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Chinese Fan Palm growth rate

Dwelty

By Dwelty
in COLD HARDY PALMS

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Dwelty Rookie

Dwelty

Posted
Posted

Hi everyone, I tried to search for this topic with no luck. I just bought three 3 gallon Chinese Fan Palms.  I am in Ocala, FL zone 9a. I know that they have a slow growth rate, but just how slow?  I plan on planting them in full sun with drip irrigation and proper fertilization.  If anyone can provide photos of them at 1 year, 3 years, 5 years that would be really helpful to me. 

 

Thanks!

Allen Grand Master

Allen

Posted
Posted (edited)

They love the TN clay and climate here.  It will depend on what size you start with and conditions it's growing in.  They can vary a lot.

Here is 1.5 years of growth.

5/2019  12" trunk, 3 foot tall

5D3_8653.jpg

12/2020  48" trunk, 8 foot tall

pic windmill.jpg

 

2018 8" trunk, 2 foot overall

palm.jpg

12-2020  48" trunk, 7-8 foot overall

windmill3.jpg

Edited by Allen
  • Upvote 1

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(8 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(3), louisiana(4), palmetto (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7+), wagnerianus(2+),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  Blue Butia odorata (1), Serenoa repens (1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows 4F, -6F, -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

Chester B Grand Master

Chester B

Posted
Posted (edited)

Hold on a second, do you mean Chinese fan palm as in Livistona chinensis or the Chinese windmill palm as in Trachycarpus fortunei?  I'm thinking since you're in Florida you're referring to the first one.

@Allen has shown pictures of his Chinese windmill palm - Trachycarpus fortunei.  

Edited by Chester B
  • Like 3
Allen Grand Master

Allen

Posted
Posted
  On 1/15/2021 at 7:18 PM, Chester B said:

Hold on a second, do you mean Chinese fan palm as in Livistona chinensis or the Chinese windmill palm as in Trachycarpus fortunei?

Expand  

oops I assumed windmill too.  I may have looked at this wrong the ones above are Trachy.

  • Like 1

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(8 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(3), louisiana(4), palmetto (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7+), wagnerianus(2+),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  Blue Butia odorata (1), Serenoa repens (1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows 4F, -6F, -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

Dwelty Rookie

Dwelty

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Not Windmill, Chinese Fan Palm.

Chester B Grand Master

Chester B

Posted
Posted

The common names are far too similar.

Dwelty Rookie

Dwelty

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
  On 1/15/2021 at 7:23 PM, Chester B said:

The common names are far too similar.

Expand  

Yes but the cold tolerance is quite different. Chinese fan Palm 8b (protected) max.  Even though I consider it a hardy palm, perhaps I would get more responses if I post it in a general palm forum not the Hardy Palms forum. 

Edited by Dwelty
Allen Grand Master

Allen

Posted
Posted
  On 1/15/2021 at 7:39 PM, Dwelty said:

Yes but the cold tolerance is quite different. Chinese fan Palm 8b (protected) max.  Even though I consider it a hardy palm, perhaps I would get more responses if I post it in a general palm forum not the Hardy Palms forum. 

Expand  

Sorry I just looked at this wrong and my mind said Trachycarpus.  I know the difference in the common names it just didn't register this morning since we deal with Trachy so much on here.  

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(8 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(3), louisiana(4), palmetto (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7+), wagnerianus(2+),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  Blue Butia odorata (1), Serenoa repens (1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows 4F, -6F, -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

Dwelty Rookie

Dwelty

Posted
  • Author
Posted
  On 1/15/2021 at 8:06 PM, Allen said:

Sorry I just looked at this wrong and my mind said Trachycarpus.  I know the difference in the common names it just didn't register this morning since we deal with Trachy so much on here.  

Expand  

No worries :)

Reyes Vargas Mentor

Reyes Vargas

Posted
Posted
  On 1/15/2021 at 6:25 PM, Dwelty said:

Hi everyone, I tried to search for this topic with no luck. I just bought three 3 gallon Chinese Fan Palms.  I am in Ocala, FL zone 9a. I know that they have a slow growth rate, but just how slow?  I plan on planting them in full sun with drip irrigation and proper fertilization.  If anyone can provide photos of them at 1 year, 3 years, 5 years that would be really helpful to me. 

 

Thanks!

Expand  

I don't have 1,3 and 5 year pictures but here is mine in 2004 covered in snow planted from 5 gallon pot and now 2021.  Now keep in mind that mine probably grew a little slower than usual since I didn't water or fertilize it.  I just let mother nature take care of it.

20210115_145548~2.jpg

20201230_101147~2.jpg

  • Like 7
PalmatierMeg Grand Master

PalmatierMeg

Posted
Posted
  On 1/15/2021 at 7:23 PM, Chester B said:

The common names are far too similar.

Expand  

Amen. Common names are beyond annoying. Latin binomials are irrefutable.

  • Like 3

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

floridaPalmMan Proficient

floridaPalmMan

Posted
Posted

If it is in fact Livistona chinensis,

The University of Florida has them rated as a 'slow' growing palm. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep359

They define 'slow' as between 1-12" of growth per year if I remember correctly.

