Date palm nutrition
Quick answer
FAO publishes annual nutrient rates for date palms, split by age, expressed both per palm and per hectare at a stated planting density. They are reproduced below in full because they are properly specified — a named nutrient, a defined age, a per-palm amount, a per-hectare amount and the density that connects the two. They remain FAO's figures for date palm production, not a Kuwait recommendation.
FAO's application rates
| Nutrient | Younger than 4 years g/palm/year |
Younger than 4 years kg/ha/year |
4 years and older g/palm/year |
4 years and older kg/ha/year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen | 262 | 31.7 | 525 | 63 |
| Phosphorus | 138 | 16.5 | 138 | 16.5 |
| Potassium | 540 | 65 | 540 | 65 |
FAO's own footnote to both tables: it is assumed that 121 palms are planted per hectare. That density corresponds to a 9 m × 9 m spacing. Without that assumption the per-hectare column means nothing, which is precisely why it is quoted here.
Note what changes with age and what does not: nitrogen doubles from 262 to 525 g per palm per year once the palm passes four years, while phosphorus and potassium stay the same in FAO's figures.
Timing
FAO divides the date season into two growth phases, vegetative and reproductive, and states that scheduling fertiliser application according to these phases ensures an increase in the amount properly used. It gives application windows of February and July for the northern hemisphere, and a nitrogen application period of November till August in the northern hemisphere.
Kuwait is in the northern hemisphere, so those windows are the applicable ones in FAO's own framing — but they are FAO's general date palm figures, not a Kuwait calendar validated against local conditions.
Leaf analysis
FAO gives the sampling timing as just after harvesting and before the emergence of new leaves — November for the northern hemisphere. Leaf analysis is how a date palm programme is corrected against reality rather than assumption.
Reading these figures honestly
These rates come from FAO's date palm cultivation manual, drawing on production contexts including Israel, Namibia and Tunisia. They are agricultural figures for orchard production at a defined density.
A garden date palm is not at 121 palms per hectare, is often on a different irrigation regime, and may be grown for shade or amenity rather than fruit. The per-palm column is the transferable one; the per-hectare column is not. And in all cases the product label and a soil analysis take priority.
No Kuwait institutional source stating date palm rates was reachable — PAAF was unreachable and KISR publishes no extension guidance.
Common mistakes
- Using the per-hectare figures without the 121 palms/ha assumption.
- Applying the mature rate to a palm under four years old.
- Treating FAO's figures as a Kuwait recommendation.
- Skipping leaf analysis and feeding on assumption year after year.
- Converting between formulations without calculating actual nutrient content.
Boundary and safety
These are nutrient amounts, not product amounts. To convert a nutrient figure into a weight of product you must use the product's declared analysis — see the guide on calculating actual nutrients. The label is the binding authority.
Fertilisation does not treat or prevent Red Palm Weevil. Suspected infestation goes to PAAF, not to a feeding decision.
Related glossary terms
Sources
- FAO — Date Palm Cultivation, Chapter VI, Tables 44 and 45. fao.org
Accessed 27 August 2026. Last reviewed: 27 August 2026.