Jump to content
IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT LOGGING IN ×
  • WELCOME GUEST

    It looks as if you are viewing PalmTalk as an unregistered Guest.

    Please consider registering so as to take better advantage of our vast knowledge base and friendly community.  By registering you will gain access to many features - among them are our powerful Search feature, the ability to Private Message other Users, and be able to post and/or answer questions from all over the world. It is completely free, no “catches,” and you will have complete control over how you wish to use this site.

    PalmTalk is sponsored by the International Palm Society. - an organization dedicated to learning everything about and enjoying palm trees (and their companion plants) while conserving endangered palm species and habitat worldwide. Please take the time to know us all better and register.

    guest Renda04.jpg

Florida January 2008 Freeze - Photos


spockvr6

Recommended Posts

Lets post some preliminary damage photos!  Ill start the thread with some photos taken late this afternoon.

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Heres a positive one.....and one I am shocked at to say the least.

Prichardia pacifica after 29.5F.  Last year 34F mottled this thing fairly ugly on the lower leaves and the damage was evident immediately.

Freeze_01.jpg

Freeze_02.jpg

Freeze_03.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another positive....they are still attached (for now) :D

Freeze_04.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Im just feeling like the glass is half full......

Ive got probably 100-150 Crotons around the yard and they all look fine at the current time.

Freeze_07.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Jamaican Croton.....well not so fond of the Tarpon Springs cold snap.

Freeze_08.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Acalypha (Copperleaf)...also not so fond of the freeze.

Freeze_06.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ive got lots and lots of these Sanchezia plants (they make...or should I say made) great filler/hedge type plants.  They are also the most cold sensitve plant in my yard bar none.  Lower 40's will start to burn the tips.  29.5F just flat out melts them.

Freeze_05.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unknown Pandanus.....mildly/moderately damaged.  It looks worse in the pics than in reality.

Freeze_34.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Umbrella Tree.....damaged more than I expected.

Freeze_31.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Papayas....well....as Alan says..."boiled Spinach"!

Freeze_30.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hibsicus tiliaceus.....mildly damaged.  The tree is alot bigger than the photo suggests (maybe 25 ft tall), but I could only photo a part of it.

Freeze_25.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Completely dessicated Traveller tree leaves...the cold dry wind did a number on these guys.

Freeze_22.jpg

Freeze_20.jpg

But others not so bad.....

Freeze_24.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Typical Dypsis lutescens bronzing to the highest leaves.  This palm is also bigger than it looks (about 15 ft high or so) an sustained damage to only maybe 3-4 leaves in the overall canopy.

Freeze_28.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh....this Royal leaf aint gonna look so purdy in a few days.....

Freeze_27.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Nor will these ones on this juvenile (maybe 15-16 ft OA with 2-3 ft of trunk).

Freeze_36.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Another Royal leaf close up....not gonna look good once things warm up a bit.

Freeze_09.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Larger juvenile Royals (6-8 ft of gray wood) that look to be OK, but still with some cosmetic damage, especially to leaf tips which look dessciated.

Freeze.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Moderately sized Veitchia (7-8 ft of gray wood) with a top leaf thats gonna look nasty in a few days.

Freeze_11.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

But, the Jatropha didnt even drop a bloom :D

Freeze_37.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Green Bismarckia didnt take much of a hit it appears.  The much larger silver nearby is unfazed.

Freeze_38.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Various flowering vines (Clerodendrun, Stictocardia, Alamander, etc)......these things got torched!  I can literally smell them rotting already.

Freeze_35.jpg

Freeze_33.jpg

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Larry,

You got it worse than me & your yard looks good. None of my palms appear damaged besides a few cold spots on the leaves of the more tender like my pinanga cornata.

The only things that look a little sad are a couple hybrid bananas, a couple heliconia & calathea yellow rattleshaker leaves and my Thomas Edison croton (of about 40 in pots!). I'll try and take a couple pics after work tomorrow. Right now, I feel really blessed. Even a large blooming catalaya orchid mounted in my sea grape looks happy as a clam with 9 blooms still going strong.

