Trachycarpus Fortunei

[Chipdoo 1]

Zone 7a, LI, NY.

Endured 25-30 degree temps with no damage at all.

Then seen about 14 degree temps with strong winds for about 2-3 days (felt like it was zero with wind chill).

Entire plant turned light green and thinned out. No burn signs.

Covered it with plastic and added x-mas lights afterwards. Very cold temps followed 15-20 degrees for a month?

Uncovered about 4 weeks ago and dark green color is coming back and looking real healthy.

Also have a potted Fortunei which I left in the garage during all this cold. Tips began to turn brown. Pot seems like it was frozen. I moved it indoors. Center spear began to turn yellow/white. After about 2 weeks indoors, began growing rapidly (almost to say Thank you for saving me! )

[Steve 2]

This season's low temp was 17F in my yard Northeast of Atlanta.  During February temps routinely got into the low 20's F.  No sign of any damage whatsoever to my T. Fortunei.

[Plott Palm Trees 1]

Thats My Plant!!!

I live in Coulmbia Missouri and I have seen this Palm Tree get to -20 degrees before, Truly Amazing Palm.

I live in Zone 6a/6b

They live here and so do the Needle Palm, I am very restricted though.

[GBN 2]

Hey,

i've got some in my garden. Our last winter was very cold and long even for german winters. We had -17C° and more then one month with only one day above +1C°

the Trachycarpus fortunei had only protection on their roots. All fonds died in spring and in summer their get new fonds till now at least 4 each Palm.

Other parts in Germany "south" they had -26C° in Winter for the same period as we had here in the northern part of Germany. Even there some T. Fortunei survived.

But anyway there are many difference in the Trachys somethimes there are weaker trachys which gonna die on -14C°. So the best way to get the hardest is buy some more put them in garden and test it out.

best regards

Andy

[Moris 1]

Also here a lot of trachy survided with -15 celsius and a lot of snow. The best palm to low temperature

[Takil-Explorer 33]

What would we be without them! At least one palm wich is realy doing well here in our palm-unfriendly climate! Here they have survived in some place -20 and even colder. But there is variability in coldhardiness. Some are les hardy. I grow them from seeds and leave them in the ground in the open on an allotment so the weak ones die the strong and best ones survive!

And Trachycarpus fortunei 'Tesan' should be even hardier! It comes from cold places like Tianshui and Xian in Central China. And they are planted in Beijng.

Alexander

[Andriy75 1]

Definitely the hardiest palm in European climate! Last winter, my eight years old T.fortunei survived -30C with some (weak) protection. I think the temperature inside the protection was well below -20C.

[Rade 0]

Hello there,

T. fortunei (with T takil) is only species of palm, which is able to grow in Czech republic (and Central Europe overall). Neither Rhapidophyllum or, for example Nannorrhops aren´t able to grow as those Trachycarpuses. But neither Trachycarpuses are not without problems. There in Czech rep. we commonly must heating all palms, if we want healthy green leaves on spring . But Trachycarpus have the biggest moisturetightness and leaves of plant with trunk 50cm and above, survive about -12°C (10°F) and in our experience, whole plant is able to survive about -16/-18°C (3/0°F). Problem of our winters is, that those temperatures may be several days or a few weeks, which is it, what´s palm killing. So, if We want palms, we must heat .

[Ovar 9]

My Trachycarpus experiences:

2009- Tmin -17°C.. palm alive, but leaves was dead

2010- Tmin -16°C.. palm alive, but leaves was dead

2011- Tmin -20°C.. palm was dead! All of Trachycarpus!

2012- Tmin -11°C.. palm was alive, leaves was alive

[cm05 288]

My 4 year old Trachy endured temperatures as low as 13F (-10.6C) this winter with no damage, leaves do darken however.

[Mr.SamuraiSword 1,120]

hello palm lovers.  I am from eastern mid Connecticut.  I saw a video by a gardener named DR.Z has a trachycarpus palm since 2005 according to daves garden.  he made a video in 2012 about his trachy and his musa bananas.  he wraps the palm like a fig tree slimier to this.  On DG there was another review by a guy from lebanon of the fortunei and under the trachy "waggie" someone from Connecticut gave it a positive.   every review stated they were wrapped and some had christmas lights.  Ive heard they can survive down to -5 degrees F and the lowest it got in Connecticut last year was -9.  with heavy insulating and wrapping, and maybe even Christmas lighting, do you think i will be as successful as the other trachy growers in my state?

[TexasColdHardyPalms 3,174]

Potted 5g trunking windmills 12 degrees in the shade, alive and zero spearpull. 

Ten mature 11-13' clear trunk specimens planted in Abilene, TX zone 6b, dropped to single digits and then below -2f. All foliage burned, have now grown 6-12" of new green growth. See pics.

[Allen 565]

trachycarpus with full sized trunks/spears can keep leaves till around 10F.  I cover mine and heat when forecasted below 14F or so.  Smaller palms may spear pull at temps below 21F but will generally recover with hydrogen perozide/copper fungicide treatments.  Below 10F or so you will lose fronds and or entire plant at temps from 0F-10F depending on duration/etc.  Mine is heated with mini Christmas lights on a thermocube and you must have a enclosure or wrap with frost cloth.  Trachy in pots I move inside if temps are under 18F but they may be able to take colder.  

Below is a pic of minimum size palm for full cold hardiness showing full size trunk.  Full size palms have noticeably thicker/tougher spears up to the diameter of a quarter.  

 

 

 

Edited February 8, 2019 by Allen

[mdsonofthesouth 528]

Saw around 8F in 2018 lost the spear but grew back like nothing happened. Saw what I thought was around 4F lost all Spears and foliage completely burned. Worst side of my house where the ground would stay frozen for hours after everything else thawed. Will be trying them in a better setting and see what they can do, but as of now it seems setting is key for my z7 garden.