Damage to Trachys,etc, from prolonged cold

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:21 pm

I went out to check the cactus and palms yesterday-first time I was able to get into the g-house since the Arctic outbreak.
I intended to take pics but couldn't bring myself to it.
So,today I tried again.
The plan was to heat when temps reached 10(F)

2 problems

1.I made it bigger than last year.
2.The temps may have been 10(F) colder near the edges of the g-house.

Unfortunately there was a separation in the plastic that allowed the snow and wind to get in near the S.louisiana,this palm probably saw zero to sud zero(F) temps.

One good thing upon further inspection is-the petioles are green,the trunks are solid and the Trachys have not lost anymore leaves near their pulled spears.

I may have lost a barrel and this Opuntia came damn close if not

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... ter011.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... ter011.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... ter016.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... ter016.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... ter020.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... ter020.jpg" border="0" alt="Winter 2009-2010"></a>

Fortxwag

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10001.jpg" border="0" alt="Toasty fortxwag"></a>

Tesan

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10005.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10005.jpg" border="0" alt="Toasty Tesan"></a>

Fortunei

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10009.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10009.jpg" border="0" alt="Unfortunate Fortunei"></a>

Luckily no spear pull on this one or my other outside with the fried leaves,this other one saw -2(F) for sure.

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10010.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10010.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

This Opuntia dang near collapsed

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10015.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10015.jpg" border="0" alt="Opuntia on the edge"></a>

This barrel looks like it might be history-

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10022.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10022.jpg" border="0" alt="Mushy candy barrel?"></a>

Just about everything else looks o.k.

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10023.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10023.jpg" border="0" alt="Cactus garden"></a>

I cant even believe this(Graptopetalum?) one looks like it is still alive!
These are supposed to only be hardy to 30ish(F)

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10018.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10018.jpg" border="0" alt="Graptopetalum?"></a>

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 6:54 pm

Thanks for the photos, Jim. I was thinking about you last week when I saw weather reports from Iowa.
Your Trachys look better than mine does, but then again, mine may have gotten colder than yours did, and certainly much more wind.

Barrie · Post by **Barrie** » Tue Jan 12, 2010 11:25 pm

Man that sure looks cold!!! That's a lot of structure going on there. Doesn't the county or city by-law enforcemnet have anything to say about that?

Cheers, Barrie.

oppalm · Post by **oppalm** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 7:18 am

Jim you got it going' on , don't you. That looks like alot of work and you are to be commended for your efforts to bring the tropics to Iowa. Best of luck to you and your plants and I hope your remaining winter is a mild one. I am always surprrsed how cold hardy some of the stuff is, with a little luck (and some warmth) , your plants will be fine.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:50 am

Jim, despite the reported temps, things look not too bad.
I'm surprised the Tesan looks worse than the Wag.

Can't remember but did you spray with Freeze Pruf?

Thank goodness for the snow cover.
Quite the test with those temps.

Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 7:15 pm

Thanks guys

Barry,I am not sure what you mean.

Barb,the Tesan in all fairness is in it's first year outside and already had spear pull before this happened.
Looks like a beyond/threshold 5(F) to 0(F) event,both Fortxwags have now pulled,luckily the stems and petioles are still in green and not mushy.
Cerifera pulled,Trithrinax is burnt but did not pull,S.louisiana is a little toasty from at least zero if not below zero(F)

Here are some more pics

T.fortunei after -2 to -3(F) Spear is still solid!

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10005.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10005.jpg" border="0" alt="T.fortunei after -2(F) at least"></a>

T.campestris

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10021.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10021.jpg" border="0" alt="Blue blue Needle palm"></a>

C.australis very toasted but not down yet!

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10011.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10011.jpg" border="0" alt="Uncourted Cordyline"></a>

S.louisiana not to bad considering!

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10019.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10019.jpg" border="0" alt="S.louisiana"></a>

NOW THE GOOD NEWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

T.FORTUNEI LOOKS BETTER TODAY

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10012.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10012.jpg" border="0" alt="T.fortunei"></a>

NAINI TAL IS THE ONLY ONE WITH SPEAR PULL LAST YEAR THAT HAS NOT REPEATED

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10003.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10003.jpg" border="0" alt="Naini Tal"></a>

T.WAG AS SOLID AS EVER

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10006.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10006.jpg" border="0" alt="T.wag"></a>

B.ERIOSPATHA LOOKS GOOD

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10002.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10002.jpg" border="0" alt="B.eriospatha"></a>

NEEDLE PALM-NO PROBLEM

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10009.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10009.jpg" border="0" alt="Needle palm"></a>

SEQUOIA LOOKING GREAT WITH ONLY A PLASTIC POT FOR PRTECTION

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10011.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10011.jpg" border="0" alt="Sequoia"></a>

LAST BUT NOT LEAST-HAD NOT SEEN THE WASHY IN ABOUT A MONTH AND BESIDES SOME BURN TO THE LEAVES THAT WERE CLOSE TO THE PLASTIC
IT'S DOING GREAT AND HAS ACTUALLY GROWN ABOUT 5"!