I was much less optimistic this morning at 7:15 when I sprayed my windshield to clear off the oak dust and it froze!

Bren in South St. Pete Florida

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Larry--

Looks like you'll just be pruning and raking dead leaves mostly. Congrats on coming through relatively unscathed.

SoCal and SoFla; zone varies by location.

'Home is where the heart suitcase is'...

_____

"If, as they say, there truly is no rest for the wicked, how can the Devil's workshop be filled with idle hands?"

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Unfortunately, no picture can yet show the effect of the freeze on the inner buds of certain susceptible palms.

Only the passage of time will tell that true story. In previous freezes, I've seen palms (triangle palm, for example) with normal looking leaves suffer complete collapse of the crown in tropical winds of the following summer.

Tom
Mid-Pinellas (St. Petersburg) Florida, USA

Member of Palm Society 1973-2012
Gizella Kopsick Palm Arboretum development 1977-1991
Chapter President 1983-84
Palm Society Director 1984-88

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My Monstera deliciosa leaves are fried, although the rhizomes are still green.  Unprotected @ 27.0F low (several hours).  No frost.

Crotons that were protected are fine, unprotected are mushy.

Cordylines are fine, although some of the leaves are slightly burned.  They were covered in plastic, next to the house.  No heat there.

Angel's trumpet leaves look like boiled spinach :)

My Dypsis lutescens clump very close to my front door has absolutely no damage.

Some of the Adonidia seedlings on the south side of my house are unscathed.  Others are fried.

Bird of paradise in a pot is completely untouched.

  • Upvote 1

Jon

Brooksville, FL 9a

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(cobra2326 @ Jan. 04 2008,15:20)

QUOTE
Crotons that were protected are fine, unprotected are mushy.

Jon-

The Crotons were a big surprise for me.  I have loads of them of various varieties, many in the wide open which were subjected to the full brunt of the cold, and none seem to have any damage at all!  Unless they are waiting me out and will have a massive leaf drop in a few more days....... :D

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I would suggest fungicides as a preventative measure over the next few weeks..........

Zone 10a at best after 2007 AND 2013, on SW facing hill, 1 1/2 miles from coast in Oceanside, CA. 30-98 degrees, and 45-80deg. about 95% of the time.

"The great workman of nature is time."   ,  "Genius is nothing but a great aptitude for patience."

-George-Louis Leclerc de Buffon-

I do some experiments and learning in my garden with palms so you don't have to experience the pain! Look at my old threads to find various observations and tips!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I also noticed that anything under trees looks good. In the open of the back, not so good. Angels Trumpets need pruning anyway, and my large heliconia clumps were way overgrown. I usually clip them but good in late Feb. My Hibiscus tileascus (sp?) also is fried, about 18' high and wide. However, the wood is fine and it will recover nicely. All Phoenix fine, Triangle out front fine, Areca fine, just superficial reallt anywhere. The Majesty Palms in a rather open area are unsctahed as of now. Last year, 33F w/frost they got browned a little. Weird freeze! Greg in New Port Richey

Begonias are my thing. I've been growing and selling them for three decades, nearly two in Tampa Bay. NPR is an bhour N of St Pete, coast

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(ruskinPalms @ Jan. 05 2008,22:09)

QUOTE
Larry, How is the P. pacifica doing? Your Royals?

Bill-

Beautifully!

At this time----

The pacifica has some very minor spotting on the lower leaves, and the Royals have just some minor leaf burn form those nasty cold dry winds.

