Trachycarpus - Hardy Palm Growing Guide - 'Chusan Palm'

Trachycarpus fortunei, Chusan Palm or Windmill Palm
By far the easiest hardy palm growing in most parts of the UK. Trachycarpus fortunei occurs naturally in Northern China where it grows on wooded hill sides able to cope with sun and shade whilst being tolerant of heavy rain and damp soils - Perfect for the UK!
Trachycarpus fortunei have big palmate leaves and a hairy fibrous trunk they are head and shoulders above all other hardy palms for growing here in the UK if you want to try a palm this is the one! Amazingly tolerant of most conditions and able to grow quite fast I think every garden should have one (or two) just bear in mind that with such big impressive leaves choose a spot where your chusan will get a little shelter from strong winds… It will grow in exposed positions but always looks better with a little shelter - Invest in one now!!
We grow Chusan Palms in our heavy wet (in winter) and dry (summer!) clay. They positively flourish growing as much as 30cm of trunk a year whilst looking magnificent. People often ask ‘I’ve got a chusan palm what should I plant next?’ my reply is always ‘plant another!’
It should be noted that there are at least nine other species of Trachycarpus in the world along with several different cultivars. One that we consider pretty tough alongside fortunei as a good hardy palm is ‘Wagnerianus’ yes a silly name but a good palm! Waggy’s as they are often known are sometimes described as dwarf trachycarpus, not really the case as the trunks get pretty tall, over 3m but the leaves are smaller and stiffer on stout stems, I like the look of these palms when they are young though they tend to look a little less stunning as they mature, a better choice if it’s a bit windy for fortunei.
Another is Trachycarpus takil with large deep green leaves and eventually slender trunk free from the fibre seen on fortunei.
In my opinion if you really want to collect different Trachycarpus species that’s fine but Trachycarpus fortunei itself is very variable, have a look at a crop of young palms and you will see lots of variation in both colour and leaf structure so my advice is choose a fortunei you like the look of and be happy its going to grow well, be hardy and look spectacular for many years.

[@tntropics]

Good guide I'm growing a bunch of these in Tennessee

[@planetZ999]

I'm going to get them for our nursery very Good info

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

They are beautiful...

[@BananaJSSI]

Love those Waggies! We have a palm nursery here on our island off the south west coast of Canada and we grow them all from local seed. Mature Waggies here we harvest seed from. Great video., Cheers

[@BananaJSSI]

Beautiful T.fortunei , nice thick trunks. We grow them nice and fat here too. Cheers

[@timetoshred2461]

" Terrible name " had me in tears :D

[@rdemm05]

He pronounced the name of Trachycarpus Wagnerianus wrong, so it's not weird.

[@Platero505]

I been growing palm trees for several years. More of an experiment of extreme heat (116°F) and cold(-20°F) temperature of New Mexico high desert, elev 5200. One of many palm species that have adapted to my yard.

[@juliegogola4647]

I have a potted Trachy Fortunei in my greenhouse, I do want to eventually plant it out in the yard, I am a zone 6a so it does get -10 F sometimes and HAS (rarely) gotten lower, BUT, usually it will get to about 5F as a low. The Usual low is about 20F. So, do you protect your T Fortunei at all? I have seen vids where people in my hardiness zone have made "shelters" for their Trachys and a couple of other hardy palms, they add heat and all that stuff. So, do YOU "protect" your Trachy when it gets to that -20F ? Also, how big is your Trachy that survives that -20F? IN trunk thickness or age.

[@Salmiyaguy1]

you get minus 20 in new Mexico?

[@harryleek9416]

I leave the dead leaves on because I get a lot of Wrens nesting in the hairy trunk under the leaves also Black birds have the best made nests made with the coir fibers.

[@CaptainMyCaptain33]

We definitely don’t call it ANUS here. Ha. It’s “Wag Near eee on us”. Both sound funny. Was curious if you have tried growing pindo palms? Or any other cold hardy pinnate palm? Loads of various Trachys to grow. Some are quite rare and small too. But after a while the palmate leaf can get a little bit boring. That’s why I was curious if you grew any other palm types. They all look good and healthy though. Always nice to see another palm nerd out there.