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10015.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -10015.jpg" border="0" alt="W.robusta"></a>

THANKS FOR TAKING THE TOUR!

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Jan 13, 2010 9:57 pm

Barrie, the bylaw enforcement officer/building official hasn't noticed my palm hut yet either.
Or if he has, probably thinks it's a temporary outhouse

If he says anything, I'll just apply for a building permit after the fact.
Our area is about as "government-in-your-face" as you can get in B.C. (sigh)

Jim,
that Fortunei (10012.jpg) really perked up quickly!
Doesn't even look like it's been outdoors this winter.
Glad the spear's good on the other one.

Could the campestris be a tad young for outdoors?
That c.australis may surprise you, lots of green remains.
Have never seen a variegated form; it'll be a beauty.

When your weather warms up (soon) maybe give everything a drink around the rootzone, I think you'll see leaves unfold even more.

I'm especially impressed with the Waggie, Nainital and Washy.
Doesn't look as though they've suffered very much.

No tip burn at all on the Sequoia!
Impressed that all it needed was a plastic bucket.

You done good

Glad all your hard work is paying off.
Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Jan 14, 2010 1:18 pm

Most of the damage could have been avoided if I would have heated during the Arctic outbreak.
There had to have been some cold pockets in there judging b the damage.
I am off now to add an other opinion(-;(another thermometer really.
I have never seen the one thats in there go below 10(F),maybe it doesn't?
Now I will have another reading that will be taken closer to the edge and this will be my minimum temp(outlier)to tell me when to heat.
Another thing I noticed was that I did not turn the fan up in there,this added to there being cold pockets.
I think that if there is no more decline from the palms,etc in there.I can get them to spring and hopefully some nice recovery!

Thanks Barb

I know they look dry but that is the effect of cold damage/it appears as drought as the plants cannot transport water!
Off to install my thermometer.

Barb here is a pic of the Cordyline

australis before and after
Very suprising that this is still upright/however it will probably rot out in time and collapse

CORDYLINE 11-23-09

<a href="http://s297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -09033.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i297.photobucket.com/albums/mm22 ... -09033.jpg" border="0" alt="C.australis"></a>

NOW

Wes North Van · Post by **Wes North Van** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:55 am

It sure looks cold there and for all of the plants to look that good you have done well.
Congrats.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sat Jan 30, 2010 6:01 pm

Thanks Wes

I have given the Trachys etc a closer look and they are all still solid with green petioles
so they will most likely come back in spring.
I would say half the barrels are toast(or at least jelly

)
C.australis will be left at the roots again.Trithrinax is extremely tosted
but has not pulled.May just be because it is so fibrous.

serj · Post by **serj** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:09 am

My fortunei survived after 3 weeks below 0 C. Also we had about -22 -24 C during 6 days! I didn't use any extra heat.

This is my phoenix dactylifera

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:44 am

Great result, Serj!
Your Trachy looks MUCH better than mine does. I assume it was covered, right, to keep wind off of it?
--Erik

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 11:50 am

Looking good Serj
Is that one of Kiril Donov's Bulgarian Trachys?
They almost (rather they do!)appear to have some wooly edges to the leaves like Wagnerianus.
I still wonder if there is some Waggy somewhere in this palm!

serj · Post by **serj** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:46 pm

Jim, this two biggest fortunei from North of Italy. The small fortunei is from Massimo Cola (Roma). All palms was under 2 inch-styrofoam shield. I covered shelter by snow. It locates at place with good microclimate.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:37 pm

You should ask Max if they are Fortxwags,they sure look it!
Very pretty palm.

Max sent me 287 Chamaerops,Phoenix and Butia seeds!

Which fir some reason I am growing all of!

I have some small Trachys under styrofoam the only one without spear pull after 10 days of subzero(F) weather,
(the coldest being -10 to -12(F),is the one with 2" thick styrofoam.
The others have only 1/2" styrofoam and I am sure it hit zero(F) or below in those!

