33 Saw Palmetto Plant Facts That You Have Never Heard Before

The saw palmetto or the Serenoa repens is a type of fan palm that belongs to the genus Serenoa.

Serenoa belongs to the subfamily of Coryphoideae. It grows in a bush-like habitat and is known to produce palmate fronds that have leaves of a bluish-green color.

These are somewhat smaller plants than most, that grow to a maximum height of 7-10 ft (2-3 m). Palmetto palms are commonly found in the subtropical regions of the Southeastern United States.

They are found more abundantly in the plains and sandhills of the South Atlantic and Gulf Coastal plains.

You can easily find these saw palmetto palms in the dense thickets or clumps created in the sandy coastal regions. As well as these places, saw palmetto palms can be seen in the undergrowth of various hammocks like Hardwood Hammocks or in Pinewoods.

Humans have been using this wonderful saw palmetto plant and palmetto extract for years and years. The first-ever noted use of the saw palmetto plant is said to be by the Mayans.

The Mayans are people from one of the earliest studied civilizations, the Maya civilization. They are from the mesoamerican civilization. There are shreds of evidence that they used the saw palmetto extract as a tonic back then.

Some different civilizations also found out various uses of the saw palmetto and thought it was very beneficial. For example, berries of the saw palmetto plant or Serenoa repens were used as an antiseptic by the Seminoles.

The saw palmetto plant, also known as Serenoa repens, is a tropical, palm-like plant that's native to the southeastern United States. It's also known as dwarf palm, cabbage palm, or scrub palmetto.

The fruits or the berries of the saw palmetto plant are used to make medicine for urinary problems in men, such as frequent urination, inability to empty the bladder completely, and pain during urination.

How To Plant Saw Palmetto

Commercial plantations are mostly in Florida and some parts of Southeastern Georgia. They are wild-harvested to get the saw palmetto fruit or the palmetto berries (this is what saw palmetto palm fruits are famously known as in the herbal trade).

But if you wish to plant saw palmetto palms in your backyard or garden, get to know some interesting facts on how to plant a saw palmetto stem.

• Firstly make sure the soil you are using to plant the saw palmetto or Serenoa is clean and there are no existing weeds, rocks, or any other type of rubbish in the soil.
• Check the root ball of the Serenoa or saw palmetto plant. This is essential to gauge the size of the hole that you have to dig.
• The hole should be equal in depth and twice the width of the root ball of the saw palmetto.
• Make sure the area near the hole is vertically unobstructed for about 20-30 ft (6.09-9.14 m).
• Take the saw palmetto root from the wrappings or the kind of container it is inside.
• Remove any discolored, broken, mushy or dead roots from the saw palmetto. You can use pruning shears for this.
• Insert the plant inside the center of the recently dug hole. You can add some soil (if needed) to this hole to adjust and place the plant properly and to ensure the top side of the root ball is level with the surrounding grounds.
• Backfill the lower half of the recently dug hole with soil. Ensure it is firm around the Serenoa roots.
• Make sure the hole is filled completely with water using a garden hose. Give some time for the water to drain through the soil and settle in it.
• Make sure you do not bury the saw palmetto root ball any deeper than it was growing previously.
• Create a ring around the whole perimeter of the root ball, which is 0.25-0.5 ft (3-6 in) tall.
• Ensure that you fill in the whole bowl that you created with water. Add extra soil to any depressions created by the water while you wait for the soil to drain.
• Do not tamp the extra soil when the soil is wet. If you do, excessive soil compaction might occur.
• Next, use a rake to spread around a layer of bark mulch over the area of the scrub palmetto plantation site, which is around 0.16-0.33 ft (2-4 in).
• To prevent rotting of the palmetto stem, make sure you don't spread this mulch within the range of 0.33 ft (4 in) of the saw palmetto plant's trunk.
• After the top 0.08-0.16 ft (1-2 in) of soil becomes dry, water the Serenoa plant.
• The calculations could be: for every 0.5-0.66 ft (6-8 in) of palmetto stems ball, apply 0.08 ft (1 in) of water to provide deep watering.
• Never allow the soil to be soggy. Just keep it evenly moist.
• Fertilization: After three months of planting the saw palmetto or Serenoa plant, fertilize it with a 12-4-12 nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium fertilizer that is slow-release granular. The rate for applying fertilizer should be one heaped tablespoon per sq ft of soil.
• The fertilizer should be in a one ft (12 in) wide band around the saw palmetto. Keep it 0.5-1 ft (6.6-12 in) away from the saw palmetto plant's trunk.
• Granules should be raked into the top 0.25 ft (3 in) of soil and then immediately water this area.
• Apply fertilizer every three months, especially during the saw palmetto plant's active growing season.

When To Plant Saw Palmetto

Saw palmetto plants are a unique type of palm tree that can be used for many different purposes. This plant is very strong and it can even grow in cold environments.

The saw palmetto plant is a very common plant that can be found in many parts of the United States. People often use these plants as part of coastal landscaping because of their hardiness and ability to withstand salty conditions. They are also used as a border plant or as a windbreak.

