Expect it to be quite small. I'd guess a one gallon. It WILL grow. I bought mine as either 3 or 5 gallon plants and they are now quite large. I will be planting mine in the ground some time this spring. Big ones are expensive so I would encourage you to be patient unless money isn't a concern. Trachs grow at a moderate pace. They tend to slow down in high heat (unlike other palms). I recently overwintered a small one (heathy spear) so I am encouraged about the large ones. My secret to being patient is having so many plants, that something is always flowering, growing, needing to be transplanted, etc..

Thanks njoasis. I just want one with at least a 6 inch trunk that you can see. How much do you think this would run me?

I don't know what you mean by a six inch trunk. Do you mean 6 inches in circumference, diameter, height... Six inches in height won't be expensive; six inches in width will be.

Sorry njoasis. Height. I mean I want trunk sticking out of the dirt. I dont want something so small its just a frond or two poking out. Its hard to find good pictures online of what you get for $20-$50 bucks. Im not yet an expert at all. I dont want to drive down to SE Virginia and find that I have to pay $200 for something that actually looks like A palm tree. Got any good examples of how they should look at any certain age?(and prices)

A 1 gallon should just start producing a few fan leaves while a 7-10 gallon will begin to show a nice trunk. I would get at least a 3 gallon. A 5 gallon fits well in your price range.

I may be getting a shipment of them in next week but I'm not sure if I'm going to go yet. I live right off Route 1 if you wanted to pick one up (if I have them) on the way to the beach.

Thanks alot turtile. Its funny I grew up in Woodbridge and my brother lives in Stafford. Ill be going down to see him in a couple of weeks. Let me know what you get and maybe my wife and I will stop by. Know any sites that have pictures of 2-3 year old trees?

Depends on where you get it from. From the sounds of it, it sounds like you might be considering Plant Delights. I would call them, depending on the species, some may be larger than others even for that price. Most of PD's plants are in 24oz pots, very small. If it is PD you are considering, make sure you look at the size. Last year I got a Taylor's form from them for $20, but it was very nice sized. I only knew because I called them though. They are very helpful if you call. This is what it looked like when I got it.

I recently bought 2 1 gallon trachys on e-bay for about $18 each, 6" trunk height about 30" overall height. They looked about the same. After 1 year of growth, I just transplanted into 18"pots, about 15 gal? It's ready to go into the ground this year if I ever find a new house.

Thanks alot bradleyo for giving me something to reference. They look pretty neat actually bigger than I expected. I'll start with something like that,then Id like to purchase one alot larger. Im very impatient right now but I guess I cant be with certain palms. Im gonna get some Musa basjoo to tide me over. palmpunk says they grow fast.

Remember, that is a 1 gal, not the 24 oz size that PDN sells. I've also bought smaller ones.

I'm also attaching a pic of a banana that I bought as a basjoo but I'm not so sure. Before and after from May 23 thru Sept of last year.

{{gwi:405753}}

{{gwi:405754}}

WOW!!! They really do grow fast dont they?! Your set up looks real nice. Ive got to get some of those. It looks like they mulitiply extremely fast. By the way, what state/zone are you in? The trees in the background of the trachy picture are bare.

I don't know for sure if they are basjoo though. I bought it as such, but several people told me it wasn't a basjoo. I dug it up and stored it in the garage this winter, but I don't think mostof them stems survived, we'll see. The one I overwintered in the basement without light and water is alive.

{{gwi:405749}}

I'll post a picture of the Palms (if I get them).

Someone please help! How do I post a photo in a follow up?

http://www.w3schools.com/tags/tag_img.asp

Place the image url in the area that says angry.gif

A couple of things. I forgot to answer your question about my locale. I am in North Huntingdon, Pa, 17 miles SE of Pittsburgh, USDA 5b, but actually a 6b/very cold 7a. We hit -2F this year, the coldest temps since 1994.

Second thing, the only way I know to post pics wight on the screen without having to use links is through photobucket.com. Just upload your pics and then copy the HTML TAG line. Paste it right wherever you want it to appear in the text.

Also I wanted to show you what that PDN trachy looks like now. First picture is a warm winter day.

Second is from yesterday. It looks a little beat up from being indoors with minimal light, too small of a pot and probably not enough water. I'm not as diligent as should be once the plants are inside. I just upsized the pot a couple of weeks ago.

josh

I have 2 gallon ones thati bought for $25 I have had for about a year that have realy grown. They are fast in the summer here ... mine went right through the winter with just a little browning would post a pic but can't get to my photo bucket account at work. but i will post when i get home tonight just to show how fast these do grow .

Sorry josh have been busy
here ya go

[IMG]http://i132.photobucket.com/albums/q36/topher2006_photos/000_0082.jpg[/IMG]

try this again sorry...

Here is a link that might be useful:

Here's a $20 trachy ending today.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Windmill-Palm-Tree-Trachycarpus-fortunei-Big-Healthy_W0QQitemZ230110939070QQcategoryZ42219QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Dont worry brad I know your not a nut. Thats why I put my e mail on here. Thanks for the info. Im going to order one.

Thanks alot Bradley. I just ordered a Trachy from ebay. Should be here in 2-3 days. I'll send a pic and message when I receive it.