Hudson Florida Coconuts.

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

Was driving in coastal Hudson today and noticed a mature Coconut in a yard in Driftwood Isles.  Looked healthy with small leaf burn also facing a canal 

Directly South in Plesure Isles estates I saw an even bigger one.   I coudlnt get a good photo but it had a little fruit and about 15 - 20 feet of trunk.  This one had some frond burn though also was facing a canal. 

[EastCanadaTropicals]

They should protect the leaves if they want the palm to live for more than a few years.

[EastCanadaTropicals]

3 minutes ago, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

Was driving in coastal Hudson today and noticed a mature Coconut in a yard in Driftwood Isles.  Looked healthy with small leaf burn also facing a canal 

Directly South in Plesure Isles estates I saw an even bigger one.   I coudlnt get a good photo but it had a little fruit and about 15 - 20 feet of trunk.  This one had some frond burn though also was facing a canal. 

Very impressive, I wonder if Hudson has just a really good microclimate.

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

I'll also add that there were at least 20 coconuts between young pinnate and starting to trunk, and 10 strap leaf seedlings in the area.   If we are counting these there were more coconuts then Royals in the neighborhood.  Adonidia were everywhere and had anywhere from no burn to 30% burn.   Bottles tended to look rough.  There was one Chambeyronia macrocarpa that looked great.  All the 9b stuff (Royals foxtails etc) looked fine. 

 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

5 minutes ago, EastCanadaTropicals said:

Very impressive, I wonder if Hudson has just a really good microclimate.

It's warmer 9b about an hour north of Clearwater. These coconuts were planted right by canals so that makes a difference.  Some small ones had some frond burn, same with some adonidia a half mile away that were 40% burned 

[PalmTreeDude]

Wow I wouldn’t expect anyone to find that many that far north on the west coast of Florida. Thanks for sharing! 

[RedRabbit]

Wow, nice finds! Hudson must have a better climate than I thought. 

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

2 hours ago, PalmTreeDude said:

Wow I wouldn’t expect anyone to find that many that far north on the west coast of Florida. Thanks for sharing! 

Surprised me too, These were all taken within 1 mile of the ocean, and the big ones both were directly on canals so I am sure that makes a huge difference.  a couple miles from those, on the main road, the few adonidias all have between 30 - 50% burn and bottles 50% to 70%

Edited January 25, 2021 by Mr.SamuraiSword

[Steve in Florida]

It was near freezing a couple of times in December.

Edited January 25, 2021 by Steve in Florida

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

3 hours ago, Steve in Florida said:

It was near freezing a couple of times in December.

Apparently the Flamethrower was there in 2013 according to streetview. The two big coconuts i can't tell as the streetview only goes back to 2018 and both were present. 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

Those canal Coconut Palms look GREAT for that far north in Florida!  It gives me hope for mine and the ones on the island here at Padre Island when they are bigger.

John

[RedRabbit]

Luckily there are several wunderground stations in this area. However, the data is all over the place. Within the canals area, I saw December 2020 lows of 39f, 35f, 34f, 31f, and 27f.

I’m not sure if the problem is station accuracy or if the climate really varies that much within a small area. Or it could be some combination of the two. The 27f reading is probably wrong because that same station is 6f colder than all the other stations in the area tonight. 

Edited January 26, 2021 by RedRabbit

[Steve in Florida]

I think a lack of any air movement during the coldest hours allowed the coldest air to tightly layer in the low spots.  I have been watching those very reporting stations for over three years and they are normally quite close in winter extremes.  I am wondering if that 27F reading is from a lower placed location or a damaged thermometer.

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

On 1/25/2021 at 1:49 PM, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

It's warmer 9b about an hour north of Clearwater. These coconuts were planted right by canals so that makes a difference.  Some small ones had some frond burn, same with some adonidia a half mile away that were 40% burned 

To look that good, those canal Coconut Palms would have to be growing in a solid high end Zone 10A Climate.  There is NO WAY that is Zone 9B.  I have NEVER seen Coconut Palms survive in a Zone 9B Climate with the possible exception of Indian Talls in the vicinity of New Delhi, India, but even there I think it is a borderline 10A Climate.  Even in my Zone 10A Climate here, they don't look nearly that good, so those pics have to be of ones growing in a solid high end 10A Climate.

