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F1aReD · Post by **F1aReD** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:05 pm

Hi everyone,

I'm new to the forums and wanted to take the time to introduce myself. I found this site while doing some research on cold hardy palms, (Windmill, Needle Palm). I live in Massachusetts Zone 5/6 and I didn't think there was even a slight CHANCE that I could grow palms here, but I wanted to let everyone know this site gives me so much encouragement!!! I can't believe some of the pics I've seen here, it's unbelievable to see how good of a job everyone is doing!

I myself haven't had the same luck. I've had a few indoor palms, and one Windmill. The Windmill kept dying and dying on me, it was a good size palm too maybe 4 or 5 yrs old. It kept turning brown (it was in a pot) and I finally put it outside around this time, and it died instantly. The only luck I had was with a very small palm I bought down in Florida a few years ago (lol).

I am hoping to finally get back into growing this spring/summer, although they would need to stay in pots as I live in an apartment right now. I would like to buy some Windmill/Needle palms, does anyone have a good site to get them from? I will have a few more questions, but I'm just introducing myself to the forums right now.

Thanks,
Andy

F1aReD · Post by **F1aReD** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:11 pm

Sorry for the intro in this section, (I just realized)

but I figured since I live in MA I would post it here

Post by **Jay-Admin** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 12:45 pm

Hi Andy, Welcome to PalmsNorth. I moved this post to the new member introduction.

Regards,
Jay

ROBRETI · Post by **ROBRETI** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 1:34 pm

Hey Andy,

Welcome, my friend! Any pictures on your garden in its current state?
Rob (Oakville, ON)

Paul Ont · Post by **Paul Ont** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:04 pm

Welcome Andy.

Hope you have some luck this year. If you can get hold of Bill (Ma) he has a nursery with palms, bananas, etc. and is in your state (can't be that far?!).

Cheers,
Paul (Toronto/Kingston ON, CANADA)

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 2:25 pm

Hi Andy,

welcome to the board. What town are you in? I'm in Seekonk, MA and another Board member near me is in Attleboro, MA (Bill). Bill's got a load of hardy palms to sell.....all sizes.

CTPalm · Post by **CTPalm** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:36 pm

Hey Andy, welcome to the board. I'm right below the Mass. border in Windsor Locks CT. I'm kinda new on here too, I have met a lot of nice, helpful and knowledgeable people.
Paul

F1aReD · Post by **F1aReD** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 3:58 pm

Jay-Thank you for moving this! My mistake. Rob-I don't really have anything at the moment, I lost all the plants, got discouraged and stopped trying for a year or so. Although I am trying to grow some Date Palms from seed, no luck yet. Paul Ont, Thank you for the encouragement! I am interested in purchasing some palms from Bill. If they are in my state, I wonder if they might be a bit more cold hardy than from someplace else? Tim-I'm in Worcester, so I think it's pretty close to all the other towns and even Boston. I'd love to see what Bill has to offer, I would probably be interested in something good size but not too big, as I heard they get harder and harder to transplant as they get older. Paul-I'ts nice to meet someone else that is a newcomer. Are you growing any palms outdoors or have any pictures? I would love to see what everybody else is currently growing, what your winterizing techniques are, pictures, etc. I'm sorry I don't have anything to share at the moment, just a baggie with dirt and seeds (lol). Thank you for all the kind replys!

Okanagan desert-palms · Sat Mar 26, 2011 4:30 pm

Andy welcome to the of growing of palm trees, yuccas. cactus ect.in the North. Lots of good people here.

John

Cameron_z6a_N.S. · Post by **Cameron_z6a_N.S.** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 6:31 pm

Welcome to the forum! Ironically, the best successes that I've had with date palm seeds are when I just forget about them

This is my favourate board, and you'll definitely learn a lot here!

Cameron.

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 6:40 pm

Hi Andy,

I'm not sure if you like trunked Yuccas but they are much hardier than palms......especially in our area. Here's mine.....I got it back in 2002 and it does not get any winter heat......most years I protect the leaves from moisture with a roof structure....pretty lame though.
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 0044-1.jpg>

Here's the same Y. rostrata back in 2004 when I planted it at my house after moving from Rhode Island.
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 4071-1.jpg>

PS, the Y. rostrata looks way better in summer than now.
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 2571-2.jpg>

TerdalFarm · Post by **TerdalFarm** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 8:39 pm

Welcome!
I have received great advice here which I credit for keeping my palms alive through record cold.
--Erik

F1aReD · Post by **F1aReD** » Sat Mar 26, 2011 10:06 pm

Cameron, I've had the same luck also. I had some Date seeds a couple years ago that took atleast 5 or 6 months long in direct heat to finally produce some roots! 

