´´Se arrependimento matasse?!´´

[Alberto]

Last spring I planted out 3 of my poorest growing Parajubaea torallyi var.tor that were growing in to small pots. They grew so spectacularly in the ground, and quickly looked better than my bigger tortors in big pots. Last fall when I realized how they were happy in the ground I decided to plant all the tortors in the ground. A little red light began to burn in my mind saying: Maybe it´s to late.......No it isn´t ,last winters were mild,I answered..... Maybe there will be a hard frost........... they are hardy palms...they are growing in England! I answered ......

So,I planted out all my 6 remaining beloved seedlings grown from seeds. At the end of June there was a freeze with lot of frost (0.5´C under veranda of the house and I don´t know how cold at the lower part of the property where the tortors were planted out) that I could not suspect would burn a tortor and certainly could not scratch any native palm here. After a week I saw the remainig strap leaves burned and the older fronds were OK....

End last week I decided to see how the spears of my seedlings were and surprise...2 palms had spear pull!!! Se arrependimento matasse , I had felt down dead as dead can be! IDIOT ! I said to myself:angry:

I put H2O2 in the gaping holes for two days now and absorbing the excess of water with paper towels. I sprayed the palms with a systemic fungicide and I have also Sulfato de cobre (Copper sulf....?)powder. Can I put this powder pure in the holes???????.

Now the palms are covered with little plastic tents to prevent rain entering the spear zone.... I´m hoping the best.

Pic of the freeze at my place last July.

Edited August 3, 2009 by Alberto

[Alberto]

One of my tortors:

[Alberto]

Other poor guy

[Alberto]

Another .This was the tiniest seedling,before spear pull

Edited August 3, 2009 by Alberto

[Gileno Machado]

Hi Alberto

Just saw on TV another forecast for freezing nights in Southern Paraná and in the serra catarinense again and thought of your palms...

But those Parajs don't look that bad at all...come on...I bet they'll resprout back sooner than you can expect...

I've had ressurections on several spear pulled palms to give up so soon...boa sorte with your Andean stuff...!

[Palm Guy]

Ola Alberto.

I agree with Gileno, they dont look that bad. Copper based fungicides would be best to pour into the crown after a freeze. I'd try pouring it on one or two of the more heavily affected ones, just in case. Also if Gileno is right and another freeze is coming I heard that watering it the night before will help for some odd reason. I'm not speaking from experience as I've never dealt with a freeze before, those are just recommendations that I've heard work.

Boa sorte,

Mike

[amazondk]

Alberto,

That is too bad. We have been having a very strong Amazonian summer here with no rain since the El Niño took over, and daily temperatures in the city at least 35 to 38 C every day. Since the year has had record percipitation it will be intersting to see where things turn out. At least the Swine Flu also seems to be more to the south.

dk

[BS Man about Palms]

All of what you are doing is good, but I think the little tent idea will work the best.

Good luck Alberto.

[paulgila]

good luck with them! i know how it feels to have yer prized palms frozen,so i am hoping for the best for you.

[Dypsisdean]

I sprayed the palms with a systemic fungicide and I have also Sulfato de cobre (Copper sulf....?)powder. Can I put this powder pure in the holes???????.

I would not. Just because a "medicine" is good, that doesn't mean more is better.

Don't forget, copper is a potent plant killer in higher concentrations. It is used as an algaecide in swimming pools all the time. It kills algae (a plant) very effectively.

[Tomas]

Hi Alberto,

I am sorry about your Parajubea damage, who knows what their real hardiness is?

When the spear pulls out, it doesn't mean the meristem point is dead, but a bacterial rot can happen in the hole and the copper sulfate is the only way to stop bacterial disease. I would go for it.

Tomas

[mppalms]

I never had any freeze damage on this palm, but they are susceptible to *summer* rot from overwatering the crown. I thought I had killed two seedlings, but I kept them rather dry, and they both regrew. You're doing the right thing by keeping them dry. I suspect you'll see a full recovery, but at least a one-year setback in growth.

Jason

[Alberto]

Thanks guys for the helpfull words! I know better now with my little Parajubaeas! PROTECT them the first winters!

If they survive I´ll post pics here! Thanks!!!

Yes Gileno

[Alberto]

Thanks guys for the helpfull words! I know better now with my little Parajubaeas! PROTECT them the first winters!

