I would try biulding an enclosure around it rather than every winter digging it up. It will get very heavy in no time. All of mine a spitting out fronds like crazy. With the warmer weather but not hot, trachies thrive.
And Barb if you are worried about your power, set up a transfer switch system to a generator.
I work for an electrical wholesaler and we have the equipment to do this. We have a branch in Kelowna.

You folks are going to drive me totally over the edge 😆
...from being neurotic anyway...to trying to grow palms when it's forty below!

Wes, I'll mention it to my husband...see if he bites.
Otherwise, I'll dig the thing up just so I can rest.
Barb

🙂 Did you say that trachy was thirty years old?

Yup, it's 31 this year, and has been in successively larger pots all its life.
I think it's grateful to even SEE any soil...the roots just went round and round in the pot, with not a teaspoon of soil left.
Barb

Wow now that amazing

Its almost like its "bonsai"ed.

Barb, Nice shots... Is your trachy drinking lots of water?

What type(s) of fertilizer are you using?

What direction is it facing?

I can say I put 2 trachy's in the ground back in early April and they both have just taken off...(nice big broad leaves)..They are in raised beds/semi shade...and with the heat we've been having I need to water them 3 times a day...

They are truly meant for the ground...

I'll post as soon as I get my camera back...

PalmettomanZ6-Ajax, On

Palmettoman, it is a thirsty devil, and water disappears as though going down a drain.
But it gets water only once every 3 weeks.

It's been really hot, and it's on the south wall of a building (also protected from east and west by building wings).
The area's a bruiser of a heat trap, but gets shade from about 4 pm on.
It's at the edge of a concrete patio (more heat), so I just let the hose trickle until the whole bed is flooded with an inch of water.

In spring when I planted it from pot to ground, I gave it some Thrive (I think), and then only once I gave
it MiracleGro All Purpose 24-8-26 with micronutrients.
Ingredients list is: (besides the NPK),
Boron .02%; Copper .07%; Chelated Iron .15%; Chelated Manganese .05%; Molybdenum .0005%; Zinc .06%;
EDTA 1.2%.

Wow, 3 times a day water! Probably because of the raised beds?
Got your camera back?

Barb

thanks for the facts Barb..

its always interesting to know where other folks have these sited etc..and of course... what their using...

i have found that at least in our climate here (hot-humid summers), that it has been better to sit the trachy's in partial shade..

these palms are def. suited for your pacific nwest area..

my euro palms and butia capitata's on the other hand love the heat and sun..

as for my camera..it got left out of town so I hope to post some pics of my hardy palms and other spec. in a day or so..

Palmettoman Z6-Ajax, On

Yup, I'm really pleased with that fertilizer, tho I used it sparingly.

Read here from you folks that trachys don't need a lot of heat to grow, that's probably
why they're doing so well in the Pacific Nwest.
But when our heat comes on, it's brutal, and virtually NO humidity.
Thought palms loved humidity (i.e. Hawaii, etc.)

Looking forward to seeing your pics.
Barb

I finally got my Butia and my Chamerops into the ground last night. After watering them faithfully and applying Miracle Grow while I tried to get the stucco contractor to finish, I finally put them in the ground. I added about 6 cu ft of compost and 7.5 cu ft of peat moss to the soil in the 6' x 10' x 2' deep insulated flower bed.

They are on the south side of the house exposed to the sun and in front of an almost completely stuccoed wall.

I still need to install the front insulating foam and add the last half a foot of soil before I post pics.

Allen

That's a lot of compost and peat moss...they'll really do well right away.
And the reflection off the stucco on a south wall will give them plenty of light.
Mine's up against a white stucco wall.
Even on a really cloudy day (darn few of those), it's still bright.

Look forward to seeing the pics, Allen.
Barb

Even in Vancouver I water my trachies at least twice a week.
Once every three weeks in your heat I would think is not enough.

I agree with you Wes...should probably water it more.
This trachy is so happy 😀 😀 to be out of its pot(s) after 30+ years ... it's just happy to be in SOIL, instead
of the roots going round and round in circles in the pot.

Despite all the encouragement from folks to leave it in the ground, I am going to dig it up and repot to a
large pot with nice fresh soil in a couple of weeks. It'll go back inside the barely-heated but sunny building for winter.
I just don't want to be "practicing zone pushing" with this plant.

I just hope not too many roots have grown under the concrete patio 😕
Barb