Winter protection...now starting

[sashaeffer]

Wanted to share what I do to protect my in the ground palms that has proven to be very good protection.

55 gallon plastic barrels. I only use the white or semi transparent ones.

Spray foam.  Takes 4 cans of spray foam to line the barrel

Christmas lights. C7 or C9 and sometimes regular 40 or 60watt light bulb

Thermocube

Burlap or frost cloth to wrap palms

4 ft re bar

PVC tube

ratchet straps

Barrels easily stack, so if we get a stretch of nice weather I can simply remove the top barrel. It's also very easy to service the lights if they should quit for any reason.

Palm being protected here is my 1 Washingtonia filifera 

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2016 by sashaeffer
incorrect text

[Pal Meir]

I am protecting the roots and meristem of my Wagners with leaf litter:

[PalmatierMeg]

Good work, Scott. What does the light setup (inside) look like?

[sashaeffer]

I add extra wood chip mulch at the base, but simply lay the C9 lights around the base of the palm on top of the mulch.  Next to the palm is a 4ft wood stick driven into the ground and the 40w light that is attached with a clamp affixed to the stick with light pointed up.

All (7) of my windmill palms, 1 waggie, 5 Sabal minors and 3 European fan palms will have similar protection. Small in the ground palms will have simple large rose cones and mini lights for protection and a couple will have pop up dome type green houses with mini lights inside.

In the end I have quite the maze of electrical cords, thermocubes and a electric bill that is NOT appreciated by he wife. (I have 3 small ponds I keep warm enough to keep running through winter as well)

[Palm crazy]

 I’ve never heard of anyone using Spray foam before like that, pure genius. Your protection method may not work here because of very high humidity and condensation. I’m still using the old blankets but haven’t protected anything in a few years.  Good luck with yours!  I had my first blast of cold last night,. low of 35F 

Edited November 18, 2016 by Palm crazy

[PalmTreeDude]

How I am protecting my Butias; heavy mulching and berlap warp for a few days at a time in server cold snaps. 

[sashaeffer]

I discovered this setup is pretty air tight and can cause issues with humidity and fungus in not vented properly, or in the case of the one I had issues with poor venting and not getting much, if any direct sun on the barrel that would raise temps a lot and burn that humidity off. All the palms on the south side of my house with same protection sailed right through winter.

 

[kirkhutch]

Thank you for sharing this technique.  Why is it that you only use white or semi transparent barrels? 

[Ben in Norcal]

2 hours ago, kirkhutch said:

Thank you for sharing this technique.  Why is it that you only use white or semi transparent barrels? 

My guess is to allow some light to pass through?

[kirkhutch]

I guess he is leaving these on all winter? I need to do something similar but the only protection I need is overnight. I could probably use any color. 

[sashaeffer]

These are white/semi transparent barrels.  The only other option is blue barrels which I don't want.

 

Wife already bitches about stacked barrels around the house in the winter but I tell her " no one else in Nebraska has palm trees growing in the ground" (she doesn't care lol) BUT we live in the country so it's not like we have close neighbors or a HOA rules.

[Hammer]

Hey Scott, I am in Blair this week.  You around? 

[sashaeffer]

Yes, leave mine on all winter.

[sashaeffer]

On ‎11‎/‎19‎/‎2016‎ ‎6‎:‎12‎:‎33‎, Hammer said:

Hey Scott, I am in Blair this week.  You around? 

Yes, other than work during the day will be around.

 

Do you have my cell number still?

[Jimhardy]

Looks good,I will probably be looking to cover some stuff by

the weekend depending on the forecast for next week....

One thing about Washys is that they need a lot of mulch,

I did not mulch well the first year and had root doe back

on one of the 2 I planted,it sulked for months and I

finally dug it up....to bad as it was starting a whole new

root system from the trunk.

[Advective]

How long can you safely keep a juvenile palm completely wrapped in a frost blank? Carbon Dioxide or sunlight deprivation concerns?

[sashaeffer]

Well the palm in the pic I used burlap mostly because of it allowing palm to breathe better but to answer your question about the frost cloth, they stay wrapped all winter. Not keeping protection air tight is key.  Have a small Bulgarian trachycarpus  palm that suffered from my protection keeping it air tight. It came back, but lost all the fronds it had due to fungus caused by lack of air flow around it. Won't make that mistake again this year.

[sashaeffer]

Working on more barrels with foam, so wanted to show how it's done.

I have bottoms(both ends cut out) and tops..only bottoms cut out.

 

 

[Hammer]

Stopped by today to witness first hand the work Scott is putting into keeping his palms happy and growing in zone 5.  Well done Scott. Very impressive!!!

[sashaeffer]

Well thanks and it was great to see you again and talk about palm trees.  In a way...I think it even helped open my wifes eyes to the hobby a little bit and I can use all the help I can get with that.

[Hammer]

15 hours ago, sashaeffer said:

Well thanks and it was great to see you again and talk about palm trees.  In a way...I think it even helped open my wifes eyes to the hobby a little bit and I can use all the help I can get with that.

It was cool to meet her as well.  I am glad I could help. Not sure how it did, but am always happy to spread more palmy goodness.

[sashaeffer]

More pictures, different palms. Both Trachy's

SW corner of house. Speed demon palm here.

Wife pointing to fence post driven into the ground that I simply slide the PVC over for vertical stability. I can easily add sections of PVC as palm grows taller and I have to add barrels. I want to keep height at no more than 3 barrels high.

I'm pointing to eyelets that I have on top barrel(3) so I can use rope and a stake in the ground for added stability in higher winds.

 

 

 

 

[sashaeffer]

Oldest trachy I have in the ground. Faces west and partially protected on it's south side by my garage so in the winter it doesn't get a lot of direct sun to help warm the barrels and keep humidity away. Over protection the past couple of years have led to fungus damage(flimsy protection I first used was far from air tight so never had problem with fungus)

1 string of C9 Christmas lights as well as small hooded clamp light with 40w bulb as a secondary light/heat source both attached to a thermocube keeps things nice inside on coldest nights.

Having to cut fungus damaged fronds off in the spring causes palm to use all it's energy to grow new ones and not much in vertical height so hope to keep all my trachy's (7) at no more that 3 barrels in height.

[Josh-O]

wow Scott! That's dedication my brother!!

keep up the good work over there in frosty land

[Hammer]

It's pretty killer to see in person!  If Scott can do this in Nebraska it gives me hope that I can grow a Coconut/Christmas Palm/Lipstick Palm in Cali!!

[sashaeffer]

6 hours ago, Hammer said:

It's pretty killer to see in person!  If Scott can do this in Nebraska it gives me hope that I can grow a Coconut/Christmas Palm/Lipstick Palm in Cali!!

Lipstick if kept indoors like I have mind should be easy.

 

I like my coconut palm and they don't mind being potted, or kept indoors in the winter. Bigger problem will be since it's a moderate to fast grower...when it gets too big??

 

Again, it was great that you could stop by again. Someday if you make the trip in the Summer there will be much more to see outside.

Edited December 3, 2016 by sashaeffer
add text

[sashaeffer]

Shot of some of the protected palms with thermocubes working as designed.

 

[Josh-O]

On 12/3/2016, 5:10:58, sashaeffer said:

Shot of some of the protected palms with thermocubes working as designed.

 

awesome work Scott!!!