Looks like you'll be building larger boxes next year 😀 for those lovely palms.
That Jubaea is soooooo nice, must be 10 or 12 years old?

Hopefully lots of snow will provide even more protection.

Thanks for the photos!

Barb

Yea, this Jubaea is my favorite : )
The good thing is, these boxes can be used for many years, if in the summer they are kept protected from the sunlight in some basement or on the north side and covered. And yes, I'll be very happy to find they became smaller for the plant they protected now in next season : )
Well, I hope they will be effective: the purpose is to keep the plants maximum undamaged, not just surviving - to have better start in the spring, and, of course, to look better in the beginning of a growth season, not only its second half...
We shall see the results, and I'll show him in just 2 moths, hope...

plants maximum undamaged, not just surviving - to have better start in the spring

Yes, that's a good point.
It's terrible when protection was not quite enough and palms look awful until summer.

Hoping for a 2-month (only) winter too. 😉

How old is that Jubaea?
I have 3 new seedlings of Jubaea chilensis (blue), with only two strap leaves each. 🙄

Barb

Nursery man, I bought this plant said between 11 and 13 years, but maybe 1 year less, not sure.
I have few seedlings 2-3 months old, few dozens 😀 of seeds in different substrates and 20 Ju Blue seeds too in Vermiculite, put them 1 month ago. Hope, maybe a little optimistic, they will begin to sprout till march or at least April. OK, not all, few maybe... : )

20 Ju Blue seeds too in Vermiculite

Wow...I had only 10, and 3 germinated.
Trying the remainder AGAIN, after sanding the seeds a bit.
They were so expensive, I'll keep trying...and trying. 😐

Do you start them in deep pots? or baggies?
I have NEVER had luck with baggies with either palm or cycad seeds, but other people vouch for the baggie method.

Barb

Oh, it's a very long story:)
Or if not long, very complicated: The seeds I bought first(16 pcs) from European suplier still haven't no even one sprout.
After that bought another 20 from American (not sure is it correct) to write its name) - they sunk immediately, and first 2 seedligs are from it).
You'right they are expensive, but I told my wife: OK, I don't smoke, so if I put in this virtual bag 3-4 Euros each day about virtual-bit-not bought pack of cigarettes, after few days I'll have enough money to buy some dozen of seeds :)))
But let's back to Ju seeds: after that i purchased another - JUST MUST have at least 10-15 of this plants, to make experiments after few years, for me, after Louisiana(and Mc Curtain Sabals and Trachys they have a biggest chance and surely a the hardiest pinnate palm). Have broken few exocarps and planted - zero success. Few of them planted in pots by one, two even three in one 🙂
Some - in two places in the yard and made the best - forgot about them. The real solution: in the beginning of August the first two sprouts were from american seeds, the 3 to 5 - on that place in a garden but...in october. I was absolutely surprised to find them. The first:

And the second one - sprouted in the worst possible moment - November 🙂
After long hesitation decided to make this experiment, no matter little chances to success: mulched, covered with big, solide plastic bag and wait to march to see will it survive:

Thank you for explaining it.
I could really feel your pain and excitement with each stage.
I've been there too..except for planting JuBlues in the ground.

Surprised you put them in the ground...those expensive seeds would be squirrel food here. 👿
For the seedling to be a strap-leaf in November 😯 😯 you must have been hoping to skip winter completely.

The real solution: in the beginning of August the first two sprouts were from american seeds

Mature seeds and perfect conditions obviously.
I bet the American company buys from RPS.

That reminds me...my new seed order STILL hasn't arrived.
Darn Christmas mail is slowing down my seed arrival. :angry7:

I can imagine how excited you were to see them coming up in the garden. 😀

(Maybe if I quit smoking, I could buy more seeds....) 😆

Barb

Surprised you put them in the ground...

OH, nononno!:))
I'm a bit of gonna nuts maybe, but not so much!))
The 20(+1) Ju Blues are in Vermiculite here, not in OG! :))
All in previous posting i write was about normal Jubaeas!)

So, 2nd of August is my Jubaea Day(first own seedling).

And yes, a part of my seeds are from RPS, the "quick" - from Georgia Vines via e-bay. But oldest i put to sprout have 8-10 months, so till 2 or even 3 years...i'm still in the beginning of my Jubaea Way 😀

That reminds me...my new seed order STILL hasn't arrived.

Patience is the way 😛
Even from Germany to here i had to wait 3 weeks last autumn.

2 or even 3 years

😥
I have to label everything, so I don't forget what/where they are. 😉

OK, I understand about your "normal" Jubaeas and JuBlue and where they are planted.

Re waiting for seeds, I wish palm seeds matured in the summer so orders would arrive when weather is still reasonable.
I drive to the mailbox (2 km away) every day because I don't want seeds to freeze in the metal box overnight.
Makes me crazy...~5 weeks of waiting.

Barb

Looks good, I like your protection! Question ... how do you fasten the styrofoam panels to each other? Glue? Looks like a quick, simple protection method that I may want to try on some stuff.

Thanks!

Wood screws - approx. 2 inches long(5-6 cm)
The first box i begin to made, I try to make more stable with some tin angles, but the rest of them just assembled them with 3 wood screws per side, and I assure you, after all 4 sides of the box was assembled, the box IS strong enough(if this is the locution, sorry if not, hope you understand me 🙂 )
By the instruction of one of the best nursery-owner here, I leaved the top of the XPS-styrofoam boxes opened, covered by at least two layers of polyethylene foil.
And yes, this way of made, boxes are very easy to be done(assembled) and didn't takes too much time. Abut how effective they are - we shall see after ... hope less than 2 months. I'll report here with photos too.

Notice: All of boxes are covered not only in the top, but all his round, and in ground are buried with some soil and/or stones: by this way not only the isolation in the basis is better, but all the construction is more solid and WIND-STABLE.
Important: It's not good idea to use more cheep(and thick) EPS-styrofome/with lower density/, because in case of humidification it looses almost all insulation efficiency. Moreover, in that case "the easy" way to assemble it with screws only would be not strong enough.

P.s: Tomorrow I will go to "the rancho" : ) and I'm very curious how the Trachy experienced these -12C( 10F) 10 days ago. Surely it's alive, but with how damages (or without them) ? - It hasn't any protection, so... I'll report here.

tin angles

Good idea!
And hinges come in all lengths.

Look forward to hearing how your Trachy is doing unprotected at -12C (10F).

Barb