and in the desert areas.

When established, the Roystonea Elata can survive short cold spells. They are not recommended for frost areas. They will grow slowly and look bad especially at the end of winter. It is truly a tropical palm.

It is a good specimen to be grown in containers outside or inside as a house plant when young.

With proper nitrogen fertilization this palm will grow very rapidly. Regular fertilization is a very important part of the maintenance program. It can increase its life-span.

Pest management should be incorporated. If you notice brown and frizzled fronds, it can be caused by royal palm bugs (Xylastodoris luteolus). The tiny insects live in the crowns and suck juices from it. The treatment procedure can take a huge amount of time. The insects live in the crown and spraying can be very difficult and dangerous due its height.

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