Help transplanting small Mexican fan palm into pot

[helloguys]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask for help on this but I've recently been getting into palms ever since I moved to California a few months ago and I’d really like to learn how to grow and care for my own.

I recently spotted this W. robusta growing next to the sidewalk by my house and I want to transfer it into a pot and keep it outside. I've always wanted to grow my own palms so I figured this was a good opportunity. It's not too big, I think it's 9 - 11 inches tall. However, I've never done this before so I would hate to accidentally kill or damage it during the process. At the time of me writing this, I watered it a few hours ago and I'm letting it sit until tomorrow when I can hopefully get it out of the ground. I've already dug around it by removing the rocks and wood chips that had mostly buried it, plus I went ahead and cut off the dead fronds as seen in the pictures.

What I'm mainly concerned with is the procedure of transplanting it into a pot. What steps do I take to get it out of the ground and into my pot? Is the area that I dug around big enough and how deep do I need to dig? Will my 7 inch pot be good enough for it as seen in the pictures? Also what kind of soil/fertilizer should I get for it? 

I apologize if I sound like a complete noob, I want to be as careful as I can so I don't mess anything up or cause any permanent damage to the palm. I've been getting mixed info about how to transplant it from the online searches I've been doing so I'm just unsure what the best way to proceed is. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you! ^^

[JohnAndSancho]

Here's where it gets fun. 

 

You're not gonna know how big of a pot you're gonna need until you get it out of the ground. These things also are known for throwing some really deep tap roots, so - it's honestly a guessing game until the shovel comes out. You want to get as much of the root ball as you can, at that size it shouldn't be too bad but - you're not gonna know until the shovel comes out. 

 

I love the idea of digging these out of the ground though! Apparently they're like weeds out there and pop up in sidewalk cracks and there's a famous one growing in a storm sewer in LA. Personally I'd have a bigger pot on deck ready just in case - it doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to hold dirt and let water drain out. 

For a beginner, I'd start off with some cactus and palm soil and add some extra perlite or small gravel or something to help with drainage. Washies aren't picky, I personally hate Miracle Grow with a passion but if it's what's available, it's what's available. Don't freak out if it starts to sulk a little after being potted up, just give it some time to adapt and adjust to it's new home. Take your time digging it up, it's ok if some of the smaller roots break off but be careful with the big tap root. 

Get it potted up and try to keep the dirt at the same line it's at right now, then just pack your soil gently around it. You want it compressed but not compacted if that makes sense - just pat it in gently with your hands, make sure there's no air pockets in there. And make sure it drains well. Root rot will kill a plant faster than anything. 

It doesn't look terribly huge right now but the roots are what's important, and... Dead horse and all but you're not gonna know until you dig it out. 

 

Good luck and let us know how it goes. 

[happypalms]

As long as you get a fair amount of the root it should be, there quite a tough palm, you could trim that one yellow looking leaf of to help with transplant shock, it’s on its way out by the looks of it or starting to desiccate. And let top of the soil dry out and don’t overwater it, it’s mid winter there I do believe so not a lot of root activity going on in the cool soil. Light seasol fertiliser stress relief and away you grow!

[Las Palmas Norte]

These are ubiquitous and are very easy to acquire should you loose it after digging it out. Super fast growers as well. Good luck with your transplanting. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Welcome ! Yes , very easy to pot up . If you are keeping it in a pot , be sure to rinse the dirt off gently and use a good potting soil with a sandy loam. I add perlite or orchid mix to keep it draining well. The bottom of the pot could be lined with pebbles too. They are tough as nails and with a little care can be potted up but will need frequent repotting from fast growth of the roots. Harry

[5am]

W. robusta is a great choice for a first because it will grow very fast and carefree as long as you remember to water it. Most palms really hate root disturbance and there's just no way you can dig all of them but Washingtonia can survive rough handling.

Here's a similar size robusta. The roots reach for water from the very beginning!

 

If it survives the transplant it should do well in your 7" pot for a year and then either need root pruning or an upsize. I opted to slow one down with a smaller pot and severely root pruned it in late October '24 so it lost most of its fronds and looked unhappy for a while but by mid-April it was ready to open the 1st or 2nd new frond. I think if I kept the roots pruned for the smaller pot from the start it would have skipped the months of sulking. These things are tough! 

Soil and fertilizer selection is not a big deal with Washingtonia. Any potting soil will work fine. No need to spend much.