Palm trees Vancouver: Trachycarpus or w. filifera?

Discussion in 'Outdoor Tropicals' started by Ryan_DeJager, Mar 18, 2004.

  1. Ryan_DeJager

    Ryan_DeJager Member

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    Hello, I have a few questions about growing palms in Vancouver (zone 8b). I've seen many Trachycarpus palms, and know that they grow fine here, but I find W. Filifera a much more exotic looking palm (Larger fronds, bare trunk that isn't narrower at the bottom than at the top). I was just wondering if W.filifera would be able to grow here also, as I've never seen a large one. Do they do poorly here, or take a lot of effort to keep alive? Also, does anyone know if you can cross like a T. Fortunei and a Washingtonia Filifera (T. Fortunei hardiness, W. Filifera good looks)? Thanks for any replies!
     
  2. Den_Vic

    Den_Vic Member

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    Washingtonia versus Trachycarpus palms

    Washingtonias are borderline in Victoria. I’ve only spotted one about 8 ft in height with green remaining on the fronds. The wetness of winter followed by cold probably killed back most Washies in Vancouver. Most of them in Victoria have brown foliage. Even those Washies that did fine for several winters. Mind you, some Washies drowned in Victoria during the milder winters before this one. They don’t handle wetness like Trachycarpus fortunei. The closest thing that you can have to a Washie without protection is probably Trachycarpus takil. It’s a bigger Trachycarpus.

    The reason why you can’t spot a big Washie is probably due to the fact that the owners stopped protecting them and they got nuked. Or simply drowned in overabundance of water. It’s more of a dry climate palm.

    Trachycarpus fortunei does poorly in So Cal because it needs more nutrient rich soil and water. Trachys don’t like desert conditions with really hot sunny days. More temperate conditions are required. I’ve noticed that the largest Trachys are usually females.

    A nice Trachy is Trachycarpus wagnerianus (easier to find in Vancouver than T. takil).
    It has smaller fronds but they are very sturdy. Strong winds don’t tatter my Waggies.
    The palm has jaunty and usually bowl shaped fronds.

    No, you can’t hybridize Trachys with Washies. You can hybridize Trachycarpus palms together. For example the Waggie hybrids (T. fortunei x wagnerianus) are used to make a Waggie with larger fronds. There is one nice specimen in North Van and an awesome one in Victoria. Waggies are the best palms for Victoria. Especially in windy areas. There’s a Trachycarpus martianus x fortunei in Victoria. It has glossier fronds but leaf shape is more T. fortunei-ish. Hardy in Victoria (Z8b) Interesting palm that has produced male and female inflorescence. Probably a great palm for Vancouver.

    Trachycarpus subspecies:

    Trachycarpus fortunei: Regular Windmill palm. By far the most common palm in BC.
    Good for taking cold and wet in winter.
    Trachycarpus wagnerianus: Cold hardiness similar to T. fortunei. Used for tighter areas and areas of strong winds. Can take violent storms. Can take more snow load. Fronds more sturdy when struck by objects. If you saw a Waggie and a regular Trachy side by side, you’d probably buy the Waggie.
    Trachycarpus takil: Suspected of being the cold hardiest trunk forming palm.
    Larger fronds and taller than T. fortunei. Often characterized with the twist at the hatsula (at the base of the frond).
    Trachycarpus oreophilus: not fully tested. Seems to lack cold hardiness.
    Trachycarpus latisectus: not fully tested here. Less hardy than T. fortunei.
    Larger fronds.
    Trachycrpus martianus: More elegant palm. Marginal. More for Victoria.
    Trachycarpus princeps: Suspected to be as hardy as T. fortunei. Sought after in zone 8 areas. White-silvery frond undersides. Unique palm. More exotic palm.
    Trachycarpus manipur: Newest Trachy in the botanical world. Fronds look more like T. fortunei in shape but it has the princeps characteristic on its frond undersides. T. manipur is not tested yet. Only available in seeds. Silvery look seen from a distance as fronds have more leaflets than T. princeps and are more deeply divided like T. fortunei.
    Trachycarpus nanus: Very cold hardy and short palm. Sometimes has silvery tinge.

    I’d mix a Waggie with a princeps if I had a mature princeps.
    I’d mix T. fortunei with T. matianus or latisectus to add hardiness.

    The hardiest pinnate palms for Vancouver are Jubaea chilensis palms. They are naturally slow but perform well in Victoria and Saltspring Island. I assume that they did fine in Vancouver this winter.

    Feed your palms with 20-20-20 fertilizers.
    More questions? Just ask.

    Cheers
     
  3. Palm Nut

    Palm Nut Active Member 10 Years

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    Denis, when would we start to fertilize our palms and when would we stop?
     
  4. Wes North Van

    Wes North Van Active Member 10 Years

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    Fertilizing Palms

    You can start now and until mid August.
     
  5. Palm Nut

    Palm Nut Active Member 10 Years

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    I just sprinkled the Miracle Gro new time released forumla in the shaker container they brought out last year.. that should take care of it then. no?
     
  6. Wes North Van

    Wes North Van Active Member 10 Years

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    Palms in Vancouver

    T. fortunei pefer the same fertilizer as Rhodos and azaleas but I am sure what you have used will be fine. I don't know how long this fertilizer is good for but I would not use it beyond mid August. New growth on a palm is not as hardy in the winter as established growth.
     
  7. Den_Vic

    Den_Vic Member

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    Fertilizers for palm trees in SW British Columbia

    Use can use Acer 20-20-20 fertilizer with slow release. It is made in Vancouver by a company called Acer. Release formula for the SW BC climate.

    Or use K-Mag 20-20-20 fertilizer from Agrico. In Victoria, you can get it from WesGro. It is available in Vancouver.

    You can add magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) or Epsom salts to the fertilizing. Add product in between 20-20-20 fertilizer timings (between April and mid-August).

    Musa basjoo enjoys fertilizers like a hog. Don’t be afraid to add palm type fertilizers to that type of insatiable banana shrub.

    If you are growing Waggies (Trachycarpus wagnerianus palms), use a light and rich soil with good summer irrigation.

    Happy palm growing in Vancouver.
     
  8. Palm Nut

    Palm Nut Active Member 10 Years

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    Umm.. just looked at the label.. it is 10-10-10 and it says to apply every 3mths.
    I also have fertilizer for azaleas and it is 30-10-10
     
  9. Den_Vic

    Den_Vic Member

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  10. Den_Vic

    Den_Vic Member

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    Palm Nut: Enormous number of local palm seeds

    Can you guess how many Trachycarpus palm seeds in roughly 3 square metres of area with roughly 5 cm of depth? This is a palm seed bed for seedling production. The seedlings will be removed and given to Victoria parks people. Before burying the seeds, I removed a surface layer of a few centimeters for another seed bed.
     

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  11. Den_Vic

    Den_Vic Member

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    Secondary bed -The way it's done

    The first pics showed how easy it is to collect palm seeds in Victoria or Vancouver. The way it's done is shown under this text. Place a covering of Trachycarpus seeds and cover with an inch and one half to two inches of rich soil. Keep soil moist but not flooding wet. Soil can be more moist than indoor containers as fungus and others pests are somewhat controlled by Mother Nature in the outdoors.

    It can take up to four months to produce seedlings. Start in April. I started in late March because I have a kazillion seeds. The power of numbers...

    To harvest seeds, I strike seed bracts together. You can mix the seeds with the soil to produce random depths. I did that to the bed that had a thick layer of seeds. It puts soil between the seeds. When I'll dig out the seedlings, I may damage or destroy some but with this method I can make use of all my seeds.
     

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    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 27, 2004

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