[@paulhart4787]

I love Palms and love growing them on my terrace in Spain so easily from seeds that i pick up. I have a Trachycarpus at our home on the south coast uk. It grows really well and blossoms every year with an abundance of seeds. However the seeds are very tiny (3mm) in diameter? I have collected the seeds but not sure that they would germinate? Any suggestions would help please.

[@sterlingstroebel]

I just started adding liquid kelp to my Fortunei palms. When doing so do you need to be cautious about proximity to the trunk like fertilizer or does it not matter? I've been pouring it about 1 ft. from the trunk.

[@Paul523069]

We have one of these and it’s now a good 4m tall. How do we stop it growing any bigger?

[@ARW.7]

In a well sized pot for its size, would you say they will grow as quick as in the ground subject to being correctly fed?

[@securethebag1613]

hey mate...where do you purchase ur cold hardy palms that can handle the UK winter?

[@nopretribrapture2318]

im seeking to buy a few sometime, ,looking for a nursery that are fair in prices..I'm in the Derbyshire area UK

[@rickyradioactivehorsehunte2247]

In my opinion the reason they are able to grow in the U.K (freezing bloody cold) is because of the hairy trunks which enable good protection from the cold weather.

[@paulburley7993]

...able to grow in the U.K. (freezing bloody cold) Canada😅🤣😆😂🤣

[@bigplantnursery]

Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan Palm) at Big Plant Nursery in West Sussex, UK www.bigplantnursery.co.uk/plants/trachycarpus-fortunei_chusan-palm_1088.html

[@Salmiyaguy1]

Here in Ontario, they look nice when they are young but have puny unappealing crowns as they mature. I guess due to the hot summers. Washington Robustas look and do much better here, where these types don't do so well in the UK.

[@bleachlotus]

Hi do you sell the liquid fertiliser?

[@stephenmisson]

I have a very large 20 year old palm which I always thought was a Chusan Palm but upon watching your video I realise that this is not fortunei. The differences are that the trunk is not hairy and the leaf stems have vicious barbs from the trunk to the leaf. I have multiple off-shoots from the base; I needed to cut one off because it was overhanging my driveway and my chainsaw chain seized halfway through because it was covered in thick sap. It does flower but not quite like the fortunei. Please can you identify this plant for me? I liked your video btw.

[@MinhTran-lz8nk]

S Misson Mediterranean Fan Palm

[@stephenmisson]

@@MinhTran-lz8nk Thank you.

[@davesbest1580]

I am purchasing a windmill Palm very soon what kind of soil do I need for it it is about 3 years old and about 2 ft tall

[@maple494]

For the best growing conditions get gardening soil but any kind of soil works just grows best in nutritious soil

[@maple494]

How much does a mid-size Chusan Palm cost?

[@786free1]

Do these palms have thorns? I used to have one which I thought was the same as these but grew slightly differently and had thorns on the stems.

[@stevetandy1216]

No, these don’t, but the European fan palm does, real nasty

[@dxbdxb242]

Can I plant in large pot

[@QUEENAHIDEKINGFISHER]

Yes.

[@olsonlr]

I NEVER prune green leaves! I've got one that is over 12' tall with leaves almost all the way to the ground. More leaves... more food production... quicker growth.

[@QUEENAHIDEKINGFISHER]

Not true!

[@juliegogola4647]

I thought that Trachy. Fortunei liked a more alkaline soil with Lime in it, not acidic.

[@karlheinzludwig6070]

;

[@tedscott1478]

They're not designed to have their roots frozen🤪 They're not designed🤡 Maybe, "if their roots get frozen it's detrimental to the plants health and wellbeing". 🤔😊👊

[@sabosboy92]

That’s definitely a windmill fan palm not a Chinese fan palm

[@mickobrien3156]

I love all palms... But... The Windmill palm is sadly one of the uglier palms. It tends to look anemic. Next to a Washingtonia robusta or Washingtonia filifera, it looks downright wimpy. Next to a Sabal palmetto is looks wimpy. It's a sad fan palm. And next to a pinnate palm, like the glorious Phoenix canariensis, the Windmill looks like the ugly sister. That said, it's still a palm and all palms are lovely.

[@thetropicaldream5933]

What about when the husk is skinned?