keep the updates coming Barb!

"Warm winter" twin not growing, despite getting ample water, dilute fertilizer and artificial light for ~16 hours daily.:

Artificial lights affect photo color (it's as blue as its twin).
<img src=" " width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04501" />

Next picture is the "cold building" twin with leaves folding lengthwise from water deficit and just-above freezing temps:
<img src=" " width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04497" />

So far, the warm winter monocot appears to "rest" in winter, obviously programmed into its genes, despite "good" conditions.

The real test will be to see what happens to the warm winter twin during summer.
It might fry in the sun vs its cold winter twin.

Barb

Interesting!
I guess I thought the "warm" Brahea would have grown more.
My five Brehea, all in pots, are in the "palm hut". They get good light and kept growing right up through January. I was glad I left them there despite occasional dips a little below freezing vs. bringing them into the "ballroom" like the W. filifera.
Then that record cold a couple of weeks ago that brought the insulated and heated palm hut down to +8 F. 🙁
Brahea look bad. Can't tell if fatal or not, but I will say Brahea should NOT be allowed to see single digit F (negative double digit C) temps. 😯
--Erik

Good points, Erik.
Your brahea in palm hut may have done better had they been planted since your soil temps have proven to stay relatively warm during snowy winters.
Time will tell.

Barb

With hindsight, I should have taken them out of the "palm hut" (=temp. greenhouse) and put them in the house three weeks ago. Then piled up hay over the C. radicalis in the ground in there. Oh, well.

I know that "oh well" feeling, too, Erik 😕

But since Chamaedorea are more touchy to cold than Brahea generally, if anything should've gone indoors versus being planted, the Chamaedorea should've gone inside (had they been in pots).

I just just ordered a Brahea "super silver" and a Princeps-

what else ya gonna do in winter 😕

Uh, shop for needle palms? I don't live in such a balmy palmy climate as Iowa or BC 😆

Jim, are you getting it off eBay?
Brahea super silver are...well...super 😀

I tried starting some brahea ss seeds couple of yrs ago, none germinated.
They're so silver, they look white, especially with patio lights shining on them at night (similar to Copernicia hospita, another stunner, didn't germinate either).

Balmy? ya right.
We're supposed to be -18C 0F tonight.
We DID have spring -- last month 😯
Barb

Barb that Brahea needs a big drink of water. It`s not a good sign when the fronds fold up like that. I`ve lost my fair share of palms when they start to fold that way. Just a heads up.

John

Thanks John, will do.
All the palms in the cold building show some folding, but most (especially the old CIDP) hate cold wet soil... 😕
But you're right...better they live. 😳

Barb

keep the updates coming Barb!!

Pics aren't great but here's April update:

First pic cold building Brahea
Looks like dry older fronds are toast from severe water deficit over winter (even the clover died).
But not a bug on it, nice looking clean fronds.
<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5638922248/" title="DSC04648 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src=" " width="500" height="375" alt="DSC04648"></a>

Second pic warm winter Brahea under grow lights 16 hrs/day in warm basement.
Even though this one looks somewhat larger, it really hasn't grown.
But it's a mess...has soft scale (all those little beige bumps), and fungus gnats are almost pole-vaulting through the soil layers :shaking:
The coffee grounds haven't helped the bug situation one iota, but likely lowering the pH way too much for this 7.2 pH-loving palm.

<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5638922264/" title="DSC04653 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src=" " width="375" height="500" alt="DSC04653"></a>

Barb

Brahea armata twins...
in photo: At left = warm winter, at right = cold building

Results from warm winter twinnow beginning to show up:

Good: new frond is larger/onger.
Bad: not as blue, and has soft-bodied scale like everything else that overwintered under lights in the warm basement.

Results Cold winter twin:

Good: compact and very blue
Bad: the lower leaves that folded from lack of water in the cold building did not recover, and are falling off.

<a href=" http://www.flickr.com/photos/southslope/5771720261/" title="DSC04731 by edible_plum, on Flickr"><img src=" " width="500" height="375" alt="DSC04731"></a>

Barb

Thanks for keeping us updated, Barb.
Do you have a general conclusion?
----------------------------------------------
Not being as good a scientist at home as at work, I treated all of my Brahea the same and killed all of them 😥
But treated both of my W. filifera the same (=brought them inside) and they are doing great now. 🙂
My conclusion: bring palms inside for winter if at all possible. Palms do not like -30 C temperatures.