Windmills in the Bronx

[bronxboynyc71]

Hey all, new to this site & just acquired a green thumb. My name is Robert, and I live in the Bronx, NY. looking to learn all I can about cold hardy palms. Just recently planted 3 windmill palms in my yard. They where purchased from chillypalms. My hardiness zone is 7b. Kinda in a microclimate!! I guess? Advice & criticism is welcome. Good luck to all

[Xerarch]

Welcome! And nice palms, looks like you have a good spot for them, with all that brick and building around them they should do well. You've come to the right place!

[bronxboynyc71]

Yes, they have great southern exposure. I'm guessing the patio will protect from frost and drainage problems. Now we just need some spring weather to arrive. Expecting nasty weather tonight. Hopefully this is the last mother nature has in store for us! Thanx for the reply. Robert

[sonoranfans]

Great job Tobert, I'll bet you are the only one in town with palms!

[DavidMac]

Windmills are a great choice for for you-I understand that there are some impressive old Windmills growing on Long Island not far from you. Good Luck

[soppgy]

Good luck Robert. They look great and have a great shot of growing well up there! Your patio looks really nice and a couple of potted palms might look good there as well. Possibly bring them in the house during fall and take them out during spring and you could have an even better palm setup

[bronxboynyc71]

A couple of potted sagos might do the trick. Thanks Zoloft

[bronxboynyc71]

Thanks soppgy. Damm spell check

[Hammer]

Welcome to Palm Talk. Stick with the site, you will learn a ton. Plus, we will all be very interested to see your palms grow.

The sagos (not a true palm) are exotic for NY but you could find some palms that are super tropical looking that will handle the indoors well in winter and transition well to outside in summer. Just saying, if space is an issue, maybe do some exploring before you settle on an idea. There's so much out there.

[WestCoastGal]

Welcome and you have certainly added some tropical class to NY! Your trachys look very nice in the yard and I'll be interested to see how much they grow each year. It looks like there are 4 palms in the yard in that photo? What else do you have growing?

Sorry winter is still hanging on out your way. I would think the brick on your house and the pavers will help radiate some heat for you when the sun is out.

[bronxboynyc71]

Thanks for all the replies. I do have four palms. The little palm is also a trachy. Its my first palm that I planted last year, as an experiment to see if I could really get it to survive the winter. It survived with little damage. I wrapped it with plastic and straw. the little palm is my test dummy. But now I have a wierd little attachment to it. Lolo. My neighbors all think I'm crazy for trying to grow palms, but its amazing how many people stop and stare. I love it. I have people already asking for permission to take there Christmas pictures with the palms!!! Ha. Hey hammer, I also like musa bajoo. Very tropical looking. But takes a beating with the wind.

[sarasota alex]

Robert welcome to the forum!

One thing that no palm really tolerates is a freezing rain that covers it with a layer of ice. I have seen many species emerge undamaged in places like Houston, TX, but the ice there melts away by noon. Up where you are that ice is often more persistent. So my best advice would be - keep them covered during severe freezing rains. Those events in the past have been devastating to the NYC Trachycarpus population. The ones that survive unprotected are usually exposed to the South and are no more than 4 feet from the wall. So the two closest to the wall there you probably don't have to worry much about.

Also Sabal minor and Rhapidophyllum hystrix should do as well or better in your location, but both would grow much slower than your windmills.

[Exotic Life]

Welcome!

Are there many palmtrees in the area?

Last year in april I visited New York City for 10 days, and have been walking one day in the Bronx as well but did not see any palm. They only palms that I see during my visit where the palms that get solded in the streets off Manhattan.

Edited March 26, 2013 by Exotic Life

[bronxboynyc71]

Ya, there's not to many palms trees in the Bronx! Infact I never seen one planted ever. I'm hoping I'm the trend breaker. There are definitely some real beautiful areas left here. Besides living in the concrete jungle, money is also scarce here. My neighborhood is called city island, its a little island located of the northeast Bronx, 10 minutes fronx the bronx zoo and Yankee stadium.

[JakeK]

Welcome to Palmtalk! Best advice is to keep ice and and rain out of the crown when it gets really cold for the Bronx. Other than that, the palms should do well for you in a zone 7b.

[DoomsDave]

Robert!

You rock.

[Alicehunter2000]

You should check out some old threads from this guy (BobbyinNY)....used to be on here alot....had alot of experience growing tropical looking stuff in NY

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?/topic/19856-some-gardenyard-photos-from-yesterday/?hl=bobbyinny#entry330930

[palmislandRandy]

Well done Robert

[bronxboynyc71]

Its been a rough road, but so far so good! The Trachys have been in the ground about 3 weeks.I was expecting some planters shock, but so far so good. Everything still looking nice and green. Been very worried about this cold spring, temperatures dippin in the low 30's. Normally trachys handle that weather ok, but there not established yet. O well, just goes to show you how resilient these trees are!!! Have a great spring. New picture's soon to come

[chocapik]

Hi Rob,

Welcome in :-)

My Trachys did pretty well last year, where we had one of the coldest winter ever. Temp was -12°C / 10°F + high wind. My trachys are about 3 feet high and had been there for 4 or 5 years at that time. Some of the palms have turned kinda yellowish, along with dry ends, and they become slow grower last year. Seems far much better now that spring is coming back.

