Hetrospathe elata takes 25 degrees F

[Walt]

My open yard temperature dropped to 29 degrees F this morning, the coldest day of the winter, due to radiational cooling conditions (yesterday my low was 30 degrees F). It was slightly warmer under tree canopy (lake front temps were 40-42 degrees. Water is everything during radiational cooling events here in inland central Florida).

As bad as my open yard temperature was, the lower elevations of my property were even colder. I recorded a low of 25 degrees F in my shade house.

This potted Hetrospath elata saw 25 degrees this morning and 26.6 yesterday morning, yet the leaves are undamaged. I guess this is because there was no frost in my shade house. Still, I was surprised this palm could take 25 degrees F with no apparent leaf damage.

[Walt]

I used circulating fans to keep the air moving (no wind at all last night) and my small coconut palm, spindle palm, A. cunninghamiana, adonidia and teddy bear (not shown) palms made out fine, with no apparent leaf damage.

I'm hoping this is winter's last gasp. They are calling for 85 degrees F here by Sunday!

[surgeon83]

Wow, your outside stuff handles 29 better than stuff where I live handles 38 (at which point things start getting spotted, yellowed, and burned slightly).  That's Florida for ya!

[Walter John]

That Cocos nucifera looks fab, love to see an after shot in say 8 months time.

[Walt]

Sergeon: I don't understand what happened yesterday morning. I can only surmise that 29 degrees with no frost (due to my using fans to move the air so as to prevent frost formation) was the reason for no leaf damage.

Wal: That coconut palm has been a very slow grower for me. It was cold damaged when I bought it and sometimes that really slows a palm down from its normal growth. It doesn't seem to crank out new fronds near fast enough. But I will have to live with it as my climate is too marginal for me to get another one.

[SubTropicRay]

Walt,

I had suspected that H. elata was more cold tolerant than given credit.  Mine saw 28F in 2003 with no damage.  

Ray

[BobbyinNY]

Walt,

You are living proof that a Frost at even say, 36f is worse than 25f with no frost... So, covering or using fans to prevent frost is definitely the way to go.  But, what I'm wondering is if, just because there isn't any leave damage visible to the eye - is it possible that the bud could be damaged.. Only time will tell.

[Walt]

Ray: The large H. elata that the one CFPACS member has (featured in a photo of the Palmateer) at Vero Beach (I think, or close to it) indicated to me that it had fairly good cold tolerance

Bobby: My coconut palm (but none of the others) finally started showing some straw colored spotting on some, but not all of its fronds. That could be just from sheer low temperature (29-30 degrees), and not frost per se.

From my experience, the bud is rarily damaged if the leaves/foliage isn't hurt or hurt too bad. At worst you might get 2-3 smaller than average new fronds in the spring/summer. I've had this happen with my adonidias, while they didn't get foliage damage (or at least only some minor spotting) almost invariably my first new spring fronds are smaller than those produced last summer. But each successive frond gets bigger and by the 3-4th frond they are back to normal size.

[SubTropicRay]

Bobby,

I think I'd rather have the frosty 36F than the frost free 25F.  The Tampa airport recorded 25F in 1996.  It was more advective than radiational and did some nasty things to the landscape around here.  The 36F frost is "usually" confined to surfaces the cool rapidly like rooftops.  I've had frost on plants only once when the temperature was above 35F (last Valentines day).  Mid/upper 30's are a yearly occurrence here and typically do little if any damage.

Ray