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Growing palms and tropicals in cold climates
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It's 52F outside, and with this forecast I figured I might as well, even though our normal high is in the low 40s and normal low in the mid 20s...
Tonight: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. North wind between 5 and 15 mph.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56. North wind between 5 and 15 mph.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 36. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 57. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph.
Tuesday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 33. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 55. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph.
Wednesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
Thursday: Sunny, with a high near 60. West wind between 5 and 10 mph.
Thursday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 35.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56.
Friday Night: A 40 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Saturday: A chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Might have to cover it again if the cold air comes back next weekend, but I couldn't leave it covered with this nice week coming up. Maybe we won't get anymore hard freezes this year? Yeah right. Wishful thinking. One frond is severely damaged, but that was from a windstorm last October before I covered it. That THOROUGHLY made me mad... but the frond is still green so I should leave it. Much better this year than last year though!
One thing I noticed is I think the trunk grew A TON this winter in thickness. It just seems WAY thicker than it was when I covered it. Has anyone experienced this? I think it's gonna explode with growth this year. Third year in the ground. Here are some pictures of it...
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Posted : 14/03/2010 5:01 pm
Very nice. What sort of protective measures did you use? Very fresh and healthy. These W. robustas are very difficult in our zone 8 Northwest coastal areas. High winter humidity coupled with the periodic freezing, does these in almost everytime, and will eventually.
I have one remaining in a 5 gallon pot that is labelled Washingtonia filifera 'Northern Turkey' from Kiril in Bulgaria. It really has more of a robusta look and it may very well turn out to be a hybrid (filibusta). I don't hold out any long term hope but I'll enjoy it while it's around.
Keep up the great work and let us know how it progresses.
Cheers, Barrie.
Posted : 14/03/2010 5:47 pm
Topic starter
Weird that yours in the Pacific NW have problems. It might be the freezes because I don't let mine see below 32F. I use foam boxes with a space heater set at 40F inside the enclosure. It stays dripping wet inside the enclosure all winter. It doesn't drip but condensation is on every surface in large drops.
Winter pic. Washy in background, trachy in foreground:
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Posted : 14/03/2010 7:13 pm
Well done! You said on the other board that you got 10 leaves last summer... If, and I think I am correct in stating this, last summer was cooler than normal, then I expect to see 15 leaves from that W. robusta this summer!
How does the Trachy look? I don't recall seeing a pic...
Posted : 14/03/2010 7:29 pm
Topic starter
Yeah, last summer was COLD! 60s and 70s by day and 50s by night mostly.
Here is the Trachy.
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Posted : 14/03/2010 7:41 pm
That Washy looks incredible! 😯
Awesome job. I'm so inspired.
Mark
<a href="http://www.wunderground.com/US/IL/McHenry.html?bannertypeclick=bigwx"><img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/bigwx_cond/language/www/US/IL/McHenry.gif" alt="Click for McHenry, Illinois Forecast" border="0" height="60" width="468" /></a>
Posted : 14/03/2010 8:26 pm
Nice! I used leaf cages here in Zone 7 and always have some distress. What do you use for protection? They look really good.
Posted : 03/04/2010 8:57 pm
jack, see wxman's March 14 posting:
I use foam boxes with a space heater set at 40F inside the enclosure. It stays dripping wet inside the enclosure all winter. It doesn't drip but condensation is on every surface in large drops.
Barb
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/cgi-bin/banner/ban/wxBanner?bannertype=wu_bluestripes_both&airportcode=CWJV&ForcedCity=Vernon&ForcedState=Canada&wmo=71115&language=EN" alt="Find more about Weather in Vernon, CA" width="160" />
If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
Posted : 03/04/2010 9:38 pm
I may have to go that route with my Butia. It looks frazzled after this Winter. 🙁
Posted : 05/04/2010 9:39 am
Maybe wxman will chime in here, but his protection looks like 2 inch styrofoam?
We northerners couldn't hope to overwinter Butia without heat.
Same with Washy robusta and filifera.
Jack, wish we could see a pic of your Butia.
Barb
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/cgi-bin/banner/ban/wxBanner?bannertype=wu_bluestripes_both&airportcode=CWJV&ForcedCity=Vernon&ForcedState=Canada&wmo=71115&language=EN" alt="Find more about Weather in Vernon, CA" width="160" />
If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
Posted : 05/04/2010 1:42 pm
Fine job, wxman!
Styrofoam is the best friend of palms! 😆
Posted : 05/04/2010 4:59 pm
Styrofoam was frustrating for me. It insulated well, but the chickens in my yard pecked at it and removed the bottom ~2' from the base of my Butia hut. And left pieces all over the garden. My guess is you don't have 70 chickens in your garden? 😉
--Erik
Posted : 05/04/2010 6:08 pm
Erik, that IS funny.
In that case, I'd put the styrofoam inside, with the plywood to the exterior, wrapped in plastic.
😆 😆
Barb
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/cgi-bin/banner/ban/wxBanner?bannertype=wu_bluestripes_both&airportcode=CWJV&ForcedCity=Vernon&ForcedState=Canada&wmo=71115&language=EN" alt="Find more about Weather in Vernon, CA" width="160" />
If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
Posted : 05/04/2010 6:39 pm
Yes, I'll do some re-design. That was my first-ever palm hut.
The original design was merely plastic walls. I added the foam sheets to the top and north in the middle of a storm, duct-taping them in place and tying rope over it all.
Ah, fond memories...
Posted : 05/04/2010 6:52 pm
in the middle of a storm
😆 😆
And I do remember your work!
Barb
<img src="http://weathersticker.wunderground.com/weathersticker/cgi-bin/banner/ban/wxBanner?bannertype=wu_bluestripes_both&airportcode=CWJV&ForcedCity=Vernon&ForcedState=Canada&wmo=71115&language=EN" alt="Find more about Weather in Vernon, CA" width="160" />
If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
Posted : 05/04/2010 8:50 pm
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