Death Spring- The List

[seedscanada]

Listed below are my losses and some of the reasons they did not make it. Also what I plan to do differently. What do you think?

Everything looked good in the garden and the house from February to March. Then came the rain and cold, rain and cold of late March and April.
This is what DIED here (outdoor planted, protection removed mid-March... yeah my own fault.):
Yucca rigida x1
Yucca aloifolia x1, a dozen in pots
Yucca torreyi x1
Zizyphus jujuba x1 3 yr old from seed

Potted:
Yucca elata x1
Yucca elata utahensis x2
Yucca glauca x ten? some from good offsets, the rest 3 yr old from seed
Yucca rostrata x1 good 2 yr old offset
Yucca thompsoniana 2x 3 yr old from seed
Asimina triloba x1 2 yr old from seed
Callicarpa americana x2 2yr old from seed
Trachycarpus fortunei x1 3 gal bought 2 for $20 in April 2013 and spear pull and rotted... the other one is growing like a champ!


Indoor losses"
Yucca brevifolia x1 3 yr old from seed became overwhelmed with crown "gnats?"
Citrus paradisi x2 from seed. one 3 yo one 8 yrs old overwhelmed with scale and shock from coming indoors. A shame. One left.


Then there these that were heavily damaged:
Yucca filamentosa x1 rotted and died!? we will see if it comes back
Sabal minor. my 15 gallon planted last year. did not spear pull. Looks so bad. dry leaves, only 15% are "real" green, second side shoot is fine. for now. was protected from anything -5c or lower
Yucca rostrata two heads at ground level. One completely fried other partiallly and that ONE is recovering. In ground now for three winters or four
Musa basjoo lost all top growth, resprouting multiple side shoots. Protection too warm? or left on too late.. who knows they are better now


Palm spear pulls




Chamaerops humilis argentea one plant: all top spears pulled (about 7) south side spears are solid, 4 of them
Trachycarpus fortunei Cut back to the growing area on this palm with 10 inch trunk. Now is pushing 3 spears
Rhapidophyllum hystrix allseven of its spears pulled. It may be a goner. Shame, my newest addition


Thats all that really counts. I have to do two things differently next year:
1. Build a winter hoop house for the Yuccas and marginals like i did the past three years.
2. Keep palm boxes on until:
a) Daytime highs achieve dependable 35f +
b) A 5c buffer of the palm's maximum cold tolerance in the forecast before considering removal
c) Rain then freeze instances must NOT occur on a unprotected (even just a plastic sheet or tarp!) palm

I did not follow these rules this winter, scratch that, this spring. The exception where I did follow these rules, my Brahea armata. Looks gorgeous and pushing two new spears.

Oh and I have other palms that did great, namely W. filfera, Sabal 'Louisiana' and Butia capitata. And I am so happy most outdoor yuccas thrived exposed or under glass.


I'd love to hear your feedback.

[TimMAz6]

too bad for all the losses. How'd the Y. gluaca's die? Those should be rock hardy.....are you sure they were glauca?

[Paul Ont]

Tough lesson. I removed the protection on my needle and minor in March and boy was it a mistake. Brown leaves on both, no spear pull though. I don't know what it is, but if you take the protection off too early they just hate you for it!

I'm also suprised by the loss of the Y. glauca. What? How?

[canadianplant]

Might have to do with acclimation/wind. When theyre protected they are more then likely surrounded by some moisture, as well as not too exposed to light and wind. This happens to my bamboo sometimes. When i unbury the boo, I leave the tarp on it for a few days then slowly expose them, epecially down south where the sun is already strong by march...

Paul, that wasnt on the replacement sabal and needle was it?

[seedscanada]

The Yucca glauca losses were all in pots. Too dry then too wet then too cold on exposed roots due to soil shrinkage. Only about one third of my potted glauca though.

Noticed today however:
Two new spears emerging on the Sabal minor

In the pot of the 3yo Yucca thompsoniana that is probably dead, a thompsoniana seedling from a four year old seed! Wasn't there last week.

The surgery on my trachycarpus fortunei was an absolute success. Three new spears pushing hard and fast. (in ground trachy ). Jury is still out on the $10 special trachy surgical patient.