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Well the unfun part of the palm hobby in a cold climate has started since it's that time of year to start putting some of them in protection for the Winter. So far, we've been lucky here in Omaha, NE with a pretty mild fall and I'd like to leave most of what I have un protected still for a while but will be gone one whole weekend and can't take a chance on bad weather. Going to document what I do and species ongoing here and with a facebook page album link here as well.
I did want to highlight one palm I bought this year from Steve Anderson that is in the ground...a Cape Hatteras Sabal. Has been in the ground since mid/late summer and it really seems to prefer that vs the nice grow pot it came in. I have 6 ft of heat tape around the root ball and a string of C7 25 count Christmas lights (with some bulbs unscrewed so I don't over heat the space). The heat tape has a built in thermostat and the Christmas lights are attached to a thermocube. In reality, the Christmas lights "could" keep the heat tape from ever turning on so it's really just there for EXTREME cold. It will have a semi transparent plastic barrel around it with bags of mulch to help keep cold winds from getting inside. For the top I was able to score some 2x2 square thick plexiglass panels at work to simply lay on the top with bricks to hold it down. I've used the plexiglass method before and it really helps to allow me to take it off easily on nice winter days, or to simply "vent" excess moisture and humidity from the enclosure. Humidity has been my number one problem when over wintering in any of my protection methods. I will also have wireless thermometer to maintain temps for this palm.
Mexican Fan Palm 2nd winter being in ground. First pic when planted Spring 2012 until now. Will be it's 2nd Winter.
And now Fall 2013.....
The top will be a heavy Mil clear plastic bag like I used last year which worked just fine as I could easily take it off on nicer days or to add water to base of palm.
I use really thick clear plastic bags I get from work that I cover it with and it's held on by a ratcheting strap that holds it to the cage. That way can take it off easily if we have nice days or want to give them a drink.
I get these bags from worked used to cover steel coils dureing winter..they fit a 50K pound coil under em so there pretty big and use those to cover stuff
Looks like you avoided sawing your arm off too...
reaching in to the center of these and pulling your hand
back can leave you snagged big time,not to mentioned hooked into the skin.
I mentioned it...Bill said one of his grew 34 leaves this year-he is covering it now
The one thing that can get these up north is root damage from cold damp soil.
I use about 6-12" mulch around my Washy at least 8' out.
Jim, as a matter of fact I did get hooked good. Had a hell of a time getting my finger pulled off the hook.
There was a member on here that had a good idea that I've done. I buy bags of mulch on sale in the fall and surround the base of the structure with the bags. It helps keep air from getting up into the enclosure and also keeps some ground warmth around the roots. Seemed to work great last year.
Then, in the spring I have all the bags of Cedar chips that I need anyway for my landscaping.
I may have to dig up and move that big Mexican Fan palm though. It will be much harder to build a structure around next fall with the eve of the house in the way.
I was bleeding like a stuck pig once I got my finger free. I don't think gloves would have helped much as the thorns are really large and sharp on a palm that size.
Hi guy's , i started to protect some palms at my customer. Here's some pictures , the Butia is gorgeous, was tough to tie up the palms together , but now is ready for the winter...
Will post more pics and videos soon..
I built 2 different mummywrap on my Butia and one of my Trachy, there's some pics too..for now the one with bubble insulation looks better, less sun effect ( that was caused the burn on my Trachy last winter ) ..
Yes, i know. i replaced it after taken this picture. The heat cable for pipe is better the one for roof has that problem. That s fried my Trachy too last winter. Now i used the heat cable EasyHeat for pipe, more better and they have their own thermostat .
Thx guy's,
Barb, still at least 13 Trachy , 2 Butia and 1 Chamaerops. Plus a few palms at my house like 2 x 8 feets Trachy, 2 x 5 feets Trachy, 2 Needle palms and 1 Chamaerops humilis. Plus another 8 feets Trachy and Butia that i already covered with the mummywrap. That s why i really focus on the mummywrap this year. With all these palms to protect, i dont have no more room to store the box ...And my wife will be happy if that new technique works ...
Beny, My son and I were just commenting on your second last photo... that sequence of : extension cord, thermocube, socket, splitter, 2 bulbs, extension cord out from there...
we have the exact same protection measure sequence in our Brahea enclosure, but i have two different colour bulbs. That way if in the winter I see only red or only white, I know one bulb has burnt out.
