Actual size and flowering may vary slightly based on season.
Pineapple Palm
Pineapple Palm is the Canary Island date palm, a massive feather palm with a thick trunk and a huge, fountain-shaped crown of long, arching dark green fronds. Young palms have a stout, leaf-scarred trunk and crown that look like the top of a pineapple, which is where the name comes from. It grows slowly at first, then climbs to 40 to 60 feet, so it suits large yards, long driveways and big open spaces. It takes full sun and heat, and wants deep, infrequent watering once rooted.
Best for: large yards, long driveways and big open spaces where a giant palm has room, rows along a drive, and a young palm in a pot.
It grows 40 to 60 feet tall with a crown 20 to 40 feet wide. It needs a large yard, a park-like lot or a big open space, not a small side yard.
Planted in a row along a long driveway or avenue, it makes a bold, formal line. Space palms 20 feet or more apart.
While young, it makes an easy container plant with a short, pineapple-like trunk and crown. It stays that way for years before the trunk starts to climb.
It is too big for most small yards. The lower leaf stems carry long, sharp spines, and female palms drop messy fruit. Fronds are hurt near 20°F and recover slowly.
- Palm to palm20 ft or more apart
Water a new palm daily for the first two weeks, keeping the root ball moist but not soggy. Then water about once a week, 2 feet deep, and widen the watered area as roots grow.
Once rooted, soak it 2 feet deep, wetting 4 to 6 feet out from the trunk, and let the soil dry between. Water more in summer, much less in winter, and keep water off the trunk.
Feed with a palm fertilizer twice a year while the soil is warm, in spring and in mid-summer. This helps prevent yellow older fronds from lack of magnesium.
Remove only dead or dying fronds, never green fronds above the horizontal. Clean pruning tools between palms, since fusarium wilt spreads on tools.
Fronds are hurt near 20°F and recover slowly. Cover young palms on hard freeze nights, and wait until frost danger has passed to remove damaged fronds.
Drainage test first. Dig the hole and fill it with water. If water is still sitting in the hole a day later, you likely hit caliche, clay or hard soil, so fix the drainage before planting. If it drains very fast, the soil is sandy. Standing water around roots is a common reason new plants fail.
Weed cloth. Cut it away from the planting hole and where the roots will spread. Remove any plastic sheeting completely, since it keeps water and air out of the soil.
Rock or decomposed granite with no soil underneath. Bring in soil close in texture to your native soil, mix it with the soil below, and build up enough depth for roots before planting.
If you can break through. Use a breaker bar, pick, or jackhammer. Dig through the caliche and break out the solid chunks. Backfill with the soil you dug out, with no compost or manure in the hole. Confirm drainage before planting.
If you cannot break through. Dig narrow holes through the hard layer beside the root ball, not under it, and refill them with the same soil, not gravel. If it still will not drain, plant on a low mound of the same soil.
Root ball. Check the outside edges for any roots circling around. Loosen or cut those so they grow outward. Do not break up the center of the root ball.
Depth. The top of the root ball should sit at or just slightly above the surrounding soil level. Planting too deep can lead to rot and kill the plant.
Drip emitters. At planting, put the emitters on the root ball, on different sides of the plant. After about 2 months, move them to the outer edge of the root ball. Over the first year, add emitters farther out toward the edge of the branches as roots grow. Once a plant is rooted, never water only at the trunk.
How big does a Canary Island date palm get?
It grows 40 to 60 feet tall with a crown 20 to 40 feet wide, and the trunk can reach 3 feet thick. Plant it only where a giant palm has room.
Why is it called a pineapple palm?
Young palms have a stout trunk covered in old leaf bases, topped by a crown of fronds. Together they look like the top of a pineapple.
How fast does it grow?
It grows slowly until the trunk forms, then more quickly and upright. Deep, regular watering and feeding speed it up.
How far apart should I plant Canary Island date palms?
Plant them 20 feet or more apart, center to center. The crown can spread 20 to 40 feet wide.
How often should I water it?
Once rooted, give it deep, infrequent soaks about 2 feet down, letting the soil dry between. Water more often in summer and much less in winter.
Does it have thorns?
Yes. The lower leaflets on each frond turn into long, sharp spines. Keep it away from walkways and play areas.
How cold hardy is a Canary Island date palm?
It is hardy to about 20°F, and frost-damaged fronds recover slowly. Cover young palms on hard freeze nights, and wait until spring to cut off damaged fronds.
Is the fruit edible?
Female palms bear clusters of small orange dates in fall. They are not poisonous, but they are dry and not good to eat, and the fallen fruit is messy and draws birds.
Why are the older fronds turning yellow?
It can run short of magnesium, which yellows the older fronds. Feed with a palm fertilizer in spring and mid-summer.
What diseases affect Canary Island date palms?
Fusarium wilt can kill this palm, and it spreads on pruning tools. Clean pruning tools between palms.
When should I plant it?
Plant palms in late spring to summer, May through July, when the soil is warm. Cool-season planting slows root growth.
Pineapple Palm for sale in Arizona, delivered to you
Pineapple Palm is the Canary Island date palm, Phoenix canariensis, from the Canary Islands. It forms a thick trunk topped by a huge crown of arching fronds. This page covers how big it gets, sun, water, cold, fronds, fruit, spacing and when to plant in a Valley yard.
Sourced from trusted Arizona growers and delivered directly to your door, job site, or property. We deliver across the Valley and to nearby towns, and quote delivery anywhere else in Arizona.
How big does a Canary Island date palm get in Phoenix?
It grows 40 to 60 feet tall with a crown 20 to 40 feet wide. It is a giant palm, best for large yards, long drives and open spaces.
How far apart do you plant Canary Island date palms?
Plant them 20 feet or more apart, center to center. The crown can spread 20 to 40 feet wide, so leave room around each palm.
Is the Canary Island date palm cold hardy in Arizona?
It is hardy to about 20°F, and frost-damaged fronds recover slowly. Cover young palms on hard freeze nights.
How often do you water a Canary Island date palm?
Once rooted, give deep, infrequent soaks 2 feet down and let the soil dry between. Deep, regular watering and feeding make it grow faster.
Does the Canary Island date palm have spines?
Yes. The lower leaflets on each frond are long, sharp spines. Plant it away from walks and play areas.
Pineapple palm vs Pindo palm
Both are feather palms, but they grow to very different sizes. Canary Island date palm grows 40 to 60 feet tall with a massive crown. Pindo palm stays about 10 to 20 feet, a better fit for small yards.
When should you plant a palm in Phoenix?
Plant palms in late spring and summer, May through July, when the soil is warm. Palms root fastest in warm weather.
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