John

[kinzyjr]

Below are some numbers from the Hudson Dockside Inn Station (KFLHUDSO20) on Weather Underground.  This station is a Davis Vantage Vue, one of the more accurate personal weather stations you can buy and sits very close to the water.  Unfortunately, the records for this station only go back to 2015.  If the records for any of the other nearby stations go back to January 2010 or 2008, it would give you a better picture of the overall climate.

 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

23 minutes ago, kinzyjr said:

Below are some numbers from the Hudson Dockside Inn Station (KFLHUDSO20) on Weather Underground.  This station is a Davis Vantage Vue, one of the more accurate personal weather stations you can buy and sits very close to the water.  Unfortunately, the records for this station only go back to 2015.  If the records for any of the other nearby stations go back to January 2010 or 2008, it would give you a better picture of the overall climate.

 

Thanks, Kinzy.  Looks like a SOLID ZONE 10A CLIMATE to me!  Actually that 33.1F average is probably spot on for my yard too, but here it is a cooler climate with our daily highs in January probably about 4F cooler than over there, which would probably account for those canal Coconut Palms looking a lot better than the ones over here in this cooler Zone 10A Climate.

John

[Dunedin Steve]

Gotta love that warm tropical Gulf breeze; keeps the cold down, if you're close by..   

 

Go east a mile, over to US 19 -- Mostly weeds..!

 

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

12 hours ago, Dunedin Steve said:

Gotta love that warm tropical Gulf breeze; keeps the cold down, if you're close by..   

 

Go east a mile, over to US 19 -- Mostly weeds..!

 

It is truly amazing the difference in climate zones over just a few miles in Central and South Central Florida, especially from the immediate coastline to just a few miles inland.  It is similar over here, but less pronounced due to us being directly attached to the continental landmass where the Arctic fronts hit first, but I have noticed as much as 15F to 17F difference in temps from the airport here (about 20 miles inland) to the temps at Padre Island on the first night after an Arctic front passes, but by the second night, this difference rapidly drops off to just about a 5F or 6F, but still enough to make a world of difference in what you can grow and can't grow in just the short 20 miles difference.  Here on the immediate coastline, a few mature Coconut Palms with some nuts on them, lots of Royal Palms, Bottle Palms, Foxtail Palm, Royal Poincianas, Sea Grapes, Ficus, but just about 7 miles inland, not a single Coconut Palm, and 15 to 20 miles inland, none of the others I just mentioned.  It really is a world of difference in just a relatively short distance!

[palmsOrl]

On 1/25/2021 at 2:49 PM, Mr.SamuraiSword said:

It's warmer 9b about an hour north of Clearwater. These coconuts were planted right by canals so that makes a difference.  Some small ones had some frond burn, same with some adonidia a half mile away that were 40% burned 

I've wondered about that general area.  Thank you for posting.

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

On 1/25/2021 at 6:33 PM, Steve in Florida said:

 

Found another big one nearby with another trunking one in front. All look to have survived 2018s true 9b winter.  Also of course right by another canal. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by Mr.SamuraiSword

[Mr.SamuraiSword]

On 1/26/2021 at 10:04 PM, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Thanks, Kinzy.  Looks like a SOLID ZONE 10A CLIMATE to me!  Actually that 33.1F average is probably spot on for my yard too, but here it is a cooler climate with our daily highs in January probably about 4F cooler than over there, which would probably account for those canal Coconut Palms looking a lot better than the ones over here in this cooler Zone 10A Climate.

John

2018 begs to differ, although the warmimg effect of the canals seem to have been a lifeline for these coconuts as all survived it.   Plenty of battered up bottles and damaged adonidia in the general area.  Here's a Spindle about 2 miles inland.  Temps drop quick once you get away from the direct coast.  Spear was still green so it should pull through this winter. 

Edited January 28, 2021 by Mr.SamuraiSword

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

There should be a lot more Coconut Palms planted there, especially near the water, and especially these varieties that are slightly more cold hardy:  Jamaican Talls, Mayjam hybrid crosses between Green Malayan Dwarfs and Jamaican Talls, Panama Talls, and Green Malayans.  Also, if you can get them, Green Variety of Hawaiian Talls (as opposed to the Golden Variety of Hawaiian Talls).                                                                                         John