when the palms get larger they become more established thereby eliminating the need to cover them in the winter; or will you still have to provide some sort of protection for them even when they are large?

Mike, yeah, that was the plan.
But reality about my zone finally kicked in.

You're correct. In 7 or 7A they can survive once larger.
Not in my zone, despite winters becoming milder.

Next winter will be quite the challenge, as the Trachy will no longer fit into the palm hut.
Fronds are touching the plastic roof now. 😐

Barb

when the palms get larger they become more established thereby eliminating the need to cover them in the winter; or will you still have to provide some sort of protection for them even when they are large?

Mike, yeah, that was the plan.
But reality about my zone finally kicked in.

You're correct. In 7 or 7A they can survive once larger.
Not in my zone, despite winters becoming milder.

Next winter will be quite the challenge, as the Trachy will no longer fit into the palm hut.
Fronds are touching the plastic roof now. 😐

Barb

Bummer. Can you use some type of heating cable when it gets crazy cold?

Your yuccas are awesome! They seem to be loving your environment.

Mike, thanks!
My place may eventually become yucca-only.

The rostratas are bulletproof if kept totally dry from September to end March.
No fungus, no mold, no rot, no problem. 😀

My obit: "she tried palms for a few years" :crybaby: 😆

Barb

Mike, thanks!
My place may eventually become yucca-only.

The rostratas are bulletproof if kept totally dry from September to end March.
No fungus, no mold, no rot, no problem. 😀

My obit: "she tried palms for a few years" :crybaby: 😆

Barb

😆

Hi Barb! your rostratas are looking great! I hope my little ones make it through this rough winter and put on some decent size this summer. sorry about your CIDP 😥
Do you remember the distance between your "triplets" when you planted them? thanks for sharing

Thanks Edmar,
H thinks the CIDP is alive. 😕
Hope he's not in charge when I'm in a nursing home. 😆 😆

The 3 rostratas are approx 4 feet apart, and 2 feet from the house.
5 feet and 4 feet would've been a bit smarter as the "pineapple" bases have grown to 1 foot across.

Barb

Hi Barb,

Great to hear that your CIPD might be alive!!!

I drove 2 hours east of Vancouver to the cottage on the weekend to check on the place and to peak at the palms.

Looks like after 3 months in it's Styrofoam box the CIPD is fine. Not a mark on it despite being 5' tall and jammed in a 4' tall box. I rather expected bent or broken fronds and some mold with the well sealed box combined with the warm temps we had this winter.

http://postimg.org/image/vi0i5qhnx/

I put the box back on for another month which should be no problem.

........Phil

Wow, Phil, that is G O R G E O U S!!!!!

Kinda looks like a P. sylvestris to me...but IT'S ALIVE!
not only alive, it's growing!

Good ole' Vancouver zone...and to think I left there 😆

Great protection, congrats.
Barb

Yup, the two 23 watt CFL's did the trick. The min/max's showed -11c mins outside the box and +3c inside. No sign of overheating with warm weather and the bulbs on 24/7.

Thank goodness you used CFLs, which produce almost zero heat.
Otherwise would've been some leaf burn from fronds touching the bulbs at the top.

Wouldn't work here, need incandescents for heat, activated via thermocube.

Reminder to self: use OUTDOOR incandescent strings, so bulbs don't fail. 😕

Barb

Interestingly, CFL's actually produce quite a bit of heat. I switched to them after reading Arctictropical's posts from Z4 Utah on another forum a few years ago. He kept a med fan palm going for 20 years with 2 CFL's in a 4 ft box of 2" pink styrofoam in temps down to -25F. Also a 14' high Trachy for 10 years with 3 CFL's in Z4 winters. Power cord issues did his palms in, not the CFL's.

No failed thermocubes, really long life bulbs, some artificial daylight on the palms, and some convective air circulation since they are constantly on. I still have loads of C9 strings, but I am becoming a CFL believer.

Can't beat C9's for a little heat to the small boxes for the really tender ferns, agaves, and stuff, but CFL's for the Trachy's, Washies, Chamies, and similar could be interesting to Z4 temps in the future when they eventually ban the old school Christmas Lights.

Of course it will be a real shame to see the last of the colourful winter glow of the C9 strings in the various palm boxes around this site. Love the winter shots with Christmas lights.
........Phil

Interesting comments, Phil.
Certainly food for thought.

Could there be different "generations" of CFLs.
After my family room CFL's have been on for, say, 5 hours in the evening, their surface isn't warm to the touch.
Wouldn't hurt a fly landing on them.
But I suppose in an enclosure (versus a 13 x 17 foot room) some heat would accumulate.

Benny and Mike in Montreal use CFLs inside some of their protection.
And some had no heat tape, which puzzled me.

I'm encouraged to learn a med fan lasted 20 yrs and a Trachy got to 14 feet.

Thanks for this.

Barb

PS--In case my CIDP isn't dead after all, are you interested in selling one or two C9 strings?
Haven't been able to buy them here for several years.

Hi Barb. Don`t give up on that date palm just yet. Mine looked similar to yours when I uncovered it last year.
www.flickr.com/photos/67364497@N07/16554503815/
www.flickr.com/photos/67364497@N07/16552824831/
Give it some tlc for the next couple of months in the crown. You can put it in a smaller pot than what was in before you planted it. Warm winter weather here is in it`s favor right now.

John

That's encouraging John, thanks, will do.

put it in a smaller pot

I'll only dig it up if it's a goner; otherwise it's staying put. 😆

Barb