Makes sense, thanks.
Barb

They don't get any light if you use a leaf cage,maybe they do with a little pile on them.
Once they are shut down and in the leaf cage there is very little temp change or light.My Needles were fine with this,so are Trachys.
In our zones we need more than just a pile of leaves,although with a mild enough winter the leaves could be pulled back.
The main concern is keeping your palm dry if it has leaves piled on it.

We had to mow our still-wet leaves to chop them into smaller bits so that they'd dry!
What a production 😆

Grateful for all the valuable advice.
Got it!
Barb

Hi Barb.
Been awhile since I have been on this website. I just noticed your picture of your trachy. Did you plant it in the ground this year?

Yea Barb,I pretty much snap the leaves up as fast as possible as soon as they are down/dry.
Like a squirrel that gather it's nuts asap,I am all over the leaves early!

Hey, Wes 😀 😀 😀
Happy to see you back.

Yes, finally it's planted permanently (cheers, applause, from the Trachy).

After having planted it (I think twice) and then chickening out in the Fall and digging it up and repotting it again.
My old fortunei and a nainital I got from Barrie are planted, so is a big y.rostrata x ? (that last one may not make it through winter...oh well).

Your palms must be doing fabulously...I still remember the pictures of the seeds looking up into it.
I'll never forget that wonderful shot.

If you could, maybe post updated pics on Photos topic? or wherever.
We'd love to see 'em.

BTW you'll love all the new folks here...real palm nuts 😆

Hopefully your palms survived last year's winter really well.

Jim, usually I get the leaves raked ASAP too.
But this year it rained like the dickens (unusual for us), 3 inches of rain in about 10 days.
Wet and soggy wasn't a good start to leaf cages so we mowed them, which chopped them up and dried them...sort of.

Barb

Barb,
I did not loose anyhting due to winter but in the spring I did loose my euc. I was starting to flower for the first time and then it just died. Not sure what happened.
I bought 10 more trachycarpus fortuneis and planted them throughout my garden. I will post pics in the spring when the yard looks nicer.

Sorry you lost your eucalyptus, Wes.

Last winter was sure a tough one everywhere.

10 more Trachys? Wonderful!
Look forward to seeing the pics -- do we have to wait until Spring?
All yards look lousy now...

Barb

Hi Wes,
Sorry to hear about your eucalyptus. How long did you have it before it died?

I had it for 5 years and it had never shown any signs of damage in the past. Even after last winter it started growing quickly in the spring and was about to flower and then poof it died.
Not sure what happened.
All my palms did survive though and they are my pride and joy.
All my four lemon trees also survived.
If my plants can survive that last winter then they can survive anything. It reached -10.9C which is a record at my place. I hope to never see that again!

Barb, I will take some pics next weekend. Right now enviroment Canada is predicting a sunny day on Saturday. Not much to look at but my bananas, cannas, gingers are still green. I decided to cover my yard in Trachies and hopefully next year I will find another great sale and buy a bunch more. I got a 4' with about 18" of trunk for $29.99 each at a nursery in South Delta. That's why I bought 10.

It'll be good to see your plants again.

Your bananas survived -10.9C? wow, any protection?
How'd they fare in that windstorm that took down one-quarter of Stanley Park's trees?

Good price on the Trachies, Wes.
Sounds like 1980's pricing!

Does that Delta nursery have a nice variety?

Barb

Barb
Light is not an issue if it is kept cold/20-40(F) as it will not grow in those temps but will remain dormant.
You don't want the temp going up to much in there if it's dark.
Not above 60(F) 😀

Not above 60(F)

...more like 6 degrees if we're lucky. It IS Canada! 😆
Thanks.
Barb

I would advise to make a little cage around it,just a small tube with the leaves pulled up-an air pocket really.
Then make another cage out 2' from the edge of that and pack the leaves in there as tight as you can,then place a large bag of leaves on top weighted down.
This will cap it but you'll still be able to lift the bag to let it get air light if needed.Just make sure it's tight on there when you put it on and that it can't blow off.
This will also keep water out of the top and keep it cozy.
Make sure your cap bag is a LARGE/FULL BAG!

Sounds like good system, Jim.
The two outside layers sound practical.
Thanks.

Barb