Moving Trachycarpus from ground to pot.

[adekit]

Hi All

Hoping someone can help me with a bit of advice.

We have 2 Trachycarpus Fortunei planted in the ground in our garden. They were there when we moved in to the house and have grown quite large over the past couple of years.

I'd like to move them, and ideally if possible, plant them into large planters or pots, so they can be moved around as required.

Is this possible? I have done some research and have found information on moving these palms from pot to ground or from ground to ground, but can't find any info on moving from ground to pot.

First one has trunk diameter at base of 11 inches and a trunk height of 42 inches.

Second has trunk diameter at base of 10 inches and height of about 35 inches. 

If this is possible what size/volume pots would I need? I want to make sure the palm is happy in the correct size pot, but also want to make sure the pot is big/heavy enough so it doesn't topple over in the wind.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Palmfarmer]

15 hours ago, adekit said:

Hi All

Hoping someone can help me with a bit of advice.

We have 2 Trachycarpus Fortunei planted in the ground in our garden. They were there when we moved in to the house and have grown quite large over the past couple of years.

I'd like to move them, and ideally if possible, plant them into large planters or pots, so they can be moved around as required.

Is this possible? I have done some research and have found information on moving these palms from pot to ground or from ground to ground, but can't find any info on moving from ground to pot.

First one has trunk diameter at base of 11 inches and a trunk height of 42 inches.

Second has trunk diameter at base of 10 inches and height of about 35 inches. 

If this is possible what size/volume pots would I need? I want to make sure the palm is happy in the correct size pot, but also want to make sure the pot is big/heavy enough so it doesn't topple over in the wind.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

yes it should be no problem. just make sure to dig out the whole rootball or at least most of it. plant it in a container that is around 25% bigger than the rootball and make sure to water it more than normal the first month or so. Trachies are fairly bulletproof, allmost like Washies. 

Edited April 1, 2021 by Palmfarmer

[Palmfarmer]

What do you plan on planting in its place?

[adekit]

Thanks for the swift response Palmfarmer.

Currently they are in the 2 front corners of a patio area, which we are extending outwards to make the area larger.

I won't be putting anything in their place, but it will be great to move them to the new corners of the area once extended (either in the ground or in pots as you suggested)

They are really nice trees, unfortunately they are just in the wrong place for us at the moment, so glad to know they are fairly bulletproof and should hopefully be happy with the move.

Do you think the weight of the container will be enough with it being 25% larger than the rootball to hold up against the wind?

Thanks again for your help

[Steve Mac]

Hi adekit, welcome to the forum.

I have moved one from the ground to a pot but only temporarily, then back into another ground spot. It survived but it did really slow it down for a few years.

I think that the size of the pot for stability will be trial and (error) Success.  The size may be less important then the weight and shape.

A concrete square shortish one should work depending on your winds.