Fan palm: tips for care, selection and wintering

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Fan palm: tips for care, selection and wintering
Fan palm: tips for care, selection and wintering
Anonim

Fan palms - so called because of their large, green and fan-like fronds - are easy-care and attractive houseplants. There are different types, but they are mainly suitable for indoor cultivation. The vigorous Washingtonia species are particularly popular.

fan palm
fan palm

What do you have to consider when caring for fan palms?

Fan palms are easy-care houseplants with palmate, fan-like leaves. Popular species include Washingtonia filifera, Washingtonia robusta and Trachycarpus fortunei. They need lots of light, special palm substrate, balanced fertilizer and regular watering with lime-free water.

Origin and Use

The term “fan palm” does not refer to a specific species or genus, but is a collective name for palm species with palmate, fan-shaped leaves. There are numerous species that are native to different parts of the world. While the popular Washingtonia species - such as the desert palms Washingtonia filifera or Washingtonia robusta - come from the southeast of the USA or northwestern Mexico and are now also widespread in the Mediterranean region, the hemp palm (Trachycarpus fortunei) has its natural habitat in the high mountains Asia. In our country, however, these and other species can only be cultivated in pots due to their non-existent or only weak winter hardiness.

Appearance and growth

Fan palms usually grow solitary and tree-like, even if palms are not strictly speaking trees due to the lack of thickening of the trunk. The upright growing trunks are typically densely covered with ring-shaped leaf scars and covered with dry leaves.

leaves

The various fan palms owe their names to the characteristic structure of their leaves. The individual leaves are very large, divided palmately and have a fan-shaped outline. The leaf veins are arranged in a radial pattern from the base of the petiole to the edge of the leaf.

Toxicity

Since the various fan palm species are among the so-called real palms, they are non-toxic and therefore harmless to humans and animals.

Which location is suitable?

Like almost all other types of palm trees, fan palms also need a lot of light - after all, they are plants that naturally grow in very exposed locations, in the case of Washingtonia, for example, in the desert. Place the potted plants as brightly and warmly as possible at temperatures between 20 and 25 °C, although direct sunlight during the midday hours should be treated with caution: this can lead to leaf burns, which is why shading the plants makes sense.

Substrate

Palm trees feel most comfortable in a special palm substrate. However, if you want to mix the substrate yourself, choose coarse sand, which you mix with compost, peat and expanded clay in equal parts. A high mineral content in the substrate is beneficial for the plants and also increases the permeability of the mixture. Palm trees are generally used to drought and cannot tolerate excessive moisture - especially not waterlogging.

Watering the fan palm

You should provide fan palms with sufficient water, especially in spring, during the main growing season. For this purpose, always keep the soil slightly moist, but not wet, and do not water too heavily at once - frequent and heavy watering not only leads to waterlogging (which palm trees don't like at all), but also leaches minerals and nutrients from the substrate. Do the finger test before every watering: If the substrate is superficially dry, you can water - otherwise not. During the hot and dry summer months, it is also useful to moisten the leaves from time to time, for example with lime-free water from a sprayer, so that the large leaves stay nice and green and do not brown.

Always use lime-free water when watering the fan palms. Using tap water will cause the plant to die sooner or later.

Fertilize fan palm properly

For he althy and beautiful growth, fan palms need a balanced nutrient cocktail. Between April and August, supply the plants with a liquid complete fertilizer (€6.00 at Amazon), which contains in particular nitrogen (for the growth of leaves and shoots), phosphorus (the formation of he althy and strong roots) and potash (for stability). contains. You can use special palm fertilizer, but this is not absolutely necessary. Always apply the fertilizer together with the irrigation water and under no circumstances pour it onto a dry substrate.

