Wind Chill

[JLM]

How does the wind and the wind chill affect palms or plants in general? My local NWS is calling for wind chills potentially in the mid to upper teens on i think Tuesday night. Should i wrap my Queens? This would definitely by far be the coldest wind all winter.

[PalmatierMeg]

Wind chill applies to people and warm blooded animals but not to plants. Cold wind may dry out palm fronds but plants do not notice any difference between wind chill and ambient temps

[JohnAndSancho]

Just now, PalmatierMeg said:

Wind chill applies to people and warm blooded animals but not to plants. Cold wind may dry out palm fronds but plants do not notice any difference between wind chill and ambient temps

Totally anecdotal - my dog loves to be outside and run around when it's cold. The past couple days we walk for maybe 4 minutes and he does his business and he's ready to run back inside and get under his blankets. 

 

I manage a hotel, and I'm holding rooms for about 8 employees (myself included) because I know nobody is going to make it into work with this weather, and I totally expect my dog to step right out the door and handle his business before he's back inside. 

 

At least he'll enjoy being surrounded by women at work (his name is Sancho, and he is the most appropriately named dog ever)  

[Collectorpalms]

Wind will bring the core temperature of the meristem down quicker, just like there is already ice sheets on my rain buckets. Without wind they are slower to reach the meristem.

[Tyrone]

21 hours ago, Collectorpalms said:

Wind will bring the core temperature of the meristem down quicker, just like there is already ice sheets on my rain buckets. Without wind they are slower to reach the meristem.

That’s what I would have thought. Although plants aren’t warm blooded obviously, the passing wind and the energy in it would evaporate some of the moisture and that in itself will drop the temperature the leaf “feels” for want of a better expression. Luckily I don’t experience this sort of issue. My coldest times are always radiational and dead still. When it’s windy it’s always way above freezing temps. However it is a very windy area and my really marginal palms don’t like cold winds. That’s why I try to grow tougher stuff now. Palms with cardboard like leaves do best in cold winds. Like Parajubaea in my experience.