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What Will You Miss About Growing Palms in Texas?


buffy

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14 hours ago, boaterboat said:

Where in Dallas is this?

At the aquarium . I hope they can protect it . It's huge !

DSCF0553.jpg.fed02d8798fc30e31da617afe5d71dee.jpg

Edited by Will Simpson
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2 hours ago, Xerarch said:

Boy that gives those trachys a whole new look. 

Yeah IMO skinned trachys move from their prehistoric cold wooly look to more sunny thin trunked tropical. One thing I always admired about southern Calif was their thin trunked palms. When we saw one of the skinned trachys it got added to our yard. We lean towards pinnate palms for a more breezy tropical look but it’s been nice having a variety and enjoying the differences. Also from a maintenance POV appreciate having palms that work in our zone with no extra care. That time and effort is spent on the other plants like birds of paradise, philodendron, etc that need frost cloth and help the rest of the yard look more tropical. 

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Zone 9b (formerly listed as Zone 9a); Sunset 14

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16 hours ago, JohnAndSancho said:

Texas weather is nuts to anyone who doesn't live here.

^^Understatement of the day :laugh2:

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18 hours ago, boaterboat said:

Where in Dallas is this?

It’s at the Dallas World Aquarium- downtown @ 1801 Griffin St. 

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2 hours ago, NorCalKing said:

^^Understatement of the day :laugh2:

It's gonna be in the 70s next week. Meanwhile I just broke a door handle on my truck because it was frozen shut and I've salted the sidewalks twice already. The rain washed it away last night. 

Edited by JohnAndSancho
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37 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

It's gonna be in the 70s next week. Meanwhile I just broke a door handle on my truck because it was frozen shut and I've salted the sidewalks twice already. The rain washed it away last night. 

Northerer trick, pour rubbing alcohol on the latch to get it unstuck ;)

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58 minutes ago, JohnAndSancho said:

It's gonna be in the 70s next week. Meanwhile I just broke a door handle on my truck because it was frozen shut and I've salted the sidewalks twice already. The rain washed it away last night. 

I can't think of a place on the planet that can go from single digits to close to triple digits within a week. Talk abut bi-polar lol

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56 minutes ago, NorCalKing said:

I can't think of a place on the planet that can go from single digits to close to triple digits within a week. Talk abut bi-polar lol

Had an 8F to high 80's within 4 days in 2017.

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1 hour ago, NorCalKing said:

I can't think of a place on the planet that can go from single digits to close to triple digits within a week. Talk abut bi-polar lol

Yeah but we have Whataburger.

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2 hours ago, RJ said:

Northerer trick, pour rubbing alcohol on the latch to get it unstuck ;)

I let it idle with the heat and defrost on for an hour, then shut it off. Came out again 30 mins later and it's frozen shut again. Good times. 

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9 hours ago, Will Simpson said:

At the aquarium . I hope they can protect it . It's huge !

DSCF0553.jpg.fed02d8798fc30e31da617afe5d71dee.jpg

If those X-mas lights are still on there and someone was able to wrap it with something, I guess it has a chance...

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The most recent picture of that Jubaea on here did not look good, like it had a fungal infection or some other injury. I have to think this will finish the job.

On the flipside, there is some crazy data about the hardiness of mature Jubaea from Italy. I'm talking single digits. So who knows.

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I’m worried about the Houston-Metro.

Lake Conroe is going to hit 12 degrees tonight, and the super tall fan palms are only hardy down to 15, if I’m not mistaken. The rest of the north side of HTX is going to get down to 17, which could kill off all of the sylvestris in the area.

The Sabals and fan palms south of Conroe will probably survive, but I worry about the sylvestris in the area. Those huge ones by NASA and the Sugar Land shopping center will not be easy to replace. 

There’s a decent amount of Pygmy’s in Galveston and Fort Bend County, and I’m 100% sure they are dead. They are tough little plants, but I don’t think they are tough enough to survive this. The little Mediterranean’s might survive, and the Canary Island Date Palms in Clear Lake and Galveston will most likely make it.  Jelly’s have a decent chance.