If they survive I´ll post pics here! Thanks!

Edited August 14, 2009 by Alberto

[Nigel]

Alberto, I only had 1 parajubaea ,smuggled into Brazil in my suitcase. It survived all last summer and was just starting to grow.

When I had my visa problems and had to leave Brazil for 3 months I paid somebody quite well to water my palms. On return my parajub was stone dead together with 15 of 20 precious butyagrus seedlings.

Here now in Floripa summer seems to have returned briefly, but the cold is back next week. When does the cold finally leave this part of brazil ?

The thing I cant adjust to here is that houses are not built to hold heat, so when its 8C outside its 8C in the house.

[amazondk]

Alberto,

I hope your palms make it. It has hardly rained here for the past two months and things are really dry and hot. In the city it hits 40 C from time to time, but never is below 35 C during the daytime. I went down to Sao Paulo for a few days this week and it was 15 C when I got into town on Wednesday night. Which was actually a nice change.

Nigel,

Regarding the cold house I used to break out my long underwear left over from Montana from time to time in the winters when I lived in Sao Paulo. It got down to 3 C a few times and my house was pretty much the same temperature inside. At least you can hang out in the kitchen by the stove. Around here keeping the house warm is the last of ones problems. Last night when I got back from SP it was still hovering around 30 C and was quite steamy. This summer season has been real dry and hot so far.

dk

[Alberto]

Here it was a very rainy winter season,last July. august is generally dry and in September the weather warms up.

Spring is near because a lot of native flowers are beginning to bloom and daffodils also.

[PalmGuyWC]

Alberto,

I can feel for you as I planted my largest Para TVT the summer before one of the coldest winters in years in my area. My low was about -5C and many nights with below freezing temps. The P. TVT had about 60% foliage damage, but the 3 center vertical fronds were left green. On the coldest nights I did throw a sheet over it. As soon as it warmed up it started to grow again and by the end of summer it had grown about 6 new fronds.

My P TVT now has 8' fronds and it's to large to cover. It will take a ladder, but I plan to spray mine with Frost Pruf this winter and maybe use a couple of flood lights under it if we expect very low temps. I swore I would never do this again, but here I go!

Dick

[Alberto]

You had -5´C and it didn´t spear pull?

I now can see how important is the size for the hardiness of a palm!

I hope my poor tortors will recover like your!

Thanks!

[pogobob]

Alberto, get some surf wax and melt it then poor the liquid in the hole until full. If the palm is still alive you will see the wax plug slowly emerge over time untill the new leaves push. It works,trust me

[Alicehunter2000]

Alberto, get some surf wax and melt it then poor the liquid in the hole until full. If the palm is still alive you will see the wax plug slowly emerge over time untill the new leaves push. It works,trust me

Cool idea, not that being a surfer would effect my opinion. It makes sense.....if the hot wax doesn't burn things. Pogobob..........did you invent this idea?

[Alberto]

Spring is here and my Parajubaeas are making a come back!

[Alberto]

Ipê-amarelo (Tabebuia alba),brazilians natinal tree ,saying that spring arrived already!

(IT WON`T EDITE PICS!!!! )

Edited September 7, 2009 by Alberto

[Alberto]

Ipê-amarelo and palms

Edited September 7, 2009 by Alberto

[Alberto]

Tents used to try the palms dry during the rain and foggy nights/ days:

[Alberto]

Spear pulled Parajub:

[Alberto]

Close up

[Alberto]

Close up

[kelen]

Alberto, what blue palm is that on the first pic? Bismarckia? Brahea armata?

bad frost, hein!

Last spring I planted out 3 of my poorest growing Parajubaea torallyi var.tor that were growing in to small pots. They grew so spectacularly in the ground, and quickly looked better than my bigger tortors in big pots. Last fall when I realized how they were happy in the ground I decided to plant all the tortors in the ground. A little red light began to burn in my mind saying: Maybe it´s to late.......No it isn´t ,last winters were mild,I answered..... Maybe there will be a hard frost........... they are hardy palms...they are growing in England! I answered ......

So,I planted out all my 6 remaining beloved seedlings grown from seeds. At the end of June there was a freeze with lot of frost (0.5´C under veranda of the house and I don´t know how cold at the lower part of the property where the tortors were planted out) that I could not suspect would burn a tortor and certainly could not scratch any native palm here. After a week I saw the remainig strap leaves burned and the older fronds were OK....

