Outdoor palm tree

Luckily, our winters are a bit too cold and damp for red palm weevil (rhynchophorus) and palm moth (paysandisia) to get a hold...although there have been a few sightings. To my knowledge, or failing memory, I don't recall any established palms succumbing to either pest.

 

Probably on imported plants but if it is managing to spread I've not heard.

 

Pete's spot on, as usual Mine was a single-stemmed seed-raised Cordyline which suffered damage in the very cold winter of 2010/11 (-12C day/-17C night temps).
When it recovered, it put up a couple of new stems from the base. Since then, one winter where temps dipped to -8C prompted another stem. Any form of damage will cause it to multiply.
The purple/striped ones are more tender, but as I wrote before, in a dubious climate you'd tie up the leaves over the growing point and perhaps protect the trunk as well, at least for the first few years.

 

I caught one of the moths the other day. Too close for comfort near my Trachycarpus. A cypermethrine solution poured over and around the growing point is supposed to sort the beasts. The original palm I lost had 53 larvae inside the trunk There are dead palms all over the place round here.....

 

I had a couple of fairly large cordylines killed to the ground in that same winter.
They grew multiple shoots and not wanting lots of thin shoots I reduced them back to just one over the following couple of years.
Not sure it was the right thing to do as both are single stemmed but not very thick.

That same winter one large one survived, and its still there.

The moth sounds bad @noisette47 , I'm pretty sure it will get here at some point, palms popping up all over these days.
Considering I only knew of one Trachy in my area back in the 70s its almost like a native now, and self seeds under the trees.

 

Trachys are all over the place up here too, and I'm in Lancashire! I know of one magnificent specimen in particular in Ramsbottom, it must be 15ft in height, and wide too.

I must say, I much prefer the multiple trunkated Cordylines, but if it takes a trauma such as bitter cold to promote said growth, then you're in the lap of the gods really if you want one.

 

I agree, I just prefer the shape of the tree, hopefully the spot I have ready will be perfect.

I think ill be making my purchase this weekend or the next one and then keeping it in a pot over the early winter months. A bit of fleece will probably help too.

 

No your not in the lap of the gods.
You grow it until it has a decent basal stem and then saw it off.
Stand back and wait.

 

What! After years of tender care, nurturing it, protecting it, only to take a saw to it! It'd be like beheading one of your children, lol.

 

Well either you do it, or you wait for the winter to do it.
But a couple of years of good growing could come up with a plant you could probably chop, if you cant bring yourself to do it, wait for it to flower, my neighbour planted one in spring 2021, it flowered this year at only 4 ft high, so I forsee a shrubby bush.
Personally I like a thick stemmed one flowering at around 2 metres plus, which gives you good clearance under it.

 

I don't know about 'clearance'....what I've got under mine is a thick carpet of old leaves! Still, at least they fall off which is more than you can say for palms or Phormiums

 

You people with massive acreages dont have to worry about walking underneath.

But I often see these at fairly large size and think how much of a problem it was before it got high enough to walk under.

 

What is the recommended method of dealing with those horrible brown leaves once they wilt. I've read that some prefer to tie them up as protection for cold weather, and some just chop them off. Do they harbour moisture which could cause rot?

I don't like the look of them at all, but if they have a use in protecting the plant then I could be persuaded to keep them once my young ones get bigger.

 

I just pull them off, sometimes they dont want to come away, so I cut them off, but its not something I do on a regular basis.
Mostly when I cant think of anything else to get up to.

 

If we're talking cordyline, it's a very variable species. Some shed their leaves if you look at them funny, others will hang on to them like you're trying to steal their wallet!
I have some of each.
If it's palm leaves, then I've found a one handed hacksaw blade works better than secateurs