Wet + Cold = Palm Hell

[buffy]

I have a fairly good representation of cold hardy palms in the ground here in Longview, Texas. Let's review the damage. Four different weather beatings during January and February. Ultimate low probably between 14.5F-17.5F, depending on location in yard. Lots of snow and wetness. 4 days below freezing. We really had the trifecta turd platter of wet, windy and cold duration.

No Damage, No Protection:

Jubaea

Sabal minor (all sizes and varieties)

Sabal palmetto

Rhapidiophylum

Seronoa (green and blue)

Sabal miamiensis --- Holy Tough as Nails, Batman!!!!

Sabal "Tamaulipas"

Sabal x Brazoria

Trachycarpus fortunei "Nainital"

Untrunked seedling Chamaerops humlis

No Damage + Blanket and Trashbag

Jubutygrus (Schafer)- Maybe a blush of bronze

Jubutygrus (Hopper)

Butia archerii

Jubaea X Queen (Schafer)

Brahea armata --- tiny guy with just a plastic pot for coverage. Tough as nails.

Brahea decumbens

Attalea dubia ----- Don't get your hopes up. This one had a heat lamp.

Minor to Severe Leaf Damage, No Protection, Tight Spear

4 of 6 Chamaedorea radicalis

Sabal uresana

Literally, every other palm has spit out its guts (spear). Some have unharmed leaves, but the frozen core don't work. Even some protected spears (from wet) coughed them up anyway (example: Butia yatay X Queen).

Other Surprises:

1. Small Sabal mexicana is burnt to a crisp. I was expecting a little more. Three Sabal miamiensis seedlings are not ten feet away, and are untouched.

2. That crappy palm, Arenga micrantha, is burnt crispy, but it won't cough up its spear. I'm gonna watch it some more.

3. Did I mention that everything coughed up their spears.

The Spear Coughers

Trithrinax campestris

Trithrinax acanthocoma

Washingtonia filifera

Washingtonia x "filibusta"

Livistona australis

Livistona mariae

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Trachycarpus latisectus

Chamaedorea microspadix

Phoenix theophrasti

Phoenix sylvestris

Phoenix x "reclinata and canariensis" ---- This is a turd. It was toast long before the bad stuff

Jubaea x Butia --- Leaves look good. Just coughed up the spears.

Butia capit..what ever it is.

Chamaerops humilis (green and cerifera) --- Really the cerifera didn't even like wet cold. All the leaves look great though.

Arenga englerii -- Burnt crispy. Let's see what returns.

Rhapis humilis --- Cooked

Rhapis multifida --- Semi-burnt with spear pull (good microclimate)

What did I learn:

Plant more Sabals, Jubaea and Jubaea hybrids, cultivars of Chamaerops. Serve copper and Daconil to my spear coughing buddies.

[DoomsDave]

Itai!

As the Japanese might say, Buffy-san . . . .

You have the right idea, with the treatments to the spear pullers. Spear pulling not the end of the world, but a cause for serious concern . . .

Hope they bounce back from the Heinous Winter of 2011.

(MINUS 31 F IN OKLA-[EXPLETIVE]-HOMA! )

[mjff]

I have a fairly good representation of cold hardy palms in the ground here in Longview, Texas. Let's review the damage. Four different weather beatings during January and February. Ultimate low probably between 14.5F-17.5F, depending on location in yard. Lots of snow and wetness. 4 days below freezing. We really had the trifecta turd platter of wet, windy and cold duration.

No Damage, No Protection:

Jubaea

Sabal minor (all sizes and varieties)

Sabal palmetto

Rhapidiophylum

Seronoa (green and blue)

Sabal miamiensis --- Holy Tough as Nails, Batman!!!!

Sabal "Tamaulipas"

Sabal x Brazoria

Trachycarpus fortunei "Nainital"

Untrunked seedling Chamaerops humlis

No Damage + Blanket and Trashbag

Jubutygrus (Schafer)- Maybe a blush of bronze

Jubutygrus (Hopper)

Butia archerii

Jubaea X Queen (Schafer)

Brahea armata --- tiny guy with just a plastic pot for coverage. Tough as nails.

Brahea decumbens

Attalea dubia ----- Don't get your hopes up. This one had a heat lamp.

Minor to Severe Leaf Damage, No Protection, Tight Spear

4 of 6 Chamaedorea radicalis

Sabal uresana

Literally, every other palm has spit out its guts (spear). Some have unharmed leaves, but the frozen core don't work. Even some protected spears (from wet) coughed them up anyway (example: Butia yatay X Queen).

