How does this sound for winter protection?

[wheelman1976]

I have two 6 foot tall overall windmills that I will be overwintering. I'm going to lay out my plan of attack and hopefully you all can tell me if I'm on the right track.

1. I have four solid core wood doors that I plan to use two each for each palm to give some structural integrity to the palm hut. Why? B/c I live in a wind tunnel out in the middle of a field and want something heavy. The other two (or one) walls will be set up with two by fours with foam insulation boards between the studs. Hopefully this makes sense.
2. I then plan to wrap the enclosure in clear heavy gauge plastic.
3. Inside I will have thermo cubes with at least one string of c-9 lights wrapped around the trunk and around the base on the ground.
4. I also plan to have some open milk jugs in there with used cat litter to keep the mice and voles out. I'm hoping the ammonia will last thru the winter. The cat litter seems to scatter the voles from my yard since I started throwing it in their general area.
5. I haven't bought yet but will look at some remote sensors for each hut to monitor the temps. However, if everything goes to heck in a hangbasket, what can one do really without ripping open everything and exposing the palms to freezing temps while you try to fix everything?

I am thinking right now that I may do three walls per tree b/c these doors are at least three foot wide, and I could vary the width of the third wall up to four feet which I'm assuming is the standard with of foam.

Should I be concerned with the insulation of the doors? These things are thick and heavy, will they be enough to keep the light heat in so long as they're plastic wrapped?

Any other suggestions?

[wheelman1976]

Lastly, I have some amazon gift cards to burn....
Hows this look for lighting?
http://www.amazon.com/Set-Transparent-G ... 08&sr=1-20

[hardyjim]

I would suggest finding some bendable metal fencing and then
wrapping insulation around them...I make my enclosures so
that they can be opened or at the very least vented.

Simple is best-

[wheelman1976]

I've been going the budget route... so far nothing has cost me a dime. I figure with the height of the enclosures that venting shouldn't be too necessary?

[sashaeffer]

Wheelman,

I've been getting great ideas too for my first wintering of a windmill palm. Hardyjim to me has the best simplest idea so far. It's easy, not expensive, allows for some light to get in, and best of all access through the top to check on things over the winter and on nice days give the plant a chance to breathe.

One additional thing I'm going to do that I learned in the book "Palms won't grow here" is burying a heat tape around the root ball, and up the trunk a bit(I bought a 9f section) That of course will always just stay in the ground all the time. Then too adding a interior light source for additional heat that is plugged into a thermo cube.

here is a link to some of Hardyjims pics of his winterization.


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sashaeffer wrote:
Hardyjim, great pics of how you overiwinter. Do you fill the snow fence with leaves? or encase it with something?

I'm new, and going to try and over winter 1-small(1ft) seedling in wire, filled with shredded leaves, and the other (about 2 1/2ft) tall in insulated, 1x1 enclosure I have yet to build and fill with a lot of mulch and light bulb.

If I don't kill the one big one, I'll over plant the rest I have (3 big ones) in the ground in the spring.

Scott/Omaha




If you are going to use a light you probably don't want leaves in there.

You need to wrap your palm with burlap so the leaves are not touching it.

Then pack in leaves then put a cover on the top to keep it dry.

I added a layer of bubble wrap,then foam insulation and then another bubble
wrap layer covered in plastic.




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I opened it up when warm enough to let them breath.