Growing a Canary in 7a (and Hi it’s my first post)

[PalmMcCartney (Zone 7a)]

Greetings, IPS!  I’m a new user here .. and SO excited to have found PalmTalk :-)

For the last 15 months I’ve been zealously growing my first outdoor palm!.. a Phoenix canariensis in the mountains of Western North Carolina (2000+ altitude) Zone 7a.  So far the trunk has been growing steadily!  But keeping this palm happy has taken some strategizing... 

Last winter, I wrapped the trunk in xmas lights (clear 25W incandescent) followed by a complete layer of Agribon frost wrap which acted as a insulating blanket, keeping IN the heat from the lights.  The string was also on a timer which came on each evening around sunset, and I maintained this system for the entirety of the cold season.  [The thickness of Agribon was rated for 50% reduction of light, btw].  This method seemed to keep the trunk very happy, and it has GROWN substantially, I think, for a young plant.  **[It’s also possible i was sold a hybrid, in which case it may inherently grow faster than a pure P. canariensis]

The only LOSS so far has been about 4 feet of frond length - which died. I believe, as a result of over-wrapping the head and canopy in a vertical “pillar” using multiple layers of Agribon frost wrap - such that the leaves could not adequately  photosynthesize.  When we were hit with a HEAVY January snow, I panicked and may have gone too far with the wrap trying to protect the head/heart from being killed.  We had at least an entire week under 20° F , and the tree spent over a month in full wrap looking like a mummy or scarecrow!

The tree was planted on 5/15/18 as a 5-6 footer with about 9 inches of trunk — Upon unwrapping it in March 2019, serious browning had occurred and I cut off the deadness  leaving only about 12 inches of green, sprouting above approx 12 inches of trunk.  TODAY, near the completion of its 2nd full summer of growth, the fronds are already back to 2 feet in length (see Photo) and the trunk is more than a foot tall!   I’m proud of my success thus far in keeping it alive, but I’d love some input in preventing excessive die-back during the next cold season.

I’m thinking this winter of erecting an open-sided tent or teepee over my small Canary to protect the head/heart from downward snowfall, and perhaps the fabric of the tent can be a single layer of Agribon, allowing more winter light to hit the leaves this time (?)

I’m eager to hear from anyone in this  community to say if my palm looks healthy, or for some suggestions as fall arrives how I might better strategize the coming winter :-)

Cheers, and thank you!

-Paul 

[Rickybobby]

Welcome 

[kinzyjr]

@PalmMcCartney (Zone 7a) Welcome to the forums.  You have a nice palm there.  One issue you have coming up to think about is the large size of this palm.  Figure on a 20-25ft. crown, and then when it starts trunking, it will start growing a little more rapidly.  One strategy used by some out-of-zone coconut growers down here is to protect the bud, but not necessarily all of the fronds.  That said, to prevent a lot of die-back you are probably talking an enclosure with some supplemental heat.

[PalmMcCartney (Zone 7a)]

Thanks, Kinzyjr ! .... Yes, I’m actually looking forward to the mature ‘era’ of this Canary’s life, as I’m hoping the older it gets the hardier it will be in general - with less protection needed ... Maybe not true? 

I realize I should probably expect die-back every year, and so nursing it through childhood is the task at hand :-P...  I continue to imagine what this winter’s “enclosure” will look like !   Has anyone tried a teepee for a palm this size?

[kinzyjr]

@PalmMcCartney (Zone 7a) You're very welcome!  As they mature, they do get cold hardier.  There are a few CIDPs that have survived near the coast in NC, but generally speaking, mid-to-upper teens have been their limits here on the east side of the USA.  There was a grower who went by arctictropicals in zone 3who used to do full enclosures around their palms in the winter.  They were mostly growing stuff like Windmills, etc. with a smaller crown though. 

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/1896218/growing-palm-trees-in-zone-3-4

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/2173720/some-pics-of-this-years-tropicals-zone-4