Over wintering robusta

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 11:31 am

I promised I would post a pic of my over-wintering robusta. I wrapped the palm in 3 layers of felt type, heavy black landscape fabric then coiled heat tape from the ground up the trunk. I wrapped an additional 3 layers of fabric around the tape and the palm making sure I extended the wrap a foot and a half around the base to help insulate the soil. A few large zip ties holds the wrap snug around the palm. At the top of the wrap I left extra fabric that I use as a "hood" that I can close and open depending on the weather. I finished off the wrap with a coating of Boot Dry water repellent to help keep the moisture away without inhibiting the water from escaping from within the fabric, like a plastic wrap does.

The heat tape has a built in thermostat that comes on when the temp dips to 38*F. The termostat really takes the guess work out of supplemental heating. In addition it will not over heat like the c-9 bulbs will. The heavy black fabric also helps heat up the palm during the day by absorbing the available sunlight, but lets the excesses moisture out. So far I have tested the inside tempature of the wrap four times.

1. A day time tempature of 28*F with partly sunny skies, 10 to 20 mph winds , the inside of the wrap was 50*F
2. A night time temp of 18*F, calm winds. Inside temp was 40*F.
3. A day time temp of 40*F with heavy rain. Inside temp was 42*F and dry.
4. Collected today 12/15/2007 day time temp of 26*, partly sunny, light winds. Inside wrap temp 50*.

I have not checked the green tissue since I wrapped the palm which was about a month ago. I will post pics once the temps rebound and snow melts a bit.

summer robusta, planted as a 3 gal.

Okanagan desert-palms · Sat Dec 15, 2007 1:37 pm

Nice job. Do you plan on removing the mummy wrap on warmer days?

John

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 3:06 pm

John

Yes I do. My goal is to over winter it more as a die back perenniel than try to salvage the leaf tissue. 25*F seems to be the limit concerning leaf damage with this palm. We had a hard freeze and all the fronds got burnt. I cut them off, before I wrapped the palm. Since, without unwrapping the entire palm, I have noticed the new spear growing, ever so slowly. IMO, if this works on a robusta, then it should work on more cold hardy species.

Craig

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 5:21 am

I tried this last year and was half way successful.
What I did wrong was I did leave the wrap on all year and didn't leave it open enough at the top.
If I had done both of those, it would have done perfect in my zone 5.
Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:48 am

I tried this last year and was half way successful.
What I did wrong was I did leave the wrap on all year and didn't leave it open enough at the top.
If I had done both of those, it would have done perfect in my zone 5.
Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes

What damage occured? Did your wrap get too hot?

Laaz · Post by **Laaz** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:11 am

The problem with the black wrap is it overheats very easy. I would use burlap or clear plastic...

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 11:57 am

Todd,

The material in the wrap is a porous, heavy erosion control fabric. It does warm up, but does not trap the heat like clear plastic does. It is designed to let a reduced amount of water into the soil. I will have to pay extra attention to the inside temp in early spring when the outside temps rise and the sun is stronger. I am planning on removing the outer three layers when the temps moderate a bit.

Kansas · Post by **Kansas** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 5:04 pm

Cali-wanna-b wrote:
I tried this last year and was half way successful.
What I did wrong was I did leave the wrap on all year and didn't leave it open enough at the top.
If I had done both of those, it would have done perfect in my zone 5.
Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes
What damage occured? Did your wrap get too hot?

No, never really got too hot, just never put a fungacide (sp?) on it. The problem is, NOW I know that center pull happens almost every year with Robusta that are covered like this, and they come back. I didn't know that until AFTER I pulled it out of the ground

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:53 pm

Thanks for the advice!!! I plan on giving it another spray arond mid-winter and again in early spring. Would this be too much fungicide?

Laaz · Post by **Laaz** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:01 pm

Craig if your using copper be careful, it can become toxic to palms if overdone.

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 3:13 pm

Todd

I am using Spectracide Immunox Fungicide.

Cali-wanna-b · Post by **Cali-wanna-b** » Sun Jan 20, 2008 9:28 am

Just an update on my wrap system. Took a wrap temp today, 9*F with a windchill factor of -11*F with partly sunny skies. Inside wrap temp is a cozy 42*F at ground level.

I aired out the palm a week or so ago during a brief warm spell when temps got into the 60's, the spear looks good except for some leftover freeze damage from earlier in the fall before I wrapped it.

Craig