It sure was a nice day yesterday!
Felt like spring. Still 60 oF when I woke up--along with an end-of-the-year tornado warning.
Get cold now, but not to single digits down here.
My soil temps are like yours, perhaps a little warmer. I like going into January with warm soil. 😀
Unlike last year....

The queen palm/Musa basjoo protection looks great. I love the straw house. While I use pipe heating cable on palms, I never have on Musa. If it works for you, I'll do that next year.

I was surprised by the relatively modest heat for the W. robusta. Was that sufficient last winter?

Thanks for the updates, and keep them coming! --Erik

If your Queen palm survives, you'll be the hero of the board!

Thanks for the updates.

That's for sure!
I hope Mike (sidpook) sees this thread. 😆

Wow, over wintering a Queen! I hope it makes it!

😆 😆
I have mixed feelings, because I know that if he does, I'll have to try in 2011. 😀

Robusta has made it 3 winters in the ground,with the rope Xmas light around the trunk,last year no Xmas lights on the leaves and lost them all but one,but this I put the Xmas minis back on the fan leaves,so far they look great,this is pretty much 7ft tall.
I had to Raja Puri's musa in fruit,wrapped with mini lights and bales of straw,with plastic coverings,put the cold froze the nanas,and also the trunks has turned to mush,but the pups still look good as far as I can tell,so I might get lucky and overwinter a raja puri in the ground,they are suppose to be root hardy to zone 8.
Its 24* outside now,and queen palm hut is 48* inside,get a little sunshine and it will climb into the high 50's.
Don't know what I'll do next year if it grows another 4ft,as it did this year.I guess I can stack straws bales 8ft high,it seem the straw has really helped keeping the hut above freezing,enough so I have 2 neighbor cats spending the nights in there keeping the field mice population down!!!LOL

Wow I never thought I would see a Queen palm planted zone 6b on Palms North. I`m hoping it makes it through the rest of the winter.

John

Thanks everyone
Well its 14* outside now,and it suppose to dip to 9*,and it is 36*inside there now,so if the the heat tape comes on at 40* the trunk should be warm,the wind is up and blowing,so I'm guessing there is a pretty cold wind chill out there now.
59* in my big greenhouse now,so I might need to go out here and kick it up a notch if it gets any colder.

If it is coming from the NW and has hit you, it will be here soon.
As of now, it is 28 oF and windy (from the NW). Pipe heating tape has come on; thermocube on the Chamearops has turned on the C9 lights. Palm hut not on yet--advantage of thermal mass. 😀

Wow, Don, do things ever look good!

A 7 foot Robusta is a joy to behold.
And ditto to comments about overwintering a Queen 😯
The easiest daily chore is to check that plastic hasn't lifted anywhere from the wind.

Bales are THE trick (as well as heat of course.)

I can't find the Flickr link I had (darn) to your recent pics of GH addition.
But I went absolutely GA GA when I saw the volume/size of plants you are growing. :bounce:
Can you post the link please?

Barb

Hi Barb,
Yes the wind here has been really terrible,several days of constant 45mph,and it makes my palm hut really sway back and fourth,I used regular heavy duty plastic 6 mil,instead of greenhouse plastic,and the wind has ripped in a couple places,so I had to throw a tarp over it,to make it to spring.some sun still gets inside from the sides,which keeps thing growing.
I'm using Goggle Picasso now for my photos now,so here is a link to it.And yes the straw bales have done the job!

http://picasaweb.google.com/home

Erik,
My weather channel was showing you might have gotten some freezing rain yesterday is that true?

Hi Don,
Yup, keep an eye for wind-torn plastic, good idea using 6 mil.

Nope, that link is just to the photo-host's home page, not yours.
Try again please.

Barb

http://picasaweb.google.com/dbrya1