SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 16 Tell us the coldest temperature your Mexican Fan Palm has sustained this winter. How did it react? What kind of winter protection, if any, are you using? Is your washy in a sub-group which might be more cold hardy than regular ones? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swolte 1,031 Report post Posted January 16 Last winter my W. Robusta went through 3F protected. I had cut all fronds and wrapped it in layers of fleece blankets and frost cloth. No heat source. Of all the palms I 'treated' this way, including a filibusta hybrid, this one suffered the most. It exhibited dwarf growth for months afterwards (see pic) but I am glad to say it seems to have fully recovered. In fact, it went through a surprise 18F unprotected a few weeks ago and, although outer fronds are browning, the spear feels strong and the majority of fronds are still green. So far so good. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chester B 3,118 Report post Posted January 16 23F. Robusta dominant hybrid. Covered by plastic rain cover. I did wrap with frost cloth and ran a 100 mini light string around the palm. Originally our weather was calling for much worse otherwise I would not have done this. Fronds showed splotchy patches of different shades of green. Once temps rose above freezing normal coloration returned. Filifera dominant hybrid. No protection, no visible signs of any change. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 16 2 hours ago, Swolte said: Last winter my W. Robusta went through 3F protected. I had cut all fronds and wrapped it in layers of fleece blankets and frost cloth. No heat source. Of all the palms I 'treated' this way, including a filibusta hybrid, this one suffered the most. It exhibited dwarf growth for months afterwards (see pic) but I am glad to say it seems to have fully recovered. In fact, it went through a surprise 18F unprotected a few weeks ago and, although outer fronds are browning, the spear feels strong and the majority of fronds are still green. So far so good. Just curious, why did you cut the fronds off? In hindsight, do you think that was a mistake? Would you do that again? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Trustandi 288 Report post Posted January 16 Filibusta with filifera dominant. The lowest is 17F with four days below freezing. I covered them with mini xmas lights and bedsheet and umbrellas. Some fronds got some snow and rain on. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jtee 393 Report post Posted January 16 (edited) Here is one of mine, it’s seen 28 degrees three different times this year. It’s doing great and still pushing out fronds, slowly though: no cold damage on it. But we are supposed to get cold next week, cold front coming our way. I don’t protect it, it rarely goes below 28 here. Weather says it will get down to 25 this week so we will wait and see. Edited January 16 by Jtee Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EJ NJ 88 Report post Posted January 16 I have some seedlings that survived 5F in my greenhouse under a heat lamp! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Swolte 1,031 Report post Posted January 16 2 hours ago, SALOttawa said: Just curious, why did you cut the fronds off? In hindsight, do you think that was a mistake? Would you do that again? Absolutely, it was going to lose the fronds anyway and it had gotten to large to wrap. By cutting the fronds I was much better able to protect it by adding multiple insulating layers in a situation where I had no means to ad a heat source! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DreaminAboutPalms 432 Report post Posted January 17 (edited) 18-20 degrees and my robustifera got pretty fried. Will add a picture when I can. East of Austin in Manor in the ShadowGlen neighborhood there is a really cold microclimate, due to the low elevation. The weather station this morning read 34 degrees in manor but near where my robustifera is planted it got to 25. Two weeks ago it got to about 18 when the city was 25-27 Edited January 17 by DreaminAboutPalms Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCFM 473 Report post Posted January 17 My young robusta dominant hybrids have seen 19 this winter. I protected them with boxes made out of insulation board. Little to no frond damage 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 17 On 1/16/2022 at 11:31 AM, Chester B said: 23F. Robusta dominant hybrid. Covered by plastic rain cover. I did wrap with frost cloth and ran a 100 mini light string around the palm. Originally our weather was calling for much worse otherwise I would not have done this. Fronds showed splotchy patches of different shades of green. Once temps rose above freezing normal coloration returned. Filifera dominant hybrid. No protection, no visible signs of any change. Excellent! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 17 18 minutes ago, NC_Palm_Enthusiast said: My young robusta dominant hybrids have seen 19 this winter. I protected them with boxes made out of insulation board. Little to no frond damage Great stuff - no heat? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 17 3 hours ago, DreaminAboutPalms said: 18-20 degrees and my robustifera got pretty fried. Will add a picture when I can. East of Austin in Manor in the ShadowGlen neighborhood there is a really cold microclimate, due to the low elevation. The weather station this morning read 34 degrees in manor but near where my robustifera is planted it got to 25. Two weeks ago it got to about 18 when the city was 25-27 Will it survive? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 17 23 hours ago, EJ NJ said: I have some seedlings that survived 5F in my greenhouse under a heat lamp! Wow! That’s pretty awesome for seedlings! 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
