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Mediterranean Fan Palms
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Posted by butiaman 7b Douglasville,Ga (My Page) on Tue, Nov 3, 09 at 15:34
| I am trying a Chamaerops humilis cerifera & Chamaerops humilis for the frist time.I couldent pass up the deals they had on them at HD.I bought 2 three gallon size ceriferas for 8 bucks each,they were marked down from 32 dollars.Everthing Ive read says the cerifera is more cold hardy than the Chamaerops humilis,its also a three gallon,I plan to grow it in a pot for a few years berfoe I plant it.Does anybody know how good they do in my zone?I wonder if I need to mulch,because they come from dry areas of europe?We get alot of rain in winter and fall,and hardley none in summer.Why I ask is because I havent seen anybody on this Garden Forum growing them anywhere in zone 7b,atleast on the east coast.The two ceriferas put on a good deal of growth this summer.I just wonder how there going to take our cold ,wet winters.Can anybody help? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| I heard they are cold hardy and have seen them on the outter banks of NC. Some people do not do well with them because the are fussy for dryness. I heard that they need to be planted in very sandy well drained soil so moisture doesn't linger around the roots. |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| Start covering them from rain by mid Oct and let them stay dry all winter.Cover the crowns from moisture that comes before cold snaps.The worst combo would be rain followed by cold temps.I would not expose them to low 20s or less if it is wet,if you cover them and keep them dry they should be fine into the teens.My very small C. cerifera saw temps as low as 12(F)(inside a covered hoophouse-so it was dry)so,they are pretty tough! |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| My 6' Med. palms that have been outside in zone 4 for 17-18 years (covered with Styrofoam boxes with lights inside for a little warmth) have seen temperatures as low as 12 F. or lower. One year (before I started using florescent light bulbs) one of my Med. palms survived -40 F. with just one 75 watt incadescent light bulb, because one of the two bulbs inside the box had burned out. I was amazed in the Spring when it had survived. I'm sure keeping the weather off of the palm helped, since the box prevents any moisture from falling on the plant all winter long. The youngest frond must have gotten too cold, because later on it dried up, but the rest of the plant was in perfect condition. |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| Incredible Artictropical. You live up to your site name. This site is a real education; from your testimony we see some palm varieties increase cold tolerances dramtically from plain wind and moisture protection. I believe this has a varying impact on most palms, however the magnitude of your discovery (Met. fan palm surviving below zero in zone 4) should not be underestimated or overlooked. In other words, this is major information (for palm cold tolerance) and we can all be a little more daring like you and Jim. Using these techniques and knowledge we can safely have some real nice sizeable moderately cold tolerant palms (pindos and cabbage palms) outside right up to the Southern shore of New Jersey without even using massive reinforced boxes, but tenting from wind and moisture would work on some varities unexpectedly well I bet. The guy who have successfully raised cabbage palms in TN had good knowledge and it worked for years as well but, he needed to cover them to duplicate your success. |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| Thanks everybody for the advise.I dont think I need to cover them yet,were still getting temps during the day in the high 60s to low 70s,and night temps in the low 50s to high 40s,and we havent had any rain for a week and there not showing any for the next five days.We dont usually get our frist freeze till late Nov.Our winters dont start till January and run through march.I will still grow the green form in a pot for a few years,just to be on the safe side.We have crazy winters here in north Ga.I have seen snow on december 20th(lite snow)and the next year it was 70 degrees on Christmas day.Last year we had a big snow(for us)3 inches on april 6th,and two days later it was in the 70s.I think that is why most palms wont live here,our up and down temps.Can anybody relate? |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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That is a major stress for palms,(temp fluctuations)add in moisture and bye,bye palms.
There are these guys in Colorado that experimented with growing cold hardy palms virtually unprotected(they did throw a tarp over them when it hit -15.
Anyone interested in growing palms in colder zones should add this knowledge to their info,(IMO)of course some people are not interested in technical data and that's fine too. The name of the site was*-Growing palms in Colorado Springs USDA zone 5b.If anyone is interested in checking it out,I could e-mail it to you.
Unfortunately the site is no longer available.
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RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| Medditeranean fan palms are very hardy palms. If kept dry, they might be almost as cold tolerant as a windmill palm, and a zone 7 in the southeast is much warmer than one in the mid atlantic (by me), and its probably a bit drier too. i dont think you will ahve to worry abotu any protection until temps start to dip below 20F. Usually temps arent too variable by me (more down than up), but a few years ago new years day was almost 70 degrees. Also in 08 we had a really warm january and alot of things were starting to bloom, but a cold febuary put an end to that! Last year we almost broke a record low for march when temps dipped to 12F and it snowed 6 inches (which is a pretty good amount). Im not sure if I would rather have warm spells, then cold spells during the winter, or just average cold. Im sure palms are more actively growing during warm spells which make them mroe tender during cold spells, theirfore more vulnerable to damage. Good luck. |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| Sure Jim, Kindly send me the site for the Colorado study. Sounds interesting. What were your thoughts on there findngs? Jim your are a tropical plant junkie like most of us - spanish moss :-) thanks |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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Greg
I just thought since I have the little and big tents set up for my T.ferns and Bananas it would be fun to have some moss in there!