Anyone more educated than me want to disprove my hypotheses? I would welcome being called an idiot right now if it meant the palmocaust wouldn’t happen. :(

 

81083DF7-BCB9-4581-9D58-211CA4F748C7.jpeg

Edited by Jake
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29 minutes ago, Jake said:

I’m worried about the Houston-Metro.

Lake Conroe is going to hit 12 degrees tonight, and the super tall fan palms are only hardy down to 15, if I’m not mistaken. The rest of the north side of HTX is going to get down to 17, which could kill off all of the sylvestris in the area.

The Sabals and fan palms south of Conroe will probably survive, but I worry about the sylvestris in the area. Those huge ones by NASA and the Sugar Land shopping center will not be easy to replace. 

There’s a decent amount of Pygmy’s in Galveston and Fort Bend County, and I’m 100% sure they are dead. They are tough little plants, but I don’t think they are tough enough to survive this. The little Mediterranean’s might survive, and the Canary Island Date Palms in Clear Lake and Galveston will most likely make it.  Jelly’s have a decent chance.

Anyone more educated than me want to disprove my hypotheses? I would welcome being called an idiot right now if it meant the palmocaust wouldn’t happen. :(

Sylvestris won't die at 17F. Most of the date palms in prominent areas like NASA Road 1, Airport Blvd at Hobby, and most of the shopping malls are actually Phoenix dactyfilera. Should be mostly ok if it doesn't get below 14-15F. The jelly palms and CIDP are bulletproof, the CIDP have died off from disease way more than any cold. Lots of pre-89 jelly palms in older neighborhoods. Pygmy kill temp is around 20-21F...we'll have to wait and see just how cold Galveston and the bayfront areas get. 

I'm walking distance from that plaza in your pic. There are several Bismarckia in the area that are waiting for a miracle. 

 

Oh...and the rolling blackouts have started. RIP 

Edited by Xenon
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Jonathan

Katy, TX (Zone 9a)

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5 hours ago, Jake said:

I’m worried about the Houston-Metro.

Lake Conroe is going to hit 12 degrees tonight, and the super tall fan palms are only hardy down to 15, if I’m not mistaken. The rest of the north side of HTX is going to get down to 17, which could kill off all of the sylvestris in the area.

The Sabals and fan palms south of Conroe will probably survive, but I worry about the sylvestris in the area. Those huge ones by NASA and the Sugar Land shopping center will not be easy to replace. 

There’s a decent amount of Pygmy’s in Galveston and Fort Bend County, and I’m 100% sure they are dead. They are tough little plants, but I don’t think they are tough enough to survive this. The little Mediterranean’s might survive, and the Canary Island Date Palms in Clear Lake and Galveston will most likely make it.  Jelly’s have a decent chance.

Anyone more educated than me want to disprove my hypotheses? I would welcome being called an idiot right now if it meant the palmocaust wouldn’t happen. :(

 

 

Seeing from experience after some upper teens events in my area, some Slyvestris will probably die at 17, but more so younger ones and newly transplanted.

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2 hours ago, Matthew92 said:

Seeing from experience after some upper teens events in my area, some Slyvestris will probably die at 17, but more so younger ones and newly transplanted.

There are a few in my neighborhood, and after 14 degrees about 3 years ago, only one or two died. That winter took out my mule palm. My little chamaerops is currently going strong. It’s 22 degrees right now here in central Louisiana with about maybe an inch or two of snow on the ground. Tonight we will hit 12. My neighbors have 3 livistonia which will defoliate. Butia, washingtonia, windmills, and sabals are the most popular palms in my area. There’s a few dates around as well that normally defoliate in hard winters, but always recover. My dad lives in Little Rock, and not far from his home is a washingtonia thats maybe 20 feet tall. Every year a structure is built around it. Tonight’s low there is gonna be between 1 and 3 degrees. 

