Overwintering in Maryland - early thoughts

[MDPalm]

I had 2 windmills in pots that I left out over the past winter and they look pretty good. I don't think I have cut of a frond since I purchased it last spring. (I will try to get some pictures to post). They were in pots but the over hang from the house kept them fairly dry which was just luck as now I read that they should be kept dry during the winter. I think we had temps down into the teens but overall it was a fairly mild winter. Occasionally i would go out and water them with some warm water, probably 5-8 times over the winter.

Now that they made it though the first winter I am starting to think about what to do this coming winter. I plan to leave them in the pots and because of that I can always just wheel them into the garage if it gets too cold but I would rather no do that too much. Also there is absolutely no light in the garage, so it would be in complete darkness. Also I was thinking of building a little temporary greenhouse of sorts to put over them. I would guess I could put them up against the house and then build some sort of lean-to type structure that I can easily move away from the house during warm days. I am wondering if I should do this since they are in pots and not in the ground? Also if I move them into the garage during a cold snap at what temperature should I move them in there and how long could they stay in the complete darkness?

Where I have then is in a location that has two separate overhangs above and is facing south east so my thought is they should be good there until January unless we have an unusually cold November or December.

Also since they are in pots I am wondering how much I should water in the winter? Like I said they don't get much rain or snow where they are at and last year when I watered them I used a gallon or two of warm water less then 10 times from say November until March or April. Was the warm water a good idea? Too much, too little water?

I know its a bit early to think of winter but this was the first winter I had a palm survive outside and it has me wanting to do more......


Thanks!

[TimMAz6]

I don't know how much protection your Trachy's need.......I'd consult locals in your area. Regarding moisture......Trachy's are native to areas which get about 1" of precipitation per month in winter. I would not water unless your in some sort of drought. A dryer palm is a hardier palm.