I have two Trachys I bot last year which I kept on my covered porch over the 'winter harshness' hereabouts. They've got some brown tips & such and I'm wondering how to tidy them up. Also wondering if they are a little insipid in their green color and what I should be fertilizing them with if anything.

TIA for any thots/advice.
Holly

We had a colder than usual winter this year and several of my trachys are looking a little rough at the moment too. We also haven't had a whole lot of summer-ish weather yet either but I'm hoping that it is coming soon. :)

I've been growing trachys for about 5 years now and each spring they do tend to look a little ratty and yellowish.

I grow them in half-oak barrels and in the winter they are placed under the eaves on a south facing wall. I put a thin layer of bark mulch on top of the soil in each pot to help keep them from totally baking in the hot summer sun.

Each spring I pull off the bark mulch and gently remove the top 2-3 inches of soil. I refill the barrel with fresh sea soil and cover that with a new layer of mulch. Mid June I give them a mild dose of Epsom salts diluted in water and early July I fertilize just a little with all purpose 10-10-10.

I'm not sure if its the sea soil, the epsom salts, the fertilizer, or the summer weather but usually by early/mid July the plants all turn a nice green and grow quite quickly.

I suspect the damaged tips on your plants are from the cold. I've experimented with some of my plants by cutting just the damaged tips off. It doesn't seem to harm them or slow them down. If any of the fronds/branches looks particularly bad, (usually the ones at the bottom) I snip it off about 2-3 inches from the trunk. I wait until the frond has turned completely brown before I do this though.

I've found trachys to grow very well in my area. They are tougher plants than many people realize.

Even in the tropics palm trees always look a little less than perfect. Trachys around here usually look very healthy on top of the plant and the leaves appear less green as you look down. Eventually they turn brown and people cut them off.

Your pictures don't look that bad. I'm sure once the summer weather hits and they start pushing out new fronds you'll be happier with their appearance.

Sam.

Thanks for the tips on the Trachy's. I read the Epsom Salts idea quite awhile back (for roses I think) so I bot a large bottle. Now you've told me it works for T's, I'll be doing that for them also.

Waiting, waiting, waiting . . . for hot sunny summer weather is really getting painful isn't it. Global Warming my butt!

TTYS

Seeing how our weather has been going there isn't a whole lot to see. Banana trees are growing slowly and elephant ears are really slow. I have a ton of cannas in the ground that are just now starting to poke through. Its really disappointing when I think back to how things were looking this time last year. I guess we had a pretty hot summer last year though.

Anyway, once things get going I'll let you know. I'd love to check out what you have growing too. Not too many tropicalesque gardeners around here. Happy gardening. :)

Sam