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Watering advice in winter

BeauBlues

By BeauBlues
in COLD HARDY PALMS

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BeauBlues Contributor

BeauBlues

Posted
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Hi all! This is my first post to this forum. I'm creating a sort of backyard paradise for me and the family. We have a large backyard in Corona, CA in zone 9b. I started planting this last summer. So far I have ravanea glauca, C. gigas, Pritchardia sp., sabal causarium, parajubaea microcarpa, bismarckia nobilis, roystonea princeps, and a few others. 

My question is, during the growing months, when and how much to water is obvious. But right now I'm clueless. Our nightly temps are usually in the low 40's to upper 30's. Sometimes we dip down to freezing and the upper 20's. I have essentially stopped watering. My Pritchardias are looking a bit sad. I can't tell if it's the cold or lack of water. 

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PalmatierMeg Grand Master

PalmatierMeg

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Welcome to PalmTalk. I live in FL so am not the ideal person to counsel you in CA. In general, back off on the water in winter, which you've done. I don't know the size of your palms, so photos will help. Sabals are fairly drought tolerant because in habitat their dry season is in winter; Roystonea are similar. I can't grow Parajubaea but I think they have some drought tolerance, as do Bismarckia. Pritchardias, at least the ones I know of, are cold sensitive, so if your nights have fallen into the 20s, they may be more than sad, esp. if you don't protect them.

Do post some photos.

 

Meg

Palms of Victory I shall wear

Cape Coral (It's Just Paradise)
Florida
Zone 10A on the Isabelle Canal
Elevation: 15 feet

I'd like to be under the sea in an octopus' garden in the shade.

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Ben in Norcal Grand Master

Ben in Norcal

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I'd say water once a week if it doesn't rain, but nothing like checking.  Stick your finger in the soil at the base of the palm, if it's moist, definitely leave it.

Which Pritchardia species do you have?  Some are quite hardy; some not.

Ben Rogers

On the border of Concord & Clayton in the East Bay hills - Elev 387 ft 37.95 °N, 121.94 °W

My back yard weather station: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/hdfForecast?query=37.954%2C-121.945&sp=KCACONCO37

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Ben in Norcal Grand Master

Ben in Norcal

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Also - would be helpful to know what low temps you have experienced in your yard.  If you don't know, buy a high/low thermometer, and hang it about 6 feet up in shade, away from your house.  And let us know what low temps are in your yard.  Things should be warming up now but it has been fairly cold.  My low so far has been right on 30.

Ben Rogers

On the border of Concord & Clayton in the East Bay hills - Elev 387 ft 37.95 °N, 121.94 °W

My back yard weather station: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/hdfForecast?query=37.954%2C-121.945&sp=KCACONCO37

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BeauBlues Contributor

BeauBlues

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5 minutes ago, Ben in Norcal said:

I'd say water once a week if it doesn't rain, but nothing like checking.  Stick your finger in the soil at the base of the palm, if it's moist, definitely leave it.

Which Pritchardia species do you have?  Some are quite hardy; some not.

 

3 minutes ago, Ben in Norcal said:

Also - would be helpful to know what low temps you have experienced in your yard.  If you don't know, buy a high/low thermometer, and hang it about 6 feet up in shade, away from your house.  And let us know what low temps are in your yard.  Things should be warming up now but it has been fairly cold.  My low so far has been right on 30.

My Pritchardias didn't come with a species name. I got them at jungle music. I'm sure one day I'll find out. I'm working on getting a thermometer soon. Lowest temps from what I've seen are about 28ish. I'll try to get some pics tonight when I get a chance. 

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Hammer Grand Master

Hammer

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Welcome neighbor. I'm in Laguna Hills. 

I agree with Ben. About once a week.  Cold can stress plants even more if the plants are dehydrated.  Too much in winter will rot them out.

 

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Brett in Mission Viejo Proficient

Brett in Mission Viejo

Posted
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Welcome Beau! So your Pritchardia are looking sad. Pritchardia are not frost tolerant at all. All Pritchardia will burn in frost without overhead canopy. Use 1-2 ounce frost cloth on those frosty nights if you have no canopy. It works... like 8-10 degrees protection! (You can stir the air with fans to prevent frost, but not not bullet proof). Once they get overhead they grow out of the typical still air frost zone .  But with a 1997 like freeze, not much you can do without heavy duty freeze protection. Pritchardia usually bounce back in Summer though! 

Mission Viejo, CA

Limited coastal influence

5-10 days of frost

IPS and PSSC Member

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BeauBlues Contributor

BeauBlues

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Here's one of my Pritchardias. The other looks the same. The other palms aren't nearly as bad as these look. Does this look like frost damage?

image.jpeg

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Pete in Paradise Hills Proficient

Pete in Paradise Hills

Posted
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36 minutes ago, BeauBlues said:

Here's one of my Pritchardias. The other looks the same. The other palms aren't nearly as bad as these look. Does this look like frost damage?

image.jpeg

Yes

Paradise Hills, 4 miles inland, south facing slope in the back, north facing yard in the front

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Josh-O Grand Master

Josh-O

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46 minutes ago, BeauBlues said:

Here's one of my Pritchardias. The other looks the same. The other palms aren't nearly as bad as these look. Does this look like frost damage?

image.jpeg

That is defiantly frost damage. Pritchardias are absolute frost magnets. they are almost alwyas going to be the first palms in your garden to get frost.

The good news is they will grow out of it pretty fast.

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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Josh-O Grand Master

Josh-O

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Can you post a picture of your roystonea princeps. I'm curious if you have the real thing. They are not cold hardy like roystonea Regia & borinquena

Carlsbad, California Zone 10 B on the hill (402 ft. elevation)

Sunset zone 24

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BeauBlues Contributor

BeauBlues

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Heres the third. And the bottom pic is my work in progress. Pardon the weeds. It's going to be a tiki bar and grill nestled in a jungle.

image.thumb.jpg.a4044799998988f8d33fa416image.thumb.jpeg.8ab640c66e6c6421dbeb248

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Ben in Norcal Grand Master

Ben in Norcal

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55 minutes ago, BeauBlues said:

Heres the third. And the bottom pic is my work in progress. Pardon the weeds. It's going to be a tiki bar and grill nestled in a jungle.

image.thumb.jpg.a4044799998988f8d33fa416image.thumb.jpeg.8ab640c66e6c6421dbeb248

Beau - that is an amazing setting.  That's going to be really cool when you get some variety going!

Ben Rogers

On the border of Concord & Clayton in the East Bay hills - Elev 387 ft 37.95 °N, 121.94 °W

My back yard weather station: http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/hdfForecast?query=37.954%2C-121.945&sp=KCACONCO37

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Moose Grand Master

Moose

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Beau - Welcome to Palm Talk! You are so fortunate to have the ears of fellow palm lovers who experience the same climatic conditions.

Unfortunately I can be of little help being from a different zone and having a calcareous soil type. You have some very interesting palms, good luck with them.

Coral Gables, FL 8 miles North of Fairchild USDA Zone 10B

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