Covered my trachies and trunked yucca, a few pics

mnpalms · Post by **mnpalms** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 1:45 pm

As mentioned in Jim's thread I started a new one to post a few pics of my protection method. A large trachy, medium trachy, and a 5' yucca thompsoniana in this triangular planter by my pool. Also there is a red yucca in there for fill.

A few summer pics for reference first
<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00733.jpg>

<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00735.jpg>

<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00736.jpg>

Most of the recent foot of snow is now gone...
<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00766.jpg>

Almost fully mulched in with leaf bags and complete. Not pretty but works well and looks better with the tarp/boat cover pulled over completely
<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00768.jpg>

Inside
<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00769.jpg>

<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00770.jpg>

<img src=http://i729.photobucket.com/albums/ww29 ... C00772.jpg>

ScottyON · Post by **ScottyON** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 2:52 pm

Nice job man! Winter started early for you eh!? Looks like what you have done should do the trick! Do you have a thermometer in there so you can keep an eye on the temps??

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:28 pm

Holy hell dude.... how long have you had everything dude?? IT all looks happy. And some nice huts. I woudl build some here that nice, but id find the hobos and bums sleeping in it LOL. Im not even joking, id have to put a pad lock on them.... lol

I like how the snow around it is melted.... is that from the heat fro the hut, or you shoveling it??

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:32 pm

Looks like that will do the trick

If I need a place to stay up there maybe I could
hang out with your palms

Don't send any of that snow down here please

mnpalms · Post by **mnpalms** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:36 pm

Thanks man. Yes I have a remote thermometer in there and it seems that the (always on) CFL fixture keeps it about 10f above outside temp assuming no sun/dark/overcast. I have yet to see what this year's extra lighting (heat) can do once the thermocube turns it on. Goal is to have access to another 40f above outside temp just in case. Last year my setup was capable of more than 60f above outside temp (overkill) and had too much always-on heat. I've dialed back this year though I may still add an extra fixture just in case since I expanded the size of the enclosure this year. Will have to see what this thing does when we get lows in the upper single digits as forecast in a few days. Extremely unseasonably cold! Last year's absolute low in my yard was -17f. We have not had a low lower than -20f in the 13 years we have been in this house. Last year's enclosure would get up to over 45f in there before falling again when the thermocube turned off when we had double digits below 0f. We do have a nice little microclimate here just southeast of Minneapolis/St. Paul. Near the river and the weather always blows from the northwest and blows over all the city before it gets to us. The "heat island effect" without actually being in the stinky heart of the city!

I still have a jungle in the 3-season porch that needs to be dealt with though. All the bananas that I dug up (some over 10') and other various palms. I have about another week to figure out where all this stuff goes. It's going to be hard to cut those big bananas and put them in the basement, that's for sure! I seperated a bunch of nice pups and it seems my banana population increased 10-fold this season. I'm grooming another nice potted trachy that should be ground-ready next spring also. As for the rest of the palms, I don't think I want to have to protect much more in the future so they will remain potted. Also my unprotected y. filamentosas thrive here and do flower in the summer.

mnpalms · Post by **mnpalms** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 3:58 pm

Yeah, winter came early here in a big way. Not so much the cold, but the early dumping of heavy wet snow. The palms saw the snow, they were not yet covered. it weighted them down pretty bad but they sprang back nicely. The yucca looked like a huge snowball!

I did have to shovel it all out in order to get the enclosure up (what a pain). It was quite a project. Also dealing with other trees and huge branches down from the heavy snow.

Jim- You could probably sleep in there! I can get in through the access hole I made and stand up since it is 8' tall, and it is also about 8' long at the longest part. I'll just put a porta-potty and some extra blankets in there in case you drop by this winter...

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:58 pm

Nice specimens...............I like the Y. thompsoniana..............I wonder if the Y. thompsoniana could survive in your area with just moisture protection and no additional heat?

wxman · Post by **wxman** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:02 pm

Looks good. That sucks about the early dumping of snow. I'm surprised it's all not gone yet.

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sun Nov 21, 2010 8:43 pm

That is great. Thank you for the details and photos--us novices appreciate actually seeing what we aspire to build someday.
--Erik

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 8:48 am

mn, superb protection job.
...but I'd rather look at the summer pics

I've never protected a y.filamentosa either, grow like weeds and flower magnificently every year.
One even tried sending out new shoots during late winter...

Do you have to go out and brush snow off the flat roofs to prevent bowing from the weight/melt?

My palm hut remote thermometer keeps puking out, reads " -- " (gee, thanks).

