Can I keep Trachycarpus fortunei (windmill palm) as a houseplant?
squidy
12 years ago
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12 years agobirdsnblooms
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Windmill Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) questions
Comments (4)I don't have any experience with protecting it from the zone 6/7 cold, but I can tell you what not to do when planting in clay. You definitely don't want to amend the planting hole with any sand or organic material. When I first moved to my current house growing anything in clay soil was totally new to me, I learned the hard way with a nice 5 gallon size windmill (among about a dozen other things I killed) about how not to plant in clay. My initial inexperienced response to planting in clay was to dig a giant planting hole and amend the nasty clay with sand and compost until it was beautiful soil. However I soon learned, If you dig a hole into the clay and change the drainage of the soil in that hole (by amending with anything) you will create a small bog. I have anywhere from 2-12 inches of topsoil before I hit the really dense clay beneath. If I can't buy a plant that will be upset with wet feet in heavy clay, in a size with small enough root ball where I can fit it entirely within the layer of topsoil I have to work with, I will plant it raised. Dig a planting hole the width required for the pot size, but only to the depth of the surface of the clay. Then backfill with the soil you removed, and extra soil if you need to, and mound it up around the root ball (you can use amended soil here if you want) so you have planted into a small hill then mulch. Basically you have made a very localized raised bed....See MoreTrachycarpus (Hayes Stiff Windmill Palm)
Comments (22)They might look fine in NC.I dont know how hot it gets there,Im sure it gets hot,cause some of NC.is a zone warmer than here.The problem with our summers(use to be) is it gets so hot and humid,you can walk outside and just stand in the shade for 30 minutes and you will be soaking wet.You would look like you jumped in a swimming pool with all your cloths on.Iv'e noticed the last few years it hasent been like that,we have had cooler summers.I remember 10yrs ago when I framed houses for a living,the summer temps.was *95 every day from june through early to mid sept.Night time lows would be *80 to *85.I could walk out on my pourch at 10:00pm and it was so hot and humid, it was nasty.I dont know if its because were in a laninya wheather pattern or what.Now in mid summer we might hit *90 a couple times,but at night it will get down to *65 to *70.People I work with that moved here from up north in the last few years all say I thought this is suppost to be hot Atlanta.I tell them about how summers use to be,and they dont act like they believe me.There use to be lighting bugs everywhere at night,now you only see a few here and there.I tell them I know those hot humid days and nights will come back,just wait.We use to go to Daytonna Beach on vacation on the 4 of july,we would stay for a week or so.One year when we got back,this is no lie,all the tall candels in the house were bent over.That's how hot it got inside the house.It had been hotter here than in Daytonna Beach.No lie!!!...See MoreTrachycarpus Fortunei 'Tesan'
Comments (24)They all seem pretty uniform in appearance. In regard to the leaves,these are still pretty small to notice. They are much more stout (as you can see in the pics)then Fortunei. I got 6 of Jeff's seedlings some years back but went through a horrible period with WSM that wiped out countless rare seedlings. Most of the damage was from using some cheap Wal-Mart crap that said it was Neem oil but turned out to be vegetable oil,this got into the spear area and rotted the poor palms out. I still have one left of Jeff's that is dwarfed by constant spear-pull,the only way to avoid the combo of treatment and WSM dessication has been to just plant them out. It's tough for young palms to be put in the ground so early though.... Tesan really have an interesting and beautiful growth habit! Here are some pics of the ones I had Feb,2009. Comparison of "normal" Fortunei an right. Ryan They will green up this summer once the roots get going. I have 2 in the ground-one is from the original batch and the other is the one pictured in the other Tesan thread. I traded Mike(Chicago) one that has been growing in Arkansas(?)that he said is getting big-hopefully he will see this and get on that picture-so he can share it here(-;...See MoreNew Addition (New Trachycarpus Fortunei)
Comments (35)I posted this over in the Banana forum as well, but ill post it here too since it IS a new addition. If you want to try and ID it... go for it, but I think it very well just might be a grand nain after all. IF that in fact is the case, hes comin in for the winter. I already removed the largest pup, and he did have roots of his own. ****************** Ok, A small local neighborhood nursery and gift shop had a banana plant left over from this summer's plant stock. This guy was in a "display" arrangment, in the center of a large pot, with some sweet potato vines in with him draping over the sides. I asked if they would sell it to me, and they said sure, for $20.00. So I had them dig him out and plop him in a plan old plastic nursery pot just to transport him the few blocks home. There WAS actaully a tag in with him, and it says he is a Musa Grand Nain. I would like to know if anyone can verify this, or if it might be something else like a basjoo, or cavendish. He is loaded with pups, about 5 or 6, a couple of which are fairly big, maybe approaching 2 feet. The main reason I want to know is so I can determine how I am going to handle him for the winter. If its not a basjoo or other cold hardy (corm hardy here in my zone 8) I would like to know so I can figure out how to deal with him indoors for the winter. Here are the photos: This last photo below is of one of the large pup's leaves. They have the familliar dark sploches on them, that look like a deep redish to me. Also, in one of the photos above, you can see the pseudostem is fairly red in color. I did pull away 2 of the oldest, and very small leaves which revealed the more red part of the stem. Any ideas if this is in fact a grand nain? If it isnt, then what exactly do you think it is? It sure does look ALOT like my basjoo, but its alot smaller. It was grown in a smaller container so far this whole summer as well. My basjoo is in a gigantic pot, which is probably why hes gotten real good hight. Thanks for the help!...See Morebirdsnblooms
12 years agosquidy
12 years agoaloyzius
12 years agobirdsnblooms
12 years ago
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