Livinstona chinensis

[Alberto]

The most common mistake people make with the Chinese cabbage palm is to grow it in full sun.

They need plenty of shade to grow well and look good. Besides, the leaves are definitely not hardy to 15F even if the plant itself survives. So you need to grow it under canopy where you live. You will have much better luck and you probably won't loose the original stretched leaves either.

You are right. My shade grown Livistona chinensis has larger fans and longer petioles and doesn´t burn with every freeze. so they look a lot better!

[Palm crazy]

Here I go again with more L. chinensis, this is actually fun to make more palms out of indoor palms.

Here the newest one.

The roots are very small and over stuff into one pot. Horrible I tell yea.

Separated them into single palms here the four largest of the lot. Some of the feeder roots didn’t make it.

And the smallest.

[Palm crazy]

I made two singles with the two largest ones.

And the rest I made triple palms.

Four new palms out of one overcrowed pot for $30 bucks, Love it. These will go into the garden next spring.

Edited September 10, 2013 by Palm crazy

[Alicehunter2000]

Excellent, my neighbor is now asking me to design his backyard which has almost the same dimensions as my yard. I am thinking about using several triple L. chinese as an integral part of their yard. As far as cold hardy fan palms go, it is hard to beat for a tropical look. They sell large landscape sized ones cheap in the springtime at the box stores. May need to wait till then. I concur that they look heaps better in the shade. Sun grown ones here look sun burn't most of the time. Probably will use a P. sylvestris as a focal point and a few L. decora's along with some small mules. Round out with some loquat's and citrus.

[_Keith]

Tremendously underrated palm, and just because it is common.

[Palm crazy]

Sounds like a great combination of exotic palms and plants for your area, and low maintenance for your neighbor.

[Alicehunter2000]

He likes R. excelsa ........so that will be a nice understory palm to put around as well.

[Brad Mondel]

Here my Livistona Chinensis is growing in partial shade under some tall pines. They do really well without any frost damage whatsoever. I think they do better in marginal climates with a canopy because last night it dipped down to a record 19 degrees. They sailed through without a problem. My washingtonia however, are fried.

[Palm crazy]

I usually get some damage on leaf tips at around 25F here but cold spell here last longer than your place.

16F damage was protected with blanket. Center growth sill very good.

This older one same thing.

They’ll grow back a lot faster for you in S.C. than my location.

My washy is not looking to good but still very alive.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Palm crazy

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I usually get some damage on leaf tips at around 25F here but cold spell here last longer than your place.

16F damage was protected with blanket. Center growth sill very good.

This older one same thing.

They’ll grow back a lot faster for you in S.C. than my location.

My washy is not looking to good but still very alive.

How can you say "usually" when you just planted these? Yours look greenhouse stretched, you won't know how they perform until you've had them in the ground for a few years and they've grown fronds in the microclimate they're in.

[Palm crazy]

I usually get some damage on leaf tips at around 25F here but cold spell here last longer than your place.

16F damage was protected with blanket. Center growth sill very good.

How can you say "usually" when you just planted these? Yours look greenhouse stretched, you won't know how they perform until you've had them in the ground for a few years and they've grown fronds in the microclimate they're in.

Axel good question, I am going by pass experience when I had one 10 years ago and it live 6 years when we had all those warmer winter in a row.

The second one has been in the ground three years and the others were planted last summer and are not like you say, actumated to my weather.

But in the pass I alway saw tip damage at 25F without protection.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Palm crazy

[Brad Mondel]

I checked on mine today and it's essentially the same now as it was back in the summer, I'll try to get some pics to share.

[Xhoniwaters1]

Question: Does anyone have a pic of mature L.chinensis planted together in a large clump? Like the ones you get at the box store but not separated. I planted mine like this because I was too chicken to try and tear apart the rootball. I am now wondering if this will look weird once they are bigger or if it will pass as a natural look. There's about 8 of them in the clump I have.

[Brad Mondel]

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

[Xhoniwaters1]

Ok I found a picture of a unseparated clump of L chinensis Mike in St. Pete posted from someone's garden a few years back. Nice hedge look when it's that size.

[The7thLegend]

Ok I found a picture of a unseparated clump of L chinensis Mike in St. Pete posted from someone's garden a few years back. Nice hedge look when it's that size.

Nice pic! I kind of like that look. Reminds me of a Bamboo clump somewhat and can be used for privacy. Plus it has it's own little micro climate going on.

[AlekLO]

nice pics....recover slowly....

Edited January 12, 2014 by AlekLO

[The7thLegend]

What's the growth rate experience with this palm? Sun grown vs shade grown?

[Alicehunter2000]

Probably a bit faster in the sun....but looks much better in the shade ..... slow

[sashaeffer]

Why not protect it over the winter months?? I've had a couple in the ground that I over winter here in NEBRASKA.

Yes, in my case the fronds die back but palm itself comes back each spring and I've done very minimal protection even coming off the coldest Winter here in 30 years last winter. This year will protect it more. I know it will never grow into a palm TREE, but just the fact that that it comes back show just how tough this palm is.

I had another one that was planted in the ground in more of a shady area and I thought it died until I dug it up and noticed it still had green at the very bottom. So, knowing just how much they love water I put the root ball in a plastic grow pot and put pot in stream to a pond I made and it's come back nicely. The more water they get, (and sun) the better they grow.

[White North Mike]

Hi I'm brand new to this group, I live in Ontario and keep my palms inside throughout our winter's as none could withstand the temperature's here, Anyway I have just added two pots of L.Chinensis to my collection, They are in clumps of 5 in each pot and I intend to try and separate them into their own pots this weekend, What I'm concerned with is how sensitive are the roots when I try to untangle them, I will obviously take great care, But am concerned about shocking, and possibly killing them.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, Also any tips on ideal soil mixes and fertilizer? And does anyone in the northern area's use artificial light over the winter? These will be container palms, So they can be moved inside and out with the seasons here...

[JLM]

How long do these stay in their seedling stage? How long does germination take? Are they faster than palmettos?