Chinese fan palm

Chinese fan palm: how do you recognise it?

Habit

Palm with a single upright trunk and a crown of fans; about 2 m tall and 1.5 m across when grown indoors.

Leaves

Fan-shaped, glossy dark green, up to about 50–60 cm wide, with deeply split, drooping tips. The leaf stalks carry small spines.

Flower

Small yellow flowers in long sprays, but only on old plants and in the wild; it almost never flowers indoors.

Fruit

On older plants, round to oval blue-green fruits about 1–2 cm long.

Roots

Fibrous, strong roots that dislike disturbance: repot only when it is really necessary.

Plants: April–May

Why grow it?

• An imposing, tropical-looking palm that changes the feel of a room at once when grown in a large pot.
• Green all year round: the leaves stay on the plant for years.
• Tougher and easier than many other palms, and not fussy about a cool winter spot.
• Can spend the summer outdoors in a sheltered, partly shaded place.
• Grows slowly, so it stays neat for a long time and suits a permanent corner.

Chinese fan palm: where does it grow best?

• Bright light to partial shade: plenty of light with some gentle morning or evening sun is ideal. Strong midday sun behind glass can scorch the leaves.
• Heavy, humus-rich potting compost with some loam or clay: slightly acid to neutral and well drained.
• Evenly moist but never soggy: regular watering and humid air, without water standing in the pot.
• Keep it away from radiators and draughts; leave room around the leaves, as it grows about 1.5 m wide.

Light

Sunny or bright, out of direct sun

Potting soil

Multi-purpose compost or airy, humus-rich compost

Acidity

Acid or neutral

Watering

Moderately

Size

2 m tall, 1.5 m wide

Temperature

Minimum 5 °C

Goes well with

• Kentia palm: A second palm with a very different, feathery leaf shape in the same corner.
• Swiss cheese plant: Large, cut leaves that contrast nicely with the fans.
• Rubber plant: Sturdy, broad leaves as a backdrop to the lighter palm.
• Ferns: Soft, fine foliage in front; they enjoy the same humid air.

Chinese fan palm: when and how to plant it?

Plant in April–May.

1. Repot in April–May, when roots come out of the drainage holes or the pot is full; usually every 2–3 years.
2. Choose a heavy, deep pot with drainage holes, one size up from the old one. Palms are top-heavy and would otherwise tip over.
3. Put a layer of clay pebbles at the bottom and fill with a mix of potting compost, a little loam or clay and one fifth coarse sand or perlite.
4. Plant it at the same depth as before and disturb the root ball as little as possible; do not cut roots.
5. Water well afterwards and let the excess drain away.

Care

Water

Keep the compost evenly moist during the growing season (April–September); let only the top few centimetres dry out. Use low-lime water (rainwater is ideal) and never let water stand in the pot or saucer.

Feeding

From April to September every 2–4 weeks, give palm or foliage plant feed at the recommended dose. Do not feed in winter.

Humidity

Mist the leaves now and then and wipe them with a damp cloth: this keeps them glossy and prevents brown tips and spider mite.

Light

Plenty of light, but no strong midday sun behind glass. Turn the pot now and then so that it grows evenly.

Repotting

Every 2–3 years in spring, and only when the roots fill the pot. In between, replace the top layer of compost with fresh compost.

Tip: Put the heavy pot on a wheeled stand and rinse the leaves under a lukewarm shower now and then: it keeps the palm dust-free and prevents spider mite.

Chinese fan palm: when to prune it?

When: A palm is not pruned. You only remove leaves that are completely brown, preferably in spring or as soon as a leaf is really dead.

How:

• Cut a completely brown or withered leaf off with its stalk, close to the trunk, using clean, sharp scissors.
• For brown leaf tips, trim away only the brown part, following the shape of the leaf and leaving a narrow brown edge.
• Leave yellow or half-brown leaves in place: the plant is still drawing nutrients from them.
• Wear gloves: the leaf stalks have small spines along the edges.

Caution: Never cut off the top or the growing point in the centre of the crown: a palm grows from a single point and will die afterwards.

Pruning calendar and basic rules

Propagation

Seed

Sow fresh seed in spring in a moist mix of potting compost and sand at about 25 °C or more, under clear film. Germination is slow and uneven (weeks to months), and the young palms grow slowly for years. At home it is a long road.

Chinese fan palm: how does it get through the winter?

• Not hardy in Belgium: keep it above 5 °C. The best winter spot is bright and cool, at 10–15 °C.
• Water less in winter: the compost may dry out a little further between waterings, but never completely. Do not feed.
• Keep it away from radiators and cold draughts; dry heating air causes brown tips and spider mite.
• If it spent the summer outdoors, bring it in during October, before temperatures fall below about 10 °C.

Diseases and pests

• Brown leaf tips: Caused by dry air, hard water or irregular watering. Trim away the brown, use low-lime water and provide more humid air and even watering.
• Spider mite: Fine webbing and speckled, dull leaves, especially in dry heating air. Rinse the leaves in the shower and keep the air more humid.
• Scale insects: Brown bumps with sticky droplets on the stalks and under the leaves. Wipe them off with a cloth and a little soapy water; repeat after a week.
• Yellow leaves and rot: Yellow lower leaves and soggy compost point to too much water or a pot without drainage. Let it dry out and water less; for rotten roots, repot in fresh compost.

Through the year

• January: Keep bright and cool (10–15 °C). Water very sparingly.
• February: Bright and cool. Wipe the leaves now and then.
• March: Dust the leaves. At the end of the month, water more again.
• April: Repot if necessary. Start feeding.
• May: From mid-May it may go outside in partial shade, out of full sun.
• June: Water regularly and feed.
• July: Extra water in dry weather. Mist the leaves now and then.
• August: Water regularly and feed.
• September: Stop feeding. Check for pests.
• October: Bring indoors before it turns cold. Keep bright and cool.
• November: Winter rest: less water, away from radiators.
• December: Winter rest: water very sparingly.

Did you know?

• It is also called the fountain palm because of its drooping leaf tips.
• In the wild this palm can grow taller than 10 m, far taller than in a pot.
• The genus name Livistona recalls Patrick Murray, Baron of Livingston, who founded a botanic garden near Edinburgh in the 17th century.