Well...tonight it is 40 degrees outside so I figured I would open one of the buckets up and take a look. I opened the bucket up, pulled out all the leaves and investigated the palm. The leaves were still totally dry. However, it does not look good for the palm. The ground is frozen solid and when I tugged on the spear it pulled right out with no resistance. So far this winter, the minimum temperature has been 0.0F and nearly every day in December was below freezing for both highs and lows (mostly 20-30F during the day and 10-20F at night).
Here are some pictures.
Looks like unheated palms in Wisconsin is a no go. I don't see these surviving another two harsh months.
Tomorrow, the forecast highs are in the 50s. I will be opening up the uninsulated palm structures to see how those 3 gallon trachys are doing. Their only heat is 100 mini lights wrapped around the trunk and crown. As of last week, the ground had not froze in those enclosures.