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That Jubae is so beautiful. If it was mine, it would be under a circus tent with a bunch of heaters. 

Edited by DavidLee
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another method for a frozen car door is:

lift the handle gently and grab the edge of the door and pull hard on that

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8 hours ago, Xenon said:

Sylvestris won't die at 17F. Most of the date palms in prominent areas like NASA Road 1, Airport Blvd at Hobby, and most of the shopping malls are actually Phoenix dactyfilera. Should be mostly ok if it doesn't get below 14-15F. The jelly palms and CIDP are bulletproof, the CIDP have died off from disease way more than any cold. Lots of pre-89 jelly palms in older neighborhoods. Pygmy kill temp is around 20-21F...we'll have to wait and see just how cold Galveston and the bayfront areas get. 

I'm walking distance from that plaza in your pic. There are several Bismarckia in the area that are waiting for a miracle. 

 

Oh...and the rolling blackouts have started. RIP 

I had a Sylvestris in Houston that died after a night of freezing rain and 18°. Granted it had been transplanted about 8 months earlier.

 

Hopefully some make it through.

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Fingers crossed for my chamaerops. It was originally like $75 at Lowe’s, but was clearanced down to around $20 (there were no obvious problems with it). It’s grown really fast for me. I’d hate to lose it. Our low was dropped to 10 degrees here south of Alexandria, La.... and to think I’m in zone 9a. I’m now upset with my landscaping around the house probably not surviving. The landscaper mostly used ‘Little John’ bottlebrush, flax lily, and agapanthus. At least he threw in a few camellia :(  

429E2C78-255E-4595-A566-33A8E53D7223.jpeg

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On 2/15/2021 at 10:23 AM, DavidLee said:

That Jubae is so beautiful. If it was mine, it would be under a circus tent with a bunch of heaters. 

The guy that own the aquarium has 6 huge jubaea at his house along with many 20-30' brahea armata on a 30' cliff above his house.  All in all he has a few million dollars in landscaping and he will lose almost all of it now.  I'm curious to how the huge 3' trunk b. Yuccoids, and the 30' monkey puzzle he just installed this year fare. 

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I’m nervous to see what has been killed outright.  I think we need to stop using term like “bulletproof” and phrases like “they laugh at the cold”. I don’t think anyone in TX is laughing at this deadly cold.  If a palm is hardy down to 15F that is completely different from it being able to withstand 15 night after night, with ice storms and rain and snow, with 5 days straight below freezing with a howling TX wind.  Palms are mostly all bulletproof in the fact that you could shoot one through the trunk and it would survive, but very few are this coldproof. I’m afraid it’s going to be a slaughter and I’m very nervous for my two filifera in San Antonio.  They were likely planted in the 60’s if not earlier, but I’m afraid that they won’t survive this once in a century event.  Tired of living through so many once in a century events! 

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27 minutes ago, ChrisA said:

I’m nervous to see what has been killed outright.  I think we need to stop using term like “bulletproof” and phrases like “they laugh at the cold”. I don’t think anyone in TX is laughing at this deadly cold.  If a palm is hardy down to 15F that is completely different from it being able to withstand 15 night after night, with ice storms and rain and snow, with 5 days straight below freezing with a howling TX wind.  Palms are mostly all bulletproof in the fact that you could shoot one through the trunk and it would survive, but very few are this coldproof. I’m afraid it’s going to be a slaughter and I’m very nervous for my two filifera in San Antonio.  They were likely planted in the 60’s if not earlier, but I’m afraid that they won’t survive this once in a century event.  Tired of living through so many once in a century events! 

Filifera aren't going anywhere in San Antonio.  Yes, they are bulletproof in San Antonio.  I guarantee it.  Look around, I mean there are literally thousands of Filifera that survived 1983 and 1989.  I just looked at mine this morning, and they looked cold but totally fine.  It's above freezing right now and there is no more extreme cold forecasted other than 20's for lows.

