Pacific Northwest Arctic Outbreak - Protection methods

[Jesse PNW 637]

Lesson learned, build a structure if your palms are small.  

I threw frost cloth over this Arenga engleri and used some upside down flower pots to try to make a tent... didn't work.  Weight of the snow crashed the frost cloth down leaving the palm half-exposed. Saw 16f no heat. Probably dead already. 

[Silas_Sancona 7,798]

20 minutes ago, Jesse PNW said:

Lesson learned, build a structure if your palms are small.  

I threw frost cloth over this Arenga engleri and used some upside down flower pots to try to make a tent... didn't work.  Weight of the snow crashed the frost cloth down leaving the palm half-exposed. Saw 16f no heat. Probably dead already. 

Give it time.. You may be surprised.  These are supposed to tolerate low temps down to about 15F ( Palmpedia:  https://palmpedia.net/wiki/Arenga_engleri.. )  For the moment, fronds look ok, Have seen far more obvious signs of damage in other palms within hours of seeing 28F.  You'll know for sure within a couple weeks.   Even at that size, if the top does freeze out, it could send up new growth from the base,  ..so you may dodge a bullet.

[Paradise Found 889]

It will be interesting to see if it could handle 5 days below freezing.  Some where on the net a long time ago there was a habitat photo of A. engleri covered with snow and so they can see some cold and snow.  It may take till summer to see if a new spear grow back.  I had a large jubaea once that grew back two years later. 

Edited January 2 by Paradise Found

[Chester B 2,949]

I unwrapped just about everything today, things look great except for my T latisectus.  I didn't put any lights in it,  so it was just covered and was very wet and floppy when revealed it.  Lesson learned.

[Collectorpalms 1,874]

7 hours ago, Jesse PNW said:

Lesson learned, build a structure if your palms are small.  

I threw frost cloth over this Arenga engleri and used some upside down flower pots to try to make a tent... didn't work.  Weight of the snow crashed the frost cloth down leaving the palm half-exposed. Saw 16f no heat. Probably dead already. 

Both my Arengas came back from new shoots after a week below freezing and low of 4F. 

[Jesse PNW 637]

9 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Both my Arengas came back from new shoots after a week below freezing and low of 4F. 

What!?  That is unreal!   I just wish they weren't so slow-growing.  

How are they doing now? 

[Collectorpalms 1,874]

They are slow growing about 2 new leaves each. had been in ground over a decade helped.

[Swolte 984]

39 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

They are slow growing about 2 new leaves each. had been in ground over a decade helped.

That's good news! I was worried about droughts here with those. Did you irrigate regularly? 

[Collectorpalms 1,874]

20 minutes ago, Swolte said:

That's good news! I was worried about droughts here with those. Did you irrigate regularly? 

NO but they got some run off water. I have to move one before the city decides to bulldoze my front yard for new water line and bigger siedwalk, not sure how it will move, But I have a third one i bought this year, not planted.

[Paradise Found 889]

On 1/2/2022 at 9:45 AM, Jesse PNW said:

Lesson learned, build a structure if your palms are small.  

I threw frost cloth over this Arenga engleri and used some upside down flower pots to try to make a tent... didn't work.  Weight of the snow crashed the frost cloth down leaving the palm half-exposed. Saw 16f no heat. Probably dead already. 

Any updates on this?

[Jesse PNW 637]

@Paradise Found It still looks the same.  Time will tell.  I'm glad I decided not to plant my 2 Arengas side by side.  The other was better protected with my small queen and small mule.  

[Paradise Found 889]

I think Arenga palms are going to require some supplemental heat here in the PNW.  Throw some christmas lights around them on the ground and throw a large garbage container over the whole plant.  You could put freeze cloth (what ever it called) over the palm.  Should keep them warm. But in a bad winter they will need heat!

 

Edited January 12 by Paradise Found