Cold Damage even for a short time..

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:18 pm

Back in the fall I built some protection, Christmas lights etc but didn't put the top on cages since it was still nice. Dropping to 9 deg F for just one night while out of town did it's damage to even the partially protected. I think the enclosure itself made it worse by trapping the cold air inside as my potted Mexican Fan Palms didn't suffer as much damage.

Today, since it was nice I took protection down for the Mexican planted in the ground to cut off the visible browned fronds and to check the base. The base was still green, but the last spear/frond trying to come out the top was brown and was firm when I tugged on it. I cut away all the old dead fronds to leave what is in the pic and put everything back together.

I'm confident it will come back just fine, and if it does will move slightly further away from the house as I know it wouldn't be able to clear the eve of the house in a year or two. I sure hope these "near misses" with cold hardens them a little more. This is this palms 2nd winter in the ground.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:55 pm

I'm confident it will come back just fine, and if it does will move slightly further away from the house as I know it wouldn't be able to clear the eve of the house

Just me, but I wouldn't do any more cutting until maybe February.
And replanting a struggling palm is more stress.

Barb

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 12:55 pm

Oh, No plans to move until May/June

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:02 pm

any more cutting until maybe February.

that was just about cutting.

I wouldn't move it for 2 YEARS...

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 1:04 pm

Well, the fronds were getting close to the eve of the house and each year the root structure will be that much larger. Was just going to move it like 2 feet away from the house.

There isn't anything left to cut anyway, I removed all the dead fronds and added some copper fungicide around the crown just in case.

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:38 pm

Your washy looks alot like mine. I didnt provide any heat to mine though. One of mine even had spear pull back before Christmas. Definitely will not be experimenting with them any more.

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:43 pm

I would have been just fine if I hadn't listened to the weather forecast before I went out of town. They said it would only get to low 20's but as I said, it bottomed out at 9 deg F I could have easily thrown the tops on them and would have been fine and put all the potted palms I left outside in the garage for the winter. Even CIDP took a hit in pots. Only the European Fan Palms, and Windmills went without damage.

I don't think there is a faster growing palm out there like these....and cheap to buy small as well.

chadec · Post by **chadec** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:48 pm

I hoping their speed will help them recover. It will be a waiting game this spring. Hope it pulls through.

sashaeffer · Post by **sashaeffer** » Mon Jan 13, 2014 2:53 pm

I'm sure it will. There is a guy in Michigan I think that has one like 12ft+ high and all he does is mummy wrap it. It defoliates of course, but comes back each year.

Last year I closed up protection just fine and I unwrapped a nice green large frond palm in the spring, and we had snow all the way till the first week of May....a first for here.

PalmsNorth.com

Cold Damage even for a short time..

Cold Damage even for a short time..

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