Growth rate Trachycarpus fortunei here in Basel, Switzerland

[cartridge]

 

At the same time as my Brahea armata I transplanted my Trachycarpus fortunei from pot to the ground. This palm was growing from seed in 2003 or 2004. In this Picture from  January 2007 you can spot the small frond under the Fatsia japonica. Over the years, this palm grew faster & faster and was never been protected from the cold. The hardest time was the February of 2012. The Temperatures outside the City dropped down to -20 °C (-4°F) but here in the City of Basel with the Urban heat island effect only to -14 °C ( 7°F). That was the coldest temperature since 1987. The Trachy survived with minor leaf damage!

January 2007 (I can't believe it, this was 6 month before the first iPhone came out. I'm getting old.)

July 2010

February 2012, after -14 °C

August 2016

and now April 2019

Regards Mike

Edited April 21, 2019 by cartridge

[Allen]

That's a really good growth rate it seems to me.  Congrats.

[GDLWyverex]

Yours is growing a lot faster than mine.

 

Richard

[dub671]

awesome! your patience and green thumb has paid off!

[cartridge]

On 4/22/2019 at 3:14 PM, GDLWyverex said:

Yours is growing a lot faster than mine.

 

Richard

Intense watering during hot, dry weather is a grow booster especially for palms without a deep root sytem like the Trachycarpus.

[Chester B]

That is some serious growth and spectacular looking specimens too.

[lizzo5]

Hi Cartridge

So how tall is the Trachy now at age +/- 15 years of age? How fast is it growing per year?

The growth in the cold setting is quite amazing!

Greetings and thanks for letting me know re growth speed and present height,

Liz

[maesy]

What a nice little jungle you have there Mike!

Congratulation!

And a big lemon tree too. I guess this one is potted?

[cartridge]

Thank you, maesy!

These are actually two lemon trees and yes they are potted. During winter protected with white pond fleece. The threshold temperature value for the thermostat with connected fan heater is 0 °C (on) and 5 °C (off).

Here is a pic of my radiation frost protection with the white pond fleece. That's very effective. Much better than bubble wrap.