Moderators: lucky1, Alchris, Kansas, Wes North Van, Laaz
)at the base would keep itThat's fine Erik. I hope to see your pictures.TerdalFarm wrote:Stefano,
thank you for sharing your protection methods here.
Of the various palm forums, this one is the best for exchanging winter protection ideas.
As with you, and Duncan (in Canada--he was -23 oC today!), I use the thermostat controlled pipe heating cable.
I'll place mine in the next few days and will share photos.
--Erik
P.S. -- congrats on the shark pups!
Mine are 30 watt cables. One I used them for snakes too. When I touched them I didn't feel too hot. I know there are also 100 watt models: maybe they will generate too hot.Cowtown Palm Society wrote:Hi Seba, welcome to the forum.
Erik, Jim and others using heat tape/cables:
I was under the impression that it's too hot to have the cables touching the plant itself? Is this the case?
Thanks!
Sorry, but I am not agree: I think heating cables are better than Xmas lights! The firsts are available in many wattages and are professional instruments used in different situations (herpetoculture, aquaculture, hydraulic, protected crops and so on): they generate a uniform heat in all their lenght and many have a thermostat inside like mines. Even thought X-mas lights are frequently used and seems to give some results, they seem an approximate, less scientific method to me. Thardyjim wrote:I don't use the heat cables so I don't know anything about them.
I mainly use X-mas lights.
I like them because I can screw in/unscrew a few bulbs for more/ less heat.
I think in your climate you could just make a sleeve out of a couple old
blankets and some plastic wrap and cover for the coldest events or rain and cold.
I don't know if the heat cables will let off enough heat to keep those leaves warm enough.
Maybe just a light bulb( or of course X-mas lights
warm if you have enough insulation.
One thing that's a must IMO is a remote sensor(thermometer)to monitor temps,
it's just as easy to fry your palm as it is for it to get to cold.
I simply think that if a lamp bulb burns out duringh the night or when you are in the office, your palm could freeze in one night, especially if you live in zone 5b as you do. Heating cables never burns out as lamp bulbs do, so they last potentially forever. I live in zone 8, so I protect with heating cables only my younger palms. Maybe the best lamp bulbs in your case should be infra-red bulbs (the same used in snake cages, as they generate more hot than light), controlled by a thermostat. Moreover I prefer to not use lamp bulbs as they broke if some rain enters the palm protection. Where I live, in zone 8, cold hardy palm leaves burn only if they come in contact with the snow (and I protect all my not-Trachycarpus palms) but they regenerate very quickly in spring/summer. For example every summer my younger palms double in size (I have very hot summers)hardyjim wrote:Not sure what your agreeing or disagreeing with or what scientific has to do with it,
my question is whether they(cables)provide enough heat to keep your leaves protected-
I know they are very efficient at warming pipes or whatever they come in contact with.
I think they will do a fine job of keeping the area they contact warm,hope they will save the leaves too.
Definitely keep an eye on the temp inside the protection and let us know how this works for you.
I'm sure there are as many ways to protect a palm as there are people to try it.
Good luck-
When it will start freezeng protect the palms with a cage covered with some breathable tissue for plants (example of the tissue: http://www.naturalgardeneraustin.com/to ... dcages.jpg), as the snow could burn the leaves. Be sure all the connections are waterproof. In what climatic zone do you live?TerdalFarm wrote:Both Jim and Stefano have a lot more experience than I do keeping palms alive through winter. Climate-wise, I split the difference between you guys.
I don't need electric heating yet--it is 20 oC as I type this; the lowest in the weeks forecast is -6 oC--but this discussion prompted me to start installing the heat tape I use. I figure I have time to correct any errors I'm making and hope y'all will let me know. I make a lot of rookie mistakes and appreciate having them pointed out in advance of really cold weather!
It is better fronds never touch the garden tissue, so the cages should be of a good size. I prefer transpirant tissue rather than plastic as I know palms could suffer from fungi without a good areation and with too much humidity, in fact some years ago I lost a Washingtonia filifera from fungi as it was totally covered by transparent plastic...lucky1 wrote:Seba,
Nice cages.
With fronds touching the plastic as it gets cold, do you make the cages larger?
Barb
What a shame you lost it...it's such a "balancing act" to keep plants dry and warm, and still provide air flow.years ago I lost a Washingtonia filifera from fungi
Dear Barb!lucky1 wrote:Hey Erik,
There's a picture of winter protection here (about the 10th or 11th pic down the page...two palms tightly wrapped in what appears to be waterproof canvas? that might be just the trick for you...without having to construct 15 shelters out of wood?
http://snowpalm.dyndns.org/eng/palm.html
Barb
) is in the palm hut (other thread, with photo). My outdoor plugs are GFI-protected, or so I thought until you posted that.I went out there, clicked it on, come inside, 5 mins later it's off again
It's electrical code in the United States. Anywhere where moisture is present, i.e. garage, bathroom, kitchen, outside needs GFCI outlets. Normal people don't use the outlets when it's wet outside. Remember, we're abnormal with power cords running everywhere.lucky1 wrote:oh, OK, thanks for that explanation.
So...gotta ask.
How come people have the bathroom-type on the exterior of their home?
Barb
TerdalFarm wrote:Bill,
don't log off! I need your insight.
The 250 watt light (designed for chickens, don't ya know
Too much? It alone draws more current than all four heat tapes, by a lot. Good thing they are on different circuits.
Part of why I like the pipe heating cable is that it draws very little current, compared to heating with light bulbs which seems inefficient to me as so much of the juice gets wasted making "light." I just want heat, in moderate amounts. The heat tape seems the best way to do that. If I lived up north, I'd use more heaters--ceramic or oil--not lights.
I keep figuring I'm missing something, though, as everyone else uses the C-9 lights. I even bought a string of them but for the life of me I can't figure out how to use them usefully so they just sit there in their box.
--Erik
Dear Erik,TerdalFarm wrote:Stefano,
thank you for sharing your protection methods here.
Of the various palm forums, this one is the best for exchanging winter protection ideas.
As with you, and Duncan (in Canada--he was -23 oC today!), I use the thermostat controlled pipe heating cable.
I'll place mine in the next few days and will share photos.
--Erik
P.S. -- congrats on the shark pups!
I'm done! Disregard anything I wrote 
