Trachycarpus with mummywrap protection

[Beny]

Hi guy's, just unwrapped my 8' Trachycarpus and saw a few damage du to the overheat inside the protection. A lots of fronds had a burned tips, i cut it off today. We had at least (when i was on vacation) 4-6 nights under -25c to -30c. I changed the location of my Thermocube from the base of the trunck to the crown, and open-up a bit the top of mummywrap to let the overheat going out.
So, when using a 12' heatcable with is own thermostat at the ground and using 3 pvc pipe (to make a space gap between the palmtree and the heatcable) and another one 30-40' 150-200 watts heat cable with a thermostat or themocube located at the crown of the palmtree, then wrap with arbotex and tarp. We should be ok to overwinter a lot of cold hardy palm even at -30c outside. The temp. inside never went down under 0c or 32f.
There s few pics before and after cutting burned tips...ill post a video later on...

Ben

[lucky1]

Hi Beny,

Thanks for those new pics...wow -25 and -30C

using 3 pvc pipe (to make a space gap between the palmtree and the heatcable

I'm having trouble understanding this.
Heat cables don't heat air spaces, so with you using 2 cables you still had overheating and burn damage?

Barb

[lucky1]

Beny, I just looked at your last photo again.

Was that thermocube and heat tape on the OUTSIDE of the mummywrap this winter?

Barb

[Beny]

No Barb, when i took the pic, i did nt wrap the other layer of arbotex and the tarp. So the thermocube is between the two layer of arbotex. I think the problem is when the heat cable start to heat ( mine was touching the arbotex wrapped around the fronds), the total amound of heat produced by the main heat cable (40', 200 watts) is a bit to much for the size of the palm tree. And i think the thermocube stop maybe at 45f but the heat still accumulate inside. Sometime the probe indicated +22c, when it was -3c with sun outside.
And the other heat cable (12') is for the roots. Not pluged into thermocube cause it has his own thermostat.
Im not agree with you about the air space, cause that s what we re doing when using the box method. When using a air space, that s gonna keep the cable away from the foliage and trunck and will prevent the moisture to stay on the foliage. Like that, the heat from the heat cable will warm the space around the tree.
And doing a small opening at the top, will evacuate the warmer air.
Will try that next year...

And yes we had -25c to -30c at the end of january...pretty bad winter this year

Ben

[hardyjim]

Could be worse-looks like the spear is nice and healthy and thats what counts...

now we just need to melt all this dang snow and we'll be on our way!

[ScottyON]

Like Jim said. The spear and inner leaves look good! You'll probably lose all the outer leaves. I'm sure you'll protect that method!

[lucky1]

Got it, Benny, thanks.

That nice sized Trachy is ready for some serious growth spurts this summer.
Incredible - 30C...well done.

Barb

[chadec]

Nice sized trachy, will out grow that damage quickly enough. With a winter like yours I would be shocked if I didnt have damage.

[Beny]

Thats right, normally we dont have temp. under -24c a few night per winter, the last time a saw -30c here it was i think 5-6 years ago... but its to often for me aniway ....send some heat from the Carolina's and the west coast pls guy's

Ben