Other Surprises:

1. Small Sabal mexicana is burnt to a crisp. I was expecting a little more. Three Sabal miamiensis seedlings are not ten feet away, and are untouched.

2. That crappy palm, Arenga micrantha, is burnt crispy, but it won't cough up its spear. I'm gonna watch it some more.

3. Did I mention that everything coughed up their spears.

The Spear Coughers

Trithrinax campestris

Trithrinax acanthocoma

Washingtonia filifera

Washingtonia x "filibusta"

Livistona australis

Livistona mariae

Syagrus romanzoffiana

Trachycarpus latisectus

Chamaedorea microspadix

Phoenix theophrasti

Phoenix sylvestris

Phoenix x "reclinata and canariensis" ---- This is a turd. It was toast long before the bad stuff

Jubaea x Butia --- Leaves look good. Just coughed up the spears.

Butia capit..what ever it is.

Chamaerops humilis (green and cerifera) --- Really the cerifera didn't even like wet cold. All the leaves look great though.

Arenga englerii -- Burnt crispy. Let's see what returns.

Rhapis humilis --- Cooked

Rhapis multifida --- Semi-burnt with spear pull (good microclimate)

What did I learn:

Plant more Sabals, Jubaea and Jubaea hybrids, cultivars of Chamaerops. Serve copper and Daconil to my spear coughing buddies.

Check the Serenoa repens in a couple of more weeks. With similar weather last year I lost 3 out of 4 of mine, but it took a very long time to for the damage to show. The one that survived last year after being defoliated still looks good, but I know what's coming.

Are a lot of those "spear coughers" pretty small? I have many of the same, and they never lose their spears here, but most of mine have trunks.

On the advice of another grower I'll be treating my stuff with Banrot.

[buffy]

Yep. Most of the stuff is small. I'm not terribly worried. Disappointed that most of these palms will be set back by half a growing season. It was just too much wet and cold at the same time.

[buffy]

Pulled some more spears:

baby Brahea armata --- leaves look good.

small Brahea decumbens

Livistona australis

Serenoa repens (green form) ---- silver form only had one spear pull

[buffy]

OK, Here's some updates. As most of our Texas friends can testify, our Winter ended with that punch in the mouth. High's in the mid-80s for me now. The only thing I really want to highlight right now is what is actually pushing new growth after the terrible setback of spear pull:

Jubutygrus (Schafer)--- This took a beating. Surprisingly, the much younger Jubutygrus (Tim Hopper) had only minor spotting. Regardless, this Schafer hybrid is pushing a new clean frond. I had to cut this thing back to two good fronds.

Brahea armata --- Lost two itty-bitty spears. Has since pushed a new baby frond. This guy has so little mass. Very impressed. Only minor leaf damage to this guy.

Chamaedorea radicalis --- Tall canes are toast. Small canes are pushing new fronds. Smoked fronds during the freeze.

Sabal uresana --- Lost two spears. Pushing a new one out now. Smoked all the leaves during the freeze.

Butia Yatay X Queen (Schafer) --- Lost 3 or 4 spears. Performed some serious surgery. Now pushing a new frond out.

Queen (Mountain Giant) --- This was another itty bitty one in the ground. The leaves were toasted and it lost its spear. I cut this thing all the way back near the growing point. Lo and behold, it's pushing new growth.

Livistona australis --- Pushing plenty of new growth. I didn't take any chances on this one. I cut it back far too.

[Nigel]

Buffy very interesting stuff. I am not surprised at the damage at those temps.

Horrible when this happens, at least you have heat to push everything out quickly.

Arenga micrantha very interesting.... I did not succeed in growing one in england because the heat was insufficient however it lasted 3 or 4 years and the spear never pulled out despite all leaves being toasted every year.

I think this one can grow in a zone with quite a lot of wet and cold as long as there is summer heat for it to recover.

[iamjv]

Great update Buffy.... hope everything pulls through for you! Had a lot of damage to spears down here as well, the garden being in it's first year didn't help matters. Just dang happy this winter is over! Jv

[mjff]

Interesting that your hybrids are pushing. None of my Butias, hybrids or Jubaeas are doing anything yet, and we have been very warm, even hot. Lots of action from the Allagopteras, Chamaerops, Braheas, Sabals, Trachys, and Washingtonias. Biggest surprise so far, my CIDP's are pushing hard. Their spears didn't even pull. Other Phoenix palms doing nothing yet (except P. acaulis), but spears pulled on the rest. Livistonas and Trithrinax still dormant as well.

