Cold Hardy Coonties?

[Knnn]

Zamia floridana Var. "Palatka Giant"
Been experimenting with these this Winter to see how hardy they are, So
far this year I have had 37 days with lows at or below 32*F, December 1st and 3rd
bottomed out at 9*F and the 7th at 8*F.

Winter protection basically consist of a pile of leaves thrown on them.
These are also on the fringes of a pine canopy.





I cleared away the leaves today to let things dry out a bit. Found one new
set of leaves forming. Also found one set browning out ( these were buried
under the leaves and just seems to be part of the normal routine)




With a Zone 7 Winter so far, these still seem to be actively growing!
Not sure if they can make it through a full Winter here but wanted to pass
on the info for anyone wanting to try some.
I have found a few places these are available, This link is to a small
nursery where I have bought most of mine.

http://shop.vendio.com/coontie57/store.html

( These have always been plants of nice size that are well packed



Weather data from http://wunderground.com
Chaney Pond, Bennington, KS Station ID# KKSBENNI1

[turtile]

Did you grow these from seed?

[Knnn]

They went in the ground the middle of last Summer.
Should have been a little bigger by now, but I put them in an out of the way spot and forget to water them as often as I should have

~ Steve

[Knnn]

Took some damage after two days of rain and then some more hard freezes, ( I should have at least put up a cover but eventually moved this over )



Some burnt leaves but still some green ones, We have been down to 1*F / -17C so far. I am amazed that any foliage still remains. If I can get new growth from these this Spring I'll be trying to get a breeding colony of these planted in ground

[Wes North Van]

keep us posted. This is great information. I am going to try cycas panzehensis in the ground this year so this info will really help me.
Thanks

[Knnn]

Our coldest so far has been -1F / -18.4C
Left the foliage exposed this last cold snap to try and keep keep things on the dry side. Still holding some green!
These have been a big stretch in my zone but may actually work if kept dry. Will know for sure in another month

[Kansas]

Hey Steve, wanting an update on these. Whats it looking like?????

[Knnn]

After April freezes and 12+ inches of rain in May, things are drying out and warming up.

Starting to see signs of new growth, From above........




And a little closer here, new frond is starting.



Rain and cold seemed to be a bad combination, I'm sure if I had provided better canopy these would be starting this season with at least some foliage.

[Kansas]

I am sorry folks, but I really think Steve has made a REALLY important discovery here folks.
The new growth is proof that this Zamia type of Cycad can live in a Zone 5 with a little elbow grease and "want to".
What he has shown here is something, at least to me of VERY big news.
With a little more time, we will see the fullness of that leaf. And if it turns out, what this means is that maybe we can begin spreading the word about this and possibly seeing some bigger Coonties in Z5 yards. Yes, the folks will have to protect them, but a small price to pay if you ask me. In fact, when I go to FLorida next time to Lake City, I may see if there are some down there with size and transplant. The friends there ALWAYS ask me to "weed" their yard to get rid of palms.
Thanks a million Steve, and keep us updated on that leaf.

[turtile]

I just go a couple of these. I hope they do very well as well. Its amazing that they are coming back from such a low freeze. At what temperature did the leaves burn?

[Knnn]

The leaves seemed to hold fine until the single digits, also have a couple more outside that were planted during the warm spell in March, then went through two nights of 18F in April and show no damage.

So far 1 of 2 plants is showing new growth after -1F, ( The other one is still holding it’s stems, so it hasn’t decayed ,etc) I didn’t really have enough plants in the ground through the Winter to draw any solid conclusions, but it would seem there is definitely good potential with these


Just an Update ---> The one that was showing growth stalled out, decided to dig these up to take a look. ( it was my intention to move these to a better location anyways )

The one showing no activity was rotting from the bottom up, the other one had very little roots left so it was potted up to recover.

These seemed to do OK thru the Winter until several episodes of above normal temps with rain preceding hard freezes.
( Really think if I had provided better moisture protection these may have ended up in a better state )

[Wes North Van]

This type of info is crucial for us who like to push the limits.

Thanks

[Knnn]

Wes,
These might work out well in your area? I haven't given up on these yet, but decided my protection scheme needed some refinement.

Plan on using this shelter for a couple seasons, once these are of some size then a gradual acclimatization

[Kansas]

GREAT JOB STEVE!!!
Maybe I should order a bigger, maybe softball size caduex from Robert and let you do your thing with it.

[Knnn]

I'm hoping the smaller ones will have a better chance to acclimate.
( With smaller caudexes/reserves they will be a little more touchy, but if they can adapt here, this will give the best chance that these traits will be passed on.

I do have several larger ones in the GH that are starting to show some growth ~ Hoping to see some cones!

[Kansas]

Unbelievable Steve! You are the MAN!!

[Knnn]

Have about 15 in this area that have settled in and are growing. going to let the temps gradually drop while removing the ones that are showing signs of stress. Hopefully by next Spring I will have at least 4 or 5 that will have tolerated single digit lows.

I do think using smaller seedlings for this trial will provide better results, ( as compared to using larger plants grown in warmer climates)

[Kansas]

Robert Chumley sent me a BIG one of these a month or so ago. It has two heads on it. One is starting a flush. Too early for a pic, but I will post it later. Very EXCITED TO SEE IT!!!

[TT]

Hello, Knnn. I am writing you from Ukraine (I have a garden near Kyiv in zone 5b/6a). I was very impressed with your growing of Zamia integrifolia in zone 5b! Can you tell me, please, are your coonties still alive? [I also want to grow cycads in my climate in the open ground with the winter protection, but without heating. And I think that Zamia integrifolia is the best cycad for my climate, because it has small sizes and it has the underground caudex, which can be easily covered by snow and protection during the winter. But in the winter coontie will probably lose the leaves, and it is a very big problem, because it will resprout only in summer.]

[Knnn]

Hello TT , I tried this for several seasons before digging them back up. They survived but were declining.
My problem seemed to be too small a caudex size to start with and too much soil moisture in the spring before warm weather arrived.
With a raised bed and a very porous planting mix it may be possible yet.

[Knnn]

Hello TT , I tried this for several seasons before digging them back up. They survived but were declining.
My problem seemed to be too small a caudex size to start with and too much soil moisture in the spring before warm weather arrived.
With a raised bed and a very porous planting mix it may be possible yet.