Planting zone 8 palms in 6a?

[PashkaTLT]

Hello guys,

I (will) have these zone 8 palms and I'd like your opinion if it's a bad idea to plant them in my zone 6a (very close to 6b):

- Pindo Palm

- European Fan Palm

- Sago Palm

- Mexican Fan Palm (some say it's zone 9, but I've seen it planted and growing well even in Canada)

- Saw Palmetto

I'm willing to protect them in winter, but if it will be too difficult/too long, then I may leave them potted.

Edited April 18, 2023 by PashkaTLT

[5am]

1 hour ago, PashkaTLT said:

I'd like your opinion if it's a bad idea to plant them in my zone

Well, what do you want out of them? 

A beautiful warm season? If you can replace it later without breaking the bank, why not get a year’s worth of enjoyment and then replace after winter.  People buy other expensive plants year after year and I don’t think palms have to be any different. 

Or if you have the strength and space to store a palm indoors for the cold months, the European/Mediterranean fan is a great candidate to live its whole life in a planter. 

I haven’t grown saw palmetto but I know the rest can live years in pots. Probably easier to bring them in if they’re small enough to lift than to build protection.

And if you want to grow them out a number of years until they’re just too big to protect, you can do that with anything but of the ones on your list the robusta is the most cold sensitive. If you really want to go through the effort of protecting them then let me suggest one more: Sabal minor. It can withstand flooding, drought, heat, sun, and shade. So versatile!

 

Edited April 18, 2023 by 5am

[PashkaTLT]

Hi @5am

I will definitely plant Sabal Minor, Needle & Windmill, but I'm not sure about these zone8 ones.

I think I have the strength & space both to protect plants outside & keep them inside. I'm just not sure how difficult it will be to keep them alive outside. If they will have to be protected for many months, and if protecting them will be especially difficult in 6a, then maybe it's better if I keep them potted. Keeping them in pots will not be super easy too though, because I will probably need to give them a lot of artificial light & good humidity.

Edited April 18, 2023 by PashkaTLT

[Little Tex]

10 hours ago, PashkaTLT said:

Mexican Fan Palm (some say it's zone 9, but I've seen it planted and growing well even in Canada)

Robusta (unprotected) minimums are pretty much as follows, 

dry, hot climate - 8b

cool-humid climate - 9b

hot- humid climate -9a

 

[Allen]

All the palms you listed and the Trachy will need to be boxed in foamboard for the winter similar to the Youtube guy I sent you in New York if you plan to plant them

[ChicagoPalma]

Everything will survive if boxed in.

[Jack Lord]

I have tried both Saw Palmettos and European Fan Palms down here.  They didn't make it. For some reason, having seen forests and fields full of Saw Palmettos in parts of the South, I thought they would be robust enough. Nope.

My Pindo croaked once its size and my laziness made it hard to protect.

Sagos are probably tougher than all of them, but they become harder to protect as they spread out.

And yes, the Trachy will require permanent vigilance.

[DTS]

13 hours ago, Little Tex said:

Robusta (unprotected) minimums are pretty much as follows, 

dry, hot climate - 8b

cool-humid climate - 9b

hot- humid climate -9a

 

what about a dry, cool climate?

[Little Tex]

7 minutes ago, DTS1 said:

what about a dry, cool climate?

idk, never seen anything about a dry cool climate

the rest are just my observations from travels and other posts

[ChicagoPalma]

@PashkaTLT, try growing trachycarpus fortunei, they can shoot up like rockets even in the chicago area,  very similar climate to nj except you guys have more widespread cold hardy palms and business selling them.

[Little Tex]

1 hour ago, ChicagoPalma said:

they can shoot up like rockets even in the chicago area

proof? Maybe be we can see yours? I'm sure its shot up a ton.

[ChicagoPalma]

1 hour ago, Little Tex said:

proof? Maybe be we can see yours? I'm sure its shot up a ton.

mine rotted at bottom when we had giant rainstorms in march, there was a pushing spear but it rotted from the bottom because the mulch was soaking wet and some of the main root swere exposed.

[ChicagoPalma]

But I have proof on a guy in facebook, had a palm that he got as a three gallon in 2018, became a giant in 2021/2022.

[Chris Wilson]

1 hour ago, Little Tex said:

proof? Maybe be we can see yours? I'm sure its shot up a ton.

Mine in Ohio zone 6b grows crazy fast. Here’s its growth from 2016-2022, about 16 feet of growth in only 6 years.

[Allen]

32 minutes ago, Chris Wilson said:

Mine in Ohio zone 6b grows crazy fast. Here’s its growth from 2016-2022, about 16 feet of growth in only 6 years.

Yes I am aware of  a ton of large Trachy palms in zone 6 or less (Protected).  And this is a great example.  On facebook someone just posted their palm in Chicago as well growing since 2018.  The Chicago one grew from a small palm in 2018 to now looks like 6-8ft of trunk and around 10+ feet tall.  Anyone that wants the link to the Chicago palm facebook info PM me

Edited April 19, 2023 by Allen

[PashkaTLT]

@Chris Wilsonwow I guess that's both great and not so great. Great you have a nice large tree already and not so great it will be difficult to protect soon?

[Las Palmas Norte]

That does it! I'm packing up and moving to a colder climate to grow better healthier palms. 

[Chris Wilson]

15 minutes ago, PashkaTLT said:

@Chris Wilsonwow I guess that's both great and not so great. Great you have a nice large tree already and not so great it will be difficult to protect soon?

Yeah it’s already difficult to cover lol. Also since you mentioned Sago palms at the beginning of this thread. Mine has been in the ground since 2017 and has done really well here, it’s just to the left of my Trachy. 

[ChicagoPalma]

7 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

That does it! I'm packing up and moving to a colder climate to grow better healthier palms. 

Enjoying your joke but you even up north have a viable climate.

[ChicagoPalma]

2 minutes ago, Chris Wilson said:

Yeah it’s already difficult to cover lol. Also since you mentioned Sago palms at the beginning of this thread. Mine has been in the ground since 2017 and has done really well here, it’s just to the left of my Trachy. 

you know, i am astonished how well your trachy has grown, even though we have the same zone but I have wetter winters. Would also like to see what other palms you grow.

[PashkaTLT]

8 minutes ago, Chris Wilson said:

Yeah it’s already difficult to cover lol. Also since you mentioned Sago palms at the beginning of this thread. Mine has been in the ground since 2017 and has done really well here, it’s just to the left of my Trachy. 

You cover Sago too, right?

[ChicagoPalma]

He does,

[Chris Wilson]

21 minutes ago, ChicagoPalma said:

you know, i am astonished how well your trachy has grown, even though we have the same zone but I have wetter winters. Would also like to see what other palms you grow.

I’m growing Trachycarpus Fortunei, Washingtonia Robusta, Sabal Minor, Sabal Causiarum, Chamaedorea Radicalis, Needle palm and I tried Silver Saw palmetto last year but I may have lost it. I lost electricity for 14 hours this past winter at the worst time, temperatures were around 0 to -3F the entire time. My Sabal Minor and Needle palm look perfect and everything else was damaged but is growing back.

[Chris Wilson]

28 minutes ago, PashkaTLT said:

You cover Sago too, right?

Yeah I wrap mini Christmas lights around it plugged into a thermocube then cover with a tarp.