Mexican fan palm during winter

[petquack77]

Hello everyone, I had a question about Mexican fan palms. I live in zone 8b and have heard people say they do thrive and stay hardy in the winter around where I live. Other people say they don’t thrive in 8b and stay hardy through 9A ,9B and up. I’d imagine they do well here since my local Home Depot sells them outside of the store and I’ve seen online palm sites that sell Mexican fan palms say, “they are hardy in 8b”. Where I live the coldest it will probably get is about 25-28 degrees and sometimes snows, but when it does it isn’t much and melts quickly. The reason I ask this question is I use to have a small Mexican fan palm which died last year due to the winter. I have big Mexican fan palm that I recently purchased at Home Depot and a small one that I've grown little over 2 years in the garage. I want to prepare these guys for winter, but was wondering could I leave them outside if I took the proper precautions? Or is taking them in the garage and applying heat and light to them a smart idea? This winter I plan on moving the Mexican fan palms to an area where there is cover, but able to have sunlight. I am going to wrap the fronds, apply Christmas lights to the trunk and fronds, as well put a soil heating cord into the soil. Is this a smart idea?

 

Thanks   

[Allen]

Do you mean you're leaving them in pots outside?  If so then reduce hardiness rating by one zone.  If in a pot then put in the garage when questionable temps hit.  If you're planting them in the ground and need winterization techniques I can help with that.

 

 

[Swolte]

Hi Petquack, my guess it would be fine to try it outside with protection (especially when they are young). Robusta get sold here (8B Texas) by the big box stores and do fairly well (it got under 20F 2 years ago, and a fair amount are still standing). It's always hard to say to what extent they are pure Robusta, though, as oftentimes they have some Filifera 'blood' mixed in with them. If you're not a collector in search for the pure(r) Robusta, this might be good thing as it makes them a bit hardier! Also, when you're edging zones, be prepared to try out several specimens and spots since there can be quite some genetic variability in hardiness.  In the case of Robusta, this shouldn't be a big problem as they are relatively cheap and can grow with the speed of weed. I would recommend to plant them outside asap (before the winter) so they can establish a bit of a root system before the tough times hit. Hope this helps a bit. Good luck!

Edited July 21, 2019 by Swolte

[Chester B]

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but they won't survive our winters.  Temperature isn't an issue, the constant dampness will cause fungus to form in the crown and kill them.  I have one in a pot (fast draining soil) and left it out last year, by February I had to pull it into the garage and deal with the fungus.   I got lazy (it's heavy) and didn't bother to move it to a dry spot.  It is now finally recovering well.   To have it survive it would need some sort of roof or shelter to keep the rain/mist out of the crown, or pull them into the garage (no additional heat required).  Home depot here sells many plants in the outdoor garden center that aren't winter hardy for us, so make sure you do your research and not rely on their tags.  

Stick with Trachycarypus fortuneii, wagnerianus, Chamerops humilis and Butia species and you'll do well.  There are some others that work too.

 

[Phyllis Wright]

What is the best way to get my palms Mexican fan (6 to 8 ft tall )and Mediterranean palms (4 to 6 ft tall)  all palms are planted in the ground ..what do l do to help keep them surviving the cold? And ready for winter? I live in zone 8b

[Allen]

56 minutes ago, Phyllis Wright said:

What is the best way to get my palms Mexican fan (6 to 8 ft tall )and Mediterranean palms (4 to 6 ft tall)  all palms are planted in the ground ..what do l do to help keep them surviving the cold? And ready for winter? I live in zone 8b

What zone??????????????????????

 

 

Edited November 12, 2021 by Allen

[Phyllis Wright]

I live in 8B area.

[Chester B]

4 hours ago, Phyllis Wright said:

I live in 8B area.

Where?  Not all 8B zones are the same.

The mediterranean will be fine in any 8B no protection required.  The mexican fan palm will be fine if you're in a drier area, if it's wet like my winters a rain shelter should suffice.

[JLM]

On 7/20/2019 at 5:28 PM, petquack77 said:

Hello everyone, I had a question about Mexican fan palms. I live in zone 8b and have heard people say they do thrive and stay hardy in the winter around where I live. Other people say they don’t thrive in 8b and stay hardy through 9A ,9B and up. I’d imagine they do well here since my local Home Depot sells them outside of the store and I’ve seen online palm sites that sell Mexican fan palms say, “they are hardy in 8b”. Where I live the coldest it will probably get is about 25-28 degrees and sometimes snows, but when it does it isn’t much and melts quickly. The reason I ask this question is I use to have a small Mexican fan palm which died last year due to the winter. I have big Mexican fan palm that I recently purchased at Home Depot and a small one that I've grown little over 2 years in the garage. I want to prepare these guys for winter, but was wondering could I leave them outside if I took the proper precautions? Or is taking them in the garage and applying heat and light to them a smart idea? This winter I plan on moving the Mexican fan palms to an area where there is cover, but able to have sunlight. I am going to wrap the fronds, apply Christmas lights to the trunk and fronds, as well put a soil heating cord into the soil. Is this a smart idea?

 

Thanks   

Home Depot would probably put Coconuts out on the shelves in Alaska if it came down to it. Providing they have stores there.

Edited November 13, 2021 by JLM