My experience is also that they are more sensitive to cold snaps for the first year, you might want to be carefull and provide some light protection for the first winter.

Enjoy your palms, you also can dry Sabal minor, kinda sensitive to wind and slow to grow but won't care about NY winters.

Chocapik,

[bronxboynyc71]

Hey guys. The warmer weather is finally here. Lows are getting above frost Level averaging around 45. Todays high reached around 75. Curious about how to water my trachys. When I reasearch it, get lots of different opinions. Some say don't give to much water at first because the tap root wont grow if provided to much water. Some say they like lots of water in well drained soil. Getting Lots of different opinions. I heard also water sparingly twice a day not to flood roots. Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advanceappre

[Jastin]

What type of soil do you have? Have you tried filling a hole with water and seeing how long it takes to drain? look up "soil ribbon test" on google and do that too. it will show you how much clay you have. I water once a week in the spring and fall, maybe twice a week in the summer. I have heavy soil that drains about 1.5"-2" a hour and doesnt dry out easily. I would water once a week.

Welcome to Palmtalk!

[Jim in Los Altos]

Hey guys. The warmer weather is finally here. Lows are getting above frost Level averaging around 45. Todays high reached around 75. Curious about how to water my trachys. When I reasearch it, get lots of different opinions. Some say don't give to much water at first because the tap root wont grow if provided to much water. Some say they like lots of water in well drained soil. Getting Lots of different opinions. I heard also water sparingly twice a day not to flood roots. Any advice appreciated. Thanks in advanceappre

Bobby,There are no tap roots with your palms. Trachycarpus like moist, fertile soil. keep the soil evenly moist by watering twice a week during the spring and increase it to deep watering three times a week in the summer unless you have a lot of rain. They grow fastest during times of cool weather. Heat slows them down as does very cold weather.

[Mandrew968]

Robert welcome to the forum!

One thing that no palm really tolerates is a freezing rain that covers it with a layer of ice. I have seen many species emerge undamaged in places like Houston, TX, but the ice there melts away by noon. Up where you are that ice is often more persistent. So my best advice would be - keep them covered during severe freezing rains. Those events in the past have been devastating to the NYC Trachycarpus population. The ones that survive unprotected are usually exposed to the South and are no more than 4 feet from the wall. So the two closest to the wall there you probably don't have to worry much about.

Also Sabal minor and Rhapidophyllum hystrix should do as well or better in your location, but both would grow much slower than your windmills.

Alex, I hear Trachycarpus grows very well in the Pacific North West--hard to imagine there is a worse place for freezing cold rain... Am I missing something or shouldn't these windmill palms do well for Robert?

[Palm crazy]

Hi Robert welcome to the board you’re in the right place for good advise and awesome looking gardens.

The biggest difference between PNW and EastCoast is we’re more temperate all year. We do grow some good looking windmilll palms.

Freezing rain here are not that common, happens about every 7-10 years. In the coldest part of the Western WA [8a] we can have lots of rain followed by clear freezing nights that can kill more tender palms but has no effect on Trachycarpus fortunei.

[bronxboynyc71]

Spring in the bronx has arrived, waiting for plants to flower. annuals are in. New palms seem to be ok.was wondering if I should expect any growth this year. Only planted in the middle of march. Have a great spring everyone!!

[Texeltropics]

hi...little bit late but...i have real good experiences with these palms. Youre garden and palms looks great. Go and change NY into a tropical paradise

regards from holland..

[islandwidepalmtrees.com]

Your trees look great!!!!! My name is Kevin and I started a palm tree business up here in New York last year called islandwidepalmtrees.com. I run it out of my backyard in Hauppauge Long Island. It has always been a dream of mine to start this business up. I was going to do it 20 years ago and all my friends laughed at me. So last year I decided what the heck let me give it a shot. I brought up a bunch of tropical trees and started a website, pounded the pavement a little and before I knew it I sold all my trees. During the process I was getting a lot of phone calls about these windmill palms, people wanted to know if I carried them. I told them no i didn't I did not feel right selling a tree to somebody that I thought was going to die. So after tons of phone calls and some research I decided I would get some shipped up. I sold a bunch of them but I made my buyers beware that there is no warranty with these trees after all its a palm tree. I just called all my customers from last year and not one of them said that their trees didn't make it through out the winter. So I was very happy about that, plus the few windmill trees I had left over in my backyard all survived without me doing anything to them.

