'Trunky Trachycarpus' 39 Year old Trachycarpus You Tube video

[Dave Brown]

That's interesting Barrie. I guess a palm knee high when planted could be about 6 years old if grown well, but it does depend on how pot bound it is. If you look on the video Trunky was about 14 years old but was less than knee high, when planted, due to being in a small pot for many years.

If grown well the palm in your pic would be around 43 years old I guess

The oldest self sown seedlings are just over 6 feet tall and are 10 years now.

[Las Palmas Norte]

VERY nice Dave. All the seedlings that pop up in the parks here are promptly plucked as weeds each spring as weeds.
I've witnessed different growth rates but always best when planted out. Container bound plants are most always slower.
Here's a trio planted in the spring of '03 and the last pic from Sept. '09, so 6½ years growth. Very little growth this year after a bad winter, then early heat and drought.

Cheers, Barrie.

[kentgardener]

I have heard of one a few miles from me in Rainham (Medway Towns), not seen it yet myself, but Mixie and Kentgardener have. It is about 40 feet tall. and 100 or so years old. The land was recently sold and it was feared it would be felled, but they have built a Doctor's surgery and incorperated it into the landscaping.

This is the one - they built the path around it.

[Dave Brown]

Thanks for posting that John. I take it the fibre has gone around the base naturally rather than being stripped.

I guess The palm in Barrie's pic has had better growing conditions generally, with much higher rainfall in summer, apart from last year, which sounds like our '76 was. In the local area where the palm in John's pic is located tends to suffer periodic summer drought so growth rates are lower. My trachies certainly grew more in 2007 and 2008. 2009 was a year of the tap turning on and off.

[JohnH]

That looks great, well dont to the developers to save something for future generations.