I bet that S. louisiana had a long tap root! Thanks for the update.

Erik, it's great that you were able to make sure that these very hardy palms are going to a good home!

Yes it did have quite the tap root on it. Way heavier than I expected. Unfortunately it's rained all week and today was no exception, so I plan to get it in the ground tomorrow when we get our forecasted break. I have the perfect spot : protected on the north my by shop and afternoon shade by the west privacy fence. It will get its own water drip emitter. I'll baby it like the others! Erik thanks again!

I'm glad you two went back there to dig.
Drove me crazy thinking no-one might be there to look after them for quite a while.

Did you get the Chammie too?

please edit for UPDATE accuracy:
palms that survived -30C winter (minimum cover) and +43C summer with no rain/irrigation: Needle, one Trachy, Sabal Lou, big Chammie,

Barb

Erik good to see you were able to save those Palms. They will reward you with super growth in there new home.

John

Glad to hear they were in good shape. It's a metaphore Bro. It means everything is going to work out fine. 😀

Kris, it was great to have you and your family over. Looking forward to photos of the Lou in place. And maybe invite us over in, say, October, to see how it has done? My guess is that this first summer will be dedicated to re-growing damaged roots and so maybe very little foliage growth. Hopefully I'm wrong.
Tim, yes, huge tap root. This "Lou" had been grown by Bryan at Amazing Gardens in OKC in a 30 gallon trash can. It was root-bound at the bottom: I had to cut it out. So, yes, Kris had to sacrifice most of the roots. Very tough on Sabal.

Barb,
thanks for asking. I don't want someone to find this thread by a Bing or Google search and conclude that needle palms can take -30 C with minimal protection. They can't. 🙁

Let's take that needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix) in the first photo, one of three planted a year ago (blue pot specials from Lowes).

Late January, 2011, was unusually warm, with the leading edge of an arctic low pulling warm, moist air up from the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, the soil was not frozen when the cold air hit in early Feb. I laid 2 litre soda bottles of water around the base of palms and buried them with loose hay. I then covered that needle with fibreglass insulation (6" 15 cm), then a cardboard box and then plastic. The cold air hit the moist air and we got record snow. This insulated the soil and my crude shelter.

So, no way did any of that palm see actual -30 C air.

The tallest needle, that had a trunk, lost the trunk to cold. It has pups that made it, buried under all the hay. The other needle died outright. So, no, needle palms cannot survive -30 C with minimal protection. They need extensive protection, and preferably electric heat. If I learned anything from February, 2011, it was: heat your palms! Easy and cheap. Consider it as essential as watering them in the Summer when it is +40 C and windy. You just have to do it.

The Chammie did have electric heat: heat tape around the little trunk and C9 lights on the foliage, plus everything that needle had (water bottles, hay, fibreglass, plastic).

The Trachycarpus fortunei that lived? A miracle. It had water bottles, trunk wrap of burlap, hay and a plastic "tee pee" but no electric heat. It should have died, as did the other two Trachy with similar protection. (My two waggies had a bit of heat tape, but not much. They are both fine, and living in pots now.) So, the crown of the Trachy that lived without electric heat must have seen at least -20 C as it was above the snow and hay (but under fibreglas and plastic). It was a cheap US$10 buy at Home Depot, nothing special. I guess now it is special!

Thanks Erik, that comprehensive explanation WAS necessary as people wouldn't be able to find the old posts.
Excellent summary.

That Trachy deserves a medal.

Hope KrisK updates us on the Sabal's recovery.

Barb

Speaking of which, the Lou had heat tape on the base but no C9 lights. Thus, it was protected like the two waggies, the jelly and the two Sabal mexicana (one of which lived).

My general recommendation for folks expecting super cold weather would be to do what I did for the Chamaerops humilis: heat tape around trunk to keep the bud above freezing, C9 lights for the foliage. Plus all the passive stuff (water bottles, insulation, cover). Then pray for a quick warm up and hot Spring! 😆

Yup, I'm impressed with your heat tape results too.
Considering it myself for next winter...or maybe tomorrow 😆 😆

Thanks Erik.
Barb

Kris is in his garden as I type from 100 km away in Tulsa. He is using his handy iPhone to send me photos as he works:

"Red Ferrari. 'If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up.' (Ferris Bueller quote lol). I got this baby at a yard sale- best 5$ I ever spent. She was rough but I brought her back." --KrisK

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href=" https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/A7B0vkf0TOYlTf137F9qntMTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsit e"><img src=" " height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href=" https://picasaweb.google.com/116608771518064493015/March2012?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsit e">March 2012</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href=" https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/9PfPUi6f5O3EG6gebPTvC9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsit e"><img src=" " height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href=" https://picasaweb.google.com/116608771518064493015/March2012?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsit e">March 2012</a></td></tr></table>

<table style="width:auto;"><tr><td><a href=" https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/k6AYhRzCQvJWLDo3oxWQE9MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=embedwebsit e"><img src=" " height="640" width="478" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family:arial,sans-serif; font-size:11px; text-align:right">From <a href=" https://picasaweb.google.com/116608771518064493015/March2012?authuser=0&feat=embedwebsit e">March 2012</a></td></tr></table>

Red Ferrari...cute 😆
Nice soil, have never seen soil without ROCKS in it.

Nice to see Lou in her new home.
Tell KrisK it's crooked. 😆 😆
Barb

Barb, Red Ferrari.... What's about a pair of hands and a spade. The last one is more eco-friendly to me... No rocks you said... I wish I have a chance digging a soil instead of shoveling snow... I like those rainy day pictures Erik posted yesterday. I miss this type of weather - drizzle and green grass. You know what I mean.