I just placed an order to have about 25 more windmill palm trees to be shipped up... these trees will be anywhere from 3 1/2 to 6 foot tall..... price will start out at $150..... I feel this a great price for these trees... I do not claim to know much about palm trees but I'm trying to learn. But if I can ever be of assistance to you or anybody on here just let me know.... Once again those trees of yours look great!!!

Thanks

Kevin

Edited May 2, 2013 by islandwidepalmtrees.com

[bronxboynyc71]

Good luck with your new business. Will check out your website. Have a good growing summer

[islandwidepalmtrees.com]

thanks ..... i just offloaded the trees today..... they look good... took 4 guys 6 hours..... i brought in about 40 windmills.from 3 1/2 feet to 8 feet tall.... ill try and post some pictures...let me know what you think of the site.. have a great night

[palmkasper]

I love ny, i love trachy's, perfect combination for me! Go on, with it. Ny needs more palmtrees if you ask me! Good commercial for the city! Gr. Kasper.

[palmnut-fry]

I just can't see how the Bronx is a zone 7, unless you are considering micro-micro climate. But with the blizzards and consistant cold that area experiences, it is no wonder not many mess with palms. After Hurricane Sandy, I saw pics of the boardwalk in NJ and there were palms in some shots (Sabal palmettos) and I freaked! Did some investigation and found out that they bring in new palm trees for the summer because they croak every winter (big surprise). But like others suggested in other posts, our local native, Sabal minor (also the Needle Palm), would probably be a better candidate, as I don't see how you will be able to protect the windmill properly once these gain some height (and they do grow fairly quickly). The Pacific N/W and even the Netherlands don't experience the severe blasts such as the one's that occur there (and yearly). I hate to be a party pooper, but it's like trying to grow a saguaro cactus where it's cold and wet- ain't gonna work unless you go to great lengths to support.

[bronxboynyc71]

Actually, according to the new hardiness zone map i am borderline zone 7b! I'm very sceptical myself. The Bronx used to be rated zone 6. However i still plan on treating the palms as though I'm in zone 6. Going to build mini greenhouses around them. The key is to keep them dry, the cold really don't bother them. As far as Cabbage palms go they are at least zone 8b or greater, and would never stand a chance in Atlantic city. There are many people growing trachys with great success in much harsher climates than mine. Good luck, have a great summer. Robert

[BigD]

I agree that NYC is a ok place to grow Trachy succesfully given that it has some protection during the winter and they are planted close to a southern wall. Heck I know a guy who grows them in North Wisconsin. He has two and both flowered for the first time this year.

Edited May 22, 2013 by BigD

[bronxboynyc71]

Hey all. I hope everyone is having a great growing season. I have a question about fertilizer. Sean from chilly palms gave me a bag of fertilizer (green little pellets) with my purchase of 3 windmill palms with each around 3ft of trunk. I sprinkled some fertilizer around each palm when I first planted them in early march. How often do I need to use it & how much. By the way, the palms seem to be doing well. Flowering and growing new fronds. Thanks in advance Robert

[BigD]

Hey all. I hope everyone is having a great growing season. I have a question about fertilizer. Sean from chilly palms gave me a bag of fertilizer (green little pellets) with my purchase of 3 windmill palms with each around 3ft of trunk. I sprinkled some fertilizer around each palm when I first planted them in early march. How often do I need to use it & how much. By the way, the palms seem to be doing well. Flowering and growing new fronds. Thanks in advance Robert

I'd take it easy on the fertilizer. Once in the spring time is good and being that those are new plantings they won't need anymore for the rest of the year if that's a slow release fertilizer which most are.

Your palms are doing great! If it ain't broke don't fix it..

[bronxboynyc71]

Hey All. Hope everyone is having a great summer. Took some pictures of my front yard today that I wanted to share. I also Noticed that on one of my Trachys new frond looks defected. Not sure what's causing it. Maybe someone can help me identify the cause of it. Also have some questions:
I planted them in early March, fertilized in late March. When should I fertilize them again?
Now that its Hot how often should I water them. (It seems like I have pretty good draining soil. They also receive lots of sun most of the day (southern exposure

[Stator]

Didn't your bigger one flower?

[Jastin]

That happens to me with some palms. It looks like rot from the winter. Remember to not water the crown. It happens when the soil temp lowers and the spear just sits there. Nothing to worry about, that leaf will look kinda funky but as long as its not happening to every spear then you should be ok. Don't fertilize this year. It's better to have a palm survive then to stress or kill it because of fert. Your palms look healthy. It's going to take a couple of years for it to get established. When you do fertilize, poke a couple of holes about 8-10" away from the trunk with your finger (3" deep) and fill it with slow release. Do it in spring and late summer ( not sure about your climate with 2 times a year). Also, I hate messing with palm roots because they are sensitive. Be carful with planting annuals around the trunks. All you surface roots are feeder roots.

Great garden bro, really impressed!

[Explorer]

A pond with Nelumbo, N. lutea and/or N. nucifera in that garden would be a good adition. N. lutea is native in North America but still looking very exotic!

Alexander