Help saving Howea Fosteriana

[Rafael]

This howea is not hitten by overhead irrigation, because the irrigation is turned off, for now. Maybe in April will turn it on again, but irrigation wont be overhead, i think.

I have been applying hydrogen peroxide, and expecting no fungus at the palm.

P.s. I understood very well what you told me, off course, and noone was predicting -3,8. Lets see its development, and try to prepare someting to the next winter...

Edited March 19, 2010 by rafael

[Kostas]

Good to hear that! I hope it heals and recovers well

[Tyrone]

This is going to be a tough time for your Howea now. Being defoliated it's working on it's reserves to push the spear. You mustn't let anything destroy that new leaf . I wish I saw this thread earlier. I would have covered it with some sort of structure being planted out in winter. Also it's foliage hadn't hardened up to outside conditions. It would have been soft indoor tissue which won't handle much outdoor extremes. When you start irrigating this palm give it lots of seaweed and fish extract. It needs to hormones to crawl back from oblivion.

I hope it makes it.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Tyrone]

I just noticed you did have a cover over it, but I don't think it was enough. Do you often get down close to minus 4C? - as that is the limit for any Howea. In habitat they often never see below 12C. Being exposed like that is not a good idea in my opinion. If you had some canopy trees and you were able to plant it on the south side under the trees, it would be protected from summer sun and winter frost and still get some winter sun. If you haven't got trees you may have to build some sort of wooden pergola tall enough to take it's height, but something that boxes it in on all sides except the south side. That's what I would do anyway. If I made a pergola arrangement I'd make it big enough for an outdoor setting with table and chairs so you could enjoy your Howea, maybe make it a centre piece.

We had some bad frosts here south of Perth in 06 which may have gone down to minus 3C. A record over here, and all the Howeas got fried. Some came back but many didn't. These had been growing for years.

Best regards

Tyrone

[Rafael]

Hi Tyrone, and thanks for your exaustive and precious advisements.

In fact, as you can read on the previous posts, when i did decide to put it immediatly on the ground, this palm was initializing some kind of a indoor disease process, wich i feared would kill the palm. All the scenarios were thought, about wich side of the house to put it. The south side is windy, the north is too shady and the west is sea windy too (we are 800 mts away from the sea line. The east side is the only one wich is not frost hiten, however temperature raises, sometimes -3ºC. But as i read somewhere that the borning sun is what hurts plants when we have frost, i thought about a location borning sun shaded. That's why my howea was put on the west/windy and sometimes frosty side of the house. For now i do not have any plan to build a structure like what you suggest, because it is the harder side of the house, less protected, and more looking around exposed. On the east side i have a cunninghamiana, almost completely freeze burned, but regrowing now, and i will overcrowd this place with some juvenille palms i am purchasing!

Concerning see weed and fish extract, i havent see it yet, but i will look after it. I will turn irrigation on the next two weeks.

Best regards to you too!

[Just1MorePalm]

Rafael...I am not an expert...having said that..

It might help to remove the grass from around the base of your palm and then mulch the area...it only needs to be 6-8" from around the base...this gives a nice water well and stops the grass from choking your fragile palm...Once its established it could probably handle anything, but for now all the help it can get the better...I have always been taught to keep a buffer zone between the base of your tree and the grass...My 2 cents...

[Rafael]

Since 3 weeks ago, howea is finally showing some growth, the new spear is moving everyday!

I am giving seaweed fertilizer to this palm, wich i purchased from England.

Later i will upload a picture.

[Rafael]

Waking up from a nightmare...

[BS Man about Palms]

Looks quite promising Rafael!

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Hi rafel

A Howea that has been grown indoors or in the shade will sunburn almost all its fronds . They take a full year to recover ,here are 2 pics of mine almost 1 year between recovery.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=22673&st=0&p=378221&fromsearch=1&#entry378221

They love rotted cow /sheep manure and seasol liquid kelp . I mulch mine with a thick layer of peastraw .

Hobarts all time record low is -2.8 c and we have many Howeas that have survived this ,although normal winter lows are 1c .

[Mike in Nelson]

Hi rafel

A Howea that has been grown indoors or in the shade will sunburn almost all its fronds . They take a full year to recover ,here are 2 pics of mine almost 1 year between recovery.

http://www.palmtalk.org/forum/index.php?showtopic=22673&st=0&p=378221&fromsearch=1&#entry378221

They love rotted cow /sheep manure and seasol liquid kelp . I mulch mine with a thick layer of peastraw .

Hobarts all time record low is -2.8 c and we have many Howeas that have survived this ,although normal winter lows are 1c .

Mine looks very similar to the first photo Troy. Bought it from a local DIY and the fronds soon burnt. The second photo looks encouraging though. I'm going to give mine lots of food come spring.

[Rafael]

i am giving seaweed fertilizer, weekly. It seems to be responding.

But our minus was -3,8 , i will protect it next winter.

[Sutter Bob]

We had a low of about -5.5C here last December. Lost 3/8 Kentias. Two that survived were along west side of very tall Italian cypress and were protected with Christmas lights. Three others were wrapped with Christmas lights and covered with frost blanket. The three that died were fairly unprotected. The survivors all seem to be growing well now. Am trying Troy's advice re seaweed, fish fertilizer, and manure which seems to be working well.