When to put Windmill Palm from 10” pot into ground

[Gaga Iowa/Arkansas]

Hello! I moved here from Iowa and need all the help I can get with palms, which I love! 
My first one froze in the winter of 2021 after having it for a short 8 months. 
We live in Arkansas zone 7B.
March of 2022 I bought a Windmill Palm in a 10” pot thru the mail. 
It has been doing amazingly well so far! It has sprouted several new fronds.

My question is when do you suggest we put this baby in the ground? As you can see we do not have prime soil! It’s a lot of rock!

She is still in her 10” pot she came in. Should we plant it this summer, fall or wait till next spring?

And please give us any suggestions and guidance as far as planting and then fertilizer etc. . 

I have been using Fertilizer spikes, neem oil, and coffee grounds so far. Thank you! 

 

[Allen]

You are 50/50 on planting it now versus April.  Most winters you don't get too cold but I see in 2014 you had temps of 10F, 11F and another 11F.  So if you plant now you might need to be ready to protect this palm or preferred is to go ahead and put a winter cover over it in Jan/Feb since it will still be a little weak if you plant now.   Small palms are subject to spear pull in lower temps but usually recover.  I like to avoid that if possible. 

[Ben G.]

2 hours ago, Gaga Iowa/Arkansas said:

Hello! I moved here from Iowa and need all the help I can get with palms, which I love! 
My first one froze in the winter of 2021 after having it for a short 8 months. 
We live in Arkansas zone 7B.
March of 2022 I bought a Windmill Palm in a 10” pot thru the mail. 
It has been doing amazingly well so far! It has sprouted several new fronds.

My question is when do you suggest we put this baby in the ground? As you can see we do not have prime soil! It’s a lot of rock!

She is still in her 10” pot she came in. Should we plant it this summer, fall or wait till next spring?

And please give us any suggestions and guidance as far as planting and then fertilizer etc. . 

I have been using Fertilizer spikes, neem oil, and coffee grounds so far. Thank you! 

 

My area tends to have little tougher winters than yours, but I would plant it next spring if I were in your shoes. In my experience, both needle palms and trachycarpus get significantly more cold hardy with size and/or time in the ground. Planting in spring has worked best for me, but I would also recommend covering it when you expect any kind of freezing precipitation for its first couple of winters. When they are small and/or newly planted, they spear pull much easier than after they are well established.

Good luck with it.

[Gaga Iowa/Arkansas]

What do you all suggest to cover it with. I’ve been looking on Amazon. There are many kinds. I don’t want to damage the palms, and I want it thick enough so it doesn’t freeze but can still breathe. Thanks! 

[WSimpson]

I would plant it in the spring , then you would have all next warm season for it to get established . Just kick that can down the road  till winter after this coming winter .

If you do plant it , a simple protection is to cover the trunk with several feet of leaves . that would insure that freezing temps never get to the growing bud . Cover the leaves with blankets to keep the leaves from blowing away . You could pull the leaves away during mild winter periods and push them  back on during cold periods . The exposed fronds above the leaves might get burnt some but the palm will be ready to grow out of that in the spring .

Will

Edited August 7, 2022 by Will Simpson

[Ben G.]

6 hours ago, Gaga Iowa/Arkansas said:

What do you all suggest to cover it with. I’ve been looking on Amazon. There are many kinds. I don’t want to damage the palms, and I want it thick enough so it doesn’t freeze but can still breathe. Thanks! 

I have had pretty good success wrapping trachycarpus in things like frost cloth or moving blankets, with a tarp wrapped over that for the outer layer. The idea is that the tarp keeps precipitation out and the inner blanket layer keeps any condensation on the inside of the tarp from freezing to the leaves.

The leaf cage method described by Will also seems to have been used by a lot of growers with good success. I just haven't used it personally.

[SeanK]

Wait until spring.

These do far better when planted between Easter & Memorial Day. Most I planted after Labor Day lost spears so why take the risk and lose growth next year?

[MrTropical]

Definitely wait until spring-time. By planting now, you risk not giving it enough time to establish before a cold period, and damaging the palm or possibly losing it all together. You will be rewarded for your patience. 

Hope this helps,
MrTropical