Palmageddon Aftermath Photo Thread

[ahosey01]

Hey guys,

I'm not in Texas, and I am very sorry for what all of you are about to go through with your gardens.  That said - I'm interested in seeing the outcomes.  Not the miserable carnage, that will be sad - but what curious palms managed to survive and under what conditions?

I wanted to create this thread now, before the chaos begins.  Once you all begin to feel that cold, and once you emerge from it at the end of next week, please come here and post your pics so we have all of them in one spot.  If you can, specify:

• The species
• The low you experienced
• Compounding weather factors like freezing rain, etc.

Try not to respond to this thread until then.  I'll bump it again tomorrow and again Monday until people start having photos to add.

[ahosey01]

Bump, just to keep this thread on everyone’s mind.

Will bump again tomorrow once the madness has really begun.  Fingers crossed for all you guys.  Hoping for miracles.

[Ben in Norcal]

I have been thinking about our friends in TX this whole weekend so far.  I'd be mortified to lose palms I had been growing for years or decades due to one crazy event.  Keep us informed and hoping it's not as bad as forecasted!

[OC2Texaspalmlvr]

Unfortunately for some palms we may not know the extent of the damage for a week or so. Of course some we will know right away , they didn't make it. This is absolutely a landscape changer and a reminder we have no control over mother nature. She does what she wants when she wants. 

T J 

[ahosey01]

12 minutes ago, OC2Texaspalmlvr said:

Unfortunately for some palms we may not know the extent of the damage for a week or so. Of course some we will know right away , they didn't make it. This is absolutely a landscape changer and a reminder we have no control over mother nature. She does what she wants when she wants. 

T J 

I have heard this about D. decaryi- you don’t see the damage for a while.

I live a good life but you can’t help but feel a little sliver of depression for what the palm nuts are about to go through down there.

Then again - they’re just palms.  They’re not kids or family members.  You can always grow more.

[Tropicdoc]

He’s coming

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

I feel bad for all of the palm growers / lovers in TX and other southern places where this is happening.  Its pretty unbelievable really.  Snow / sleet / ice and mid 20's in Brownsville.  Snow and 16F in Houston and Galveston.  similar in San Antonio and Austin,  5F and snow in Dallas.   I have seen some pics and videos of the bad ice (freezing rain) on palms in Texas in some facebook groups,  but that is it for now.  I fully expect to some pretty severe losses of mature palms in southern Texas.     Brownsville is roughly the same latitude as  Pine Island / Cape Coral / Fort Myers FL.   While it is significantly dryer and more continental in terms of climate, it is still pretty mind blowing the temps and wintry precipitation they are seeing there.   Trying to imagine where I am in Saint Pete even getting a few inches of snow with temps in the upper teens / low 20s, let alone Cape Coral.    I know some try to grow coconuts in the Brownsville/  SPI (South Padre Island) area with some success, and I cant imagine they will survive this winter.    Really sad to see it, but im also very thankful that its not FL and that FL is a peninsula. 

[ahosey01]

I’ll kick this off... these are from my aunt, who lives in Galveston:

 

 

[Reyes Vargas]

My royals covered in ice.  We'll see how they look in a week.

[ahosey01]

Bump.

Anyone have any photos of interest at this point? Foxtails under 6 inches of ice and snow?

[Swolte]

Unprotected medi before and after the first big hit!

[ahosey01]

What was your low? And what are you expecting tonight!?

[Meangreen94z]

1 hour ago, ahosey01 said:

What was your low? And what are you expecting tonight!?

College Station shows a predicted low of 6*F 

[JohnAndSancho]

Pic from my office window today. Not saying it's cold, but ----- 

[Teegurr]

All these palms experienced a low of 6F. Ice and graupel, then 4-5 inches+ of snow.

College Station, TX.

(Not my palms)

1. and 2. Washingtonia robusta

3. Phoenix dactylifera

4. Butia odorata (hybrid?)

5. From left to right: Butia odorata, Chamaerops humilis, Phoenix canariensis

Edited February 16, 2021 by Teegurr

[EastCanadaTropicals]

On 2/15/2021 at 9:12 AM, DCA_Palm_Fan said:

I feel bad for all of the palm growers / lovers in TX and other southern places where this is happening.  Its pretty unbelievable really.  Snow / sleet / ice and mid 20's in Brownsville.  Snow and 16F in Houston and Galveston.  similar in San Antonio and Austin,  5F and snow in Dallas.   I have seen some pics and videos of the bad ice (freezing rain) on palms in Texas in some facebook groups,  but that is it for now.  I fully expect to some pretty severe losses of mature palms in southern Texas.     Brownsville is roughly the same latitude as  Pine Island / Cape Coral / Fort Myers FL.   While it is significantly dryer and more continental in terms of climate, it is still pretty mind blowing the temps and wintry precipitation they are seeing there.   Trying to imagine where I am in Saint Pete even getting a few inches of snow with temps in the upper teens / low 20s, let alone Cape Coral.    I know some try to grow coconuts in the Brownsville/  SPI (South Padre Island) area with some success, and I cant imagine they will survive this winter.    Really sad to see it, but im also very thankful that its not FL and that FL is a peninsula. 

Spi coconuts might survive. 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

33 minutes ago, EastCanadaTropicals said:

Spi coconuts might survive. 

They may.   Does anyone know what the coldest low there was?  I saw 34.  If that is the case then id say chances are pretty decent that they will.   

[ahosey01]

I saw 29 last night on weather underground for SPI. Obviously can’t confirm the accuracy of that, not being there.

