freezePruf

[Kathryn]

I thought this was a joke when I first saw it. Can it really work?

[Davidl]

The product I saw im not 100 percent sure was the same thing and maybe was a name similar but is different im not sure. I just remember a product that was sprayed on and was supposed to give the plant several degrees of cold\frost protection but what I read was not very positive for palms. It was also in the same price range. I hope that product works.

[cagary]

I've got my bottle. Anyone else in So CA going to try it this winter?

Here's a video on it.

http://www.aip.org/dbis/APS/stories/18130.html

[Moose]

Interesting to see who will try this product and leave their palms unprotected to see if it does what is being claimed.

I am from Missouri - show me. Just because the product does not freeze at 32F does not mean that the palm is not experiencing 32F. .

I am neither a chemist nor a botanist. Just a palmaholic with a personal opinion.

Best regards to all. Good luck to those who are going to try the product.

Ron.

[PalmGuyWC]

After a long wait my FreezePruf arrived in the mail this week. After mixing it with water 4 gallons dosen't seem like very much. I'll apply it to select palms about the middle of Nov.

Dick

[Juni Perez]

Hello Everyone. I haven't posted on here, but since everyone's wondering about this stuff, I wanted to share my experience so far.

I pre-ordered it and they shipped it immediately on the retail release date. Once it started getting chilly here in Rochester NY (zone 6a), I sprayed my bananas (Musa basjoo, Musa sikkimensis, and Musella lasiocarpa), my palm trees (Butia capitata, Trachycarpus fortunei/wagnerianus/latisectus), and my canna lilies.

The canna lilies amazed me. I don't know what their hardiness is without protection, but they took temperatures down to about 30°F at night for a few weeks and finally burned out at about 28°F or so, BUT at that time the freezepruf should have worn out (5-6 weeks), so I don't know if it was the cold or the effect wore out.

The bananas all did great. Even at 28°F they had no noticeable damage. Not long after I started seeing them begin to burn along the edges and since I had to separate a lot of pups to give away, I had to chop off the leaves and put them to sleep for winter. But, also, by this time the FreezePruf protection should have worn out since I had resprayed these guys about 2 weeks after I sprayed the cannas just to make sure I got under the leaves.

The palm trees I am still waiting on. Even at upper 20's, it's not cold enough to see any differences. I had asked Dr. Francko about antidessicant and he says no need to use a separate antidessicant because one of the main ingredients in FreezePruf, the same one that helps keep it from washing away, is in his own words "in fact, the highest efficiency antidessicant out there on the market". He also offered a tip for palm trees: Spray the spear fronds well and make sure FreezePruf runs down into the crown/bud tissue. It will help protect it. I had avoided spraying that area thinking it's too delicate, so I went ahead and resprayed.

Let's see how this winter goes. *fingers crossed*

Edited November 19, 2009 by Juni Perez

[_Keith]

What about the product washing off, once dry. Cold fronts usually arrive down here pushing back gulf moisture, so a heavy rain most times is just in front of the cold.

[kahili]

Keith, I believe that it has a surfactant in it, which would make the product resistent to rain/water. I don't know if this product works by coating the leaf (which is what I suspect-thus it wears off in 5-6 weeks) or the leaf absorbs it. I haven't read about it much. But if its by coating it , then it most likely is a latex surfactant or a organosilicate surfactant. I think they both last about 5-6 weeks. Some deer repellents have a latex surfactant. Surfactants that are normally used only last about a week.

[Juni Perez]

Yes, it resists washing off for up to 6 weeks. It's the antidessicant ingredient in it that reportedly keeps the product from washing away. So not only does FreezePruf get absorbed by the cells and distributed throughout the plant, but it gives the plant a protecting coat to help keep it from drying out in the cold.

Five of the ingredients have specific actions or jobs. They describe it as

The eco-safe, water-based spray contains five ingredients that work together to lower the freezing point of plant tissues, strengthen cell walls and membranes, and coat leaves to reduce water loss and retain the active ingredients within plant tissues.

Edited November 19, 2009 by Juni Perez

[PalmGuyWC]

I have a couple of alocasias (Elephant Ears) that are growing not to far from each other and both have very light overhead protection. I have had a couple of winters where they slide by with no tissue damage, but most winters they are defoliated, but come back in the spring. These should make good test plants, and I'll treat one with FreezePruf.

I have had no temps. below freezing yet, but 3 or 4 mornings with very light frost. I'll be mixing the FreezePruf in another week or so, and I will only be treating very few smaller palms, such as Jubeaopsis, Ravenea xerophila and a couple of cold sensitive Syagrus. I do have a Parajubaea TVT with 8 foot fronds, and it will be a challange to spray and will require a ladder. I will try to treat the entire Parajubaea but mainly want to treat the large horizontal fronds that are exposed to frost. Let the fun begin!

Dick