You need to improve the drainage and aeration of the soil. I would work in a generous portion of coarse sand, some humus, and a bit of peat moss. Then I would mulch it. I have two that I overwintered last year only protecting the trucks with some insulating blankets. They went through the winter fine and have been in active growth since early Spring. Keep in mind that Trachycarpus fortunei does slow down in real heat (over 95 F.), so don't be surprised if you see really active growth not commence until the weather cools (especially as your palm will be recently transplanted). Don't forget to feed as palms are relatively heavy feeders. Good luck!

Thanks for the info! One other question. We have an above ground pool, and I am wanting to plant 2 of these next to the pool deck (away from any pool drainage) I was thinking to plant them about 4 feet from the deck and about 6 feet apart. Does this sound ok? Do you think they would be too close to each other? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

I don't know, six feet apart sounds kind of tight to me. Remember, each one of these palms will become a TREE if conditions permit.

Thanks for the reply njoasis. I planted one this weekend, and I am going to buy another one soon. I may spread them a little further apart. Now I am new at this and I am learning a lot from these forums. Look at this post (Sterling VA Cold Hardy Palm Plantings) they have 2 Windmills (which look beautiful)growing from the same pot. And look how close to the house they are being planted. Is this ok? Thanks for everyone's help.

lascapa - Thank you for the complement on how the windmills look. Its perfectly fine. They will tend to grow out from the house a little anyways. Plus in colder zones palms will get more heat from the side of the house planted like that. Trust me The Virginian got all kinds of info from Sean at Chilly Palm Tree Co when he delivered the palms to his house such as the best way to plant and all the do's and dont's. In areas like ours 7a - 8a its best not to mix sand with the soil. It keeps the soil too cold during freezes. Mixing peat is OK but if it dries up once it'll never soak up water again. Then you end up with these dry pockets in the soil. Sean pretty much said don't baby them. Just use the plain old clay soil you dig out of the hole. Its overkill what some people do to amend the soil. Although it does matter for some palms but we're talking about windmills here. Just dig the hole, plop it in there, throw some fertilizer spikes in when backfilling the hole, fill it up the rest of the way, throw on some milorganite mulch heavily and sit back and watch it grow. BTW. Do you think this windmill is planted to close to the house? Its all a matter of opinion.

Well, At first glance I would think it was too close, but it's doing fine. And it is a NICE Windmill! Like I said I am new at this and still learning, and have learned something from your last post. Thanks! Now I did mix some sand and miracle grow tree and shrub soil in with my first palm that I planted last weekend. I am going to our local nursery this weekend to buy another one. What kind of fertilizer spikes do you recommend? Thanks for your help!

We used the Vigoro brand but you can use any brand you like as long as its for palms. Dont worry about the sand. You can do it if you want or just leave the soil alone. Like I said before its just overkill. Happy to help but beware a lot of people will disagree with me but I have seen first hand what works. Just make your own informed decision.

Jay

Throwing some sand in a hole is too much work or overkill??!! How can sand possibly make clay soils any colder (or slower to warm)? Clay takes forever to warm in the spring then bakes in the heat, and an addition of peat to a heavy clay soil is a bad idea?? If the peat is thoroughly mixed with the adjacent soil before planting there shouldn't be pockets of pure peat. (??????????)

I knew you'd get mad. LOL! I also said do it if you want. Those words came out of the mouth of someone that grows these for a living. Maybe its not exactly overkill but why add an extra unnecessary step. One, red clay is full of nutrients iron, magnesium, etc.. Two, clay soil will hold nutrients better and longer than soil with sand mixed in. The fert will leach out faster in sandy soil. Also think about this. The desert is hot as hell in the day and cold as hell at night because it holds no heat whatsoever. Trachys in clay soil in colder climates will benefit from being in that "bakes in the heat" red clay. About the peat. Not a lot of people mix soil correctly and if they leave a big chunk of peat in the soil and it dries up once. It will never soak up water again an BLAM! you got air pockets. So yeah after digging up all that red clay and breaking it up to shovel back into the hole, I'd say throwing some sand in the hole is way to much work for me after all that heavy digging. LOL! The tree in the pick above is in pure red Virginia clay and grows like a weed. I just gave my opinion. Sorry to offend njoasis.

Jay