Hey,

I just got a Sabal minor 'Louisiana' and I was wondering whether I should keep it outside or under growing light during winter. The next days autumn is hitting ans temps will go down to 40 °F/4,5°C in the night and daytime highs of 60°F/15,5°C. 

Since the Sabal is still pretty small and I am in Central Europe USDA zone 7b I am gonna wait till next year to plant it outside. Will keeping it under growing light during winter reduce its cold hardiness for next year? Should I adapt it to the cold already? 

Will

Edited October 3, 20214 yr by Will

Where exactly in Europe are you, If you're able to tell me a city I might be able to tell you what should be done. 

I am in Eastern Austria, near Lake Neusiedl or Vienna. 

Chances are you can grow it unprotected, However I recommend using a bucket or a pot to protect it when temperatures go below 10°C. As long as your temperatures go back above freezing everyday it'll be fine. 

Yes I also think so. I just wanted to know for this winter, should I keep it cold or can I keep it at 30°C over winter under grow light to boost the growth? And if yes will that reduce its hardiness when i planning to put it outside next year?

It seems that you are trying to improve the cold hardiness of your Sabal by exposing it to some cold conditions while young. I have never heard of doing that and I doubt palms would respond in that way to such treatment. It would seem to me the most important thing to improving cold hardiness would be to maintain a happy and healthy plant after starting with a good genetic makeup. To me exposing it to cold unnecessarily would only serve to make the plant weaker.

All palms have a temperature below which growth will slow down or cease altogether. While most species of Sabal palms have good to excellent cold hardiness, they love heat. They need heat to grow. The more heat they experience (up to a certain point, of course, though they don't mind being on fire) the more they will grow.

So, while you can expose your young palm to cold and have it survive, I don't see a benefit in doing so. If you can provide heat and adequate light indoors then that is where I would let it spend the winter. It will continue to grow and that can only make it healthier. It will be in much better shape for when planting time comes next spring.

Good luck.

Martin Gibbons reports it may be used as an indoor palm overwinter but a high light situation is needed.  Nice palm.

Thank you so much! I gonna keep it indoors then under warm and bright conditions, to hopefully boost its growth until spring. 

Currently sitting with some Trachys and Chamaerops and a palm I couldnt identify in a growing tent inside 

Keeping it at 30°C overwinter will definitely boost it's growth

Great. Thanks for the help!