Drainage is a design requirement
Phoenix dactylifera can tolerate heat and difficult conditions, but chronic saturation around the root zone creates avoidable decline. Drainage should be checked before planting, not discovered after symptoms appear.
Do not bury the trunk
Set the root initiation zone at the correct relationship to finished grade. Deep planting can create moisture problems, nutrient lockout and crown stress that looks like disease.
Native backfill is usually the baseline
Creating a sharply different amended pocket can hold water around the root ball. Amendments should be based on testing and site conditions, not habit.
Irrigation must match infiltration
A slow, deep application is useful only when the soil can accept and drain it. Runoff, perched water and dry root balls each require a different correction.