60 f above outside...quite the utility bill, I bet.
But this hobby is worth it...

your thompsoniana is...well...the most beautiful one I've ever seen.
Barb

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 2:40 pm

mnpalms wrote:

.

Jim- You could probably sleep in there! I can get in through the access hole I made and stand up since it is 8' tall, and it is also about 8' long at the longest part. I'll just put a porta-potty and some extra blankets in there in case you drop by this winter...

BILL MA · Post by **BILL MA** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 5:25 pm

Very nice Job (Kory?) if I remember correctly! Your palms and yuccas look fantastic and your protection will surely do the trick.

No heat cables on the surface this year to burn up the feeder roots? Live and learn right

you'll gain 1-2 feet of trunk this year with your new method.

Bill

serj · Post by **serj** » Mon Nov 22, 2010 11:52 pm

mnpalms, i see your zone looks like my zone 6a, not 4b or 5f. My minimum temperature for last 20 years is -29,1 C. It looks like yours. But my average min for last 20 years is -21 C. It is a true zone 6a. What do you think of it? Do you know your average min for last 20 years?
P.S. On the our russian/ukrainen forum we have discussed about american and russian usda zones. We think there are some differences beetween russian and american usda-zones in spite of similar average minimum.

mnpalms · Post by **mnpalms** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 4:24 am

Thanks Bill, yup live and learn...

Serj- Over a 20 year period I believe the absolute low here where my house is was about -25f (on one occasion) though we have not been here in this house quite 20 years yet. That was one instance on one day back in the mid 1990s when parts of the state were as low as -50f (north). When that cold hit we lived 20 miles northwest of here and saw -28f at that house. It is always warmer here than north and west, also warmer than the official reading at the MSP airport. South of here once you get out of the metro area it gets colder also. We get the "heat island effect" from air moving over the larger city area and warming somewhat before getting here as it almost always comes from the northwest during the winter months and we are just southeast of MSP (suburb). I believe the "average" lowest temp of the winter is about -10f here on my property. We have had winters that it didn't get below zero (F) and a couple when it got to the teens below zero. Also remember, I'm talking (F) not (C) temp scale. I think in reality my specific area is zone 5a/5b based on the absolute lows over an extended period of time. Now that is not the same zone 5 like where Jimhardy is though. Maybe I see a similar absolute low as him, but his average growing season is at least a few weeks longer than here and he sees higher spring/summer/fall average temps on average. Jim's area definitely sees a later first frost (on average) and an earlier final frost. I bet your zone is a little more like Jim's than mine, but with similar absolute lows. Hell, right now it is the coldest here we have seen this season so far! 19.8F! (15F at the airport) Unseasonably cold...

canadianplant · Post by **canadianplant** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 5:35 am

IM in the same bot you are. My city is rated zone 3 on all maps. The last time we seen a temp around - 35C or lower was in the 60s ( yes of course it can still happen). In my memory, we havnt dropped below - 30. My cities temps are taken at the airport, which is miles inland. Lake supirior creates a buffer zone, where the closer you are to the lake, the wamer you are in winter, and cooler in summer. The airport as seen -18C so far here, while my yard hast seen anything below -12C. My passiflora is stilla live, and green, and even has some gren leaves away from the wall near the base of the plant. This means the vine hasnt seen anything below say, -5C.

Like you said, the only way to know is if you try.... if you fail, try again.

serj · Post by **serj** » Tue Nov 23, 2010 6:40 am

Thanks for explaining! mnpalms, what is the town/city where you live?

mnpalms · Post by **mnpalms** » Wed Nov 24, 2010 3:50 am

Serj- I'm in northeast Burnsville, MN. Just south of the Minnesota river, just south of Minneapolis/St. Paul. We also have a cabin up north on a lake but we don't want to get into that zone discussion (zone 3!)...

serj · Post by **serj** » Thu Nov 25, 2010 3:18 am

mnpalms, i have seen you weather's archive. Brrrr, it's too cold.

igor.glukhovtsev · Post by **igor.glukhovtsev** » Thu Nov 25, 2010 4:20 am

serj wrote:mnpalms, i have seen you weather's archive. Brrrr, it's too cold.

Serj, how do you like this one: http://www.tutiempo.net/en/Climate/Alma ... 368700.htm. Is it good enough for growing palms?

serj · Post by **serj** » Thu Nov 25, 2010 7:45 am

Igor, it is good enought...With some protection

Igor, your climate looks more colder than mine. My average for Jan is more high.

P.S. You should remove the "point" from the link.