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's what I got so far this season due to the dry winds on January 3  low between 35-37F

Archotophoenix  cunninghamiana, Maxima, myolensis, no damage

archotophoenix purpurea 10% damage less the a year in the ground

Adonidia merrillii no damage

Beccariophoenix madagascariensis 10% damage less then a year in the ground

Bismarckia nobilis no damage

Chambeyronia macrocarpa no damage

Dictyosperma album X 2 10% damage other one no damage due to a oak tree plus an older palm

Dypsis Decary No damage

Dypsis lutescens only two fronds exposed to the dry wind (wind burned)

Dypsis Lastelliana no damage

Dypsis sp Mayotte no damage

Howea Forsteriana x 3 no damage

Hyophorbe Indica red form no damage

Hyophorbe lagenicaulia no damage

Hyophorbe verschaffeltii 20% leaf wind burn

Ravenea Rivularis no damage

Rhapsis Excelsa  no damage

Roystonea elata  no damage

Satakenita liukiuensis  no damage

Veitchia Arecina  no damage

Wodyetia bifurcata no damage

wodyetia x veitcha no damage

I fertilize them in october with extra potassium and water 2 days before the low

temps and it does pay off will post some pics

  • Upvote 1

Matthew Albach

Pinellas Park FLorida

USDA zone 10a

sunset zone 26

heat zone   10

mostly frost free most years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My place is near Vero Beach airport.  Temperatures reached about 34 degrees with lots of wind.  The yard was moist pre-cold and humidity/showers returned within a day of the cold snap.  I've seen no palm damage:

Allagoptera arenaria

Archontophoenix cunninghamiana

Archontophoenix tuckeri

Bismarckia nobilis (potted)

Carpentaria

Chuniophoenix nana

Chamaedorea metallica

Cryosophila warscewiczii

Coconuts in the neighborhood look fine

Dypsis decaryi

Dypsis lutescens Plants near my yard look fine

Dypsis saintelucei.  

Rhapsis excelsa  

Rhapis humilis

Rhapis laosensis

Roystonea elata  no damage noticed in the area

Satakentia liukiuensis  (3 plants)

Fla. climate center: 100-119 days>85 F
USDA 1990 hardiness zone 9B
Current USDA hardiness zone 10a
4 km inland from Indian River; 27º N (equivalent to Brisbane)

Central Orlando's urban heat island may be warmer than us

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm surprised that I did get some cosmetic damage to my 3 adonidias, while a R. borinquena seedling that I left outside on purpose did not even get a hint of damage.

R. borinquena: +1

Frank

 

