W. robusta

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 3:16 pm

Are you putting some Coonties in there too?

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 3:26 pm

They are out back under the Pines in the "Cycad Cabin"

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 3:35 pm

looks nice. Oh what we won't do to save a palm tree or cycad or tropical.

PALMETTOMAN · Post by **PALMETTOMAN** » Wed Oct 17, 2007 4:47 pm

Alright Kansas!!

Hopefully the plastic holds up to the ice and wet snow..

Palmettoman Z6-Ajax, On

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 6:25 am

Palmettoman ~ with the double layer/air space on the top, I'm hoping the heat loss will be low enough that ice isn't a problem.
Anyways, I have my duct tape ready

Oppalm ~ I can agree with that! My thinking is as long as the materials are less than say a carton of cigarettes, and it just takes an afternoon to put up, and it's only an extra $20 a month in electricity, and the fact that it might just be a little harder to justify these things as they get bigger......

Steve

macario · Post by **macario** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 10:45 am

I am clapping my hands to you!! Everything looks great and I know the value of a little cheap protection goes a long way!! I am in the same boat. Again great job!

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 12:15 pm

Thank You! Were you able to get that big enclosure? If you get a chance post some photos.

Steve

macario · Post by **macario** » Thu Oct 18, 2007 1:45 pm

I found out after I payed for it that there is electric wires and phone cables about 10 ft off the ground . The enclosure would have been 5 ft taller and the cables wont stretch. I tried a bunch of different options so now I called the place that I ordered it from and they are thankfully down grading my order. Ill have pics when it gets here but its going to be about half the size. Its still in the 70's and 80's so It will be a few more weeks before I need it.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 9:09 am

Macario ~ Looking forward to seeing how that works out for you!

We had our first freeze/frost last night, had just finished getting this one sealed up and the heater in place. ( the plastic has held up to 40 mph winds so far)

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 8:54 pm

Very nice unit Steve.

Are paving stones better than wooden boards for placing plant pots on?

Saw the previous pics during construction.
Well done.
2 x 3 is such a clean nice job, compared to 2x4 construction.
Congratulations.
Hope you get an electric stapler for Christmas.
Barb

Barrie · Post by **Barrie** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:54 pm

With regards to the initial topic of Washingtonia robusta wintering methods, I use a bungee cord to gather the fronds together prior to this enclosure method. Once the fronds are rounded up and secured, the palm needs less space and therefore a smaller enclosure. A cost and space saving method too. Those in cold climates will find heating or other winter methods to be more condensed.

Cheers, Barrie.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 2:56 pm

As hard as I try to get this through the Winter with the foliage intact, it just never seems to work out.....

We had an ice storm in December and lost power for a couple nights, then at the beginning of March, the heater was unplugged for a week ( oops..

This is what it ended up looking like,

here it is now, off and growing after it's second Winter in ground

( sorry about the photo, after what happened last year I'm not taking the cover off until next week)

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:02 pm

Great that it's come back gangbusters.
...a hard way to find out its cold tolerance.
It's a keeper!
Barb

Randall · Post by **Randall** » Sat May 10, 2008 11:14 pm

Slender trunk = robusta
Randall

jaydeebee · Post by **jaydeebee** » Mon Oct 06, 2008 11:14 am

It is a washie if the frongs have the little thorns on It. I sure have had my arms scrached so many times i know one when i see it.

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:29 am

Just wondering how your Robusta is doing on its third winter in the ground?

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 8:17 am

jaydeebee, Yes, it has plenty of sharp thorns

Randall, Thanks for the input, with all the trauma this one has gone through, it is noticeably smaller than the one in the GH. Will be interesting to see if it grows into a dwarf
(both were planted in ground & going on their 3rd winter)

wxman,
It seems to be doing okay, here it is this morning.

The fronds that are touching the sides are burning back, but it's also pushing a new spear

You've had some colder temps than me, how is your stuff holding up?

Steve

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 10:33 am

I have two washingtonia robustas, one trachycarpus fortunei, one butia capitata, and one cycas revoluta in the ground here in SE WI. We have seen it get as cold as -2F, and today at noon its only 4F outside! Here they are before protecting:

Here is how they are protected:

They were holding up great so far this year. Yesterday we hit 46F outside which caused a ton of snow to melt, and then last night we quickly fell to 0F. When I went to bed, all was well and when I woke up this morning the backyard palms (butia capitata and washingtonia robusta) were reading 19.1F!!!! I went outside to find that the power was off, the melting snow tripped the GFI. Water must have gotten into a plug and froze or something. I quickly fixed it and they are now back in the 40s. Here is how it looked this morning.

I'm crossing my fingers there is no damage.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 11:09 am

Looks like they are going to be o.k.maybe it was a brief exposure which is quite different then a prolonged event.
I planted my C.humilis in the larger g/house a few days ago and was planing on keeping the temp above 20F for a while,well,sunday the high was 59F and last night it got down to 5F(never seen a swing of 54F in one day! it was 2F this morning)the wind was gusting over 40mph,the temp was holding around 18-20F and I was watching closely most of the night when I noticed around midnight that it had suddenly dropped to 13F,I rushed outside to find the back of the greenhouse was pulled open by the wind,I managed to get it braced and everything looks good as of this morning(I added another heater)so I think the palms dodged their second close call of the winter.Glad to hear your washys,etc made it wx,my washys are snug and looking nice and green,long way to go but we will get there.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 4:52 pm

wxman,
Everything looks well protected! I'm curious to see how your Sago does, are you using the same set up with it?

