Trachycarpus fortunei in City of Chicago zone 6a

imcuban2 · Post by **imcuban2** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 10:35 am

I have a friend here in the chicago area who has a 10 foot Trachycarpus fortunei palm in his yard. also every year his bananas grow back every year and are huge passed 14 feet tall. He keeps them all wrapped in a product from this company here in chicago. Its a heated wire that he wraps around everything in late september. They make a thermostat that you can set to come on and off. He has his set to come on at about 34 degrees and shuts off at 40 degrees. He told me that with bananas he cuts the leaves back to where the stalk begins then wraps the stalk with the cable, then he covers the whole area under and around the banana with plastic to keep it free of any water. Here is there site

http://www.wrap-on.com

and they have spikes to keet the soil from freezing. This stuff works great soon ill have my own Trachycarpus fortunei and a takil.

Post by **Jay-Admin** » Tue Aug 23, 2005 7:47 pm

Welcome to the forum imcuban2.

Looks like some good info. Thanks for sharing the website with us.

Regards,
Jay

imcuban2 · Post by **imcuban2** » Wed Aug 24, 2005 6:24 pm

Thanx again

Okanagan desert-palms · Post by **Okanagan desert-palms** » Fri Aug 26, 2005 8:54 pm

Thanx for the info ,as I`m in zone 6 to 6a I will probably have to use some protection for our arctic blasts during Jan and part Feb. I would like to know how well the heating cables protect the all important crown spear from freezing? Does your freind use any other protection besides the cables?
Regards ,John

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Sat Aug 27, 2005 10:41 am

Okanagan desert-palms wrote:Thanx for the info ,as I`m in zone 6 to 6a I will probably have to use some protection for our arctic blasts during Jan and part Feb. I would like to know how well the heating cables protect the all important crown spear from freezing? Does your freind use any other protection besides the cables?
Regards ,John

I have always wanted to try some kind of heating cable. I think it would help out alot, but how do you protect the crown? I have heard that you put the heating cable by the spear also? Like some do with Christmas tree lights.

imcuban2 · Post by **imcuban2** » Sun Aug 28, 2005 9:02 pm

he said he wraps it up like you would a christmas tree.he wraps the stems of the leaves surrounding the crown then wraps the crown so that if theres a cold breeze its warmed before it gets to the crown. So its basicly warmed twice.

DesertZone · Post by **DesertZone** » Mon Aug 29, 2005 11:26 am

That is very cool

One day I would like to try it

I bet you will see more people doing that same thing.

spataro51 · Post by **spataro51** » Mon Sep 05, 2005 7:40 pm

hey i'm from chicago too, do you have any pics of these palms that you are talking about and also how long has he had them planted in his yard? i just planted some windmill palm seeds on sep 4 and also some hardy dwarf seeds. i planted them in pots and i'm justing waiting for them to germinate. i am assuming probably about a month or so. i plan on planting them in the yard in april and keeping them there and just protecting them in the winter. if anyone has any good info on germinating or keeping them healthy especially in our chicago weather it would be appreciated. also i thought chicago was zonw 5b?

PalmsNorth.com

Trachycarpus fortunei in City of Chicago zone 6a

Trachycarpus fortunei in City of Chicago zone 6a

Thanx

Heated cables

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