I do not believe the 2" thick one has seen less than 15ish(F) and usually stays 20 to 30(F).
These I am testing without heat.

Paul Ont · Post by **Paul Ont** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:22 pm

Jim- That Sabal minor 'louisinana' does look like it has some 'pin-hole' damage. Maybe it just has a weak constitution?

Serj- Good to see someone have luck with those styrofoam cones. I've used one once and will never again. It turned one of my Trachys into mush! Never again...

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 3:22 pm

Great palms Serj
2" of styrofoam is excellent plus snow cover!

Good colour, very pretty palms.
Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Jan 31, 2010 5:51 pm

Paul -
The Sabal was in an area where the wind was coming in,there was actually a few inches of snow
next to it!
This during the -10 to -12(F) events,my guess is it saw anywhere from 0 to -5(F)and
held up pretty good for such a small Sabal.It also spent the whole period(almost 2 weeks)below freezing
and much of that time near 0(F)!
It is starting to put some nice leaves out and should have a spectacular year!,
for a Sabal!

Paul Ont · Post by **Paul Ont** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 8:36 am

Jim- Is it newly planted? Mine was pretty badly burnt by -15C last winter, but the damage didn't manifest itself until spring.

serj · Post by **serj** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:37 am

Paul, could you tell me what is the troubles you had with styrofoam?

Paul Ont · Post by **Paul Ont** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 11:05 am

Certainly. I felt that the long-term covering caused my Trachy. to 'cook' over the winter. The styrofoam, once frozen in place, allows for little air-flow, while the plant continues to grow. I also feel that the root-zone was probably frozen (I'm in a COLD location) and that, on warm sunny days, the styrofoam allows the interior air temperature to get too high. If I had the mobility to remove the cone after a freeze it would be fine, but since I am studying 3 hours away, it is impossible to do so. So, 1) great protection from cold. 2) little air-flow 3) Palms don't have a true dormancy, 4) high air temps in sun. 5) frozen soil. I also originally considered that maybe the styrofoam allowed the temp to get too low. However, since that time a simple frost cloth wrap has kept the leaves in decent shape, with no spear pull...

I just don't think that the styrofoam cone is a good protection method.. Maybe it would work for plants with true dormancy periods? I don't know...

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 12:28 pm

Paul-
this Sabal was planted last spring and is actually one of the more mature Sabals.
If you can see it in the photo of the biggest g-house the front of it is just held in place with batten strips.
As the strips get closer to the ground they are a few inches away from the side,this allowed the wind to whip in there

and really dried it out,I have since placed a thermometer there to check the temp...some days it is 4(F) cooler than the more centrally located one
and thus in a cool spot.
I have corrected this by tightening up the area(outside)and turning the fan up and pointing it at it more.
My plants will be babied for these last 4 weeks of true winter here,by March we rarely see below 10(F) anymore so...
not much father to go.

Interesting you think your palms cooked in styrofoam-mine never warm 10(F) above outside temps.
I think it was more likely cold unless your styrofoam is less than a 1/2" thick.
Inside my(rose covers-1/2" thick),there is only about 200 fc worth of light,I measured it last summer.
They will not provide any extra break from cold except a cover.
The other type of styrofoam cover I have is a 2" thick small cooler,this on the other hand is thick enough
to provide quite a buffer between outside temps(I have never seen ir below 15(F)even during -12(F) temps.
Of the three Trachys I have covered with no heat(in styrofoam)the only one without spear pull(yet) is the one in the 2" styrofoam.

Interesting to that it has spent weeks below freezing(32F).

Corrosion · Post by **Corrosion** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:10 pm

After reading all of this it is sure that everyone has their own unique way how to protect plants

I have trachy first year in ground and I covered it with 150w rope light and double bubblewrap house which has a lid made from layered plastic. Anyway we are having terrible winter over the years

Temps minus 15-20 have last for weeks and I guess the xtreme lows ahve penetreted trough the walls of trachy protecion. I checked my trachy 2 days ago and the bigger leaves had really bad curl with yellow ring in the center. The inner ones seemed ok but it made my worry. The lights have been on when the temps go below - 8 c or -10 c-first year to spoil it. I think Ill try next year styrofoam house method with butia ofcourse with rope but this winter has shown real weather of zone 6 with really long freezes. Last year we had mostly rain and a week with lows -15 c or so..