Cut the fan palm correctly

In contrast to the so-called false palms - such as the yucca palm, which is also widely used as a houseplant - you cannot simply cut off fan palms if they get too tall. Cutting off the tip often results in the death of the entire plant. Only remove dried, brown or yellow fronds, but do not leave any residue on the trunk - these serve as welcome breeding grounds for pathogens and parasites. If possible, cutting should be done before putting it away for winter quarters. When cutting, be careful not to injure yourself on the thorns.read more

Repotting

The palm trees need to be repotted in early spring so that the potted plant can then move into the growth phase with fresh substrate and a larger pot. Do not knock the old soil out of the roots, but place it into the fresh substrate - this makes it easier for the plant to grow. In addition, the new plant pot should be several sizes larger, although the Washingtonia species in particular also require deep planters: they form a deep taproot. The right time to repot is when the roots start to grow out of the pot.read more

Wintering

As a rule, fan palms survive low temperatures of around minus eight degrees Celsius quite well. Good protection from the cold is still important, especially if the plant is to remain outside over the winter months. However, the palm tree must be packed well:

  • Tie the fronds up with a thin rope.
  • Put a large, airy sack (e.g. made of jute) over the palm tree.
  • Styrofoam plates, arranged around the palm tree and tied down, also protect against the cold.
  • Cover the trunk with dry mulch or a bamboo mat.
  • Mulch the substrate to protect the roots.

However, if long-lasting or deep frosts are to be expected, you should move the palm tree to a cool, but frost-free and, above all, bright winter quarters. Water only a little and don't fertilize at all until April. Overwintering in the living room is also possible, but difficult because of the dry heating air and the lack of light in the winter months. Keep the humidity high and install additional plant lights if necessary.read more

Diseases and pests

Fan palms are often attacked by mealybugs, mealybugs and scale insects, which are difficult to detect because of their color. Therefore, check the plants regularly for infestation so that if the worst happens, you can intervene quickly and prevent an invasion in good time. The first sign is often the fronds turning brown or yellow. In general, palm trees react with such discolored leaves when they do not feel well: This can also be caused by a location that is too dark, cold, inadequate fertilization, as well as overwatering (waterlogging) or drought. If brown or yellow leaves appear on your fan palm, you should carefully look for the cause and, if found, correct it accordingly.

Tip

You can grow fan palms yourself from seeds, which you can purchase from specialist retailers. However, you need patience as germination takes several months.

Species and varieties

Usually the three species Washingtonia filifera, Washingtonia robusta and Trachycarpus fortunei are assigned to the fan palms; sometimes the Livistonia, which actually belongs to the umbrella palms but looks quite similar, is also included in this group.

Washingtonia filifera

Washingtonia filifera is a robust, fairly fast-growing palm species that is used to dry locations and is native to the desert in the southern United States and Mexico. In their natural environment, these fan palms can grow up to 15 meters high and have a trunk diameter of around one meter - of course this is not possible in a container culture, here the plant remains significantly smaller. Be careful of the thorny petioles, which are easy to injure.

Washingtonia filifera is also colloquially known as priest palm or petticoat palm, which is due to the numerous, dried out brown leaves that cover the trunk. However, in a room culture you can remove them without worry. Washingtonia filifera can tolerate some frost for a short time, but should be kept frost-free over the winter.

Washingtonia robusta

Washingtonia robusta is very similar in appearance and growth to the species Washingtonia filifera, but is considered to be more robust and less sensitive - just not to cold, because in contrast to W.filifera, W. robusta can tolerate temperatures of a maximum of minus five degrees Celsius for short periods of time. The species is native to the northwest of Mexico, where it is usually a little wetter than in W. filifera's ancestral homeland.

Trachycarpus fortunei

The Chinese hemp palm grows in a climate that is rather unusual for palm trees, namely in the high mountains of Asia up to 2500 meters above sea level. As a result, this species is particularly suitable for cultivation in the Central European climate, as it is naturally used to a rather cool climate. The species feels particularly comfortable in a bright location with temperatures between 15 and 20 °C. Older specimens can also tolerate frost down to around minus ten degrees Celsius for a short time, but should be kept as cool and frost-free as possible over the winter. The hemp palm is often confused with the dwarf palm (bot. Chamaerops humilis) and is therefore often mistakenly found in stores under this name. However, they are different species with different needs.

Livistonia / Livistonie

Although the different types of Livistonia palms are often classified as fan palms, they are actually umbrella palms. Livistona australis, Livistona chinensis and Livistona rotundifolia are particularly popular as houseplants. All species should be cultivated all year round at temperatures between 20 and 25 °C, although you can also put them outdoors in summer. The palm trees need a bright location (but without midday sun) and only a little water.

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