I am worried about my two tall Robusta, though.  But hopeful they will recover.

Edited by NBTX11
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Thank you James! I'm very happy to read your reply, it gives me great hope.  I really love those trees of mine. I hope the best for your Robustas!! Come on heat! :O)

 

I think my avocado tree will likely be a goner. It's about 30-40 feet tall and wasn't in the best of health anyhow.  Take care y'all!

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12 hours ago, NBTX11 said:

Filifera aren't going anywhere in San Antonio.  Yes, they are bulletproof in San Antonio.  I guarantee it.  Look around, I mean there are literally thousands of Filifera that survived 1983 and 1989.  I just looked at mine this morning, and they looked cold but totally fine.  It's above freezing right now and there is no more extreme cold forecasted other than 20's for lows.

I am worried about my two tall Robusta, though.  But hopeful they will recover.

Aren’t robusta’s hardy down to 10 degrees? I only know enough to be dangerous, but I would think those would be pretty bulletproof.

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4 minutes ago, Jake said:

Aren’t robusta’s hardy down to 10 degrees? I only know enough to be dangerous, but I would think those would be pretty bulletproof.

Eh, 10ish. I’ve seen some die to 13-15, but yeah around 10. It got to 9 and 13 on back to back nights and maybe got to 30-32 during the day that day. While I do anticipate survivors in San Antonio, there will be Robusta deaths. Hybrids should generally live. It’s too early to tell on mine, but the central spears look ok. We’ll see. 

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On 2/14/2021 at 10:24 AM, Will Simpson said:

It's that huge palm planted at the aquarium in Dallas . DSCF0553.jpg.ee3abfd717fc527c41044bc2a6151381.jpg

Has anyone driven past this to see how it fared?

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  • 2 weeks later...

We hit 11 as our lowest here in central Louisiana. We had maybe 2 more nights with lows at 18/19. I’m fairly impressed with my garden. My sago completely defoliated which doesn’t surprise me, and my chamaerops has some damaged fronds on one of the prominent trunks, but spears are firm. My sabal and my neighbors butia look fine. The livistonia around town are completely defoliated along with the dates. Washingtonia vary with damage. Some look very bad, while others still have some green in them. My satsuma is still green though, and my Little John bottlebrush only have tip damage. Only used a sheet to cover them. I also found how great of an insulation leaves make. I covered my stromanthe Triostars and they came out with only moderate damage. 

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@ShadowNight030 Those triostars look pretty bad, did you mulch? How do the rhizomes feel? That is extremely interesting to me, I have a big pot of these, but was under the impression they aren't hardy to the area. If yours survived 11, and 18/19 that sort of makes me want to pull a few rhizomes out and stick them in the ground to experiment with! haha 

 

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1 hour ago, Dartolution said:

@ShadowNight030 Those triostars look pretty bad, did you mulch? How do the rhizomes feel? That is extremely interesting to me, I have a big pot of these, but was under the impression they aren't hardy to the area. If yours survived 11, and 18/19 that sort of makes me want to pull a few rhizomes out and stick them in the ground to experiment with! haha 

 

They have become more and popular as shade plants here. This is their first winter. Under the canopy of a Laurel oak, they don’t start to damage until around 26ish. I used a thick layer of leaves over them, maybe a foot thick. Other calathea, like calathea zabrina, have been used here for a longer amount of time with good success. And my stromanthe are pushing new growth now. So I am fairly confident that they will recover well. 

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When I first moved to Houston in 2016 there were a lot of ravenea Rivularis palms all around town, there was even one trunking at a restaurant called Fogo de Chao on Westheimer. I thought it was great. After the freeze of 2018 all were killed and after 2021 so many robustas and queens are fried. Houston will now look like any other boring american city. I will miss the tropical palms for sure.

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13 minutes ago, Ivanos1982 said:

Houston will now look like any other boring american city. I will miss the tropical palms for sure.

