Here in Cape Coral we've had a strange winter and early spring. Our lows didn't fall below a benign 40F, which is great. But we also had many days where the high didn't reach average and the nights fell into the 40s. Worse yet, the sun didn't shine for day after day, then week after week. On the rare occasions it managed to peek down, gray funky clouds quickly moved in to snuff it out. It didn't rain much, just stayed chilly and dreary. This has carried on into spring, although temps this March reached average - for January!

This past week I noticed wholesale die-off of my potted palms on the lanai, esp. seedlings. Palms that croaked were tropical or near tropical, although I lost a slew of Coccothrinax hiorami and crinita brevicrinus seedlings out on my garden property. I can only surmise that weeks of chilly, cloudy weather took their toll. Just a stark reminder that ultimate lows aren't the only danger tropical palms face.

So far I've lost:

Cyrtostachys renda hybrid 1g - yeah, the "coldhardy" lipstick

Dypsis onilahensis 1g

Dypsis pachyramea seedlings in 4" pots - about a dozen all at once, all gone

Chamaedorea deckeriana in 4" pots - 8 all at once

Calyptrocalyx sp, 3g

Dypsis tenuissima, 3g

Actinoryhtis calapparia, 1g

Dypsis cabadae in 4" pots, still counting, perhaps 8-10

Chamaedorea elegans, 1g x2

There are more species, I'm sure, but these stand out.

I lost a coconut but saw lots of spotting on other things. There was a surprising amount of damage at Kopsick though.

Being small and in pots also makes a big difference. I have had Chamaedorea elegans unprotected in the ground here for 12+ years and it is rarely damaged. The key is, they are in the ground. Also, I wonder just how hardy the Cyrtostachys hybrid is?

I lost a coconut but saw lots of spotting on other things. There was a surprising amount of damage at Kopsick though.

There was noticeable damage at Kopsick Zeeth? That is surprising. What sort of damage did you notice?

Welcome to my world. In Central California's 10a and 10b zones, Winter chill is the main palm killer.

I am surprised though that you would loose dypsis onilahensis and chamadorea elegans, both are pretty chill hardy from what I've observed here.

Sorry to hear about your losses. We had a winter with 25 year lows plus extended periods of cool and cloudy conditions. We still are having cool and cold nights and cool days up here for this time of year......We have had the best (worst) of both worlds this winter.

Sounds like California weather

Tough year here even though the ultimate low was not as bad as 2010, the damage was far worse due to the repeated return of cold, constant rain, and as you said, lack of sun. Cheers to a better year, next year.

Time for some grow lights to help the palms through the long hazy overcast weather your having perhaps ? Matty's right sounds like our California coastal eddy as our local weatherman John Coleman would say. Sorry to hear about your loss

Strange, weather on the southeast coast hasn't been too out of the ordinary from what I can tell, although wetter and slightly cooler than average. The mango that usually flowers in December was in full bloom when I was down there a few weeks ago so something just be different.

It was warm and sunny almost the whole 9 days or so I was there. Our large cocos have had some good recovery time after struggling the past few years from '10 and whiteflies

Strange for chamadorea elegans to die in that conditions. I have one chamadorea elegans unprotected in the ground for many years. And it is never damaged.

I lost a coconut but saw lots of spotting on other things. There was a surprising amount of damage at Kopsick though.

There was noticeable damage at Kopsick Zeeth? That is surprising. What sort of damage did you notice?

20-30% damage on the coconuts and the big Attaleas, 80% damage on a Pritchardia pacifica, 50% damage on some Adonidia, and a lot I don't remember.

I am very sorry for your losses I suspect that some of the palms you lost were due to overwatering. Cool conditions keep the soil wet much longer but this may not be obvious and one can water again from habit or because they seem dry(which would be surface dryness from the wind but knowing the soil usually dries in x days,we assume its dry cause these days passed) which after a few times can cause the demise of the palm. While,with warm weather,everything would dry faster and our watering schedule would be more correct or overwatering/bad media better tolerated. Coccothrinax and C. elegans see such conditions routinely in Pyrgos coupled with lots of rain many times and dont mind too much.

The opposite can happen too. One can think its too cool/cold to water and the soil may not seem so but be very dry. If this is coupled with steady or strong winds,the palm can be badly dried,especially if its a tropical species. Just a few possible causes to consider

I woke up this morning and couldn't believe how cool it was for the second day in April! I have experienced similar climate but much milder. Not too many species have died for me, but I am not as far north as you...

We only got down to 33-34F here but the only thing showing any damage is a 7ft 'Green Malayan' coconut. But a Neoveitchia and a Satakentia right next to it are undamaged, go figure. Both are about 5-6ft tall. There is also a 5ft double embryo 'Green Malayan' Coconut nearby that is undamaged. It is one I found a couple years ago in a big box store, 2 sprouts coming out of one coconut.

41F this Morning in Central Calif, and snow levels down to 3,000 feet, daytime highs yesterday struggled to head much past 40F. The temp gauge in my lower garden even went down as far as 39F. It's April, folks, yet both overnight lows and daytime highs are in the toilet as if it was December.

It's in the low 50's all over the inland empire in Southern California. Burrr, this is more than 20F below normal. If this storm showed up in December, there would have been snow down to 500 feet.

I am also a little worried about some of my potted seedlings. We have had a few nights in the mid 40s in April. I took the greenhouses down because we were out of the frost risk but it has just not completely warmed up here either. Looks like 80s this weekend may help.

I am also a little worried about some of my potted seedlings. We have had a few nights in the mid 40s in April. I took the greenhouses down because we were out of the frost risk but it has just not completely warmed up here either. Looks like 80s this weekend may help.

So nice to see some warmth, right? I am seeing new life in many frostbitten things.