Cold Hardiness of Ptychosperma Elegans?

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

I am trying to predict how cold hardy my Ptychosperma Elegans is. There seems to be a difference in opinion. Daves Garden rates it hardy at zone 9b. But I hear others describing it as not very cold hardy. Any input from fellow pt's with experience?

[Stevetoad]

Mine saw 26f with over head canopy and shows spotting. Nothing major. I feel that if it was out in the open it would have been toasted.

[Tassie_Troy1971]

Its not so much it being cold hardy but cool hardy . Unlike Howeas Ptychosperma Elegans doesn't like long cool winters down here it will stall and not grow much at all just like kentiopsis oliviformis they need heat .BTW my lowest ever temp has been 30 F .

If you have average winter maximums above 65 f it should be an easy grow as long as temps dont go below 26 F Where is cocoa beach ??? If it's in Florida should be ok !

Troy

[Hammer]

I picked up a recurved leaf seedling collected in habitat by a PTer. It's in a one gallon pot. Once low temps got into the 40s this winter I noticed the leaves starting to spot quite a bit. I promptly brought it inside for the rest of the winter.

Seems this species likes to spot in the cool/cold weather.

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

Troy, Cocoa Beach is listed as zone 9b but we are on a barrier island micro climate (more 10a). For example, Coconuts grow here all over the place. We do lose some more tropical palms when we get the rare harsh cold snap. I have been here for 7 years and witnessed it get down to 29 a couple times. Im starting to think my palms will be fine here.

[redant]

While I'm much further south then you, mine did fine in previous cold winters. The ones I have in an exposed area in front of the house have become a little crispy after a frost but grow out of it rapidly. I have dozens of small ones I have grown from seed, if you ever in the area and want some freebies let me know.

[Eric in Orlando]

If you can grow mature coconuts, Ptychosperma elegans will grow fine for you. They are definitely slightly hardier than Adonidia merrillii and much more cool tolerant. Almost all the Adonidia around here that had been growing for years was killed in the 2009-10 winter but P. elegans survived. Yet all the nurseries sell is Adonidia.

[palmsOrl]

I think averages will indicate that the barrier island of Cocoa Beach is 10b (as I doubt the average yearly low is below 35F on the island itself) and the mainland portion of Cocoa Beach is 10a. A 10a area can see 20s F every few years and still average as a 10a zone.

Ptychosperma elegans, in my experience is a 10a palm. It is ,however, prolific, inexpensive, very tropical looking and fairly cool hardy by Florida standards. I will always have a place for one in my garden here in the Orlando area.

[Jastin]

I have a single in the shade, in ground for 3 years. Its put out almost 3 leaves. I have a double in full sun that was planted last year and its put out 3 leaves. They like the heat. Mine had spotting at 33 this winter but its young and it spotted on the shade leaves.

[MattyB]

Like others have noticed, they'll spot a bit when it gets cold, but they are quite hardy, down into the high 20's at least. I had a couple of small trunking specimines (under canopy) that saw 33, 29, 27, 24, 28, 31, 33, on consecutive nights in '07 and aside from lots of spotting and leaf burn, recovered nicely. If you have a climate that lacks summer growing heat then you might not have luck because they like the warmth during the growing season.

[sonoranfans]

Major defolliation of small 5 gallon size multi trunk in the winter of 2010, 28 F plus frost(this one was under cover, no frost). It languished afterward and died of a fungal infection in spite of multiple treatments. When I consider what also was exposed and survived at the same size: Beccariophoenix alfredii, kentiopsis oliviformis, syagrus x montgomeryana, Dypsis pembana, Phoenix rulicola, I think this is a 10a palm, not 9b. the other aforementioned palms are probably 9b. Other palms that also died include ~5gal size Beccariophoenix windowpane palm, foxtails, royals, and foxy ladies, these are 10a also.

Edited March 25, 2013 by sonoranfans

[Than]

On 3/25/2013 at 4:54 AM, Stevetoad said:

Mine saw 26f with over head canopy and shows spotting. Nothing major. I feel that if it was out in the open it would have been toasted.

How many cold days in a row? And what were the day maxima?

[Stevetoad]

On 10/27/2022 at 5:37 AM, ego said:

How many cold days in a row? And what were the day maxima?

Too long ago for me to remember but I would guess 26f was the lowest and the days around it were still below freezing. 

[Than]

6 hours ago, Stevetoad said:

Too long ago for me to remember but I would guess 26f was the lowest and the days around it were still below freezing. 

Wow. I def need to try this species then. It never gets below 34 F here but our issue is that it can stay around 40F for a few days.

[Stevetoad]

13 hours ago, ego said:

Wow. I def need to try this species then. It never gets below 34 F here but our issue is that it can stay around 40F for a few days.

That could be a different story. When I hit freezing or below it normally will bounce back into at least the 60s.  Most of the time when I do hit freezing it’s during a Santa Anna event ant the days will be very warm or even hot and then the nights will be very cold if the wind calms down. 

[Than]

43 minutes ago, Stevetoad said:

That could be a different story. When I hit freezing or below it normally will bounce back into at least the 60s.  Most of the time when I do hit freezing it’s during a Santa Anna event ant the days will be very warm or even hot and then the nights will be very cold if the wind calms down. 

Indeed. Even a cocos could survive a cold night followed by 70F. That's why when someone says "my palm has taken X degrees" I always ask what the temperature was next day. We need a new zoning system which takes that parameter into account!

I believe a ptychosperma would not survive here unprotected during cold spells but I am willing to protect it until it is too big for me to do so.

[Stevetoad]

2 hours ago, ego said:

Indeed. Even a cocos could survive a cold night followed by 70F. That's why when someone says "my palm has taken X degrees" I always ask what the temperature was next day. We need a new zoning system which takes that parameter into account!

I believe a ptychosperma would not survive here unprotected during cold spells but I am willing to protect it until it is too big for me to do so.

Definitely agree. My zone 10a is not the same as a Florida 10a.