 

  • Like 1
Brad Mondel Grand Master

Brad Mondel

Posted
Posted

Very slow 

Los Angeles, CA and Myrtle Beach, SC.

OC2Texaspalmlvr Grand Master

OC2Texaspalmlvr

Posted
Posted

Livistona chinensis in my opinion looks much better with an amount of time in the shade. There much greener and less compact. I definitely dont consider them slow by any means. Are they Washingtonia fast nope, but once there rooted in can really start to move in height and width. 

  • Like 1
  • Upvote 1

T J 

mnorell Veteran

mnorell

Posted
Posted

Livistona chinensis are gorgeous when young in the shade, as in a courtyard under Live Oaks or near building overhangs. The young plants have a bright apple green, very glossy leaf and they are superb because they are undemanding and just want to be kept above about 24-25F in the occasional freeze. Below that in a prolonged freeze, exposed specimens (full sun) may see complete defoliation, while those in protected areas may have a little leaf damage but generally just minor blemishes in the 23F range. Below that even the sheltered specimens can start losing leaves as well. When the palm reaches a certain age/size, the leaves take on a different quality, and lose much of their glossy attractiveness. At that point, the palm looks very nice in sunnier places as long as you refrain from trimming the crown, as that will show the "fountain" aspect of the palm. The catch here is that in full sun the palm grows about five times faster than it does in a shady courtyard, and I am speaking here only about the humid south. So I would say "very slow but gorgeous" for a shady place, and "it will grow moderately fast and look great soon" in full sun. You have to just choose which you want, as they feel like two different plants in the different circumstances. I grew many of these in Natchez, Mississippi (9a) and that was my experience, and they were a mainstay of our New Orleans-style courtyard there. I lost an exposed tree out near the street (with trunk, after about ten years) in the 13F event we had in early 2018. The shaded specimens in the courtyard were largely defoliated but many survived to push new leaves. 

In Ocala it's going to depend on your specific location because you do have terrain there, and if you are in a low spot you may see some severe cold occasionally. With elevation/air-drainage you may be just fine. I'm sure if you drive around your area you will see them planted out and that may help you judge.

Michael Norell

Rancho Mirage, California | 33°44' N 116°25' W | 287 ft | z10a | avg Jan 43/70F | Jul 78/108F avg | Weather Station KCARANCH310

previously Big Pine Key, Florida | 24°40' N 81°21' W | 4.5 ft. | z12a | Calcareous substrate | avg annual min. approx 52F | avg Jan 65/75F | Jul 83/90 | extreme min approx 41F

previously Natchez, Mississippi | 31°33' N 91°24' W | 220 ft.| z9a | Downtown/river-adjacent | Loess substrate | avg annual min. 23F | Jan 43/61F | Jul 73/93F | extreme min 2.5F (1899); previously Los Angeles, California (multiple locations)

Fusca Grand Master

Fusca

Posted
Posted
  On 1/15/2021 at 9:02 PM, Reyes Vargas said:

I just let mother nature take care of it.

Expand  

Reyes, apparently mine in Rio Hondo was treated the same way.  It looks like it's almost exactly the same size as yours.

 

Livistona chinensis.jpg

  • Like 4

Jon Sunder

Reyes Vargas Mentor

Reyes Vargas

Posted
Posted
  On 1/20/2021 at 7:00 PM, Fusca said:

Reyes, apparently mine in Rio Hondo was treated the same way.  It looks like it's almost exactly the same size as yours.

 

Livistona chinensis.jpg

Expand  

Before I joined palm talk I never even thought of fertilizing my palms.  I just planted them and let them fend for themselves.  This coming spring I'm going to start fertilizing and watering during the hot dry summer months and hope to see better growth and just them looking better.

  • Upvote 1
Patrick Veteran

Patrick

Posted
Posted (edited)

My Chinensis was planted in probably 2008 from a 5 gallon can. Its roots found water and it's grown fast because of it.  I probably have about 6' of clear trunk if I wanted to rip the old dead boots off. Total height is probably 15'. Trunk diameter at the base is probably 20",  tapers down to like 14". Profuse fruiting this year...

Edited by Patrick
  • Like 1

Oakley, California

55 Miles E-NE of San Francisco, CA

Solid zone 9, I can expect at least one night in the mid to low twenties every year.

Hot, dry summers. Cold, wet winters.

Patrick Veteran

Patrick

Posted
Posted

Here's mine if you can make it out. It gets hard these days to get any decent photos of anything since everything has grown together into a canopy...

374670777_IMG_20210120_16443901.jpg.1d98fa7396e55e0ed4c1aa01a400e3ee.jpg

257206579_IMG_20210120_16445901.jpg.836d6ae27bca6b0995c06e17582e993c.jpg

1885712200_IMG_20210120_16450901.jpg.2ce44f1d98698397073ded260950cc40.jpg

  • Like 4

Oakley, California

55 Miles E-NE of San Francisco, CA

Solid zone 9, I can expect at least one night in the mid to low twenties every year.

Hot, dry summers. Cold, wet winters.

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