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My first time ever having to move palms inside because it’s cold out


chad2468emr

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Haven't been on the forum for a while but just finished reading this interesting thread.

Fortunately, I'm located on the barrier island here - so have two large bodies of water to provide temp. buffering. According to my recording thermometer, it hasn't been below 38 here all month.

I've been here since '96 so went through those 3 straight hard freeze winters '09-'11, and lost my share of cherished botanicals. Back then I was in the business too so it was a long time before I began using Crotons again!!! :lol:

It's been my experience that, as previously mentioned, there are quite a few factors that go into how certain species handle the cold. That said for certain species, if you get a hard freeze, forget it. All those "circumstances' go out the window.

But there are so many species which are 'borderline' hardy - and for those - it really helps if the plant is established (been in the ground for at least one full growing season). Canopy overhead is huge. Exposure (N,S,E,W). And also water relations - I like to soak the earth during daylight hours so the ground acts like a heat sink soaking up the sun's rays and radiating upwards after sunset. As mentioned before.....winds help as they mix the temperature layers. When you have that windless night....look out!

I have three large Coconuts, Archies, Dypisis, Bottle, Rhapis, Foxtails, Adonidia, Cuban Old Man, Dates, Bizzies, Queens, L. saribus, Chamaedoreas, Hurricane, and Ptychospermas, plus some others I'm probably forgetting and none are coming inside so let 'er rip! That said.....we still got 2 more months (+) to go so don't hold me to that. Most of these are in the ground anyway so they're not going anywhere. ;)

I did however source some premium Crotons in 7 gallons this Fall and those I did bring in.....both when this thread started and just recently again for this event. I have 10 altogether and with a huge Aglaonema and a Diff - my home is like a conservatory. Everything goes back out tomorrow. These Crotons will be planted next spring. For now - they will be pampered as only a parent can!

Next year I will have a greenhouse for my tropicals. FWIW....in the past I have use Japanese kerosene blue flame heaters for those and they worked well.

My girl standing guard over my Congo and Stoplight....

IMG_0045.thumb.JPG.d9bf312b8575156a69b688990ae9bffa.JPG

 

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10 minutes ago, Bazza said:

Haven't been on the forum for a while but just finished reading this interesting thread.

Fortunately, I'm located on the barrier island here - so have two large bodies of water to provide temp. buffering. According to my recording thermometer, it hasn't been below 38 here all month.

I've been here since '96 so went through those 3 straight hard freeze winters '09-'11, and lost my share of cherished botanicals. Back then I was in the business too so it was a long time before I began using Crotons again!!! :lol:

It's been my experience that, as previously mentioned, there are quite a few factors that go into how certain species handle the cold. That said for certain species, if you get a hard freeze, forget it. All those "circumstances' go out the window.

But there are so many species which are 'borderline' hardy - and for those - it really helps if the plant is established (been in the ground for at least one full growing season). Canopy overhead is huge. Exposure (N,S,E,W). And also water relations - I like to soak the earth during daylight hours so the ground acts like a heat sink soaking up the sun's rays and radiating upwards after sunset. As mentioned before.....winds help as they mix the temperature layers. When you have that windless night....look out!

I have three large Coconuts, Archies, Dypisis, Bottle, Rhapis, Foxtails, Adonidia, Cuban Old Man, Dates, Bizzies, Queens, L. saribus, Chamaedoreas, Hurricane, and Ptychospermas, plus some others I'm probably forgetting and none are coming inside so let 'er rip! That said.....we still got 2 more months (+) to go so don't hold me to that. Most of these are in the ground anyway so they're not going anywhere. ;)

I did however source some premium Crotons in 7 gallons this Fall and those I did bring in.....both when this thread started and just recently again for this event. I have 10 altogether and with a huge Aglaonema and a Diff - my home is like a conservatory. Everything goes back out tomorrow. These Crotons will be planted next spring. For now - they will be pampered as only a parent can!

Next year I will have a greenhouse for my tropicals. FWIW....in the past I have use Japanese kerosene blue flame heaters for those and they worked well.

My girl standing guard over my Congo and Stoplight....

IMG_0045.thumb.JPG.d9bf312b8575156a69b688990ae9bffa.JPG

 

I use Wall O Waters around my inground crotons if it gets below freezing.  That keeps them alive at least even if the tops freeze off and they rebound quickly in the spring.

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Lou St. Aug, FL

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29 minutes ago, Bazza said:

Haven't been on the forum for a while but just finished reading this interesting thread.

Fortunately, I'm located on the barrier island here - so have two large bodies of water to provide temp. buffering. According to my recording thermometer, it hasn't been below 38 here all month.

