Hey Barb,Naini Tal has done great it has put out 7 new leaves and is working on 8!The S.louisiana has come back strong also with three new leaves.Pretty amazing for any palm,let alone one (Naini Tal)that had spear pull last Nov and totally defoliated.Heres a link,double click on pick and scroll forward.

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/574261390bitwcP

Mike good to hear from you again!

Nice work as always Jim! Did I see you wrote that your washys crooked? I hope not.

Bill

Yea,I did not mulch around the base enough and only had maybe 6-7" of space around them so......
I remember measuring the soil temp right next to them,it was like 34F and I think a few more inchs away the ground probably froze.I also cut all the leaves off but really I think the combo of frozen ground and a very wet/cool spring did them in.
If you have larger Washys I would suggest protecting the ground out to the drip line with leaves/mulch. A couple (2') feet of leaves(they will pack down) or a foot of mulch.
I have a Washy and B.eriospatha that I will protect(with their leaves on)this year,I will use styrofoam boxes with c-7 x-mas lights and removable tops this time.

I think you said your GDD is 3040?
I think that our microclimates provide extra warmth but when you look at Washys needing 5000-5600,even as fast as they grow,you really have to heep as many leaves on them through winter as possible.
I guees we will need to keep tweaking our protection if we want Washys in our yard this far north,makes for quite a challenge. 🙄

Hi Mike, nice to see you.
Got some pics of how your palms fared this summer?

Jim that NainiTal looks fabulous. You won the bet...yours did better than mine, and mine was indoors!
🙂

It's been said 100 times before but I'm always amazed at how similar Takils and NainiTals are. 😉
One day the mystery will be solved.

Barb

Thanks for the advice Jim. I think I'm going to leave all the leaves on so they can draw the nutrients from the leaves. What differnce does it make the boxes are going to be giant anyways. Do you think I should do it before a hard freeze? That's probably the beginning of Nov. I wish they were filliferas, maybe they have some in them with a little luck the stems are really green with not much purple. I can't tell the difference though.

Sorry about your palms Jim, your still a palm whisperer in my book.

Bill

Hey Lucky,I hate to say this but I don't think many if any have a true Takil,most of whats out there is Naini Tal.
This is another of those Palms that if you follow the European palm forum(they have been at this a LOT longer than we have)even the experts have srewed this up and are responsible for the confusion.That said,I really love Naini Tal! It's a great palm,it grows fast and has a beautiful compact growth habit and the good news is if you have a large takil,(over half a foot)you have Naini Tal.The seeds for Takil have just become available in the last 4-5 years,so knowing how slow Trachys are from seedlings it's extremely unlikely that any "larger"palm is Takil.

What was our bet 😉
I think any palm in the ground has a big advantage over a potted/indoor palm,the roots can really spread out.

I will have to post some pics of the T.tesan,Naini Tal and Waggies together,they all have such a beautiful compact growth habit.Tesan is definitely not regular fortunei.
Tesan looks like a cross between Naini Tal and Wagnerianus.
I have like a dozen or more Tesan that have sprouted,maybe next summer/fall when they are big enough I will let some go to you guys if you let me know your interested.

I will get some pics so you can compare,very cute little palms!
They almost look like bonsai

Thanks Bill,very kind words.If you guys knew how much much time I spend in the garden you would probably think I am a palm nut.
I think you should let them experience some cold,mine were fine down to 27F after that it gets a little risky.
I also believe it's a good idea to cut them off of water or water VERY little after the beggining of Oct.plants "stressed in drought mode"have an advantage to those kept wet going into winter.One problem with this approach is that palms that are not established are a little more sensitive to drought stress and may suffer to much foliage loss/damage,so it's atender process,follow your instincts on that one.
Another issue is how the cold comes this fall,is it sudden or do plants have time to adjust?You may want to throw some cloth over your Washys if they don't have some near freezing weather before a frost comes.

I certainly think you would be better being safe then sorry,so, maybe having your boxes ready or set up is a good plan as long as the palms don't overheat.It really looks like an early frost where I live this year but who knows maybe we will have a warm fall,after a summer like this who knows? Bet on frost in Sept?

Oh yea,the other thing is that you should keep the crownns dry going into frost.Maybe having your boxes set up to keep them dry and being able to remove the tops is the best of both.
If you have never read the site Palms in Colorado Springs USDA zone 5b you should check it out.If you e-mail me I can send it to you.These guys wrote the cold hardy gospil,IMO jimpdelaney@yahoo.com

Yup, Jim, that's why I brought up the "similarities" between Takil and NainiTal, as the subject has been discussed by the world's palm pros. Always interesting dialogue.

You bet that my NainiTal (indoors) would do better than yours (planted in the ground, protected over winter).
Oops...seems I won, having bet against myself.
Mine did NOT match your growth of 7 leaves this year.
Well done!

Barb

That's the kind of bet I like loosing 8)

I would love to see how the Trachy you planted is doing,do you water it alot?

Jim,
That bet certainly proves how effective your winter protection methods are!

When I planted the Trachy this Spring, I had big plans to really lavish attention on it with 20-20-20 (like another poster does, with great results). Ended up almost neglecting it due to other stuff happening. I think I only gave it some Epsom salts, can't remember if I fertilized it at all. It actually started to wilt when I realized I hadn't watered it for approx 2 months!

It's been a brutally hot and dry summer, but thankfully Trachy only gets morning sun in its permanent spot.
All the abuse...32 years in various pots, and finally in the ground, then I don't find the time to look after it !!! Poor guy.

It does look healthy!

Thanks for asking, Jim.
Barb

Wow, it looks great, Barb. Makes me want to go buy one and try the same. 🙂

Thanks ronbruce,

As you likely know, Trachies hate really hot and dry wind of typical Okanagan summers.
Wind breaks the fronds in half, shredding them.

But most palms can handle morning sun (except my 3 Triangle palms which got leaf burn last summer).

I expect the Trachy will do well on the East side of house as long as I don't screw up the winter protection.
In the right spot, I think Trachies can be bulletproof.

By the way, Fall is a good time to scour the nurseries. Palm prices are usually marked down in September, but they need to be indoors that first winter. Planting a trachy in spring gives a good amount of time for root development.

Barb

I have a feeling your palm hut will be top notch Barb. That is a really nice palm!

Bill

It will indeed...'coz John's driving 35 miles to help construct the thing. 😀 😀

Last year it grew 2 more fronds in October...trachies love Fall and Spring here.

Barb

I look forward to seeing this hut to give me ideas for the future.

Yes, Barb, I may head up to Kelowna tomorrow to see if any palm or yucca deals are about.