DreaminAboutPalms 432 Report post Posted January 17 (edited) 27 minutes ago, SALOttawa said: Will it survive? Yes it still has green on it. Center spear and newest frond are both good. I am worried about this week though, Tuesday and Wednesday will be upper 70's, and then Thursday Friday will have highs around 40 with forecasted lows in the mid to low 20's, meaning that where my robustifera is planted will be between 17 and 22. We are in a huge drought which should help though. I will probably protect it if the forecast drops any lower. Meanwhile less than half a mile away someone just installed a queen palm with 15 feet of trunk and it still looks flawless, that area probably had low temps a few weeks ago pretty similar to the reading of 25 at. the weather station. Didn't realize until recently how much of a microclimate this spot in manor is.. Last year during URI this area reached -2 degrees. Edited January 17 by DreaminAboutPalms Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 17 (edited) Washingtonia Robusta Subgroup Coldest Temp Protection Damage? Suggestions Zone - 3F removed fronds, wrapped in layers of fleece blankets and frost cloth, no heat suffered, but recovered 8b Robusta dominant hybrid 23F Covered by plastic rain cover, wrapped with frost cloth and ran a 100 mini light string around the palm. Fronds showed splotchy patches of different shades of green. Once temps rose above freezing normal coloration returned. 8b Filifera dominant hybrid 23F No protection Filifera dominant hybrid. No protection, no visible signs of any change. 8b Filibusta with filifera dominant. 17F with four days below freezing. covered them with mini xmas lights and bedsheet and umbrellas. Some fronds got some snow and rain on. Some browning of fronds? 8b 28 F three different times this year. No protection? doing great and still pushing out fronds, slowly though: no cold damage on it. S. Alabama Seedlings 5 F under heat lamp no damage 7a8b8a Robustifera 18-20F no protection? Pretty fried still has green on it. Center spear and newest frond are both good Austin Young robusta dominant hybrids 19 boxes made out of insulation board Little to no frond damage N. Carolina Edited January 17 by SALOttawa 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 17 16 minutes ago, DreaminAboutPalms said: Yes it still has green on it. Center spear and newest frond are both good. I am worried about this week though, Tuesday and Wednesday will be upper 70's, and then Thursday Friday will have highs around 40 with forecasted lows in the mid to low 20's, meaning that where my robustifera is planted will be between 17 and 22. We are in a huge drought which should help though. I will probably protect it if the forecast drops any lower. Meanwhile less than half a mile away someone just installed a queen palm with 15 feet of trunk and it still looks flawless, that area probably had low temps a few weeks ago pretty similar to the reading of 25 at. the weather station. Didn't realize until recently how much of a microclimate this spot in manor is.. Last year during URI this area reached -2 degrees. We’re hoping for you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
amh 1,189 Report post Posted January 18 I had 2 small filifera dominant filibustas endure 15F in the open with some minor discoloration and 5, 3 gallon potted plants on my porch endure the same temperature with no signs of damage. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Ryland 157 Report post Posted January 18 It's probably hardly worth contributing this, mine saw -2.2ºC (28ºF) so far this winter, last winter it "endured" an ultimate low of -2.7ºC (27ºF). No damage at all this winter, but last winter I had some minor damage to leaf tips where there was some material leaning against/contacting them. It's worth noting that in light frosts, even when it doesn't actually go below freezing, there is a disturbing darkening of the fronds that looks like damage, but it always seems to return to normal after a day or so. Photo from this morning showing this effect, it is currently below freezing (-0.5ºC) for the fourth time this winter - you can still see the damaged tips from last winter. I don't think there is much filifera in this one at all. 3 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NCFM 473 Report post Posted January 18 23 hours ago, SALOttawa said: Great stuff - no heat? Nope, just the boxes Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MarkbVet 493 Report post Posted January 20 On 1/16/2022 at 8:31 AM, Chester B said: 23F. Robusta dominant hybrid. Covered by plastic rain cover. I did wrap with frost cloth and ran a 100 mini light string around the palm. Originally our weather was calling for much worse otherwise I would not have done this. Fronds showed splotchy patches of different shades of green. Once temps rose above freezing normal coloration returned. Filifera dominant hybrid. No protection, no visible signs of any change. are your hybrids protected from winter rain? Filifera is more cold tolerant of course, but supposedly less wet tolerant (hopefully the robusta genes help in that regard. Is your filifera-dominant hybrid totally out in weather?? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chester B 3,118 Report post Posted January 20 Filifera was on its own, I just never got around to doing anything. It has fungus in the crown, which is pretty typical, but I usually don't see it until some time in February. Even when I had it protected from the rain it would develop spotting and some fungus. I guess it doesn't like the humidity in winter. I gave up on this palm 2 years ago, but it seems to have a will to live. I sprayed it down with fungicide on the weekend and put a rain cover on. We'll see what happens. Robusta has a clear plastic rain cover open on the sides. I removed the lights but I don't think it was necessary anyway. It's looked great all winter and has been growing slowly. I'm expecting to leave it on until April or May, depending on how much rain we're getting. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Virginia Palmetto 14 Report post Posted January 20 I have some fall and winter pictures of three of our Washingtonias in Chesapeake, Virginia. The first two Washingtonias are robusta dominant hybrids growing up against the South side of the house. The last Washingtonia is a filifera dominant hybrid growing near the street. All fall photos where taken around October. All winter photos were taken this month, a few days after a low of 18F. Robusta dominant, fall 2021 Robusta dominant, winter 2022 (a few days after a low of 18F) Robusta dominant, fall 2021 Robusta dominant, winter 2022 (a few days after a low of 18F) Filifera dominant, fall 2021 Filifera dominant, winter 2022 (a few days after a low of 18F) Overall, not a whole lot of damage after 18F. The filifera dominant hybrid fared the best despite being in a more exposed location, and had no leaf damage (the lower leaves were already undergoing natural leaf senescence before the freeze). Even with a better microclimate, however, the robusta dominant hybrids experienced some minor leaf burn as a direct result of the freeze. Most years, the robusta dominant hybrids partially or completely defoliate by the end of winter, but the filifera dominant hybrids usually stay fully green with little to no leaf burn. All of our Washingtonias have seen snowfall and temperatures in the mid teens without protection. In 2018 we did have a low of around 9F, but all were protected by mounds of pine straw. 4 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Chester B 3,118 Report post Posted January 20 @Virginia Palmetto they all look great. I know the summers are hot and humid with lots of downpours, but are the winters much drier, and/or with lower humidity? 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Virginia Palmetto 14 Report post Posted January 20 @Chester B That's true, we generally have less precipitation in the winter and the air is drier, but we still get the occasional winter storm that dumps lots of rain or snow. The freezes that concern me the most are the ones that come after these types of events. Last year it felt like we had constant rainfall in February along with several snow days. That winter we never dropped below 20F, so even with waterlogged soil and constantly wet fronds, most of our Washingtonias stayed 100% green all winter. The more "robusta-ish" ones stayed about 50% green with varying degrees of damage on each frond. Thankfully, they all grow so fast that any winter damage can be pruned away in spring and replaced in summer. I always let them grow full crowns so they can produce as much energy as possible before winter. I consider it a good year when they are able to produce so many fronds that by the end of the growing season the oldest fronds are dead and hanging. To me, it's an indicator that the palms have gone through a full cycle of fronds and are ready for the next winter. I've noticed that palms in my area that are consistently over pruned throughout the growing season tend to be way less hardy than their unpruned or properly pruned counterparts. Unfortunately, over pruning palms seems to be a favorite pass time for people who own Sabal palmettos in Virginia, but that's a whole other can of worms. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 21 @VirginiaPalmetto - your palms look amazing! 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Virginia Palmetto 14 Report post Posted January 21 @SALOttawa Thanks! Looks like we're going to get some snow tonight (4-6in). Last night we got a light dusting, but the palms seem okay for now despite temperatures staying below freezing all day today. Here are some photos from last night: We're expecting more leaf damage on these two, but this happens every year with our robusta dominant washys. The temperature is supposed to drop just below 20F again, maybe 18F or 19F. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 21 Here in Ottawa, we hit -31.7 degrees Celsius this morning! That’s -25 Fahrenheit! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goVMP7gS710 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SALOttawa 56 Report post Posted January 22 (edited) 2nd cold night in a row! This morning, it was -32.1 Celcius -25.8 F. 5 Celcius in the winter protection box though. Edited January 22 by SALOttawa 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