Zone 9b pine flatlands

humid/hot summers; dry/cool winters

with yearly freezes

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My adonidias have had no damage from this cold event. The spotting and discolorations have come from cool, damp mornings. My royals, which are presumably R. regia/elata had little to no damage. My R. rivularis have had 0 damage. A. cunninghamiana had 0 damage from this event. A. alexandrae which was 100% exposed to the north winds took only 25% to 50% foliar damage so far and is very quickly pushing a new spear. Looking at weather stations in my area including NWS, Balm Fawn and Wunderground stations, it may have been as cool as 28F here that night. My my lowest station recorded 29.7F, the other 30.1F. Not sure I believe either all that much though as my yard looks pretty torched (my plants other than palms). I have ordered a new sensor for my station that reports to Wunderground because the one I have gets completely messed up by humidity and becomes very inaccurate reading false high temperatures.... That being said, it may not have been too far off that night because the dewpoint was in the single digits at times and the 2 stations were fairly close together. Back to palms. I have observed a lot of inconsistencies in damage between species of my palms and what others reported. I have a spindle in my yard that looks to have taken a 90% to 100% bronzing. While others, even more exposed, look to have taken only maybe 0% to 20% bronzing. Same with bottles. Proteced 3 of mine in a very prominent and exposed area of my front landscape bed. They look no worse than before. I left one in the front unproteced, but it is closer to the house and under a queen palm and well proteced on all sides with other plants - 0% damage - must be one of my better microclimate areas. One that I planted late in the season in area in the back completely exposed to the north took about 75% bronzing, one near the same area about 5 feet away, but buried in other plants took about 25% bronzing, a spindle 2 feet away took 25% bronzing. Malayan dwarf coconut took about 25 to 50% foliage burn, lots of green and still pushing a new frond. Thank god for this string of days around 80F after the freeze. I think this is why there are coconuts here and there in central FL, no prolonged cold. V. arecina are starting to show thier weakness. My stupidly planted north side triple is at 50% burn, southside nearly 25%-50% also. East side V. arecina triple buried in other plantings, 0% to 10% burn. Happy about that one! C. mitis took maybe 5% to 10% burn. Tiny D. decaryi took maybe 0% to 5% burn on a newly opening spear.  Foxtails! They have rocked so far with this event. Near my 100% bronzed spindle, a little foxtail took 0% to 10% damage from this event. A stupidly planted double on the northeast corner of my house took 0% to 10% damage. My largest double in the back to 0% to 10% damage. A triple on the southeast corner of the house took 0% to 10% foliar damage. Bismarckia blue and blue-green - 0% damage. Queen 0%. Washingtonia 0%. Young L. chinensis 10% burn! C. metallica 0% damage. D. lutescens 10% to 20% bronzing here and there. T. radiata buried under other plantings 0% damage. C. humilis 0% damage. Non palms: More tropical hibiscus heading for 100% defoliation, less tropical 50% defoliations, all are starting to grow new leaves. Big Schflera heading for 75% defoliation, already starting to push new leaves. Arboricola 0% damage. Crotons some dessication here and there, really no freeze damage, most look flawless. Bananas - moderately damaged, no meltdowns of the mid ribs of the leaves or the pseudostems, most of the fruit is still in good shape, but not sure what will happen without the leaves, pups on the fruiting banana corm not damaged, medium sized off the corm minimally damaged. Papayas 100% defoliation, no meltdowns of the trunks, most starting to push new leaves already. Oysterplants up to 100% meltdown near the 100% bronzed spindle, otherwise around 50% damage. Ti plants - more exposed to winds up to 25% damage, less exposed 0% damage. The one Jamaican dwarf heliconia I have took 0% damage from this freeze, but is in a pretty protected spot- but it had already caught fungus earlier this winter and I had cut most of it out - the new shoots took no damage though. What I think is an alocasia surprising did not get killed and it was in a pretty exposed area. Diffenbachia (sp?) I thought were heading for a meltdown seem to be alive but 50% damaged. Sea grapes - 0% to 10% damage! Happy about that one too. F. elastica - starting to show some weakness - likely heading for 25 to 50% defoliation. Dracenea marginata 0% damage. The big common philodendrons took 0% damage.  'Xanadu' was covered in the front and took maybe 5% bronzing. Monstera potted on my back porch 0% damage.  Mango tree - 0% damage! Happy about that too. Ixora took about 10% leaf damage here and there. That's all I can think of right now.

Edit: Went below 32F at 330am, went back above 32F by 830am. 5 total hours of freezing temperatures. Ultimate low of 29.7F with 7.6 "freezing degree hours" calculated as discussed in the weather forum. Moderate winds varying from NNW to NNE all night, dewpoints in low teens, no frost. No overhead canopy in my yard.

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

By the way Larry, every freeze that your P. pacifica survives, makes me think that I can plant a P. thurstonii in a protected spot at my house :)

Parrish, FL

Zone 9B

Link to comment
Share on other sites

(ruskinPalms @ Jan. 08 2008,10:56)

QUOTE
By the way Larry, every freeze that your P. pacifica survives, makes me think that I can plant a P. thurstonii in a protected spot at my house :)

I also forgot to mention that about a month ago I planted a small P. hillebrandii right next to the pacifica.  It didnt even spot up in the cold!

And yes...this pacifica is far harider than I thought, especially as its aged.  Its seen 29.5F, 34F and 34F and is still here and doing fine!

Larry 

Palm Harbor, FL 10a / Ft Myers, FL 10b

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now



  • Recently Browsing

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...