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Cameron_z6a_N.S. · Post by **Cameron_z6a_N.S.** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:42 pm

Welcome to the forum, and great pics! I'm also a zone 6 a/b and this winter we are having the same type you had last winter (lows of -14 c)

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 2:59 pm

Hi corrosion, welcome to the forum!

Great looking Trachy, looks like a very good location for it.

Your lights go on when temp goes below -8 or -10( this one's a bit too cold!), so could it be that Trachy wasn't planted early enough in 2009?

Your protection looks well-built. Could protection have been installed too late?

Could the 150w be too much heat, too close to the Trachy?

Good luck with it, and keep us updated with pictures.
Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Feb 01, 2010 6:39 pm

Yep-
Welcome!

I don't think you can beat the large styrofoam boxes for efficiency and protection!

Corrosion · Post by **Corrosion** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 1:17 am

Hi all, I planted in 1st may so I think it is early. Though it didn´t grow much due the fact it had not many roots. I applied the cover first for the reason that we had lot or rain I was afraid it might rot, later in nov I installed the lights. I think the lights have done more use than harm. 150 w is the total power for 9 meters of lightrope so it is shared more or less equally. I´m happy with the location because my garden is surrounded by walls from 3 sides, only south side remains opened. No evening sun for me So you think that I should turn on the lights when it is only below 0 c(30 F)?

I´m waiting for the spring to make final decision of my experiment

Most of my friends didn´t believe that I´ll succeed so I only have to prove the opposite

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:15 am

Planting date and location sound perfect.
9 meters of light rope...27 feet...that's a lot for a fairly small enclosure.
With frozen ground surrounding your enclosure, could the interior temp be too high?

Why didn't such a nice big Trachy have lots of roots?
Transplant damage?
I also hope you'll win the bet with your friends.

I turn on the heater in my Trachy enclosure only when temperature goes below 0C 32F.
Door is open above 0C. But our winter is really mild this year.

Barb

Corrosion · Post by **Corrosion** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 8:59 am

You have built a real fortress for your trachy I bet it took some engineering and hard work to build it.

I think the temperature inside the house is not high most of the time, rather cold

I dont have thermometer inside the house so I really dont know for sure but I have one installed close to it for my greenhouse so I get the picture from the weather outside overall. Yes it could be true that the lights have heated the leaves too much and it has caused drying? I think that without the lights it would have just freezed to dead which would be worse. I noticed that the leaves which were dry didn´t have any contact with the rope at all so It could caused by frost. I like the idea of lightrope over the regular x-mas lights which have only warm spots but the rope is heated entirely and the warmth is shared. The lack of roots is caused by the ignorance of the dutch seller I quess

I ordered it by mail so I didn´t have chance to pick it on my own. I might take some pics tommorow then it would be easier tell the reason of curl and dryness.
I also received Brahea armata from the same seller in a bad condition, I keep it in greenhouse at the moment

Pic of brahea after receiving it, it is pushing second new leaf already

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 9:19 am

Ha ha, a fortress

that's right!
Hired a carpenter because husband and I don't have a clue what to do with a hammer.

that without the lights it would have just freezed to dead which would be worse.

Yes, heat of some kind is necessary, especially with your cold this winter.

The Brahea is lovely despite some damage. It should come back great this summer.

ignorance of the dutch seller

Strange...the Dutch are renowned for superb plants and superior horticulture ability.
I would send the nurseryman pictures of plants' condition on arrival.
Maybe he'll send you some new ones

We look forward to more of your pictures.

Barb

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Tue Feb 02, 2010 6:31 pm

Thanks for the Brahea photo, too.
I bought a very healthy but small one three years ago that I have grown in a pot that is in the hot sun in Summer and a cool room by a window in the winter. It is still not quite as big as your new one but close. I am thinking of planting it in May and keeping it in the ground. I'll put it near and electric outlet for heat and wrap and cover it when rain is coming.
Does this make sense to you? Are you planning something like that?
--Erik
P.S. Barb, love to photo with the dog. My Australian shepherd tore a small hole in the plastic at the base of my Butia hut and has basically moved in. He thinks I built him a heated doghouse.

Corrosion · Post by **Corrosion** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 1:36 am

Last year I built a raised bed for desert plants(yuccas, succulents). I think if I´ll ever plant it then it would be there. Considering its condition I´ll let it grow stronger for at least another year. We have usually lots of rain during the different seasons so raincover is neccesary. I´ve understood that it is more important to protect the rootsystem from getting wet not the plant itself.Some people put plastic on the ground around the stem.
I was told that the Brahea had fungus and I swapped the soil for my own made mix with more sand and moved it to a bigger pot.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 9:23 am

rootsystem from getting wet not the plant itself.

