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Ideas for Northeast Winter Protection of windmill palm


Tom Ace

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Hi Folks, 

I recently (june 2019) put a windmill in the ground after having it in a pot for a few years going in the house during the winter.  So, the plant is in its first winter.  

I am located in Wilton, CT, zone 6B.  

I have done a lot of reading about winter protection methods and I find there are several things to be concerned with.   Not warm enough, too warm on mild days, condensation build up rotting the leaves, lights burning the palm, etc etc.  Some choose C9 bulbs, some CFL, some use no bulbs and just heavy leaf mulch.  Some wrap with plastic, some with canvas, some with a wood box, some with ridgid foam insulation.  Some vent the enclosure, some don't. 

All of these methods are used to protect these trees in various locations with varying degrees of success.  

Taking these things in consideration, I'm wondering what methods other Northeast people use, why they chose them, what level of success they've had, and what problems they've had.  

I've had many discussions about thermodynamics with friends and I'm trying to make sense of all this stuff.  

Please chime in if you live nearby-ish and have experience protecting palms.  

Thanks everyone!

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How big is the palm?  makes a big difference

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(7 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(4), etonia (1) louisiana(5), palmetto (1), riverside (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7), wagnerianus(1),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  15' Mule-Butia x Syagrus(1),  Blue Butia capitata(1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

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Yes I probably should have added that.  The palm has about 1 foot of trunk.  Maybe 3 feet of frond height so about 4 feet tall.  I recently tied up the fronds and wrapped it in burlap, and the total height was 58".

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Frost cloth over a welded wire fence circle is awesome with a lid.  Then inside palm wrapped in mini Christmas lights, 35/45 thermocube and palm tied up in burlap.  Just turn on when temps are under 15-20F or so.  I use Dewitt 1.5oz frost cloth on Amazon.  Doubled around top half of structure.  Use a water heater pan at lowes for a lid or something similar.  Tent stakes 3 or so at bottom of structure and tie downs on top if you're doing a 6' tall structure.  Breathable and won't cook palm.  Inside put a temp sensor if you're crazy like me.

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Edited by Allen
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YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(7 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(4), etonia (1) louisiana(5), palmetto (1), riverside (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7), wagnerianus(1),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  15' Mule-Butia x Syagrus(1),  Blue Butia capitata(1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

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As long as you keep excessive moisture out in the very WET winters of the NE, and don't BAKE it with the lights..., it has a good chance.

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41 minutes ago, Tom Ace said:

Thank you guys for sharing your experiences.  

Allen, what is that pole that is strapped to the trunk?

Not good for your size palm, It's a adjustable painter pole that I can use for protecting larger palms.  Basically once strapped to the palm and raised, I have a 'top' that is removable and with the fronds tied up and the 'top' on it keeps water out and lets you protect a tall palm without a huge tall structure.  So you end up with a 'top' above the wrapped fronds and the rest of the palm mummy wrapped.  Moisture is a problem in wrapped palms if you use anything completely waterproof as the fronds themselves transpire water vapor.  In the pic is a ziplock bag with a thermocube and temp sensor with the lights plugged in there.  You also wrap Christmas lights around the pole some to give off heat in the middle of the wrapped fronds.   I still recommend a 6' wire fence structure for your palm.  Use office binding clips to attach the frost cloth.  Make a 18" to 20" diameter circle with a lid from Lowes using water heater pan.  

Here are mine still in the attic.  I'm not telling you something I don't use.  These are the 6' ones.  The frost cloth is breathable and this will keep water off palm in this setup.  They just slip over your tied up palm and you need to anchor down the top for winds

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Edited by Allen
  • Like 1

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(7 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(4), etonia (1) louisiana(5), palmetto (1), riverside (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7), wagnerianus(1),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  15' Mule-Butia x Syagrus(1),  Blue Butia capitata(1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

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Thanks Allen. What benefit does frost cloth offer over burlap? It’s hard to believe just a layer of frost cloth provides enough insulation. How much cold do your palms typically sustain with this treatment ?

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The outside is just a shell for rain/wet/snow.  You wrap the palm inside with Lights/thermocube/temp sensor/ burlap over lights.  This type setup will take your temps.  The heat is around the palm not in the shell.  If you went under 0F or -5 you could throw a blanket around.  I just wrapped some for one day with 2 layers frost cloth over lights and the temp was +20F over outside.

Inside do this (A hut style I used before that is too hard to build tall)

 

 

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Edited by Allen

YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@tntropics - 60+ In-ground 7A palms - (Sabal) minor(7 large + 27 seedling size, 3 dwarf),  brazoria(1) , birmingham(4), etonia (1) louisiana(5), palmetto (1), riverside (1),  (Trachycarpus) fortunei(7), wagnerianus(1),  Rhapidophyllum hystrix(7),  15' Mule-Butia x Syagrus(1),  Blue Butia capitata(1) +Tons of tropical plants.  Recent Yearly Lows -1F, 12F, 11F, 18F, 16F, 3F, 3F, 6F, 3F, 1F, 16F, 17F, 6F, 8F

 

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