Acclimatization is necessary in cold regions
Acclimatization of palms is a very important and necessary step for their successful integration into our gardens, as these are so-called exotic plants. This means that they normally live in an environment where the growing conditions, the nature of the soil and the climate are very different from ours.
Depending on the region where the garden is located, the acclimatization period will be more or less easy and more or less long. In fact, in the Mediterranean climate, given the warm temperatures in all seasons, acclimatization of palms is not necessary in principle. On the other hand, acclimatization is mandatory further north, as soon as winter temperatures are cooler.
The acclimatization of plants at the nursery Bio gardens
At the Bio jardins nursery (located in Brittany), the plants arrive without leaves or roots. They are then acclimatized and cultivated in local soil, before being sold to gardens in the region. Their breeding in nurseries allows them to avoid a difficult and sometimes fatal 'expatriation', when they will have to face shade, humidity, higher rainfall, and a specific soil (the Breton soil) other than the universal one.
The duration of acclimatization
The acclamation of palms requires a rotation of crops. It is important to know that when a palm tree arrives at the nursery, it is cultivated for two years (or even two and a half years) before being marketed, the time to produce roots and leaves, but also to harden up by facing several Breton winters and the climatic hazards that characterize it.
It is therefore important for the nursery to have a large number of palms (1,000) at different stages of cultivation, in order to have a permanent supply of trees for sale.
The hardiness of palms is acquired through acclimatization
Acclimatized palms are of interest to a varied public (communities, professionals and individuals) who have generally experienced several growing failures with palms from the Mediterranean region. The reason for this is simple: they are not used to the cold. Even if some palms have a theoretical hardiness of -18 to -21°C, they will not be able to withstand winters at -10°C if they have been raised in regions where temperatures never fall below 0°C.