I've been here since '96 so went through those 3 straight hard freeze winters '09-'11, and lost my share of cherished botanicals. Back then I was in the business too so it was a long time before I began using Crotons again!!! :lol:

It's been my experience that, as previously mentioned, there are quite a few factors that go into how certain species handle the cold. That said for certain species, if you get a hard freeze, forget it. All those "circumstances' go out the window.

But there are so many species which are 'borderline' hardy - and for those - it really helps if the plant is established (been in the ground for at least one full growing season). Canopy overhead is huge. Exposure (N,S,E,W). And also water relations - I like to soak the earth during daylight hours so the ground acts like a heat sink soaking up the sun's rays and radiating upwards after sunset. As mentioned before.....winds help as they mix the temperature layers. When you have that windless night....look out!

I have three large Coconuts, Archies, Dypisis, Bottle, Rhapis, Foxtails, Adonidia, Cuban Old Man, Dates, Bizzies, Queens, L. saribus, Chamaedoreas, Hurricane, and Ptychospermas, plus some others I'm probably forgetting and none are coming inside so let 'er rip! That said.....we still got 2 more months (+) to go so don't hold me to that. Most of these are in the ground anyway so they're not going anywhere. ;)

I did however source some premium Crotons in 7 gallons this Fall and those I did bring in.....both when this thread started and just recently again for this event. I have 10 altogether and with a huge Aglaonema and a Diff - my home is like a conservatory. Everything goes back out tomorrow. These Crotons will be planted next spring. For now - they will be pampered as only a parent can!

Next year I will have a greenhouse for my tropicals. FWIW....in the past I have use Japanese kerosene blue flame heaters for those and they worked well.

My girl standing guard over my Congo and Stoplight....

IMG_0045.thumb.JPG.d9bf312b8575156a69b688990ae9bffa.JPG

 

Barry, post some pics of your in ground Coconut Palms when you get a chance.  Thanks.

John

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16 minutes ago, Lou-StAugFL said:

I use Wall O Waters around my in ground crotons if it gets below freezing.  That keeps them alive at least even if the tops freeze off and they rebound quickly in the spring.

Thanks, Lou....good to know.

One thing I learned is that when Crotons get hit.....and they defoliate.....best thing to do is just leave it alone!  It's truly remarkable how durable they are when you have given up all hope they will start sending out new shoots in the spring....and sometimes up from the very base if that's the only part still alive.

Another philosophy I have used when in the business is to use them like an annual. In others words....use them in a fashion where you expect them to be changed out. IE: not huge quantities and not in a signature area. If you treat them like an annual it helps a bit in accepting a loss.

 

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8 minutes ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Barry, post some pics of your in ground Coconut Palms when you get a chance.  Thanks.

John

Here's a recent one, John......the others two are about this same size. Planted in 2017 from 15 gallon size, IIRC ( I'll try to find that pic). In this photo is my Screw Pine that lost a huge branch (left side) earlier this year, and my Mammy Crotons underneath that started off as 1 gal. leftover from a job. IMG_0349.thumb.JPG.2265b23e8a4ebd35929c39f864ef4ac1.JPG

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On the subject of Coconuts....couple pics from my neighborhood of two properties with them. First one they were just planted - the second photo of some planted a year ago.

IMG_0218.thumb.JPG.2db651fbb29cab45e55c7cebd5386256.JPG

 

IMG_6183.thumb.JPG.c199eb9601da07d2edd9cdee4d87f655.JPG

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Found a pic of when I first planted my current Coconuts.........May 2017.  Looks like they were in 25 gal. pots, which makes sense because I remember how freaking heavy they were lifting them into my truck! :blink:

 

IMG_1749.thumb.JPG.4a7428014e227c320b225c03f4ccffd3.JPG

 

Later that winter - we got a substantial freeze event, which did a lot of damage in the area, but my Coconuts survived without any protection.

My latest thought is to wrap some small heating pads around the buds to at least protect the growing point. I bought the heating pads a while back from Amazon. They are 12"x24" so hopefully large enough to wrap sufficiently.

 

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Barry,

Thanks.  You have a nice looking one.  That is about as big as we can get them to grow here near the water in Corpus Christi, but just south of us in the Rio Grande Valley, there are some nice ones in the 30ft. to 40ft. tall range in overall height with full size nuts on them (the ones that are adequately watered that is, since it is a semi arid climate down there).  Are yours and the ones recently planted in your neighborhood Green Malayans?   My biggest one is a Green Malayan that I bought from a local nursery that occasionally has them.  It has been in the ground for 4 and a half years, and is about 16 ft. tall in overall height with about 30" of woody trunk height.  It just started flowering this year, and has 8 baby coconuts on it now.  My other 2 in ground ones are from ones I collected off the beach at North Padre Island and sprouted back in 2016.  They are about 13ft. tall in overall height and haven't started producing woody trunk yet.  I think one is a pure Mexican Tall, and the other appears to be a Maymex hybrid between a Golden Malayan and a Mexican Tall and has very robust leaves, and a really swollen trunk at its base.  Are there any Jamaican Talls near your place?