Water keeps collecting in the cavity of my BxP. Guessing the roots are pumping it there through the damaged spear? I keep soaking it up by stuffing rolled up paper towel down there, but within hours there is a puddle down there again. Doesn't smell great either. Had a Washingtonia do that after transplanting a few years ago and it recovered, but I don't recall it producing this much moisture for this long. Any suggestions? I've already hit it with Banrot and copper, but it doesn't seem to be helping. Had fire ants in a couple of my hybrids, but some Orthene got rid of them.

[GREENHAND]

I had a lot of damage here in the Dallas area also. What is the best treatment for a spear that pulled, is it a death sentence,? my pindo in front yard spear pulled. there are dead or near dead washes all over town. most robustas are toast. all my filiferas are just fine with green sprears pushing right up. I have seen a lot of Meds lookin pretty bad also. my CIDP,S look bad but are pushing green spears that would not pull, i gave them a slight tug, they are holding tight. Sabal tex burnt but ok, Sabal p not effected. most of my Palms took a hit what a bogus winter for palms here in Dallas.

[mjff]

I had a lot of damage here in the Dallas area also. What is the best treatment for a spear that pulled, is it a death sentence,? my pindo in front yard spear pulled. there are dead or near dead washes all over town. most robustas are toast. all my filiferas are just fine with green sprears pushing right up. I have seen a lot of Meds lookin pretty bad also. my CIDP,S look bad but are pushing green spears that would not pull, i gave them a slight tug, they are holding tight. Sabal tex burnt but ok, Sabal p not effected. most of my Palms took a hit what a bogus winter for palms here in Dallas.

Spear pull on Butias from cold is pretty common. You can hit it with some fungicide, but in most cases I do nothing and they come right back. Might be another month before you see any growth. I even had one hybrid last summer that just sat there until the first week of July.

My filiferas are pushing, but the robustas aren't yet. The spears pulled on most of the robustas, but they don't appear to be rotting. Will give them more time before I start to worry.

[Palm crazy]

Interesting stuff Buffy, I had some problems this year also with a low of 15F in November, no frost before that, caught everything off guard.

You should try brahea aculeata, pretty hardy and no spear pull at 15F and a fast grower.

Chamaerops certifera is much hardier than the green form I have found here in the PNW.

Up here are winters are very grey and wet. One trick people do up here is they drill hole at the base of leaves (not the trunk) so water drains out all winter.

As soon as my butia get bigger I'm going to do that also.

Chamaedorea radicals does great, never had spear pull, but have had lots of leaves break off from heavy snow.

My washingstonia robusta is doing great I put lights around the base and plastic of the top and it stay evergreen all winter.

Thanks for your update very interesting.

Edited March 21, 2011 by Palm crazy

[Erik]

Great report! Thanks for the detail. --Erik

[_Keith]

Great post

[Axel Amsterdam]

Buffy, are the chamaerops humilis and cerifera growing back yet? Here without spearloss they are usually among the first to move in spring, but they take a while after spearloss.

Axel

[mjff]

Buffy, are the chamaerops humilis and cerifera growing back yet? Here without spearloss they are usually among the first to move in spring, but they take a while after spearloss.

Axel

Can't speak for Buffy, but I'm seeing the same on as you describe. The ones that lost spears have not pushed anything yet, but the ones that kept their spears are pushing like crazy. The same can be said of almost all the species of palms I have. No spears = no growth yet, with spears = growing like crazy. Some of my Washingtonias have pushed 4 fronds already.

[buffy]

Updates on the Spear Coughers

Trithrinax campestris - Pushing new spear

Trithrinax acanthocoma - Dead

Washingtonia filifera - Nothing yet

Washingtonia x "filibusta" - Nothing yet

Livistona australis - Pushing second leaf

Livistona mariae - Pushing new spear

Syagrus romanzoffiana "Mountain Giant" - Pushing second leaf

Trachycarpus latisectus - Nothing yet

Chamaedorea microspadix - Some dead. Some pushing new leaves.

Chamaedorea radicalis - Tall canes are toast. Short ones are fine.