Tim, I actually really like your Yucca. It sort of resembles a palm tree (or at least somewhat). Are they very easy to go? I actually went to the mall today, and I saw these trees in pots that at first I thought were palm trees, but when you get up closer, there a bit different. I'm not sure if there some type of Yucca or what, but they look pretty cool.

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Sun Mar 27, 2011 5:16 am

Hi Andy,

the plant in the mall looks like some form of Cordyline or Draceanea......those aren't very hardy.....probably can't take below freezing.

The tall trunked Yuccas can be purchased from www.select-seeds.com

The hardiest ones they offer are Y. thompsoniana, Y. rostrata (& Y. linearifolia is suppose to be just as hardy but I haven't tried a mature specimen yet). Your colder than Bill & I by a full zone....we generally only get down to 0F to -5F each year. These trunked Yuccas will need some xmas lights wrapped around the trunk in your area.

F1aReD · Post by **F1aReD** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 11:10 am

I like the Yuccas. What do you do to protect yours? It's weird to think I'm behind you guys by a full zone, but I don't think there's that much of a temperature difference, probably very minimal or not noticeable at all. I'll have to look into these Yuccas some more, kind of nice knowing maybe there's a easier alternative, I am a "noob" at this.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Mon Mar 28, 2011 12:42 pm

Hey Andy, welcome aboard.
Nice to have one more member from MA.

Yup, you can get tons of stuff from Bill, maybe start with some smaller stuff to get the hang of keeping them alive.

Yup, yuccas are fabulous but don't give up on palms.
Lots of people here protect Trachies etc inground during winter...piece of cake (until the power goes out)

And since you're in an apartment, you won't have the protection headaches yet.

But sorry...I simply have to post a summer picture.
I'm so sick of wearing longjohns and being cold and covering stuff or bringing it back inside in the afternoons.

Bring on summer...puhlease.

<img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4116/476 ... e5d4bd.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="DSC03785" />

Barb
another Canadian, feels like zone 3 right now... :verycold:

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 6:25 am

Hi Andy,

here's two Yucca rostratas in my garden, one is protected with a 'roof' to keep winter moisture off the leaf head and the other one was unproteced. The unproteced one did fine too.
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... Jan277.jpg>

Here's my palm protection......mini greenhouse with strings of xmas lights inside.
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... Jan278.jpg>

If you don't mine protecting, palms are great. Palms will need heat as well.

Regarding differences in our climate.....although your not far from us, your more inland and higher in elevation. This winter Providence had 50" of snow where Wocester had 87". Providence's low was -2F and Wocester was -9F. Coldest daytime high in Providence was +16F where Wocester was +8F. Bill & I are a tad colder than Providence but not that much colder.

Biggest advice would be to plant along a wall which is south facing and receives loads of sun.

hardyjim · Post by **hardyjim** » Tue Mar 29, 2011 7:54 am

Welcome Andy.

You really can't beat Cactus(if you buy the right varieties)
for winter hardiness-quite a few beautiful hardy flowering cactus as well.

They are much tougher and easier to protect than palms!

Not quite as big of yard bling as bananas and palms though!

Bill doesn't really have to much small stuff for sale

Maybe better to get a few decent sized palms to start with
anyway-from a hardiness point of view....lucky you live close to
Bill-I bet he could set you up nicely if your willing to spend the coin!

F1aReD · Post by **F1aReD** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 10:45 am

Thanks for all the replys! Tim, did you just buy regular xmas lights and wrap them around the palms? I'm trying to figure out where I should keep my palms when I buy them, would an indoor front porch be a bad idea or just keep them inside at first? I don't want them to be super warm over the winter, because if I ever plant them outdoors they'll experiencing pretty cold temps, but the front porch isn't insulated and might be as cold as outdoors in the nighttime 
Barb, your palm trees are amazing! What kind are those in the pictures, a sago? I'm guessing. I can't believe yours are that big and still in pots, won't they ever outgrow them? Where do you keep them during the winter? Jim, I'll have to look into Cactus, I plan on buying a house in the next 2-3 yrs, and I plan on planting all sorts of things that aren't supposed to grow in MA, I want to try some bamboo as well, but what really fascinates me is just palm trees in general. I just think there so much better looking than say a Maple or an Oak tree. Sorry about all the winter talk, I can't wait for warmer temps, although it doesn't feel like spring lately.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 5:01 pm

Andy,
Bottle Palm at left, and Spindle.

so much better looking than say a Maple or an Oak tree.

Attaboy!