The road rage will def keep Houston from becoming boring :floor:

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22 minutes ago, Ivanos1982 said:

When I first moved to Houston in 2016 there were a lot of ravenea Rivularis palms all around town, there was even one trunking at a restaurant called Fogo de Chao on Westheimer. I thought it was great. After the freeze of 2018 all were killed and after 2021 so many robustas and queens are fried. Houston will now look like any other boring american city. I will miss the tropical palms for sure.

RE: majesties, there were actually some that snuck by after 2018 inside 610. See this thread: 

As far as 2021, the burbs look toast for now, but I still think there is hope for 610 and the bay/coast as far as robusta and maybe even queens. There are palms on the south side of buildings in town that don't that bad.  Bismarckia is probably the biggest question mark of all. 

Jonathan

Katy, TX (Zone 9a)

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The spears of my largest chamaerops trunk just pulled out. The fronds are still green and healthy. What should I do?? 

80DA1E0D-2320-4DE3-8E27-77106E0EAD2F.jpeg

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4 minutes ago, ShadowNight030 said:

The spears of my largest chamaerops trunk just pulled out. The fronds are still green and healthy. What should I do?? 

80DA1E0D-2320-4DE3-8E27-77106E0EAD2F.jpeg

@ShadowNight030 Treat with a fungicide (H202/copper, daconil), keep it dry, and wait. Thats about all you can do.

If you opt for the H202 Copper treatment, be sure to wick any moisture out as best you can after treatment. 

 

 

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8 hours ago, ShadowNight030 said:

The spears of my largest chamaerops trunk just pulled out. The fronds are still green and healthy. What should I do?? 

80DA1E0D-2320-4DE3-8E27-77106E0EAD2F.jpeg

I have Copper Sulfate dust. It was the only copper available.  I used it on my crinums and amaryllis belladonna.  For my A belladonna, I mixed it with water and wasn't very impressed.   I used heavy dust on my crinums because their necks were mush. I went back and  applied dust to my A belladonna.  (The two bulbs are quite different)
I also sprinkled on my palms and put it down my med fan palm cavity when its spear pulled.  I feel the dust helped my crinums. I was afraid I would lose them, they are now bouncing back. 

Edited by PricklyPearSATC
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On 2/14/2021 at 1:58 AM, WestCoastGal said:

An aside, Don’t know how close to the pool they were planted, but queens are heavy seed producers and I’d be reluctant to plant too near a pool for that reason. 
 

If her queens don’t make it and she still wants a safer cold weather palm, I’d think about a Trachycarpus fortunei and have them skinned. Can still look rather tropical. Their inflorescence is pretty easy to remove before going to fruit, takes a while, and even when they do fruit the fruit falls pretty close to the trunk. Here’s an example of a few recently skinned trachs.

 

A7FCF698-BE49-4DBF-8EB4-E0B58E8D2637.jpeg

That technique sure does change the look of the palm to that of a more tropical species, but my zone demands the natural wooly mammoth leggings...the woolier the better I think...but what a great way to get a more tropical look on a hardier palm that can stand a better chance of handling rogue cold events in warmer zones...unless stripping the trunk negatively affects its cold hardiness in a long duration freeze? The construction of the Trachy’s wooly covering is really fascinating...the insulating “hairs” are amazing enough but some parts of the natural insulation resemble tightly wrapped burlap to a T...all an amazing adaptation to colder environments.

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  • 5 weeks later...

My chamaerops is pushing growth on 2 of the 3 trunks for sure. The 3rd trunk is a mystery. Also, how are the bismarkia doing in Houston? Anything yet? 

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6 hours ago, ShadowNight030 said:

Also, how are the bismarkia doing in Houston? Anything yet?

They haven't kneeled over yet and all have stiff spears believe it or not. Still waiting for them to die any day now but who knows 

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Jonathan

Katy, TX (Zone 9a)

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