Trachycarpus fortunei planting

as some of you may have seen I've got my trachycarpus now and I'm undecided whether to sink the pot into the soil or plant directly. Don't wont it to grow much taller to be fair.
Which do you guys and gals think would be best?

 

It takes yonks to grow and there's no wide canopy so I'd plant it.

 

it will take years and years before will grow taller , usually take 2 years just to settle down and then will start to grow .

 

I'd plant it directly in the soil.
So much better for it.

 

Yes, dig it in. Myself, I'm a coward, I have mine in it's pot but sunk three quarter's down into the ground. I did this because I thought if I moved, she'd come with me. Have mine in my jungly type garden and she's doing really well.

Wayne

 

Cheers guys took your advice and its now in the ground
30l of compost, sharp sand and growmore mixed with the top soil and the a good soaking with phostrogen
Quite surprised that when I emptied the pot out how small the root ball actually was, thought that with the size of palm it would have been bigger!

 

Dare I say it mowgley, but I think its been forced a bit, looks very extended, long leaf stems and the trunk is very slender.

I'd agree you did the right thing planting it out of the pot, but why the fertiliser etc. if you dont actually want it to grow.
I have a feeling its growth habit will change and it will become more stocky and spreading.

 

Just because my soil is naturally sandy Pete and doesn't how much nutrients.
It was just to get it off to a good start that's all.
Hopefully is will get more stocky and spreading like you say!

 

Often they are field grown in places like spain, then dug up with a small root ball to fit into a pot. You have done the right thing getting it in the ground. As others have said they are slow to get started but once established you can be getting a foot or so of trunk a year. Our longest planted put on about 18inches of trunk last year.

 

I hope mine put on this amount of growth, but they have only been in the ground for a year or so.

 

id plant it in the ground out of the pot. I've had a baby one in my garden for years and they really do take a long time to grow. I get about 3 or 4 new fronds a year at best

 

I thought that too. Nothing wrong with that, per se, but I prefer the more stocky look of ones that are grown in the UK. I wonder if it might need some protection for the first Winter if it has been "forced" abroad before coming here?

 

Having grown most of mine from seed or very small plants, I find they usually dont make any upward growth for about 7 yrs or so, once the base reaches the correct diameter, (I assume that is in the genes), the plant then moves upwards each year.

I also find the trunk diameter doesn't increase much over the years, if any.
Bearing that in mind, I often wonder what actually happens to plants that seem to have formed a thin trunk very early, and do they go on to produce a normal thickness trunk on top of the thin one produced in the nursery.

 

I am trying to germinate a batch of seeds - so most interested in your comments. But it sounds like a long job.