Hardy Tropicals UK

I think i've located a biggish one for the front of my house. Theres infact a couple i'm interested in , minimum being a 5ft clear trunk & other bigger still. I remember a few on here saying they have planted Trachys in the ground in Dec, the palm will come at sale price & not new season's stock price so is it ok to sink in ground at this size?. karl.

I would do it here but cant say for your area, how about pot planting it then lifting it out of the pot in the Spring and putting back in the hole with some blood fish and bone mixed into the hole, that way you dont have to worry so much about freezing the roots, the rest should be hardy enough.

Adrian wrote:I would do it here but cant say for your area, how about pot planting it then lifting it out of the pot in the Spring and putting back in the hole with some blood fish and bone mixed into the hole, that way you dont have to worry so much about freezing the roots, the rest should be hardy enough.

Thats an idea adrian, thing is i've got to cut into the block drive with a diamond cutter to make a nice clean hole &the idea was to tidy it all up aftewards so it looks a proper job, I'll get my wottsits cut off if i say i'm excavating the drive twice!!.

I'll get my wottsits cut off if i say i'm excavating the drive twice!!.

Tell her there is a leak.

do it a third time and she'll frazzle yer hula hoop
enough to make anyone quavers

No-one knows if this winter will be colder that the last?

if you are buying a large one, I assume you will be paying a pretty hefty price

so, perhaps try and keep it overwintered in a greenhouse or conservatory? ... if you don't have one, ask a neighbour who has, but don't let it dry out

then in spring, prepare a decent sized hole, use John Innes #3, mixed with 30% well rotted manure and 20% perlite

add a good handful or 2 of blood/bone/fishmeal and use some rootgrow on the botom of the hole (where the roots will sit)

then during the spring, summer, feed regulary

a bit of trivia .... i have found (in my area), that all the trachies I have planted over the past few years have only shown good growth late in the summer (dormant during spring/summer then a big spurt from september)

Adrian wrote:I would do it here but cant say for your area, how about pot planting it then lifting it out of the pot in the Spring and putting back in the hole with some blood fish and bone mixed into the hole, that way you dont have to worry so much about freezing the roots, the rest should be hardy enough.

Well adrian i took the plunge today & buried the fortunei i bought this morning. I went for one with just over 4ft of trunk, its as thick as a telegraph pole all the way up, i put loads of blood fish & bone in plus great drainage & palmbooster. While i was there i nabbed a cracking waggy with just under a metre of trunk, but i'm going to keep this potted until i decide what to do with it. I BELIEVE i almost stole them, so had to take the waggy at the same time. I may even sell the waggy on if someone wants it. karl.

Karl I am dissapointed at the lack of pics again

cordyman wrote:Karl I am dissapointed at the lack of pics again

Cordy, if you look on my thread ; Some final December pics, dated 1st dec, the first couple of pics are the latest fortunei which has a bit of a drooping crown buts lovely and healthy and the last pic is the waggy i planted outside the front porch on the same day, which i think was the 30th nov. karl.

*off to look*

Don't do what I did last year - I decided to be "clever" and bid on one on ebay that ended on Christmas Day - nobody much bid on it and I got it for £75 - about half the amount usually paid for one that size. It duly arrived in late January and I coddled it, nursed it and made sure it was kept warm and comfy until the soil warmed up in May. By that time it was looking sick and unhappy - spear pull etc. etc. etc. I planted it out and gave it bone meal etc. but it died. I can only surmise that it was kept outside over the Christmas period and was fatally wounded before I took receipt of it. I can't prove anything so it was my loss

huporhaha wrote:Don't do what I did last year - I decided to be "clever" and bid on one on ebay that ended on Christmas Day - nobody much bid on it and I got it for £75 - about half the amount usually paid for one that size. It duly arrived in late January and I coddled it, nursed it and made sure it was kept warm and comfy until the soil warmed up in May. By that time it was looking sick and unhappy - spear pull etc. etc. etc. I planted it out and gave it bone meal etc. but it died. I can only surmise that it was kept outside over the Christmas period and was fatally wounded before I took receipt of it. I can't prove anything so it was my loss

To be fair you were unlucky to lose a fortunei, the only reason i can think of is that it previously froze in its pot .karl.

Yes I know - the ones that have been in the ground for 6 years and they are fine - just small and very slow growing up here.