How to Grow European Fan Palm (Chamaerops Humilis)

European fan palm (Chamaerops Humilis) is one of the most tenacious species. European fan palm can survive in extremely cold temperatures without serious damage. At the same time, European fan palm is evergreen all year round and tall and straight, which is deeply loved by horticultural lovers. So How to grow and care for European Fan Palm? Let's see it together.

European Fan Palm Quick Info

Botanical/Scientific Name	Chamaerops Humilis
Common Name	Mediterranean Fan palm,European Fan Palm
Uses	In landscaping as an ornamental plant
Origin	Europe and North Africa
Light Care	Full sun
Soil Care	Loamy, moist, well-drained
Temperature Care	Tolerate 0 to 10 °F
Humidity Care	40% relative humidity
Watering	Watered regularly
Pruning Care	Prune half-brown fronds
Fertilizer Care	Slow release fertilizer
Propagation	By seed and by removing and separating suckers
Toxic	Toxic to cats and dogs
Flower Color	Bright yellow flowers

When to Plant European Fan Palm

The planting of European fan palm should be carried out when the temperature is above 18 ℃ in spring, and then the temperature rises gradually and the water evaporation is small, which is conducive to the rejuvenation and growth of European fan palm. If we want to plant European fan palm in autumn, we should reserve more than 2 months of continuous growth time to keep warm in cold winter, otherwise it is still easy to cause plant death in the end.

European Fan Palm Care in Detail

European Fan Palm Watering

European fan palm likes a humid environment, so watering is very important, but do not water too much, especially do not accumulate water, otherwise European fan palm will rot. Generally, we can water once a week or so. Due to the high temperature in summer, we can appropriately increase the watering frequency. It is also possible to water once a day. European fan palm grows slowly in winter. We can appropriately increase the watering cycle and water it once every 10 days.

European Fan Palm Soil

European fan palm likes acidic soil rich in humus. The topsoil is sandy loam and the subsoil has a layer of loose clay, which is ideal.

European Fan Palm Temperature

European fan palm is native to tropical and subtropical regions. Its normal growth temperature is 22-30 ℃. If it is lower than 15 ℃, it will enter a dormant state, and if it is higher than 35 ℃, it is not conducive to its growth. European fan palm can withstand - 15 ℃ low temperature and has strong cold resistance.

European Fan Palm Fertilizer

In addition to laying enough base fertilizer during the colonization of European fan palm, we should apply organic fertilizer or compound fertilizer to European fan palm seedlings every 1-2 months. We also need to apply European fan palm every quarter during the growing season (may October). All kinds of organic fertilizer or compound fertilizer can be applied. When the temperature decreases in autumn, we need to apply less nitrogen fertilizer. When the temperature is lower than 15 ℃, we should stop fertilization to avoid cold damage to the growing new leaves in case of low temperature.

European Fan Palm Pruning

The yellow and falling leaves of European fan palm need to be trimmed regularly. Dead branches and dead leaves improperly cultivated also need to be trimmed in time. Another case of European fan palm pruning is to maintain the plant type. If the stems are too dense, if the stems can be cut for the beauty of the plant type, the stems need to be pruned about 10cm in the basin soil. In addition, cut the flower stems after flowering to reduce the impact of nutrient consumption.

European Fan Palm Repotting

When Repotting in European fan palm, in order to reduce plant steaming rattan and improve the survival rate, we need to cut off some leaves, leaving only 3-5 leaves, or even only 1-2 heart leaves, and the rest should be cut off. However, it takes a long time to recover to the complete crown, generally 2-3 years. If you want to achieve the effect of greening layout quickly, you can not cut the leaves, but take rehydration measures after planting, or wrap the trunk with straw or put up a shed for shade, and spray water to European fan palm in the morning, middle and evening every day.
Usually, we can change the basin for European fan palm every 2-3 years in spring. When changing the basin, we should pay attention to applying some organic fertilizer at the basin bottom as the base fertilizer, and compact the newly filled basin soil. After changing the basin, we must pour water once, and put the basin in a cool place. European fan palm can be moved to a sunny place for maintenance after a week.

European Fan Palm Pest & Disease Control

European fan palm mostly starts from the base of the petiole, first produces yellowish brown disease spots, and extends upward to the leaves along the petiole, and the diseased leaves gradually wither and die. The disease spots extend to the trunk to produce purplish brown disease spots, resulting in discoloration and necrosis of vascular bundles and decay of trunk; The leaves wither and the plants tend to die. If the young tissue decays at the dry tip of European fan palm, it is more serious. Many white hyphae are common at the base of withered petioles and rotten leaves. After the upper part of the local area died, the underground root system soon decayed and died. The pathogen is pseudopenicillium.
We can clean up rotten plants and seriously diseased plants and seedlings in time to reduce the source of infection. We can remove the disease leaves and spray it with 50% carbendazim 500 times, or remove the spot after smearing.

European Fan Palm Propagation from Seed

The propagation of European fan palm is mainly carried out by sowing. After the fruit is ripe, pick it, and take out the seeds after drying. It is best to sow immediately. We can soak the seeds in warm water for a whole day. The seeds after germination are easier to germinate. Prepare suitable nutrient soil, sow seeds into the soil, cover a layer of 3cm soil, and then water once every 2-3 days.

• Collecting seeds: When the European fan palm fruit is ripe in November, we can pick the ripe fruit, dry it and take out the seeds. It is best to sow immediately or store in a cool and dry place.
• Germination: Before sowing European fan palm, do a good job of germination. Put the collected European fan palm seeds into warm water of about 60 ° and soak them for about one day.
• Soil preparation: European fan palm seed is suitable for growing in soil with strong water retention capacity, so it is necessary to prepare suitable nutrient soil for it.
• Start sowing: We can put the treated seeds into the soil evenly, and finally cover it with a layer of soil. The germination ability of European fan palm seeds is not very strong, so the soil should not be too thick, about 3cm. We can replenish water about 2-3 days after sowing in European fan palm, and sprout in 40-50 days.