heat cable and thermocube

[Beny]

Does someone tried to use heat cable wrapping on the ground and around the trunck and foliage to protect palms trees inside a styrofoam box ? Im thinking to try this instead using bulb light and heat cable at the feet of the trunck only.
If i use a thermocube with a 40 feets cable that give 200 watts of heat, thermocube setting on +3c off at +7c. I think it will be ok...

[lucky1]

Hi Beny,

Erik (Terdalfarm) used heat tape ... hope he'll chime in here.
I couldn't find the post with all his photos of the types of cable, etc.

Barb

[canadianplant]

If I remember his posts, the heat tape worked on the ground, but some of the plants died back or had damage to the foliage? I also vaguely remember him wrapping some trunks in the tape with better success...

[Beny]

Ok thx guy s...thats why a make a air chamber with 2x2 to prevent the heat tape to touch directly the palm tree, thats keep the heat tape 3-4 inches from the trunck and foliage.

[lucky1]

to prevent the heat tape to touch directly the palm tree

I know we discussed this several years ago, but thought we all decided that heat tape NEVER gets warm enough to damage a palm.
It'll get to ... what? guessing 40F and shut off?

It's C-9 Christmas lights, leaning up against fronds/trunk, that'll fry a palm.

I don't think heat tape ever would, but would like to hear everyone else's ideas please.

Barb

[TerdalFarm]

This thread gets to some of the discussion:
viewtopic.php?t=3462

including the link to this video which is more of a summary/overview of methods:
<iframe width="480" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GlUKrxCVVgw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Direct link here:
http://youtu.be/GlUKrxCVVgw


In brief, I think pipe heat cable is a great solution: cheap, easy. If I lived in zone 8 (such as Dallas, Texas) its all I'd do. Wrap the product (every hardware store sells it, not expensive, uses very little electricity) around trunk from base up, extra around spear base. Avoid overlapping. Wrap that with burlap/hessian to keep the heat in. Will not get too hot, but also will not let the "pipe" (=trunk) freeze.

If it is quite cold, or windy, you'll lose the foliage. I.e., if you live in zone 7 or worse. So, I like C9 lights on the fronds, connected to a thermocube, then the fronds covered with burlap/hessian, then plastic covered (for the worst). See video.

In Oklahoma, this is all needed for just a few weeks, late December (about when I fly to Belize) into early February.

I also use plastic jugs filled with warm tap water changed out every evening during the coldest weather. All covered up, again for the worst.

[Beny]

Just to let you know , i verified my 2 Trachy under mummywrap protection. And for now, no dammage yet, everything is green. We had 2 night under -18c and temp.. during day is -3c to -10c. The temp. probe inside mummywrap never indicated temp. under +1c. I started to protect them in mid november.
Ben

[TerdalFarm]

Excellent! Glad to hear that. Look forward to photos.