New wrapping technique in zone 5

[Beny]

Hi guy's, here s some pics about the wrapping i did 2-3 weeks ago around Montréal. Hope everything will do well. But for now, i ve had a low of -19c last week and it was -6c Inside the wrapping, will see at -25c if that happen this winter. The tallest windmill is about 13 feets tall ....
And im still using the box method with a few palms...

Ben

[hardyjim]

Some biggies to wrap...looks like yer gettin her done though!

[lucky1]

As our planted palms grow--assuming they make it through THIS winter-- we can't build bigger and bigger boxes.
We'll all have to use those wrapping methods.

Some newer PN members may not have seen Stosh's protection in PA, so here's the link again:
Good photos, with video at bottom of this page:

http://members7.boardhost.com/PennHardy ... 67406.html

Barb

[miketropic]

Maybe I am missing something but I don't understand the water bottles in the video. If I put hot water bottles around the base at night they will give off heat but in temps around 0 that won't last long. what is the benefit besides alot of back and forth filling hot water bottles?

[TerdalFarm]

Mike,
I'm a big fan of the hot water jug method in places like Kentucky and Oklahoma where cold is temporary. Under an insulated cover, they will stay above freezing all night. To me, it doesn't matter if they are down to 32 oF (0 oC) by morning, as they are still radiating heat to air much colder than that as ice is forming. Last night, I put a bucket of tap water by the base of a potted Yucca, and wrapped old towels around the bucket and pot. Air temp. got down to about 8 oF (-13 oc) but the water in the bucket did not freeze.

Now, up north, and with a lot of plants, too much trouble. Need heat tape then. But for you and I, water jugs are a cheap way of heating for a few cold nights.

[lucky1]

The goal is to not let the surface roots freeze, while we're keeping the trunk and fronds and buds "warmish" with C9s.
Eric's bang-on, perfect for you folks.

Here at -21C, I lay one or two strings of C9s on the ground around the palm before raising the string to lateral bud height.

Stosh sure has some nice Washies.

One day, we'll all be building extra-long ladders.

Barb

[miketropic]

Mike,
I'm a big fan of the hot water jug method in places like Kentucky and Oklahoma where cold is temporary. Under an insulated cover, they will stay above freezing all night. To me, it doesn't matter if they are down to 32 oF (0 oC) by morning, as they are still radiating heat to air much colder than that as ice is forming. Last night, I put a bucket of tap water by the base of a potted Yucca, and wrapped old towels around the bucket and pot. Air temp. got down to about 8 oF (-13 oc) but the water in the bucket did not freeze.

Now, up north, and with a lot of plants, too much trouble. Need heat tape then. But for you and I, water jugs are a cheap way of heating for a few cold nights.

I get the idea now..Not sure if I would want to do it for 30 or so palms but for a few nights it would work. We got this blanket of snow yesterday (3 inchs) but it has not gotten that cold yet. i think my lowest has been around 15. Everything is in pots now anyway ready for my big house move except for one needle and I will leave him out and see how he does with this colder winter.

[KrisK]

Can't add much - Eric and Barb pretty well covered it - but I don't put hot water in them. I fill em once and cap it and I don't open them until spring when I'm using them to water everything. The heat from hot water doesn't last long enough for me to justify the expense (physical and financial) of filling with hot water every night. I've had ballast water in palm huts when the outside temp was -9F and the water never froze. We've been below 32F since Thursday and none have froze. I start saving pop, tea, and milk jugs in September to prepare for winter. My wife wants to kill me, but she gets over it. Then, I fill the jugs with water off my pool tarp. Yes, I'm a tightwad. But it is free, and the plants like the rainwater when I empty them in the spring. It's proven, cheap, and effective.

[cuja1]

Are you just using Christmas lights as a heat source?

[Beny]

Here s a new video i toke today. There s some update about the wrapping method. We ve had a pretty cold decembre here like almost all of you guy's ...I count at least 5-7 night between -22c to -30c and a lot of days with high temp. between -12c to -22c ...so, after uncovered some palms today, its 4c today , i saw a lot of burned fronds of my both Trachy protected with the wrapping. I really thing its because the fronds was touching the outside protection, i had the same result last year. But , i tough it was because it was to hot Inside last winter ....Now, all the palms protected with that method, the temp. never went down Under the -6c even at -30c outside. But, the exterior fronds has been burned. But the Inside fronds and the heart of the palms looks great ...
I add some insulation before having the big cold snap 2 weeks ago, but the dammages was made , cause we ve had a few night near the -20c before adding the insulation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81oQeUpm ... hw&index=1

Ben

[Beny]

FYI, the temperature Under 4 inches of pinkpanther insulation (fiberglass) is 10c more than the outside temperature. I placed the probe between the 4 inches insulation and the hotwater reservoir insulation and i get 10c gain. The heatcable is located between the trunck and the hotwater reservoir insulation. So the heat cable does nt touch the probe.
Ben

[lucky1]

Agree with you Beny, that fronds touching the cold cover did the damage, not overheating.
That pink insulation should help but I discovered last winter it also holds moisture, absorbing it like a sponge.

So this year I didn't use any insulation, just 6 ml vapor barrier plastic that doesn't touch the fronds.
And an overwrap, giving six inches air space, with old solar blankets from swimming pools.
So far so good, I don't see any mold or burnt fronds.

Your 10C gain is excellent!

Barb

[Beny]

I think we just have to do the same thing as we re doing for an house. In order : palm tree-heatcable-vapor barier or the insulation for hotwater reservoir(that contain an vapor barier)-pinkpanther fiberglass insulation (2-3 inches) then tarp. With that we should be in business ...

Ben