Steve

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:09 pm

All of those should be fine with 19. The only problem I see with those inclosures is the problem of damp dew going to the spear and causing spear pull. After it is cold, the warmth of the sun causes condesation on the inside of the enclosure which trickles into the spear. Make sure you let it breath EVERY DAY even if the temps are below 19 outside.

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:15 pm

Knnn wrote:wxman,
Everything looks well protected! I'm curious to see how your Sago does, are you using the same set up with it?

Steve

Yes I am using the same setup with it.

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 6:14 am

Hope your Sago does well! (and everything else too)
I have a couple planted inside the green house, but still have yet to keep one planted outside, let us know how everything does!

Steve

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 3:09 pm

Here's the two in ground Sago's,

They haven't flushed since planting, but the stems have gained size,

The robusta in the second photo was planted at the same time as the one in the yard,
(it had a enclosure around it for the winters, when the green house was expanded I just built around it

Here's a different angle,
(fronds are tied up for the winter so I can walk around it)

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:48 pm

Great color on those sagos, Steve.
They'll really take off in '09.

That robusta is certainly named correctly!
It'll be interesting to see the growth comparison between your two.

Just an observation on the sago:
I also have one whose caudex has dark coloring (almost like the ones in the wild look after grassfires).
Is that natural? Why do some have it and some don't?

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 4:58 pm

Barb,

I'm not absolutely sure, but I think the caudex darkens up with age.

Yours is looking good! Is that the same one whose fronds dropped last winter?

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Dec 16, 2008 10:15 pm

Yup, that's the one, Steve.
But it was summer if I recall.
It wilted in the cheap clay pot (in full sun all day, every day), when the other older one in same conditions was fine.

You'll remember it was Jody who came to the rescue, advising tying up the fronds with string and watering the heck out of it.
Worked like a charm.

Wxman, welcome aboard.
Nice specimens you have.
That trachy will be pushing you off the path in a couple of years...

Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Jan 11, 2009 11:35 am

A shot of high N fertilizer in mid May will usually get those sagos to flush,I used lawn fertilizer on mine and it stareted a new flush within a week after going two years without.Be carefull not to use to much as it can burn the roots

Randall · Post by **Randall** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 12:19 am

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sun Jan 25, 2009 8:24 am

Whatever it is, it can sure take a lot of abuse!

On a night when it was -7*F/-21C with winds of 20 mph, an animal clawed it's way through the plastic.
(apparently looking for someplace warm, can't really blame it

Have things taped back together,

Not sure how cold it got in there, most of the Aloe melted, even a couple Sabal minors in containers fried.

The Washingtonia is looking a bit trashed, but still pushing a new spear

Steve

limoncik · Post by **limoncik** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:13 pm

And we are like the palm trees are not ukryvaem. This winter is warm. Min was in Zone 9.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:49 pm

hi limoncik.
How nice your winter minimum temperature is a Zone 9.

We in British Columbia have had one of our coldest winters in many years -27 C

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:46 am

limoncik,
Good to hear you're having a mild winter

no covers needed this year?

Steve

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 7:33 pm

Here it is, looking a little rough..................
It has bounced back before, I'll keep my fingers crossed

Steve

Okanagan desert-palms · Post by **Okanagan desert-palms** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 10:26 pm

Steve I hope it makes it. I don`t remember seeing it look so rough from previous years.Is that a seed grown Bismarkia to the right in the picture?

John

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 6:28 am

Hi John,

The robusta got blasted by cold this year. The Aloe, (which was directly in front of the heater), and a couple evergreens were the only things in there that that survived. If the robusta comes back this year, I'll be impressed !

The Bismarckia will be 4 years from seed this August, the leaf tips are a little crispy from being kept too dry this winter.
Already opening a new spear, so it's all good

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Apr 16, 2009 7:01 pm

Man, has it been 4 years for that Bizzie from seed?
Time does fly.

It looks fabulous.

I still remember seeing your PVC-sawn pipes to allow for all that root.
Those were great pics of a great process.

That robusta will amaze you this year...keep us posted.

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Sun Apr 19, 2009 5:21 pm

Thanks Barb,

Here's the photos, (one of these seeds was the start of that Bismarckia

Steve

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Apr 20, 2009 1:05 pm

Ya, those were the pictures I remembered!
That's a great process for seedlings with mammoth-length roots...had never heard of that before until I saw yours.

Chalk up another success, Steve!

Barb

Knnn · Post by **Knnn** » Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:14 pm

It seems to be starting to grow (at least pushing out the crispy stuff

A little bit of green in there, so maybe it will bounce back!

Steve

PalmsNorth.com

W. robusta

palms enclosure

Good job

No.....

Update

its a robusta

w robusta

It'a a hybrid Filabusta. n/m

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