John

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My big Green Malayan has made it through several freezes, including 2 back to back freezing nights in the upper 20'SF its first winter in the ground with only incandescent Christmas lights and a blanket around the trunk, and again two back to back nights in the upper 20's it's second winter in the ground with only a blanket around the trunk to protect it those nights.  It was also exposed to 3.5 inches of snow and temps down to 31.8F on Dec. 8, 2017 with no protection at all (a VERY RARE South Texas snowstorm), and has experienced several frosts unprotected over the time it has been in the ground.  I honestly think healthy, well established Green Malayans are a little more cold hardy than they are given credit for, but the Golden Malayans and Yellow Malayans don't make it well here at all, but can be grown succesfully in the Rio Grande Valley south of here.  My other two in ground ones, have been in the ground since March of 2019, and were also exposed to the unexpected snowstorm back in 2017 unprotected when they were still in pots with only minor injury.  I grow everything 100 % ORGANIC, which seems to strengthen up tropical trees and plants by as much as 2F to 4F depending on species.

John

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Hey John....thanks for the reply and comments! Good stuff!

I would venture to say mine and the others in the photos are all Green Malayans.

FWIW...every Coconut in the area here were killed in the 2010 winter hard freeze events. It was terrible! Nice to see some re-appearing - they grow so fast and for my money are the most beautiful palm in the world! :wub:

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2 minutes ago, Bazza said:

Hey John....thanks for the reply and comments! Good stuff!

I would venture to say mine and the others in the photos are all Green Malayans.

FWIW...every Coconut in the area here were killed in the 2010 winter hard freeze events. It was terrible! Nice to see some re-appearing - they grow so fast and for my money are the most beautiful palm in the world! :wub:

You are welcome. They are my favorite too.  I love them.  There are probably about 17 of them total in my area, where they are considered marginal, but in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) where they do well, especially the southeast end of the Valley (Brownsville, Los Fresnos, Port Isabel, and South Padre Island), there are probably less than 150 of them, but there should be thousands of them down there, considering how well they do there.  Unfortunately, they are rarely available at local nurseries there, even though there is demand for them.  I REALLY think the local nurseries there are dropping the ball by not having them available on a regular basis.   I met a developer at South Padre Island back in 2007 who really likes them and he would like to see lots of them planted at South Padre Island if they were more available.

John

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7 hours ago, Bazza said:

Found a pic of when I first planted my current Coconuts.........May 2017.  Looks like they were in 25 gal. pots, which makes sense because I remember how freaking heavy they were lifting them into my truck! :blink:

 

IMG_1749.thumb.JPG.4a7428014e227c320b225c03f4ccffd3.JPG

 

Later that winter - we got a substantial freeze event, which did a lot of damage in the area, but my Coconuts survived without any protection.

My latest thought is to wrap some small heating pads around the buds to at least protect the growing point. I bought the heating pads a while back from Amazon. They are 12"x24" so hopefully large enough to wrap sufficiently.

 

My family owns a week at the Islander Beach Resort, right on the beach as soon as the South Causeway turns to the South.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to use our week (Labor Day week) due to weather and my elderly mother's health issues.

There is a home, South of the IBR, right on the ocean where they planted mature coconut palms several years ago.  In fact, there are a few threads showing these trees right after they were planted.  The coconut palms are in the back yard (right on the ocean).  They planted mature Phoenix palms in the front yard (facing A-1-A).

Since I haven't been able to get over there in several years, do you know if those trees are still there?  I have wondered how they are doing.  If they are still there, they should have grown significantly.  Have you seen them recently?

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Winter Springs (Orlando area), Florida

Zone 9b/10a

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2 hours ago, ck_in_fla said:

My family owns a week at the Islander Beach Resort, right on the beach as soon as the South Causeway turns to the South.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to use our week (Labor Day week) due to weather and my elderly mother's health issues.

There is a home, South of the IBR, right on the ocean where they planted mature coconut palms several years ago.  In fact, there are a few threads showing these trees right after they were planted.  The coconut palms are in the back yard (right on the ocean).  They planted mature Phoenix palms in the front yard (facing A-1-A).

Since I haven't been able to get over there in several years, do you know if those trees are still there?  I have wondered how they are doing.  If they are still there, they should have grown significantly.  Have you seen them recently?