Phoenix theophrasti - Pushing new spear

Phoenix sylvestris - Nothing yet

Phoenix x "reclinata and canariensis" ---- This is a turd. It was toast long before the bad stuff - Probably alive, but I'm yanking it. It burned way too easy.

Jubaea x Butia - This one may be dead. Most of the leaves have now died.

Butia capit..what ever it is. - Nothing yet. Looks totally fine though.

Chamaerops humilis (green and cerifera) --- Lots of fried leaves on the younger ones. Big one looks fine. Some spears are emerging

Arenga englerii -- Still crispy, but I feel pretty good about it.

Arenga micrantha - Surprise, surprise. New spear emerging.

Rhapis humilis --- Dead I think. Just too small.

Rhapis multifida --- All tall canes are dead (leaves were fine though). Pups coming up.

Brahea armata - Toughie. Just lost part of one leaf. This plant is slightly bigger than my finger. Pushing leaf number two.

Brahea decumbens - Dead as a door nail.

Serenoa repens - Green lost all but one growing points. Silver lost a few leaves, but otherwise fine.

Jubutygrus (Schafer) - Pushing multiple spears

Sabal uresana - Pushing leaf number two.

Butia Yatay X Queen - Pushing multiple spears.

That's only 25 species with spear pull. Is that alot?

[ryjohn]

The winter was much kinder to us in Northeast Louisiana... only 4 hours east on that I-20 ride. We saw one daytime high just below freezing and maybe 17F as an absolute low. We had some snow and ice, but very little compared to Dallas. All palms took this in stride save the Serenoas (which have trouble with the newest fronds and spear pull every year), and the Phoenix (which totally defoliated). Unprotected Butia x Parajubaea is fine and the citrus came through pretty much unscathed (even sweet orange), unlike last winter.

Edited April 8, 2011 by ryjohn

[iamjv]

From San Antonio:

Trithrinax campestris - Never damaged and growing

Trithrinax acanthocoma - Keeps declining center spears are brown and dead but tight, outer 3 remaining fronds are fairly green

Washingtonia filifera - 100% defoliated but pushing new fronds

Trachycarpus takil - Spear pulled, out fronds look bad, nothing yet and looks to be declining

Trachycarpus wag. - Damaged at growth point but pushing our new fronds

Phoenix dacty hybrid - 100% defoliated but pushing new spear

Butia x Jubaea - Never damaged and growing

Syagrus x Butia - Damaged at growth point but pushing out new fronds

Jubaea x Butia x Jubaea - Damaged at growth point but pushing out new fronds

Butia x Jubaea x Butia - Never damaged and growing but spear coming out at a weird angle (45 degrees)

Chamaerops humilis (green) - Older fronds no damage, spear pulled but showing new growth

Chamaerops humilis (cerifera) - Older fronds no damage, spear pulled but showing new growth

Brahea armata - Lost spear and still waiting to see if there is new growth or not.

Brahea decumbens - 100 defoliated and this appears to be dead.

Serenoa repens (Green) - Never damaged and growing

Sabal uresana - Never damaged and growing.

Sagos - All 100% defoliated but all are flushing

Jv

[Craig in NM]

-10F here in Albuquerque, NM in 2011. 40 yr cold here.

Survivors include all types of Sabal minor. Sabal minor 'Blountstown Dwarf' was undamaged; others had some tip burn, including some from Kendall County, Texas. Two of five Trachycarpus fortunei in my yard survived, both sited well. Washy filifera dead. Trachycarpus uhlkruhlensis or name du jour more than likely dead after surviving previous winters with a low of 5F. Most longterm, well-sited Trachycarpus survived the event here. We had over 72 hrs below freezing and a high of 12F or so about the same time as the OP. -10F on one night and a few below zero the next.

[Bae72]

Hi guys, can you explain the rationale behind pulling spears? Thanks.

[Miccles]

-10F here in Albuquerque, NM in 2011. 40 yr cold here.

Survivors include all types of Sabal minor. Sabal minor 'Blountstown Dwarf' was undamaged; others had some tip burn, including some from Kendall County, Texas. Two of five Trachycarpus fortunei in my yard survived, both sited well. Washy filifera dead. Trachycarpus uhlkruhlensis or name du jour more than likely dead after surviving previous winters with a low of 5F. Most longterm, well-sited Trachycarpus survived the event here. We had over 72 hrs below freezing and a high of 12F or so about the same time as the OP. -10F on one night and a few below zero the next.

Wow.

[chris.oz]

Hi guys, can you explain the rationale behind pulling spears? Thanks.

