Looks good Erik.

Maybe a foot or more of snow here(we'll see)on Tuesday.

Possibly the coldest temps of the winter too with -10 to -12F
forecast,the good news is-not much longer to go!

Yes, look good and they do need to air out in those mild temps.
This la Nina winter has been good to you compared to last year.

I can't see the needle... 😐

Looking real good!
Hopefully it won't be as cold as there predicting.
Did you water the roots any?

Don,
we have been amazing dry lately; big wildifres yesterday.
I watered the "palm house" palms yesterday as air temps got above 80 oF / 30 oC in there despite the roof being propped open 😀
Palms in the hut are growing; Musa looks bad but would have made it if not for this week. Now I'm doubtful (roots are a sure thing, of course).

I did give a little water to surface roots of all in-ground palms. Soil temps are about 40 oF (5 oC) so I'd like to think the roots are OK going into this thing. I'll mulch the heck out of everything with hay this afternoon. Darn near free on the farm so all palms will all get 12" / 30 cm of hay.

Barb,
the last photo was of the largest needle palm. If it doesn't come through I'll re-post it.

Jim,
not sure how much snow here--the storm tracks keep changing. Might just be a lot of ice, but more likely snow. Cold won't be anywhere near as bad as you will get. I'd like to think all of our palms as are hardened off as they can get.

Everyone,
I did not show Sabal. The "Lou" looks good. Phew. The palmetto looks bad, but it did in late summer so I'm just hoping for a miracle. More interesting are the two S. mexicana. Serious frond damage from cold. They are alive. If they make it, they will get protection next winter like what Chammie got this year. Live and learn. I am now a C9/thermocube convert. 😆
--Erik
P.S. for the record, I do not recommend Sabal mexicana for zone 7. Big surprise, huh?

That's the needle? 😯
had no idea it was so large.
Lookin' good.

Barb

Barb,
I like needle palms more and more each week lately! 😀
That big one was US$40 last April. Already paid for itself as far as I'm concerned. --Erik

Looks good Eric!

The snow is missing me ( cold isnt 😈 ), but its a long skinny band with accumulations of 20 - 30 cm, from southern Iowa, Chigago, 90% of southern ontario upstate new york, to mass, and to souther Nova Scotia. They are also calling for freezing rain for a few days all up the eastern seaboard. Right now its over texas ( and Im assuming over you eric?) today. Its quite a decent sized storm....

The needle palm looks really good. I forgot, do you protect it at all?

All that straw, is going to eventualy make some really nice soil for your palms:D

Keep up the good work

Jesse,
thanks for the thoughts. No, still nice here but I'm getting nervous. It will be colder than I am used to, and if power goes out, my palm protection schemes go out too. 😳
Needle palms do get protection down here. I swaddle them in hay, nestle water bottles by the trunks and through buckets or blankets over them. Just no electricity.
I assume you would do the full heated palm hut thing up there, right?
--Erik

Eric, don't you have a power generator, do you? Struggling for life here in Kazakhstan I've build underground water reservoir (5 cubic meters) and bought a power generator a couple of years ago. It helps a lot! Some days we have no hydro for 12 hours. You know it's so uncomfortable in winter time without hydro!

Igor,
no, but my son (age 11) was asking me just this morning why we don't have one.
If we get one in the future, it will be to keep water for the livestock, not for my palms. I know we only talk palms here, but I really worry about animals when it gets so cold. --Erik

Igor,
no, but my son (age 11) was asking me just this morning why we don't have one.
If we get one in the future, it will be to keep water for the livestock, not for my palms. I know we only talk palms here, but I really worry about animals when it gets so cold. --Erik

Oh yes.... LOL

Generaly speaking, for 80% of the winter I may not need heat. It doesnt stay -25C all winter here LOL ( thank god). I would more then likley need to heat it when its very young, and during the coldest parts of the winter ( usualy January has the coldest temps). I do want it to get exposed to cold temps, as I hope it will eventualy acclimitize somewhat to the winters here.

For example, I have a small Pseudosasa Japonica planted outside, buried under 2 feet of leaves, a big pot on top. All that is buried under 2 feet of snow. Pseudosasa is generaly said to be top killed at -15C or -17C ( depending on source). My Fargesia Scabrida, is generaly as hardy. If these guys come out green when I unbury them, I know my protection, will keep things around the -15C mark ( which isnt total death for some palms). The only thing that Ill have to worry about is the moisture ( which didnt at all effect my Fargesia Rufa last year). I know, palms and bamboo are different. Cold wet kills palms.

So Im going to have to do trial and error. I have around 100 trachy seeds of all sorts, same with Sabal Minor seeds ( and types). Im waiting on 50 Washy Filifera seeds too. I should get SOMETHING to work eventualy. I will end up buying a needle palm, rather then buying seeds. They take awhile to germinate, and apperantly longer still to grow.

The cold spell shouldnt last to long. You have some great protection so im assuming you shouldnt have any problems 😀

Spring is almost here 😀

Erik,
Naturally I'd make the same choices (animals vs. palms) if power blew.
With ice storms and the accompanying electrical lines down over the last few years, it's obviously prudent to have a generator in a rural area.
Hydro crews invariably look after population centers first.

With your warm winter weather, suddenly dropping temps, that must be so hard on plants.
Reminds me of what occurs in Calgary, albeit the other way around.
Their chinooks blow in when it's -15 C 5F.
The next day it can be +15C 59 F.

Igor,

underground water reservoir (5 cubic meters)

Good thinking! Great in summer too as water shed from roof can replenish supply.

Stay warm!

As a water reservoir, we have the pool. As warm as this winter has been, it has not frozen yet under its insulated cover!
Anyway, I am about to leave work to get more covers for palms. The 4 mil plastic I used in December has frayed and I want stronger stuff as we will get winds with the ice and snow tonight.