Over wintering robusta
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- Seedling
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Over wintering robusta
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.
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.
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- Seedling
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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
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
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- Seedling
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What damage occured? Did your wrap get too hot?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
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- Seedling
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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.
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.
Cali-wanna-b wrote:What damage occured? Did your wrap get too hot?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
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
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- Seedling
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- Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:29 pm
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- Seedling
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:29 pm
- Location: Central, PA
-
- Seedling
- Posts: 295
- Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2006 3:29 pm
- Location: Central, PA
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
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
Not the pot I was expecting........
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