End last week I decided to see how the spears of my seedlings were and surprise...2 palms had spear pull!!! Se arrependimento matasse , I had felt down dead as dead can be! IDIOT ! I said to myself:angry:

I put H2O2 in the gaping holes for two days now and absorbing the excess of water with paper towels. I sprayed the palms with a systemic fungicide and I have also Sulfato de cobre (Copper sulf....?)powder. Can I put this powder pure in the holes???????.

Now the palms are covered with little plastic tents to prevent rain entering the spear zone.... I´m hoping the best.

Pic of the freeze at my place last July.

[thestales]

Alberto,

Was -1c the lowest the TVT was exposed to in your estimation? How much precipitation did you get in June? I am so happy that they are coming back for you!!

[Alicehunter2000]

Alberto, congradulations on saving those small palms.....I know how it feels to have spear pulls and think something is dead........only to have it push new spears come summertime. Those first few leaves will probably be deformed.......but after that its......off to the races!

And the bonus is that these particular palms are better aclimated than before.

[Alicehunter2000]

Alberto, congradulations on saving those small palms.....I know how it feels to have spear pulls and think something is dead........only to have it push new spears come summertime. Those first few leaves will probably be deformed.......but after that its......off to the races!

And the bonus is that these particular palms are better aclimated than before.

[Alberto]

Sorry for the delay to answer!

Kelen,it´s a Bismarckia and it is fine!

David,yes I´m also thankfull they recovered,because I cannot buy another here and I had to begin with buying seeds and germinating them..................,growing them up.............I´m glad they are alive and growing!

Our winter gets a lot of rain and then comes a cold spell with night frosts. It wasn´t very cold this year,maybe a few degrees below 0´C at this low spot...

Here un update on the new fronds and a new spear!

Edited October 23, 2009 by Alberto

[Ampli]

Congratulations Alberto, I'm very surpraised to see your Parajubaea saving and only with copper sulfate and hydrogen peroxide!!!

It's look like a miracle at my eyes!!!

I'm going to change religion!!!

[Alberto]

Another .This was the tiniest seedling,before spear pull

The winter arrived again and the first radiational freezes are beginning.

Update of the tiniest seedling that suffered speerpull last winter. it recovered well!

QUOTE Thanks guys for the helpfull words! I know better now with my little Parajubaeas! PROTECT them the first winters!

If they survive I´ll post pics here! Thanks!!! QUOTE

This year I build tents for the coldest nights. How long I have to do this? I mean how big it needs to be to survive a freeze without serious problems?

[PalmGuyWC]

Another .This was the tiniest seedling,before spear pull

The winter arrived again and the first radiational freezes are beginning.

Update of the tiniest seedling that suffered speerpull last winter. it recovered well!

QUOTE Thanks guys for the helpfull words! I know better now with my little Parajubaeas! PROTECT them the first winters!

If they survive I´ll post pics here! Thanks!!! QUOTE

This year I build tents for the coldest nights. How long I have to do this? I mean how big it needs to be to survive a freeze without serious problems?

Alberto,

Last winter the only palms that showed any cold damage were my Parajubaeas. My coldest night was about 25F (-3.89C). I would estimate the older fronds were burned on the tips about 10%. In December, I had about 2 or 3 weeks of white frosts. Parajubaeas are not as cold hardy as I was led to believe. My largest Para TVT is to large to protect now, but my advise is to protect them from frost and freezes as long as it's practical. Para Sunkha seems to be the most cold hardy of the group, but only a degree or two.

Dick

[peachy]

Alberto I am amazed how quickly your tor tor recovered. If any of my palms get a spear pull they die or take years to recover. It is winter here now too so I am always alert for the weather forecast in case they say a freeze is coming. I find that if I give palms a few drinks of seaweed in autumn and make sure they have a very thick mulch, about 20 cms thick I use, then they seem to survive a freeze much better than with just a cover. No frost here yet, altho we did have a few nights with only 1c and others of 2 or 3c. Tonight is nice and warm....7c !!! When the temperatures are below 0, then I know I have to cover things.

Peachy

[Alberto]

Update. The same tortors almost 8 years later.photographed at sundown today

[Kim]

Stupendous recovery! Nice group of tortors.

 

[BS Man about Palms]

WOW! Yay Alberto!!