Adam
Zone pusher7a. Trail runner, marathon racer. Propagator of Yuccas, palms and Pawpaws among others. World traveller. Language collector, lol.
Latitude: 43°11'00.000" N
Good idea Adam, but when using the CFL bulbs (10000 H), im sure they wont burn during the winter. I change at least 1 bulb per year, just in case. But with 2 CFL, if 1 burn, ill still have another one plus the heatcable (64 watts) on the ground. That will give enough heat with 2 inches styrofoam box.
Thx for sharing pic
There are some articles on the web that claim that cfl bulbs are not made to be turned on and off very often. Also that they don't work very well in the cold.
Optimal use for a fluorescent light is to be left on all the time at temperatures between 50 and 80 degrees (F). You can still experience savings when an area needs to be illuminated by artificial light for ten hours or more at a time. But for most households, the need is for a few lights to be on for an hour in the morning and two to five hours at night, and most lights to be on for one to ten minutes as needed. If you try to leave the light on longer so the bulb will last longer, the electricity savings are then lost. A more accurate longevity statement would be "250 to 10,000 hours depending on use."
What lamp holder are you using? Isn't a problem if the lamp is too close to the thermocube?
Tavi, my thoughts exactly, and is why i have the pigtail of about six inches and a plug on it then the thermocube, for some distance (instead of directly plugged in to the t-cube). I used a plant stake with a curled top to hold it all up and away from the fronds.
Adam
Zone pusher7a. Trail runner, marathon racer. Propagator of Yuccas, palms and Pawpaws among others. World traveller. Language collector, lol.
Latitude: 43°11'00.000" N
cfl bulbs are not made to be turned on and off very often. Also that they don't work very well in the cold.
My garage is proof of that in winter.
Two CFLs in the ceiling.
When it's really really cold (because the people door is open for the dog to come and go), the bulbs take 30 seconds to come up to full light.
Much faster in the summer when it's warm.
why i have the pigtail of about six inches and a plug on it then the thermocube
That occurred to me too.
So I turned the thermocube so there was no heat source underneath it (skewing on/off because of the heat that was generated below).
I never had problem with that before, cause the heat produced by the CFL is low. I never had a burned CFL after a winter, but i change some just in case. Inside my protections, never the temp. went down Under the +1c even at -27c outside. So, the CFL work Under a milder temp. range +1c to +8c. And i don t think they turn on and off often. Cause during the night, they are on almost all the time and turn off during the day when temp. is higher than -6c. Cause there s some heat giving by the sun. And the styrofoam box contain the heat pretty well.
Here's a video of a 7 foots Trachy and 12 foots Butia Under protection. I protected these palms 2 days ago, the Trachy is Under the box and the Butia Under the mummywrap. Im pretty sure that technique will work this year . Sorry the video is in french ....
Ben
Barb, i did 5 others and 2 at my home few days ago, im going to protect 4 others today. And by sunday, everything will be done ...The weather is on my side this weekend, 10-14c till monday ....
In my mummywrap at my house, i have 1 butia protected since 2 weeks with that technique an at-9c, the temp. Inside the wrap never went down Under +2c. So even at -25c, i think it will be warmer than -5c Inside, and the butia can handle et least -10c, so im optimistic ...
Scott,
I had the overheat problem with that technique last winter, like you. This year im going with the bubble insulation sheet for the hot water reservoir, it has an aluminium side and don t let go in the sun. That s make a big difference. I make that experience since 2 weeks and i have compared with the classic mummywrap like you did and there s no sun effect with that kind of wrapping and the temp. Inside is more regulated. At -9c or 12f the temp Inside was +3c. Not more cause the thermostat of the heatcable turn everything off at +3c. At +4c outside it was +8c Inside, so we have a gain of 3-5c du to the sun instead a gain of +15c with the other technique ...
And i sprayed all the palms with a fongicide/bactericide and i made 1 small opening on the side near the top of the trunck and 1 at the top of the wrapping. Thats gonne help for giving some ventilation.
Hey guy's, everything is almost done...still only few palms to cover at my house . I post few videos on my Youtube channel, check it out and try to learn some french ...i was thinking to you guy's , i did a small one in English .
Will post other when ill cover mine...
, but now is ready for the winter...
..