The spear will collapse and fall out anyway, but by pulling it out early , its possible to put an antifungal down the tube. Otherwise, the fungus is more likely to get right down to the bud and kill it.

[Bae72]

Hi guys, can you explain the rationale behind pulling spears? Thanks.

The spear will collapse and fall out anyway, but by pulling it out early , its possible to put an antifungal down the tube. Otherwise, the fungus is more likely to get right down to the bud and kill it.

Hi Chris. Thanks for the reply. I had a few coconuts die slowly from mould or something. After they were dead the spears just came out with little or no effort. Given what you said above I might have been better off pulling the spear, putting antifungal on them while the other leaves were still green. I've read in a book. 'Palms don't grow here and other myths', that you put the antifungal on the crown? of the palm. But I can't see how you can do that with a coconut that hasn't trunked. The growth seems to be internal to the nut.

Forget that. I just reread your comment. Put it down the tube. Cool.

Edited April 18, 2011 by Bae72

[tank]

Buffy,

A. micrantha is a temperamental plant. Seems to take the cold well but will not take frost at all. I've had success with those planted under heavy canopy with temps into the mid teens(F). Same plants get wacked by much "milder" temps in the mid 20Fs with frost in more exposed areas. A. englerii is a much hardier choice, as it will take a good amount of frost.

[buffy]

Here's the mortality list:

Trithrinax acanthocoma

Washingtonia filifera

Washingtonia x "filibusta"

Trachycarpus latisectus

Phoenix sylvestris

Phoenix x "reclinata and canariensis

Rhapis humilis

Brahea decumbens

8 of the 25 species couldn't hack it. All of this material is really small.

The surprises?

Both Arenga engleri and micrantha are pushing strong. The fact that my smaller Washingtonia filiferas got smoked. A tiny Nannorhops "Kashmir" returned. Really impressed with my Hopper Jubutygrus.

[mjff]

Here's the mortality list:

Trithrinax acanthocoma

Washingtonia filifera

Washingtonia x "filibusta"

Trachycarpus latisectus

Phoenix sylvestris

Phoenix x "reclinata and canariensis

Rhapis humilis

Brahea decumbens

8 of the 25 species couldn't hack it. All of this material is really small.

The surprises?

Both Arenga engleri and micrantha are pushing strong. The fact that my smaller Washingtonia filiferas got smoked. A tiny Nannorhops "Kashmir" returned. Really impressed with my Hopper Jubutygrus.

Most of the stuff on your list can handle the cold you had, but only at much larger sizes. T. latisectus and the Phoenix x "reclinata and canariensis are the only two that I would classify as not hardy enough even at trunking size.

[iamjv]

Craig in NM, that is some wicked cold!!! Thanks for the insight on what survived!

Jv

[Takil-Explorer]

Well now it wicked hot downthere! So the palms will be happy again...

Alexander

[Craig in NM]

Craig in NM, that is some wicked cold!!! Thanks for the insight on what survived!

Jv

I had another Trachy come back. Other filifera in town that survived are shown in this blog about 2/3 the page down.

http://desertedge.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2011-05-20T12%3A23%3A00-06%3A00

[NCpalmqueen]

Buffy

Thanks for posting your list. I have many of the same palms planted out here near Raleigh, NC. What is interesting is that I also had many spear pulls (similar to your list) this winter, but all have recovered nicely. I have a 10' filibusta here (6 yrs in the ground), and it now has 8 new fans---didn't have a spear pull though. I guess the difference was in our winter... we never got below 15 and no daytime highs were below 32F. We had about 6" of snow one day and a couple inches on a different day. This was the first winter, however, where my large sabal palmettos had severe leaf burn...no spear pulls, but badly damaged leaves.

[_Keith]

So, a few years later, any updates on cold hardiness. Might be nice to not only reply here, but also use to start a new post in the Cold Hardy forum.

[buffy]

Let's see. Arenga micrantha, like Tank mentioned, just can't take frost. I replaced most of what I lost. Rhapis multifida is a great little palm. I lost all the canes. Now the plant is 5 feet tall with 10-15 canes. Great palm. Washingtonia filifera is temperamental with moisture when small. With a little size, they grow out of it. Water in the crown is the biggest thing to avoid during a freeze event. I lost a lot of spears last year at only 27F due to wet snow in the crown. Trithrinax campestris is bad to the bone. Slow, but bad to the bone.