Protection For Three 8 Foot Washingtonia Robusta's In Mass.

[BILL MA]

Well Everyone here's the protection pictures I've been promising you all for awhile now. There not 100% yet so I'll post the rest of the pictures when I finish. This turned out to be better then I hoped for originally, I can tell already that they will be very energy efficient to keep the temperatures at 45f for the low.

Here they are with the fronds pulled together, this took three people to do this. They really don't like to bend all that much. Trust me when I tell you be careful of the shark teeth they can really put a hurtin on you quick!




Some plastic fencing was used to pull them together even more so they would fit in the boxes.





Here's one all strung up with 3 sets of c9 lights, 525 watts per tree. Then a cage was built around the trunk out of 6*6 concrete remesh so I could hang my 14 1 gallon water bottles from to keep the temperature even.





Then I wrapped the cage with roofing felt paper which I will explain after. The remesh come up 5 feet from the ground.



Then I programed my thermostat to maintain 45f at all times, If the temps drop below 45f the lights come on.



Here's the inside of the palm hut with the insulation board attached to the walls. I used the deluxe 1" foam board with the reflective foil, much more expensive then the standard white but has a r value of 10.4 or something along those lines. The reason I didn't run them all the way to the bottom is because I'm going to fill the inside of the huts with dried oak leaves from the tar paper to the walls. This saves me 132 bucks plus tax and give me a big r value as well. The panels are built out of 4*8 sheets of 1/2 inch fir plywood so moisture doesn't bother it. The wall studs are 2*4's.





As you can see I love my washies, to go through all of this work! But all of this hard work will sure pay off with some serious growth next year. Can wait to come up with a protection method when there 4 feet taller next year.

Wxman the total cost per unit is around 190 bucks or a little more painted. I'll save big on energy though this way which will make the difference. That's with my own labor of course and all the tools to do it.

More pictures to come when there totally done with the roofs on. Right now I have a tarp over the opening.

Bill

[TerdalFarm]

My wife will have my trying to build those next year if she sees your photos, but my skills and budget aren't quite there. The reason she is so mad is that I killed two nice Washies last March/April. All I did for winter protection was build a wire enclosure and fill it with used horse stall bedding. No top to keep rain out. They survived the cold (a mild 10 oF at worst) last winter but rotted in the Spring when the temperatures see-sawed and fungus grew in the wet manure. Oops. Can you say, "novice error?" So, the one big Washy my wife did not let me plant out in 2008 is in a huge pot in the dining room after spending all Summer in a pot. Here is where it was up until Thanksgiving: http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/c1 ... directlink
The one idea I'm going to borrow from you right now (tonight) is the water. I'll put warm tap water in large containers inside all the enclosures tonight and replace a couple of times tomorrow, when we'll stay well below freezing all day.
Please keep posting photos as you keep building.
Also, what does the Trachy get for shelter?

[oppalm]

dam Bill that's impressive. those washies are lucky washies. nicely done. keep us posted.

[lucky1]

Holy cow, Bill, dedication will pay off.
Fir plywood...wow, my palm hut is made out of OSB and came to nearly seven hundred bucks with labor.
Don't tell husband!

Bill as you're "building" your last protection, maybe turn the Christmas lights on. After an hour, feel the trunk, feel the petioles. I don't like C9s touching.
I forget who it was a couple of years ago, but he had a gigantic (10 foot) palm, and wrapped the same Christmas lights around the trunk, with nothing between the trunk and the lights.
In spring he said that's what cooked the palm.

Great job. Good thinking with the tarpaper.
Keep the camera clickin'.

Barb

[Mark]

Awsome job Bill!

Those will be even more awesome next year.

You inspire me.

Mark

[hardyjim]

Holy cow, Bill, dedication will pay off.
Fir plywood...wow, my palm hut is made out of OSB and came to nearly seven hundred bucks with labor.
Don't tell husband!

Bill as you're "building" your last protection, maybe turn the Christmas lights on. After an hour, feel the trunk, feel the petioles. I don't like C9s touching.
I forget who it was a couple of years ago, but he had a gigantic (10 foot) palm, and wrapped the same Christmas lights around the trunk, with nothing between the trunk and the lights.
In spring he said that's what cooked the palm.

Great job. Good thinking with the tarpaper.
Keep the camera clickin'.

Barb

Barb
I wonder if he just didn't plain old over heat it.
i put a thermometer next to the lights(attached it really) once and the warmest they got was 105(F)
He may have just had them closed up to tight? It pays to know the temp inside

[DesertZone]

Nice job! This will get interesting when they reach 20ft, if anyone can keep them alive it will be you.

[lucky1]

You're likely bang-on correct, Bill.
I thought that's a heck of a lot of lights, but your thermostat will do the trick.

BTW was gonna say, you look like one proud papa in that picture

Better reserve now for the 20 foot crane for extension to washyhuts next year.

More pictures? or did you have to go to work today?

[BILL MA]

Rained all day here Barb. I wish I could have finished, looks like I'll be out there tomorrow during the wind storm wrapping things up. 19f for the low tomorrow coldest of the year so far, the only real protected stuff is the washies so I'll be busy. I really wouldn't be not concerned if it would stop raining any time soon, I'll take what we've had for weather with a smile though.

Don't worry about the crane Barb, the staging will come out if need be I have a better plan already thought up for next year when they get really huge. This will be the year to test there light threshold. Maybe I should turn the temps down on the thermostat, super advantage on the ones I have, adjust to whatever temp I want

By the way c9s are fine around the trunk as long as there not covered, no over heating worries here. They have always had room to breath in my huts, I'm not in the least worried about fire either. Roofing felt keeps everything in check!

I'll keep the pictures coming.

Bill

[hatfam]

Bill,
Do those trees have the "heating tape" in the ground also? I am curious how well they protect your plants. I am planing on moving a lot ofmy plants out of pots in the spring.

Thanks
Tom

[BILL MA]

Yeah they do Tom, There's 84 watt cables under them. Last I checked the ground temp was 58f 12" away from the trunk. Very important for this type of palm.
The temp will rise I'm sure once it's all wrapped up. 58f was with nothing around it.

Bill

[hardyjim]

That's awesome 58(F)!
I think your right about keeping the temp lower too,you definitely don't want to encourage growth.
Warmer ground temps may cause that.
Everything looks A+

[BILL MA]

Thanks Everyone!
It's a summer worth of thought in the making.
I think your right Jim, about the inside temp being to high. That's all I need is leaves growing out into my roof window. I'll save that for spring time. I'll turn the setting down some when I build the roof.

Bill

[lucky1]

I'm turning my temp down too, now that the remote thermometer is working again!
It's currently 8C 45F, too warm. Heater should probably be at 1C 33F.

It just occurred to me that maybe we're on the wrong track entirely.

We should've started building a conservatory around our palms, attached to the house.
A wall of glass two stories high with a glass roof, proper automatic vents.
And not a puny 5 foot x 4 foot palm hut like I've got.

A 20 x 20 conservatory/atrium would be heaven.

In a few years, we'll have spent that much anyway!
Barb

[DesertZone]

I think you are the right track Barb.

[BILL MA]

There's some really amazing stuff out there all it takes is $$$$$

Bill

[hardyjim]

Now your getting close for my plan for Wxman
Instead of building protection for his future Bizzy planting,he can put his whole house on rollers,then in spring just roll the house back to expose Bizzy's
and whatever else you want outside.
Expensive at first but saves money in the long run!

[lucky1]

What would we be without dreams, huh, Aaron!!

Barb

[lucky1]

I'm just dreamin', Aaron
Barb

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