PalmsNorth.com

I am just about to the point of giving up on the palms here. Not only can I not get any through the winter in the ground but I'm not even sure WHY I can't get them through the winter. I Have a T. Takil and Braz, and a waggie planted out. end of oct. I put tomato cages around them and covered with old mulch bags. made sure none of the leaves touched the sides and then mulched he base heavy. it has kept them dry as far as I can tell. coldest temp we have had was 14F for one night and that was back in nov. I opened the waggie hut up yesterday since it was 55 to let it air out and both spears pulled right out! I checked the Takil but was to afraid to pull the spear..one dead palm is enough for one day..no idea what I need to be doing but if none of the 3 make it through the winter I don't think I will replace any of them.

Oh, shoot!

My guess is a fungal infection. Did you spray them with a fungicide before covering them?

Trachycarpus fortunei or T. wagnerianus commonly spear pull until well established. Two friends in Tennessee tell me every one of their windmill palms spear pulled every year until they reached 4 feet in height. I would apply hydrogen peroxide into the spear area and recover.

mike, mulch bags provide excellent cold protection...should've been enough.

Hope it (they) bounce back in the spring.

I would hope they recover as well but it seems unlikely. I will give them some TLC and hope for the best. I think maybe I need some larger ones to start with and it might help them get through the winter better.They grow great all summer putting out loads of leaves and then winter comes and it seems there dead at the first sign of frost..very frustrating. I have gotten plants that were zone 8a hardy through the winter in the ground but I just can't seem to get the palms to stick around..

dead at the first sign of frost

Well, apart from the age of the palm that you plant, I think the trick is to always protect palms well ahead of any sign of frost.
Perhaps even a type of cover that can be opened on mild days if you get a warm spell before the depth of winter cold arrives.

And perhaps it has something to do with heavy rain content in the soil around the roots too.
Plants typically survive winter better in dry soil than wet because of freeze/thaw cycles.
And obviously, the more roots the better in case some are damaged.
All other things being equal of course.

Guessing game, even for those of us who've been at this for years and years.

Barb

I can attest for the spear pull on smaller Trachy's I have one planted as a mail order seedling a few years ago and even though it's protected with root heat and christmas lights it always looks like a million bucks going into spring except......spear pulls. It always comes roaring back though getting a little bigger each year.

As far as trunking palms go, I have bought my last 3 gallon or smaller. I have already lost a silver euro and a pindo this winter. Still have 2 trachys that did not fully recover from last winter.

Oh, no!
How cold has it been?

lucky1 wrote:

dead at the first sign of frost

Well, apart from the age of the palm that you plant, I think the trick is to always protect palms well ahead of any sign of frost.
Perhaps even a type of cover that can be opened on mild days if you get a warm spell before the depth of winter cold arrives.

And perhaps it has something to do with heavy rain content in the soil around the roots too.
Plants typically survive winter better in dry soil than wet because of freeze/thaw cycles.
And obviously, the more roots the better in case some are damaged.
All other things being equal of course.

Guessing game, even for those of us who've been at this for years and years.

Barb

Exactly, maybe the dry soil around the roots is most important for surviving and when they grow too big for any kind of protection the crucial thing becomes the micro location and the position of the palm.. when there is nothing more you can do you have to let the nature do it's job, hope yours recover!

Thanks max.
Yup...and of course, we're all worried about what to do if they survive and when they outgrow protection. Then what?

Barb

lucky1 wrote:Thanks max.
Yup...and of course, we're all worried about what to do if they survive and when they outgrow protection. Then what?

Barb

Emigrate with them I've been lucky with not having any Spear pulls since 2010 but I still get leaf damage particularly on the new Princeps hybrid. Dammed if I know what is causing it. I'm told the plant will grow out of it in time

Mike have you tried bubble wrapping particularly with 25ml bubbles and perhaps with a heat cable for night time when there is no solar energy?

Here is a big canary that is still thriving in Nashville Tn after we continue to wonterize it!
NashvillePalms.com

STUNNING CIDP so far north!

Absolutely stunning specimen!

I popped the top on them a few days ago the sabal braz from jim looks perfect..the takil has all brown leaves and a brown spear but didn't pull..the waggie is on its own..either it comes back or it does not..I lost a few inside as well..a blue chammy I had for years just up and died and the princeps has basal rot I think..each front comes out tiny and its starting to dry up...oh well gives me room to order some larger ones...