[TexasColdHardyPalms]

JxB f1

[Fallen Munk]

Trachy during, trachy after.

[Fallen Munk]

Butia during, butia after.

 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Fallen Munk

[Chester B]

I think I might've gotten even more ice than you.  Lots of damage everywhere and bent over trees that may not straighten out.  At least I got my internet back this afternoon.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Chester B

[Chester B]

More

[Fallen Munk]

Just now, Chester B said:

I think I might've gotten even more ice than you.  Lots of damage everywhere and bent over trees that may not straighten out.  At least I got my internet back this afternoon.

Those pics are after the first day.  It got about three times that much ice but I didn't take photos because my battery was dead.  I just got power back about an hour ago.  The last five days have been rough.

[IHB1979]

4 hours ago, ahosey01 said:

I saw 29 last night on weather underground for SPI. Obviously can’t confirm the accuracy of that, not being there.

Someone posted SPI was as low as 23F. 

[Chester B]

3 minutes ago, Fallen Munk said:

Those pics are after the first day.  It got about three times that much ice but I didn't take photos because my battery was dead.  I just got power back about an hour ago.  The last five days have been rough.

I hear ya, I'm exhausted too.  I was without power on and off starting Friday night.  According to the news Clackamas and Marion county were the worst hit by a long shot.

I also saw today Texas and Oregon have the most power outages in the nation.

Edited February 17, 2021 by Chester B

[Fallen Munk]

The trees were exploding all night and eerily silent other than that.  No sirens or anything.  Just blue flashes and splintering wood.  Never lived though anything like it.

[IHB1979]

6 minutes ago, Chester B said:

I think I might've gotten even more ice than you.  Lots of damage everywhere and bent over trees that may not straighten out.  At least I got my internet back this afternoon.

These images remind me of a Central Iowa ice storm. Amazing, thank your sharing them.

[Chester B]

Just now, IHB1979 said:

These images remind me of a Central Iowa ice storm. Amazing, thank your sharing them.

No problem, I have many more images like that, my neighborhood got hit pretty hard.  Well basically it started about where I live and an hour south, last I heard 300,000 still without power.

[Paradise Found]

25 minutes ago, Chester B said:

I think I might've gotten even more ice than you.  Lots of damage everywhere and bent over trees that may not straighten out.  At least I got my internet back this afternoon.

I didn't have it as bad as any of your guys.  Four days of snow total 14" my coldest was high 31F/low 29F, 29f is my low this winter. Today was sunny 51F and 3/4 of the snow is gone. Thank goodness! A few of my cactus look like they might be dead, aloes look great next to the house.

I feel for you guys and gals that got hit really bad! I only lost heat for a few hours but I have gas heating.  I hope you all warm up soon! 

Edited February 17, 2021 by Paradise Found

[jfrye01@live.com]

On 2/16/2021 at 2:40 PM, ahosey01 said:

I saw 29 last night on weather underground for SPI. Obviously can’t confirm the accuracy of that, not being there.

I was there for spring break in 2018, I want to say the island dropped to either 29 or 30F in January of that year. The coconuts had spotty yellow leaf damage on lower leaves but otherwise looked healthy. 

[NBTX11]

It's too early to say for sure, but right now my Filifera look great still, while my Robusta look like trash.  The Filifera look like hardly anything happened.

[Xenon]

52 minutes ago, jfrye01@live.com said:

I was there for spring break in 2018, I want to say the island dropped to either 29 or 30F in January of that year. The coconuts had spotty yellow leaf damage on lower leaves but otherwise looked healthy. 

Low was 32F in Jan 2018

[Austinpalm]

Am confident that we went below 30f on Sunday night but not sure where we bottomed out at.  Frond on all cocconuts, royals, and foxtails are very fried, however most still have very green petioles or crownshafts.  We did get back above freezing on Monday around 10:30/11am.  So am thinking about 8 hours below freezing.  Have seen some reports that we hit 23f, but I find that very hard to believe.  I have various small 9b palms that should be much more damaged if we hit that temp.  But perhaps more damage will become noticeable as we warm up.  

[boaterboat]

We are in Central Texas, just west of Austin. I believe we had a low of 7-9 degrees, which all started with ice covering everything before we could protect it. I ran a long heat cable near the heart of these Livistona Chinensis and even ran a propane patio heater underneath for a few hours at a time, off and on. I don’t have high hopes for these. I’ll add photos of my others palms as well. 

[Chester B]

That's terrible, those spears do not look good at all.

[Hombre de Palmas]

21 minutes ago, boaterboat said:

We are in Central Texas, just west of Austin. I believe we had a low of 7-9 degrees, which all started with ice covering everything before we could protect it. I ran a long heat cable near the heart of these Livistona Chinensis and even ran a propane patio heater underneath for a few hours at a time, off and on. I don’t have high hopes for these. I’ll add photos of my others palms as well. 

Did your power stay on?  Looks like you were able to run your pool and maybe that's some consolation?

 My sympathies.

[boaterboat]

Here are my two Butia Capitata. We had a low of 7-9 degrees. The hearts were wrapped with Christmas lights and some burlap. The fronds look badly burned but definitely still green near the heart and spear. I’m not losing hope for these yet. 

[boaterboat]

Fibibusta. This was covered with burlap over the top (after the initial coating of ice, unfortunately) with Christmas lights around the heart. 

[boaterboat]

Chamaerops humilis. The group in the photo was covered with frost cloth and blankets with Christmas lights.

Edited February 19, 2021 by boaterboat