Serenoa repens is a clumping, slow-growing (only about a quarter to an inch per year), and multi-trunked palm.

The saw palmetto usually grows about 5-10 ft (1.5-3 m) tall and it spreads across almost 4-10 ft (1.2-3 m) in width. The leaf stems of Serenoa repens are usually stout and they crawl across the area to create fan-shaped fronds.

If you wish to plant a saw palmetto in your house to get a nice backdrop but are wondering what is the perfect time to plant the saw palmetto, check out these interesting facts on when to plant it so you can grow saw palmetto palms fabulously and smoothly with minimal maintenance.

• In South Florida, it is best to plant your saw palmetto in spring.
• The plantation of a saw palmetto plant specimen has proven to be the most successful in the early summer and spring. It's a good idea to wait until the ground has completely thawed. You can begin planting your saw palmetto in your garden or yard when all of the danger of frost has passed. You should also wait until after the last spring frost has passed.
• The seasons when the soil has an adequate temperature of at least 60 F (15.55 C) are the best to plant the saw palmetto plant.
• The saw palmetto flowers (fragrant flowers) bloom around the months of April to July. The flowers are white and grow from the leaf stems of the Serenoa repens. The fruits or the berries of saw palmetto become completely ripe from September to October. These fruits are oval in shape and resemble blue-black grapes.
• Even though the plant will be fine if it is planted during summer, it is best to wait until the fall months. The reason for this is that summer is the time when the plant grows the fastest. During this time, the plant will not have enough energy to focus on growing its roots.

Where To Plant Saw Palmetto

The saw palmetto is a plant that is used by men to help increase their prostate health. It is used to reduce the symptoms of an enlarged prostate (or benign prostatic hyperplasia as it is commonly called) as well as helping to reduce the frequency of urination.

The saw palmetto plant is well known for its hormone-balancing benefits and is known as a phytohormone. The plant's fruit is used for the medical treatment of hair loss.

Some people believe that the fruit of the plant is an anti-cancer medication as well.

However, there is no evidence to support this statement. The fruit is used for the suppression of benign prostatic hyperplasia symptoms as well as improving urinary flow and also helping with urinary tract infections and reducing other body inflammations.

Most saw palmetto plants have different colors of leaves, which vary from silver to blue-silver. These are specifically common on Florida's east coast.

The leaves with silver foliage are named 'Glauca’, ‘Cinerea,’ and ‘Sericea’ in the horticultural trade. If you are interested in planting a saw palmetto on your own, make sure to check out some of these interesting facts about where to plant a saw palmetto.

• It is vital to pick the correct place to plant a saw palmetto as it can be detrimental to move the plant once it is established in a spot.
• You should go for an area that will allow enough room for the plant to mature and grow well.
• The position of the saw palmetto should be away from any kind of public areas like driveways, walkways, play areas, or any other places where the sharp, saw-toothed stems of the plant might cause harm to people.
• In the plant hardiness zones, eight through 10 of the United States Department of Agriculture the saw palmetto plant is grown.
• Areas that have full sunlight along with fertile and fast-draining soils are ideal for growing a saw palmetto plant.
• Each of the fronds of the saw palmetto plant is observed to reach a width of around 2-3 ft (60.96-91.44 cm).
• Even though saw palmetto grows very well in full sunlight conditions, it can grow in basically any of the light conditions and even shade that is available if it is well taken care of.

Interesting Facts About Saw Palmetto

Serenoa repens is a plant that has a common name. The common name of Serenoa repens comes from its very green leaves.

The saw palmetto plant's edges look like an actual real-life saw. The spikes that exist and run along the side of the saw palmetto's leaves make it an interesting and fascinating adaptation. Let's dive deeper into interesting saw palmetto plant facts and learn more about this plant.

• A saw palmetto plant benefits from regular waterings initially, but later the plant will become drought tolerant when it is properly established in the soil and the surroundings.
• Saw palmetto plants are very low maintenance. The only maintenance this plant will ever need is the occasional pruning of old fruit, flower stems, and dead fronds.
• The saw palmetto is a plant that is perfect for growing in Florida weather, as you can grow this plant throughout the year in Florida. It can also be purchased from any nursery in small pots to plant in your backyard or gardens to add a beautiful backdrop.
• The saw palmetto is fabulous for attracting wildlife. This is because the berries of the saw palmetto plant are a vital food source for many animals and birds.
• The saw palmetto also acts as a host plant for the larvae of monk butterflies and the very famous palmetto skipper.
• There are some people in the world who believe that the palmetto extract from palmetto berries could be used as an alternative treatment for enlarged prostate glands and prostate cancer. The American Cancer Society, despite all of these claims by people around the world, states that there is no way to prove whether this is true and has dismissed this claim due to the lack of evidence.
• In recent years, a boost in the demand for saw palmetto berries has been seen, and as such, it is not required for a person to have a harvesting permit which is named the 'Native Plant Harvesting Permit'. This permit is issued through the Division of Plant Industry (DPI) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Anyone who wishes to harvest saw palmetto plants must first get a permit. The permit is placed in order to protect and preserve saw palmetto plants.