I love tropicals,Cactus and cold hardy palms but I have had problems with plants that like higher humidity inside during winter.
Not anymore though,the answer(for me)is to put up bigger tents and add some more tropical stuff!
My bananas are going bananas! They only get a few hours of sun(some less)because my Abyssinain is hogging most of my west window's direct sun! Next year I will store it in the basement as it will probably be 10'+ Spanish moss.... Good idea T7!
Then next year I can hang them form some of my stuff outside(-: Also,I think you are thinking about winter(Jan) 2007,that was the year some of the bushes and cherry trees were blooming in the east-in Jan- and it was VERY mild until about the 2nd to 3rd week,then it started to get a little cold. We had stuff blooming in late Feb-Mar and then the first week of April(I believe around the 6th?)we had 48hrs below freezing!
It wiped out everything,no Crabapple blooms no Tulips,nothing.There was no fruit either-apples,pears etc.
With that April(2008)in mind,I think I would rather have winter be winter(DON'T DO ME ANY SPRING FAVORS IN JANUARY!)-
and spring be spring! Looks like mother nature is making up for our cold Oct,
(10F below avg!)hope you guys are getting some nice weather
in the east too. Greg
You would need to send me your e-mail address for me to send the Colorado info- Greg wrote-
"What were your thoughts on there findings?" These guys were pioneers,they grew everything unprotected
in zone 5b and nailed it as much as you can in 5b! 
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RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| The weather seems good by you, and the growing season is almost over by me, but in a way Im looking forward to winter (as long as its not too cold, and it doesnt come too soon). I probably wont be saying this in January, but for now I wouldnt mind some snow coming down in the FUTURE. Fortunately that doesnt look like it woill be happening for a month as temps next week will still remain in the 60s with nights well above freezing (in the mid 40s). Also I think I know what site you are talking about. I saw it a few years back. They had windmill palms, and even takils in the ground. They talked alot about ground temperature too (if Im thinking about the right article). It's very interesting. Good luck! |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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Butiaman, one of two meds over at my cousins, rock solid hardy. I have one that's taller but it has stayed as a single trunk & no way as pretty as his two.
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RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| My palms are still growing Cactus too,one of my barrels is still blooming,oh and the Ice plant too. Yea,they talked about soil temps,cell wall thickness after cold,the works!
This is what I (admittedly loosely)modeled my Palm experiment* after.
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RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| Hi Jim, Sorry, thought you saw my email posted. It is GChristiangreg@aol.com |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| Oops,now how did I miss that?(-; Greg
I will send it to you now (-:
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RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| thanks, I'll check it out |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| My cerifera has survived 5F without any protection. I wouldn't bother with the standard variety. I know someone nearby that has one - requires protection blow 20F. |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| It is the blue form of the medditeranean fan palm. Its not as cheap as the green form, and it isnt as good looking, but it is at least 5 degrees more cold tolerant and can survive to 5 degrees (so it shoudlnt have too many probelms in our zone 7 winters if you keep it dry and protect it a bti during its first winters). |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| It's true that C.Cerifera isn't as good looking as the green form.....It's much better looking!
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Here is a link that might be useful: C.cerifera
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| I dont know why, but this is one of the only palms that I like the green form better than the blue color, but the blue ones definately stand out more, but is slower growing (which is a big problem if you live in an area where you expect damage on our palms every year) |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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| I see alot of the Green forms on the net.growing in peoples yard,some very large.Why I am trying the blue form is because its another color besides green,its blue alright, it almost looks like a glowing powdery blue next to the dark green lawn,and yes its more cold hardy.I try growing plants in general with different leaf color and shape and texture.To me it makes for a more interesting landscape.If everything was green,to me most landscapes would look pretty boaring.Im not saying that people that have all green plants have boaring landscapes,because you can have a good looking yard with all green plants.There are many shades of green.I have many plants besides palms that are a different color besides green theres ,red,yellow,blue,purple,etc.Im talking about leaf or stem color not flower color.Ive been looking on the net. at a silver Sabal minor,because its another color.Theres actually a palm that is red,but its not cold hardy enough for me.I look more at leaf color,shape,size,and texture, than bloom color.Most plants bloom for only a short time but leaf color last all season long.Dont get me wrong this is just my opinion.I ordered a Phoenix Sylvestris,I know Im pushing the cold limits of this palm,but Its has silver fronds.You all here on this garden forum have insrired me to see if I can grow a palm that is rated zone 8. |
RE: Mediterranean Fan Palms
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Yea the recovery from cold has got to be figured into the types of palms we try.
I would not try a green form because of it's limited cold hardiness and speed of growth.
However,I do think Chamaerops gets a little bit of a bad wrap when it comes to growth speed.My little Cirifera did put out 4-5 leaves this year,these leaves were it's first fans so,pretty good for such a small palm.Cerifera also tolerated 12-14F(covered in the cactus house*) with NO leaf damage,also very good for such a small palm.
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