As long as the ground is not frozen, they grow well and turn green during the winter. This is what the family of Sandra and Aida Nakčiūnas from Vilnius claims, who were the first to start transporting hemp palm trees from Northern Spain to the Baltic countries and started selling them in Lithuania.
Although the beautiful fan-leaved palms are an exotic plant, they are very easy to plant and care for. According to S. Nakčiūnienė, when planting, a hole is dug, at least 10 cm wider and deeper than the pot where the palm tree is. The bigger the hole, the better for the tree, because both the bottom and the sides are filled more abundantly with soil suitable for the palm tree.
The palm planting season starts in April and lasts until mid-October. Being green throughout the year, they do not drop their leaves, but replace them with new ones.
The Trachycarpus Fortunei species is one of the most resistant to cold climates. In addition to Lithuania and the Baltic countries, they are grown throughout Europe, as well as in Scandinavia and Great Britain.
This is a very popular species all over the world, valued not only for its beauty, but also for its resistance to cold and adaptation to harsher climates.
"Palms are not afraid of cold up to -18°C, but we advise you to tie palm leaves from -10-12°C, wrap them and the trunk with agrotextile, and cover the roots with a generous layer of mulch. If the temperature drops below 18°C, we recommend "dressing" the palm with palm cloaks made of special fabric, which allow it to breathe, but at the same time keep it warm. If the winter happens to be very cold (-22-25°C), we provide customers with special heating cables and thermostats that turn on the cable automatically when the temperature drops", - S. Nakčiūnienė shares tips on how to care for palm trees in the cold season.
In the cold period, the leaves should be tied also so that the wind does not damage them. The main concern in cold weather is to cover the palm in the previously mentioned ways. Exclusive care is not specific to palm trees, it is very similar to other plants that are afraid of winter frosts (for example, certain varieties of roses, magnolias, etc.).
According to Sandra, sometimes when the weather is nicer in the winter, you can open the palm's mantle a little to let the palm breathe and get some light. It is also very important when spring comes, so that the palm trees do not have a sudden shock after the winter, to remove the cloaks and agrotextile on a cloudy day or in the dark.
Palm trees are an easy plant to care for all year round. They like moist soil, in the summer when it is very hot, they need to be watered sometimes. All healthy palm trees produce new leaves, so it is natural for the lower strip of leaves to turn yellow. Yellowed leaves should be cut.
S. and A. Nakčiūnas became interested in palm trees when they lived in Spain for several winters. Every time I saw them in the environment, I wanted to have them near my home in Lithuania. After all, it is not only beauty, but also vacation memories and good mood.
The family brought the first palm trees to Lithuania a year ago and planted them in the yard of their house. After making sure that they took root and overwintered perfectly, they decided to offer them to others as well. This idea came to them after receiving a lot of questions, interest and requests for help in purchasing palm trees.
They brought the first palm trees for sale in June this year. Although this business is still in its infancy, more than one family in various cities of Lithuania is enjoying Vilnius palm trees. Also, entrepreneurs are already planning to offer other exotic plants in the future, but suitable for our climate. Entrepreneurs are not afraid of innovation, love beauty and want to decorate their country. They joke that they would like to plant palm trees all over Lithuania.
"We have been interested in palm trees for several years, so we have established contacts with many palm farms that grow them. Each of our palm trees is individually selected in the farms. We ourselves participate in the entire process: from selection, loading, transportation to unloading at our trading floor. We do not select the quality palm trees we like from one farm, we look for them not only in Northern Spain, but also in Northern Portugal and Southern France. From several farms, palm trees are brought to our warehouse in the Barcelona region, where the quality of the trees is checked once again, they are allowed to rest, and from there they are then transported to Lithuania," the businessmen say about how palm trees are selected.
According to the woman, palm trees are also indirect vitamin D, because they cause only positive emotions and decorate the environment.
S. and A. Nakčiūnai offer palm trees from 250 cm to 600 cm in height, so that a person can choose what suits him in his yard, or according to his wish and dream, what kind of palm tree he wants to have. You don't have to grow it yourself for many years to be able to admire it.
Sandra is happy that one woman who bought a palm tree said: "Life is too short for me to grow a palm tree myself for 10 years or more." And having her in the yard was my dream, so I want to admire and admire her now." And he chose the highest palm tree. So people are fascinated by these trees not only by their impressive appearance, but also by the wonderful emotions they evoke.
Interesting facts:
The roots of the palm "Trachycarpus Fortunei" (lit. hemp rough) are from India, Thailand, Nepal, southern and central China and Japan.
In natural conditions, it grows in the Himalayas in 2000. at altitudes where snow, cold and wind are common weather conditions.
This type of palm tree is named after Robert Fortune, who discovered this plant and brought it from China to Europe.
It blooms with yellow flowers in April and June.
Most like to grow in a sunny place or in semi-shade.
The tallest palm tree of this species, about 6 meters (with leaves) was brought to Lithuania.
The trunks of this type of palm are about 30-40 cm in diameter, covered with the remains of petioles and brown fibers. Only the bottom of the trunks of very old plants become bare. Fan-like leaves grow abundantly at the top of the trunk, are 100-150 cm in diameter, deeply divided.
