Where would my palms be happiest over the winter?

[Adam_NY]

I'm new to growing palms and have acquired the following potted palms this year:

1. Dypsis decaryi (triangle palm)

2. Chamaerops humilis (European fan palm)

3. Phoenix roebelenii (pygmy date palm)

I live in the lower Hudson Valley of NY (zone 6/7), where weather is chilly to cold from October 15 through April 15, though it is rare for us to stay below 20 degrees for a prolonged period.  I have a cold greenhouse where I overwinter subtropical and tropical plants, and I heat it to about 45 degrees.  It can get warmer than that during the day if it's not overcast or too cold out.  But essentially conditions are far less than mild or tropical for a prolonged period.  Or I could bring the palms indoors into the house, but because of the heat in the house, it is quite dry and they would get less sun than in the greenhouse.

Where would each of these palms be happier during the winter?

Edited September 19, 2017 by Adam_NY

[Fusca]

Hi Adam, welcome to the forum!

Your triangle and pygmy date can handle a little frost but are pretty sensitive compared with the European fan - especially since they are in containers.  I would personally use the greenhouse but you probably won't see much if any growth during your cold period.  Even though the pygmy date is often sold as a houseplant, I don't think it does well indoors long-term.  I would think that you would want to protect the European fan below 20º F but could remain outside most of the time.  These guys are very hardy to cold (maybe to 5º-10º F) if they are established in the ground, but less so in a container.  For them I'd be more concerned about an extended wet cold which would do more damage than a single extremely cold night.

Jon

[ExoticPalms]

The dry heat probably won't be a big issue unless it's sitting near a blowing furnace. I grow several different potted palms including a large pygmy date palm indoors in upstate NY. It's been sitting near a north facing window too. If you're worried about the dryness, you can bring the palms into the bathroom while you have the shower going and the humidity from the hot water steam will help them out a bit too. You can also mist the plant once a day just for the heck of it.  

45f is pretty cold for a potted palm though, if the roots stay wet or soil is soggy in cold weather, they're likely to decline very rapidly or potentially rot. For literally $20 you can get a grow light panel that will supply more than enough light for probably all of those palms in one area to be honest depending on how large they are. They do work very very well. I just use two white light panels as my normal room lighting for the kitchen and family room and won't ever go back to anything else. Less energy and way more natural looking light, it's been so perfect. 

[The Germinator]

Greenhouse aside, I would put the triangle in the bathroom. The humidity from the shower will help against drying out from using the heater. The others will do better but I would put them out on the porch during non freezing days and give them a good spritz.