FREEZE PRUF

[gsytch]

I was looking online and came across this application protection. Has anyone tried it? It states to apply above 50F when anticipated freezes occur, preferably a few days ahead or 6-8 hours if need be. Curious, because it seems if it did work to some degree it may help those slightly marginal plams and plants get through. Greg

[Collectorpalms]

Does NOT work. I did a trial with a multipot pygmy date palm this past week. I sprayed one plant per directions. I also sprayed another with antidesicant, and then I had a control with nothing sprayed. After two frosts and near 28F, all of them are equally brown.

Ryan

www.collectorpalms.com

[Juni Perez]

It has worked for me. It adds "UP TO" over 9 degrees of hardiness to the plant. For my Musa Basjoo & Musa Sikkimensis, which usually fry at about 32­°F, it held them up well down to 28°F. Now, 4°F doesn't seem like much, but this DID extend my plants' growing season by over a month this fall... had the product been out last spring, I'm sure it would've added a few more weeks to the overall 2009 season.

As far as palm trees go, I've been using it on my potted palm trees (Butia Capitata, T. fortunei, T. wagnerianus, T. takil, and T. latisectus) and have noticed far less cold damage than any of our previous winters. The palms are in a semi-protected porch where temperatures have dipped into the low 20's F. One waggie palm (2 yrs old), however, is planted in-ground in my front yard, close to the house with only FreezePruf as protection. So far it's doing great. Minimal leaf damage, but after a few weeks of single-digit lows (a few nights of sub-zero; -2°F being the lowest recorded in my yard) and daytime highs in the low 20's F, that's great. I had another one defoliate without the FreezePruf application; we'll see if that one recovers.

[epicure3]

I wouldn't spend one nickel on it. Few have noticed anything good coming from it. Waste of money.

[epicure3]

It has worked for me. It adds "UP TO" over 9 degrees of hardiness to the plant. For my Musa Basjoo & Musa Sikkimensis, which usually fry at about 32­°F, it held them up well down to 28°F. Now, 4°F doesn't seem like much, but this DID extend my plants' growing season by over a month this fall... had the product been out last spring, I'm sure it would've added a few more weeks to the overall 2009 season.

As far as palm trees go, I've been using it on my potted palm trees (Butia Capitata, T. fortunei, T. wagnerianus, T. takil, and T. latisectus) and have noticed far less cold damage than any of our previous winters. The palms are in a semi-protected porch where temperatures have dipped into the low 20's F. One waggie palm (2 yrs old), however, is planted in-ground in my front yard, close to the house with only FreezePruf as protection. So far it's doing great. Minimal leaf damage, but after a few weeks of single-digit lows (a few nights of sub-zero; -2°F being the lowest recorded in my yard) and daytime highs in the low 20's F, that's great. I had another one defoliate without the FreezePruf application; we'll see if that one recovers.

Let's see a picture of your Trachycarpus W. in Rochester, NY. Growing a palm in ground, any palm, in upstate NY with no protection would surely be something to see.

[Juni Perez]

Let's see a picture of your Trachycarpus W. in Rochester, NY. Growing a palm in ground, any palm, in upstate NY with no protection would surely be something to see.

These are from January 17th, 2010 or so here in Rochester, NY.

This one was a couple of days later after some of the snow melted away... temps went up just barely past freezing, enough to melt some of the snow away.

It's only its second winter and didn't do much growing last summer. Last winter it was protected with Christmas lights and Wilt-Proof. This winter, nothing but Freezepruf.

I'll see if I can snap an updated picture once some of the snow melts away - could be this afternoon since we're heatwaving up into the mid-upper 30's today.

[Moose]

Let's see a picture of your Trachycarpus W. in Rochester, NY. Growing a palm in ground, any palm, in upstate NY with no protection would surely be something to see.

These are from January 17th, 2010 or so here in Rochester, NY.

This one was a couple of days later after some of the snow melted away... temps went up just barely past freezing, enough to melt some of the snow away.

It's only its second winter and didn't do much growing last summer. Last winter it was protected with Christmas lights and Wilt-Proof. This winter, nothing but Freezepruf.

I'll see if I can snap an updated picture once some of the snow melts away - could be this afternoon since we're heatwaving up into the mid-upper 30's today.

All I see is little red X's with posted image next to it?

[Juni Perez]

All I see is little red X's with posted image next to it?

Hmmm... images are hosted on facebook... might be blocked...

Is this better?

[Dypsisdean]

There's a well documented appraisal for palms HERE

[epicure3]

There's a well documented appraisal for palms HERE

Definitely far from a recommendation.

[Jim in Los Altos]

Don't waste your money on it. My experience with it actually had the reverse effect. The palms I treated with it faired worse than the ones I left alone. My FreezePruf treated 20 year old Howea, for instance, suffered massive damage at 27.5F on one night and has weathered 26F in the past with superficial damage. All my younger Howeas (4 years to 12 years) in the ground were left untreated and unprotected and none suffered ANY damage that same freeze event. Also, My 5 year old Roystonea Borinquena suffered 30% leaf burn with FreezePruf "protection". This same palm had no visible damage after the 2007 freeze event where it experienced 26.5F.

[Regionalpalms]

I am not seeing what you are describing; can you please re-post it?