I know exactly where you're talking about. I'll run by and take a look this week and let you know. This house is back off S.Atlantic a bit so hard to see unless you drive east off the highway a bit. Best wishes to your Mom. Mine is 97 and still living in her own home on her own, except I bring her provisions and help a little around the house and of course look after the landscape. We used to cruise the Islander back in the 70's-80's - I even dated one of the cocktail waitresses....good times! :P

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3A446FF1-FF22-4502-949F-03A0D33A2BDC.thumb.jpeg.83809364089872ae3df6b2bd8dec85fd.jpeg

A towel draped over wasn’t enough to keep my coconut safe from 3 nights of freezing temperatures with days between that barely broke the 40’s or 50’s. Yellowing with brown spots. It’s not even January yet.

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52 minutes ago, CodyORB said:

3A446FF1-FF22-4502-949F-03A0D33A2BDC.thumb.jpeg.83809364089872ae3df6b2bd8dec85fd.jpeg

A towel draped over wasn’t enough to keep my coconut safe from 3 nights of freezing temperatures with days between that barely broke the 40’s or 50’s. Yellowing with brown spots. It’s not even January yet.

Sounds like your Coco would benefit from something a little more than a towel, based on the description of your temperatures, Cody.

I wonder if it would be possible to run an electric cord out to it and plug in a heating pad? You could always cover the pad with a blanket/towels to help keep the warmth in.

It even looks short enough to put a plastic garbage can over it - with an incandescent bulb (or three) inside to provide some warmth.

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@CodyORB I would wrap them or put a big garbage can over it as @Bazza suggested.

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Lakeland, FL

USDA Zone 1990: 9a  2012: 9b  2023: 10a | Sunset Zone: 26 | Record Low: 20F/-6.67C (Jan. 1985, Dec.1962) | Record Low USDA Zone: 9a

30-Year Avg. Low: 30F | 30-year Min: 24F

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2 hours ago, CodyORB said:

3A446FF1-FF22-4502-949F-03A0D33A2BDC.thumb.jpeg.83809364089872ae3df6b2bd8dec85fd.jpeg

A towel draped over wasn’t enough to keep my coconut safe from 3 nights of freezing temperatures with days between that barely broke the 40’s or 50’s. Yellowing with brown spots. It’s not even January yet.

It needs serious protection, mulch and supplemental heat in z9a. You probably should have grown it larger before planting, too. But coconuts are cheap and plentiful in FL.

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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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Here's my two coconuts, after 28F and frost the morning of 12/26 and then 11 hours of 31-33F the next night.  The green dwarf one did pretty well overall, burn on the older leaves but only a bit of spotting on the newer 2 fronds.  The yellow tall type did not fare so well, even though they are only about 6 feet apart at the end of the front walkway.  I did not protect them at all, because I want to see how they do by themselves with all the concrete around.

645675997_P10701092coconuts.thumb.jpg.36367ec76317d95ca76813719dbc6f21.jpg

My small Caryota Gigas in the front did okay, but I may need to protect it in upcoming cold fronts to make sure it survives.

1602304827_P1070111CaryotaGigasfreeze.thumb.JPG.00dcfe55128713e5e100696d8c5d9894.JPG

 

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25 minutes ago, Merlyn said:

Here's my two coconuts, after 28F and frost the morning of 12/26 and then 11 hours of 31-33F the next night.  The green dwarf one did pretty well overall, burn on the older leaves but only a bit of spotting on the newer 2 fronds.  The yellow tall type did not fare so well, even though they are only about 6 feet apart at the end of the front walkway.  I did not protect them at all, because I want to see how they do by themselves with all the concrete around.

645675997_P10701092coconuts.thumb.jpg.36367ec76317d95ca76813719dbc6f21.jpg

My small Caryota Gigas in the front did okay, but I may need to protect it in upcoming cold fronts to make sure it survives.

1602304827_P1070111CaryotaGigasfreeze.thumb.JPG.00dcfe55128713e5e100696d8c5d9894.JPG

 

Wow! My coconut looks nothing like that. (Thank goodness)

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On 12/28/2020 at 6:56 AM, ck_in_fla said:

My family owns a week at the Islander Beach Resort, right on the beach as soon as the South Causeway turns to the South.  Unfortunately, we haven't been able to use our week (Labor Day week) due to weather and my elderly mother's health issues.

There is a home, South of the IBR, right on the ocean where they planted mature coconut palms several years ago.  In fact, there are a few threads showing these trees right after they were planted.  The coconut palms are in the back yard (right on the ocean).  They planted mature Phoenix palms in the front yard (facing A-1-A).

Since I haven't been able to get over there in several years, do you know if those trees are still there?  I have wondered how they are doing.  If they are still there, they should have grown significantly.  Have you seen them recently?

Went by yesterday. In re-reading your post, perhaps this isn't the same property you were referencing. Their Cocos are on the west side of the house away from the ocean and no date palms visible.

 

IMG_0061.thumb.JPG.07fdbe1ffa25c710ef04a7b00246f0ec.JPG

IMG_0062.thumb.JPG.0206292b25eefa5651bd7924910fbb8e.JPG

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