Trachycarpus fortunei in a pot

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sasha10 Valsolda, Italy(Zone 9b) Apr 15, 2008

Hello!

I have a Chusan palm in a pot. Is it still as hardy as in the ground?

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 15, 2008

As a rule of thumb you lose about a zone of hardiness when you put something in a pot, and Plant Files lists this as only hardy to 7b so if you have a rough winter it will be at risk. However, if you can insulate the pot a bit, or put it in a sheltered area, and cover it or drag it inside on a super cold night you can hopefully get it to pull through. The other thing you could do is sink the pot in the ground for the winter--this will provide you with the insulating properties of being in the ground but will let you enjoy the plant in a pot for the rest of the year. And the rule of thumb is just that, a rule of thumb. I've had things that are borderline hardy in my zone make it through the winter in pots just fine (they were all in semi-sheltered areas though). But if you spent a lot of money on this plant and would be really upset if it didn't make it, I'd be prepared to give it some extra help on cold nights.

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sasha10 Valsolda, Italy(Zone 9b) Apr 16, 2008

Hello!

There are some Chusan palms in pots in the center. They are a little damaged. My Canary Island date palm has about the same amount of damages in a pot after -8C. In Plovdiv (zone7a) Chusan palms have survived -27.5C (though they were in the ground) with no protection!

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ecrane3 Dublin, CA(Zone 9a) Apr 16, 2008

I've never grown it, and it would be solidly hardy in my zone so my experience wouldn't help you anyway...I was just going off of what Plant Files listed as its hardiness. But if it's actually hardier than what's listed there then you may be fine. -27C would make it hardy to zone 5 which would very much surprise me...my guess is it was exposed to a very brief period of cold temps and managed to pull through, but if it was regularly that cold it wouldn't make it. Some plants can handle a night or two of temps below their hardiness, but if they see those temps for a more extended period it will kill them.

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sasha10 Valsolda, Italy(Zone 9b) Apr 16, 2008

Hello!

Here is the site about those palms: http://www.polarpalm.net/index.html .

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growin Beautiful, BC(Zone 8b) Apr 16, 2008

Trachycarpus fortunei (Chusan Palm) is quite hardy in the ground but in a container isn't as happy. They prefer cool, humid conditions and I'm quite convinced they prefer part-shade to full shade. Remember that in the container, the frost comes from all sides of the pot, not just the top.

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