Planting Windmill palm from seeds

Windmill palm seeds

Windmill palm trees, also called Trachycarpus fortunei and Chinese windmill palms, they can reach heights of up to 40 feet tall and typically has approximately 13 fronds that sprout from the top of the main trunk. The Windmill palm trees are popular for their cold-hardness, the trees can endure colder temperatures than other varieties of palm. This makes it suitable palm to plant in hardiness zones and any area that has winter temperatures above 10 degrees Farentheit. They can be found growing even as far north Canada. The Windmill palm is also slow growing tree wich makes it a good choice for container growing.







Here are the steps how to plant and grow Windmill palm from it own seeds.

• Palm seeds should be planted as soon as they are ripe. Seeds of some species are relatively short lived and some others begin to lose their viability in as soon as two to three weeks after ripening.
• The seeds should be soaked in water and the fleshy seed coat removed to accelerate germination.
• To enhance germination, thick, hard seed coats can be scarified. Scarification allows water and gasses to pass through the seed thus hastening germination.
• The seeds should be planted in a sterilized soil medium. Many are available commercially or a mixture containing one-half peat moss and one-half sand or any combination of peat moss, sand, perlite or vermiculite can be used. Generally a good rule of thumb for planting depth is that seeds should only be planted as deeply as the width of the seed itself.
• Freshly planted seeds should receive bright light, high humidity, moist soil conditions and a temperature between 80 and 95 degrees F. The use of bottom heat is also recommended.
• The germination time of palm seeds varies with the species. While some species will germinate in 4-8 weeks, other can take as long as 3-7 months. Seed reference guides should be consulted on this matter.
• When the first leaf is 2-4 inches long, the palm seedlings should be immediately transferred to individual containers. The plants can be planted into the landscape from April through August when 2-3 feet tall, but it is best to provide protection from full sun and high winds until the plants are well established.

Windmill palm seeds

Windmill Palm Tree - Planting and Growing

Windmill Palms are one of the most cold hardy palms. They grow slowly, about one foot each year, that contribute to windmill palms cold hardiness. The windmill palm characteristic that makes them  cold hardy is the fibers that cover their trunk like a wool covering in winter, also the dark color of the fibers attracts the sun light warmth.

Soils of most types are suitable for growing windmill palms as long as the soil has capability to drain well. The mixture of 20% of sand and 80% of dirt will help to drain better in the home garden case. Besides they are striking beauty, windmill palms also have high tolerance on frost and salt and have very few insect and disease problems.

The windmill Palm tree grows best in partial sun light, it can grow even in direct sunlight but this tree needs adequate moisture because irregular watering and drought slows the growth rate dramatically. For obtain best results water it every other day in the first three months, and weekly for the remainder of its first year.

Even if windmill palm trees can survive very cold temperatures you need to protect them during the winter period. Cold winds can damage the windmill palm tree tissue and slow down root growth which makes them susceptible to diseases. To avoid this problem take a burlap bag and wrap the truck of the tree to make a blanket and cover the rooted areas with 4 inches of mulch, hay or straw. Once the warm weather returns simply remove the burlap and the root covering and enjoy your tree.


How to plant a Windmill Palm Tree

You must dig enough wide hole for the roots of your tree so that none of them are bent. Also make it deep enough for the roots to be well covered. For better tree growth a wider hole is better.

Chip away at the sides of your hole to  break any compacted soil, this will make it easier for your tree's roots to growth beyond the initial hole.

Carefully place your tree into the hole and spread its roots.

Now you need to start filling in the hole with soil carefully covering over just the roots. Gently pat down the soil a little and then water to help the soil settle around the roots.

Continue with adding new layer of soil, repeating the process of patting it down slightly and watering to help the soil settle and fill in any air holes. Fill in up to original ground level.