Since you'll be a couple or three years before you're in a house with a yard, I'd recommend starting with small potted palms, but get some hardier stuff like Trachycarpus, Sabal minor, Needle palm (no tropicals yet...a little finicky).

Bigger ones have a tough transition to the indoors in the winter because of dryness of air.
Yet an unheated porch which can get as cold as outside might be hard on them because the roots are exposed to the same temps as the leaves because they're not planted below ground in soil.

You've probably read of various winter protection methods here (tons of topics on it) where people have wrapped pipe heating tape right up around the trunk of the palm, and that's OK.
But I wouldn't recommend doing that with C-9 Christmas lights, get too hot on the trunk (unless they're not touching).
Plenty of time next September to sweat about that.

Then there are crazy people who build a structure twice the size of a phone booth and place a ceramic heater inside...

...or buy that house sooner and buy Bill's 9-foot palms

Barb

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Wed Mar 30, 2011 6:48 pm

Hi Andy,

I have Trachycarpus takil 'nanital form', Sabal 'birmingham' and Wollemi pine in the greenhouse. I have a string of lights wrapped around each of them. I also have about five-1 gallon milk containers in their. Prior to the deep freeze I also placed a 2' long heating pad near the Wollemi pine. All seem fine as of today. Low in the greenhouse was 7F....so it still got cold but it was dry......dry is a BIG help.

Trachy:
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 0062-2.jpg>

Trachy closeup:
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 0061-1.jpg>

Sabal 'birmingham':
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 0064-1.jpg>

Wollemi pine:
<img src=http://i30.photobucket.com/albums/c309/ ... 0063-1.jpg>

I used the small xmas lights....they really don't throw much heat but they do make a difference. Unless you have ideal conditions inside your house, I'd plant any 'new' palms outside this spring and protect in the winter. Size does matter. Don't even bother with small seedlings outside unless you protect heavily.......can you say slow growing too? If you got time drive down to Attleboro and see Bill who has a load of larger palms.

F1aReD · Post by **F1aReD** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 9:47 am

Barb, thanks for the advice. I think I will get some smaller stuff, I don't have a ton of money to spend, and I can't plant them outdoors anyway. I want to start with a Trachycarpus.What do you recommend, putting them in a 1 gallon pot with filtered sun? Tim, you have a couple of strange species there! I've never heard of the T.Takil or a Birmingham, but after I did some research apparently it was sold as a "T. Takil" for a few years until they figured out it was actually just a form of the Fortunei..the "nanital". And the Birmingham no one is really sure exactly what it is, it might be a cross between a S. palmetto and a S. minor....maybe you can confirm this, it's just what I read. Where did you get these? I'd be interested in purchasing some. What kind of heating pad do you have? I thought I read on here that you have the lights set to some type of a timer? Does your greenhouse have a frame with plastic over it? Sorry for all the questions I'm just interested in your winter setup and where to get this stuff. I would love to put some palms outside one day but I can't right now because I am in an apartment building.

lucky1 · Post by **lucky1** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 11:46 am

Andy,
Lower cost + being in an apartment for another year or two means smaller palms are a better idea right now.

Young palms in retail nurseries should be in a pot, I'd leave them in their original pot (unless roots are busting out of the top/sides/bottom

) for a couple of months. If it's Trachycarpus keep it cool near a window, south windows get too hot especially around the rootball.
Mist it every day or two to combat dry house air which usually leads to spider mites.

Let's see pics of what you buy and everyone can help with instructions.
Barb

TimMAz6 · Post by **TimMAz6** » Thu Mar 31, 2011 6:05 pm

Hi Andy,

the S. birmingham was from Gary's Nursery in N.C. Bill picked a couple up last spring. I'm not sure what type of Sabal it really is.....there is speculation that it may be a hybrid between palmetto and minor. I'm not sure if Gary does mail order any more. You should be able to purchase a S. birmingham...........perhaps from Yuccado, Alligator Alley or even EBAY. My very small heating pad was purchased from Alligator Alley back in 2000. It's only a 2' long strip. Link here:

http://www.alligatoralley.com/home.html

My greenhouse is constructed out of 3/4" steel electrical conduit. I purchased a pipe bender too. I wrap a string of small xmas lights around each plant and plug into exterior outlet. I have a circuit breaker panel in my garage which has a breaker for the exterior outlet. When temps drop I turn on the circuit. When temps are warm I turn off the breaker. No timer. This winter the lights were on a lot.

Offside · Post by **Offside** » Fri Aug 16, 2024 6:30 am

Wish you the best Andy. Here's a few easy gardening tips, I hope this helps you or someone else out one day:

https://zintragroup.com.au/gardening-tips/

PalmsNorth.com

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