Medjool Date Palms, Delivered and Planted in SW Florida
Medjool date palm is a big, formal specimen palm that handles Southwest Florida's heat, salt and drought, and it works best as a focal point in a large yard. It will not reliably give you dates in our humid climate. Ours are field grown with 8 to 10 feet of clear trunk, so they make an instant statement. They do need room, careful handling around sharp spines and a watch for lethal bronzing.
- Light:
- Full sun
- Water:
- Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established, faster with regular water
- Salt:
- Moderate to high
Medjool Date Palm sizes we deliver and plant
Every size below is planted by our crew, set at the right depth and watered in. Send the size and how many, and we text back a planted price, usually within the hour during the day.
| Plant | Sizes |
|---|---|
| Medjool Date Palm | Field Grown 8'-10' Clear Trunk |
Medjool Date Palm in SW Florida, at a glance
- Mature size here
- 40 to 60 ft tall with a 20 to 25 ft crown, reached slowly over many years
- Light
- Full sun
- Water
- Low to moderate; drought tolerant once established, faster with regular water
- Salt tolerance
- Moderate to high
- Cold tolerance
- Hardy to about 15°F, so cold is not a concern in SW Florida
- Growth rate
- Slow, about a foot of trunk a year
- Spacing
- 20 to 30 ft apart in rows; 15 ft or more from structures and pools
- Florida native
- No, native to the Middle East and North Africa
- Botanical name
- Phoenix dactylifera 'Medjool'
Where Medjool Date Palm works in a SW Florida yard
Use a Medjool as a single focal palm in a large front yard, at the end of a driveway or in a courtyard with room to spread, or as a matched pair flanking an entry if you have the space. Give it 15 feet or more from the house, pool and walkways, because the crown spreads wide and the leaf bases carry long spines.
Underplant with sun-loving, low-water plants such as agave, aloe vera and muhly grass.
- Formal entry focal point
- Large-yard specimen palm
- Driveway or courtyard accent
- Resort-style palm rows
How our crew plants it
A field-grown palm this size is heavy, so it needs equipment to set. A proper install digs the hole wide, not deep, and sets the root ball at its original level so the trunk is never buried. The palm is then braced with padded 2x4s or guy lines for the first 6 to 12 months.
Water in well and keep the root zone moist, taking advantage of the extra watering Lee and Collier permit for new plantings, because a big palm takes months to root out.
Care after planting
- Feed with a controlled-release 8-2-12 palm fertilizer that includes micronutrients, applied before June 1 and again after September 30, since Lee County, Naples and Marco Island ban nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer from June 1 to September 30.
- Date palms have a heavy appetite for potassium, so watch older fronds for orange or yellow flecking and dead tips, yellow edges with a green center (magnesium), and stunted, frizzled new fronds (manganese).
- Cut off only fronds that are completely brown, because removing green fronds weakens the palm by robbing it of nutrients it is still pulling back.
- Wear thick gloves and eye protection when working near the crown, since the spines at the base of each frond are needle sharp.
- Keep the root zone watered through the dry season for the first year, then ease off; a mature Medjool tolerates dry spells but grows faster with regular water.
What to watch for
- Lethal bronzing is a fatal bacterial disease spread by a planthopper, and Phoenix date palms are highly susceptible; early signs are premature fruit drop, blackened flower stalks and fronds that discolor from the bottom up.
- Ganoderma butt rot is a fatal fungal rot at the base of the trunk with no cure, so a shelf-like conk near the soil line is a warning sign.
- Sharp spines up to 3 or 4 inches long, which are modified leaflets at the base of each frond, can cause serious injury near walkways and pool decks.
Medjool Date Palm questions we hear
Will a Medjool date palm give me dates in Southwest Florida?+
Probably not reliably. Date palms prefer dry desert air, and in our humid, rainy summers the fruit tends to drop or rot before it ripens. Medjool is also a female variety that needs pollen from a male palm to set fruit. Plant it for the trunk and crown, not for a harvest.
How big does a Medjool date palm get in Florida?+
Slowly. Expect about a foot of trunk growth a year, and 40 to 60 feet or more over many decades, with a crown 20 to 25 feet wide. The 8 to 10 feet of clear trunk we plant already has the look; just leave room from the house, pool and power lines.
Is Medjool date palm salt tolerant?+
Yes, moderately to well. UF/IFAS lists date palm among Florida's salt-tolerant palms, and it is common on Gulf and canal lots. It needs full sun and good drainage, and lethal bronzing is a bigger threat than salt.
What is lethal bronzing and does it affect date palms?+
Lethal bronzing is a fatal bacterial disease spread by a planthopper, and Phoenix date palms are among the most susceptible. Early signs are premature fruit drop, blackened flower stalks and discolored fronds moving up the crown. Preventive trunk injections can help protect a valuable palm, so ask about them at planting.
Do date palms survive hurricanes in Florida?+
They have a strong record. In UF/IFAS surveys after Florida hurricanes, most date palms rated high for wind resistance, though the fronds shred. The weak point is the first year, before the roots grow out, which is why new palms are braced.
How is a planted Medjool date palm priced?+
It depends on the trunk height, the specific palm and how many you want. Text us your address and what you have in mind, and we reply with a planted price, usually within the hour during the day. Half down holds the palm and a delivery day.
Updated October 2026
Get a planted price on Medjool Date Palm
Tell us what and how many. Quinten prices it from the nursery's live list and texts you back, usually within the hour during the day.
Only need the plant delivered, no planting? It is on our nursery's list at Palm & Plant Co.
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