Texas 21' Arctic blast - the unprotected

[Swolte]

I managed to pack up every palm in the garden but I left a couple completely unprotected (extras, experiments, etc...). These were pictures taken yesterday (everything now is under 3 inches of snow).

Pic 1 - Sabal Causuarum. This one was supposed to be 'Lisa' but didn't turn out to have the characteristics. I gladly threw it to the elements! 
Pic 2 - Sabal Minor var Cherokee . This is possibly the most cold hardy sabal minor in the world. Native to North Alabama. But, as you can see, it's still a tiny stapling. 
Pic 3 - Chamaerops humilis. This one is in an open spot in the yard. 
Pic 4 - Chamaerops humilis. In front of the house.
Pic 5 - Rhapidophyllum hystrix. The most cold hardy palm in the world but again... a tiny, neglected baby!

Place your bets on survival! 

[NOT A TA]

Snow is a good insulator so I'm betting the seedlings will be fine.

[Collectorpalms]

Sabal minor seedling if under the ice layer with snow. I may have seedling minor survivors, I have big snowdrifts. 
I have visited the minors in habitat. They have survived eons under ice in their habitat during previous epic freezes.

[Swolte]

Right now....

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

I already see damage which is early.  Usually stuff doesnt look bad until it warms up. 

[buffy]

I'm hoping the 10" of snow did some magic for me. 

[WSimpson]

One protection method I use for small plants is to get a load of mulch delivered when I first see serious cold coming down ,  or buy bags of mulch and simply place the mulch high up on the trunk . So with your Chammy I would have piled mulch high up the trunk and over the spear area at least 10"  . For really small stuff I would just dump mulch on top of the plant about 5" over the top . As soon as it warms up I  just spread the mulch out around the plants as you would normally spread mulch . 

Small fencing or other things can be used around larger plants to hold the mulch in place around the trunks of the plants . 

That mulch applied heavily will keep the coldest temperatures out of the growing bud area and trunk and may not actually freeze solidly through to those areas  . 

Will

[Swolte]

I agree, Will. I wish I had more mulch at the time (chipdrop doesn't work here, unfortunately). Anyway, I just wanted to give an update on the palms one week after the big freeze of 2021. 

As you all predicted, the small needle and Cherokee Sabal minor look unfazed. 

I also completely forgot I had a small Sabal Louisiana in the creek. I had left it completely unprotected. As you can see, it looks tasty (if plastic Flamingos would eat palms...).  

Edited February 27, 2021 by Swolte

[Swolte]

The Sabal Causiarum looks a bit battered but is hanging in there quite well. Spear is still firm. I also posted a pic of a Causiarum that was protected (hay and a frost blanket).

[Swolte]

Ok, now for the medi's...

As predicted, the after shots do not look pretty.  There's barely any green left. I don't think any of them will make it.

I also added a picture of a medi that I did protect, however, rather sloppily. The frost blanket didn't fully cover the palm from the sides so it was not fully enclosed.  The hay was placed rather hastily and was probably not as thick as it should have been. Medi's are a dime a dozen here at the local Lowes so I rushed it. Despite that, it looks a lot greener! Spears are a little wobbly although the newest one is still somewhat firm. None pull. May have a shot?

 

[Collectorpalms]

6 hours ago, Swolte said:

Ok, now for the medi's...

As predicted, the after shots do not look pretty.  There's barely any green left. I don't think any of them will make it.

I also added a picture of a medi that I did protect, however, rather sloppily. The frost blanket didn't fully cover the palm from the sides so it was not fully enclosed.  The hay was placed rather hastily and was probably not as thick as it should have been. Medi's are a dime a dozen here at the local Lowes so I rushed it. Despite that, it looks a lot greener! Spears are a little wobbly although the newest one is still somewhat firm. None pull. May have a shot?

 

Protecting palms For us locally sure made a difference. I know places that the event was a little harsher it didn’t cut it.

But knowing that Locally if a palm can be afforded some protection even they make make it after 2021, but also don’t grow something that will be too difficult or tall one day to protect.... and also just have to many plants period!

[Swolte]

UPDATE!!

Mmmm, looks like the completely unprotected medi's that looked like an ugly brown mush will still make it after all... dang, these are tough!!

Edited April 29, 2021 by Swolte

[palmsOrl]

I had never been interested in hardy palms and freeze damage results of hardy palms before Texas Palmageddon 2021.  I just ordered some Sabal minor Mccurtain seeds.

[Sabal King]

These types of threads are really important to figure out what can and can't make it through a once in a lifetime event.. Thanks for documenting this and really glad things are coming back to life for you.  I think a lot of the doom and gloom here was hyped just like a lot of things these days.  I'm noticing the more days that go by the more is beginning to live and we've underestimated these palms ability to handle a short cold burst, albeit a bad one.