Both are important as rain getting into the spear during early winter will freeze.

I like making my own soil mix too, and will use more compost this year including fir and pine bark (half-composted).
And miccorhizae (sp?) really interest me, trying to learn more about that.
Bagged soil mixes today are terrible, include sludge from treatment plants (yech!)
I'm not convinced that pharmaceuticals are rendered inert in that process.

Looking forward to seeing pictures of the yuccas and succulents you will plant.
Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:06 pm

Haven't seen anything that works better than compost.

Corrosion · Post by **Corrosion** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 3:24 am

I took some photos of my trachy today. The results aren´t promising

Are these leaves damaged severly? BTW the green thing on the leaves is fungicide which I applied in fall. Also I put thermometer sensor inside to get more info about the temps inside. When the lights are on it makes at least 10 c difference compared to the temps outside. The sensor is close to the spear but I assume the cable gives a bit more heat to a trachy than thermometer shows.
I turn it off when temps remain above 0 c now.

And the Brahea now

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 8:38 am

Are these leaves damaged severly?

Both the Trachy and Brahea look very good to me.

Palms can show damage later on, but can even recover from spear pull (which hasn't happened to yours).

Looks like a good job to me.

Barb

Paul Ont · Post by **Paul Ont** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 9:32 am

Can't commne ton the Brahea, but, to me, the Trachy looks like it's in trouble. Is there a change in the colouration between the lower or the lower part of the leaves and the outer parts? Does the leaf feel 'dry' to the touch? I've got to say that it does look a lot like the damamge I've seen in bamboo and palm leaves when they've been exposed to a drasticly low temperature and the water has come out of the leaves... The so called 'Freeze-dried' look.

My guess, I've not seen the palm personally, is that there has been extensive damage done to the foliage, and that the spear leaf will, likely, pull once temps have rebounded. Conventional wisdom indicates that you should treat the crown with fungicide once you have a stretch of 3-4 days above freezing, then again in the spring. Give the spear leaf a little tug too!

Corrosion · Post by **Corrosion** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:04 am

Paul Ont wrote:Can't commne ton the Brahea, but, to me, the Trachy looks like it's in trouble. Is there a change in the colouration between the lower or the lower part of the leaves and the outer parts? Does the leaf feel 'dry' to the touch? I've got to say that it does look a lot like the damamge I've seen in bamboo and palm leaves when they've been exposed to a drasticly low temperature and the water has come out of the leaves... The so called 'Freeze-dried' look.

My guess, I've not seen the palm personally, is that there has been extensive damage done to the foliage, and that the spear leaf will, likely, pull once temps have rebounded. Conventional wisdom indicates that you should treat the crown with fungicide once you have a stretch of 3-4 days above freezing, then again in the spring. Give the spear leaf a little tug too!

Yes, it feels dry but not "dead dry"

Maybe the death comes later.

I´ve checked it every time after extreme cold spells and after the final it looked like this. I think I´ll remove the cover in early march to check total damage and also to spray it maybe with more fungicide. So far I haven´t noticed any sign of fungy on the leaves or other parts of the palm but I´m sure that without applying it would have already ocurred. And I thought that bubblewrap and x-mas lights will do for the first winter

For the previous winters it would have done well..

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 10:14 am

I agree with Barb: they look good to me. Or at least better than my outdoors Trachy or my unheated Butia. --Erik

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Thu Feb 04, 2010 1:42 pm

Leaves are history,when it warms up or sooner if you can manage it,I would check the spear.
I have 2 Trachys that are fried, 1 from -2(F) the other,not for sure but probably at least as cold/actually there
are 6 Trachys fried.
The other was/is my largest,3 spears pulled out yesterday

Interestingly the -2 ones spear has not pulled-time will tell.
You may want to check it(pull spear)and treat it,IMO sooner is better than later for treatment.
Nurse it through until spring and try and keep the crown area as dry as possible.
The plants are most likely not dry as much as they are freeze dried-
You should see something out of it by May if it's coming back-best of luck!

By the way-what do the petioles look like and how solid does the trunk feel?

PalmsNorth.com

Damage to Trachys,etc, from prolonged cold

Damage to Trachys,etc, from prolonged cold

Very impressive

winter-who needs it anyway?

Brahea