Before and after my Washy experienced 17F this morning :

[WSimpson]

My Washy before  and after 17F the morning of December 26th   . It will continuee to get more bronzed in the next week . It's frond hardy to 24F and trunk hardy to probably 15F but it has seen 16F unprotected . 

Edited December 26, 2020 by Will Simpson

[Allen]

Hope it does ok.  You're playing the odds not protecting it some IMHO but I know it has made it a long time for you that way.

[WSimpson]

Thanks Allen ,

My biggest worry is that they will forecast a low of 20F and then a day before the cold hits they will forecast 15F or lower . 

My palm should be fine with 17F , thankfully . 

Will

[Allen]

16 minutes ago, Will Simpson said:

Thanks Allen ,

My biggest worry is that they will forecast a low of 20F and then a day before the cold hits they will forecast 15F or lower . 

My palm should be fine with 17F , thankfully . 

Will

I'll never forget in 2018 here when the forecast at 4 or 5pm said 8F and every hour or so they lowered it till it got to 0F that same night.  I never trust forecasts since. Do you ever have any rot issues?

[WSimpson]

Allen ,

There are no rot issues with this palm . I do have to admit that the 16F it experienced without protection freaked me out . They were forecasting 18F or something and then all of the sudden I'm freaking out when I see it getting colder and colder . I should wrap it with incandescent Christmas lights and not wrap it with blankets until I  see some bad cold coming down . That way I get to turn on the lights and have that festive look , and when or if the cold comes down I can quickly wrap the trunk with blankets  and the lights will already be around the trunk  .

Will

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Will Simpson

[JohnAndSancho]

I don't want to threadjack here, but am I being overprotective of my Washy? It's in a 14" pot on my patio, and so far we've only seen one night of sub-freezing temps (31°F), with another 31°F night forecast for next week. I've been draping an old flannel sheet over it on any night below 35°F and I noticed I've bent some fronds and slightly tore one when I removed the sheet. Also, a stray cat spent the night under the sheet one night lol. I don't know the age of the tree, but it's approx 5 ft tall from the patio floor to the tallest frond. It's the only one of my plants I've left outside when we drop below 45°F. 

[Fusca]

18 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I don't want to threadjack here, but am I being overprotective of my Washy? It's in a 14" pot on my patio, and so far we've only seen one night of sub-freezing temps (31°F), with another 31°F night forecast for next week. I've been draping an old flannel sheet over it on any night below 35°F and I noticed I've bent some fronds and slightly tore one when I removed the sheet. Also, a stray cat spent the night under the sheet one night lol. I don't know the age of the tree, but it's approx 5 ft tall from the patio floor to the tallest frond. It's the only one of my plants I've left outside when we drop below 45°F. 

Yeah, Washies are pretty tough and sounds like yours has some size to it.  Having some overhead canopy will definitely help with frost on the coldest nights (or a sheet) but I wouldn't worry about them with temps in the upper 20's for short duration like we usually experience.  25 or below I would protect if your patio is not covered.

[JohnAndSancho]

It's biggest enemy is the wind. I'm in a "middle" apartment with another building across the way so it's just a blast tunnel when these cold fronts come through but it's still throwing new fronds like nothing lol. 

[WSimpson]

11 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

It's biggest enemy is the wind. I'm in a "middle" apartment with another building across the way so it's just a blast tunnel when these cold fronts come through but it's still throwing new fronds like nothing lol. 

The main difference between  a pot and the ground is that a pot can freeze totally though whereas the ground will only freeze to a certain depth . Around here  I have only seen the ground freeze a couple inches during a really cold period , but if I had a pot outside it would've been a brick  of  ice , and many plants don't like to have their roots totally frozen . That to me that  is the biggest difference between a pot and the ground . I don't know how sensitive Washys are to having their roots totally frozen . Even a  night slightly below 32F can freeze a pot completely being that it is so exposed to the cold all around it . Just a thought , but if planted my  Filibusta should be hardy to 15F , a Filifera is even more hardy , but a Robusta is not as hardy .

 

Will

[ahosey01]

22 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

I don't want to threadjack here, but am I being overprotective of my Washy? It's in a 14" pot on my patio, and so far we've only seen one night of sub-freezing temps (31°F), with another 31°F night forecast for next week. I've been draping an old flannel sheet over it on any night below 35°F and I noticed I've bent some fronds and slightly tore one when I removed the sheet. Also, a stray cat spent the night under the sheet one night lol. I don't know the age of the tree, but it's approx 5 ft tall from the patio floor to the tallest frond. It's the only one of my plants I've left outside when we drop below 45°F. 

These things can survive brief dips into single digits in dry climates. They’re not going to look world-class again until summer comes, but they can survive.

Where are you located?

[ahosey01]

On 12/26/2020 at 2:01 PM, Will Simpson said:

My Washy before  and after 17F the morning of December 26th   . It will continuee to get more bronzed in the next week . It's frond hardy to 24F and trunk hardy to probably 15F but it has seen 16F unprotected . 

What was your subsequent daytime high?

[JohnAndSancho]

3 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

Where are you located?

I'm just about 2 hours north of Houston. I doubt I'll ever see single digits here, but there was a wild ice storm 8 or 9 years ago that blasted the whole state. If it's ever gonna get that cold I'll def risk the hernia dragging this thing inside. 

[climate change virginia]

is this a filibusta filifera or a robusta?

Edited December 28, 2020 by climate change virginia

[Jimhardy]

10 hours ago, climate change virginia said:

is this a filibusta filifera or a robusta?

yes

[Fusca]

11 hours ago, climate change virginia said:

is this a filibusta filifera or a robusta?

Probably 90% of Washingtonia that are sold here in nurseries or big box garden centers are filibusta sold as robusta.  If he got it from someone like@TexasColdHardyPalmsit could be pure filifera or robusta.

[WSimpson]

18 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

What was your subsequent daytime high?

It got to 49F the next day . 

[WSimpson]

4 hours ago, Fusca said:

Probably 90% of Washingtonia that are sold here in nurseries or big box garden centers are filibusta sold as robusta.  If he got it from someone like@TexasColdHardyPalmsit could be pure filifera or robusta.

 

Just now, Will Simpson said:

My Washy is a Filibusta . I hope it doesn't get too much taller because it gets harder to protect the taller it gets .

 

[WSimpson]

16 hours ago, climate change virginia said:

is this a filibusta filifera or a robusta?

It's a Filibusta . 

[WSimpson]

4 hours ago, Fusca said:

Probably 90% of Washingtonia that are sold here in nurseries or big box garden centers are filibusta sold as robusta.  If he got it from someone like@TexasColdHardyPalmsit could be pure filifera or robusta.

Mine is a Filibusta .