Mexican Fan Palm Tree
The Mexican Fan Palm Tree, scientific name Washingtonia robusta, is very popular indoor and outdoor palm because of its striking appearance and cold hardiness which makes it a great choice for landscape in USDA zones 8-11. The Mexican Fan Palm is also known as Washington Palm and Skyduster. It is native to desert regions of Mexico. This is a cold hardy, drought resistant and inexpensive palm that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance.
Buy Large Mexican Fan Palm – Only $409.95!
Buy Medium Mexican Fan Palm – Only $199.95!
Buy Small Mexican Fan Palm – Only $69.95!
Mexican Fan Palm Description
Washingtonia robusta is a fast growing palm that can get up to 100ft tall and 15ft wide, but usually is not taller than 35ft. It has a single gray trunk ringed by old leaf bases, about 13 inches in diameter. The Mexican Fan Palm requires some maintenance to keep it attractive look.
Old leaves need to be trimmed, otherwise trunk will be sheathed in dead leaves, that form a brown, shaggy covering, also called a “hula skirt”, that extends nearly to the ground. Trunk is straight, a little swollen at the base, has no crownshaft, topped with a crown of 20-25 large fronds.
Leaves are rich glossy green, palmate, or fan-shaped, about 5ft long and 4ft wide. They have lance-shaped leaflets with elegant drooping tips that provide a very tropical appearance to the landscape. The petioles of mature palms are armed with short, sharp thorns. Be careful when trimming.
In the late spring, the Mexican Fan Palm produces small creamy flowers. Flowers grow in clusters on the branched inflorescence 8-10ft long that extends past the leaves. Flowers are followed by black berry-like drupes, about 1/2 inches in diameter. Fruits are edible, though thin-fleshed. They are sweet and taste like dates, can be dried or made into a jelly.
For more photos click here Mexican Fan Palm Pictures.
Growing Mexican Fan Palm
The Mexican Fan Palm needs growth best in full sun, but will tolerate some shade while young. Mexican Fan Palm is cold hardy and can tolerate cold down to 20F but temperature lower than 23F might damage leaves.
It can also tolerate drought but grows much faster when receiving plenty of water. It likes moist well drained soil. It doesn’t require much maintenance and can be pruned annually.
Mexican Fan Palm Fertilization
Fertilize the Mexican Fan Palm in the spring, and in midsummer using slow release fertilizer.
Mexican Fan Palm Propagation
Propagated by seeds. Best to sow seeds fresh in the spring. It will take around 4 weeks for germination to occur. Seedlings grow fast having 4 little leaves only after 6 months.
Buy Mexican Fan Palm Today
We don’t sell palm trees on this site, but you can buy it from one of my favorite sites – Real Palm Trees.com. It has beautiful palm trees at discounted prices and offers a Free Shipping. This is one of the few sites that I trust, because each palm tree comes with Certificate of Authenticity that guarantees highest quality of the tree. All of their palm trees are properly grown and acclimatized to the correct hardiness zone.
Most importantly, you will receive a tree in perfect health and wouldn’t have to worry about it dying few weeks later. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee or you money back. To purchase a Mexican Fan Palm, click on one of the links below:
Buy Large Mexican Fan Palm – Only $409.95!
Buy Medium Mexican Fan Palm – Only $199.95!
Buy Small Mexican Fan Palm – Only $69.95!
A lot of palm trees die from fertilizer root burn and nutritional deficiencies. To avoid these problems, use fertilizer that has continues release formula, which feeds your palm tree for few months, rather than using a cheap fertilizer that will wash away after 2-3 rains.
I personally use 
I recently came accross your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I dont know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often. Margaret
Well said. I just bought two 25 gallon Mexican fan palms and they look great. Thanks for all the info…
My home association noticed one growing in our lot and has asked us to remove it. Is there any reason as to why it is not wanted? It just started growing and it is a nice sight to me.
I am not sure what palm tree you have on your lot but some palms produce fruits that are toxic to pets and humans. That might be the case. You should definitely ask them. Susan
I live in San Diego, CA. II found a small (10″) Mexican Fan Palm growing as a “weed” in one of my apartment complex lots. I dug it up and transplanted it into a 8″ tall well-drained pot with native soil and potting soil. I will put in in full sun. How much water will it require? Any necessary fertilizers? Thank you so much!
I have a palm in my yard that just sprouted and has been fine, but the base has gotten pretty wide and it is pushing against my block wall pushing it outward. I can see that it is where we have pruned the tree (the remaining stems that is the problem. I would like to know if there is a way to remove them from the tree safely, so as not to damage the tree, but to remove the old stems to reduce the girth of the tree from the wall. I do not believe the base will grow any wider as it is about 9′ tall now. Can you help?