help for next winter

[dmaliotimon@gmail.com]

Hi guys next year im gonna get either a needle or a sabal minor for a little experiment i want to do. since im in zone 6a michigan, i wanted to see if there are hardy sabal and needle palms that that need a little bit of protection for the winter, and also some protection tips for them! I would have thought about getting a windmill palm but im too lazy to build something for it. thanks for any help in advance!

[dmaliotimon@gmail.com]

also i probs have tyops bc i type fast

[Las Palmas Norte]

Next winter ... as in 11 days from now?

21 hours ago, dmaliotimon@gmail.com said:

I would have thought about getting a windmill palm but im too lazy to build something for it.

You have to be willing to put in the effort to expect results.

[DTS]

he probably meant next years winter

Edited December 10, 2021 by DTS1

[dmaliotimon@gmail.com]

yea thats what i meant 

Edited December 10, 2021 by dmaliotimon@gmail.com
spelling

[dmaliotimon@gmail.com]

1 minute ago, dmaliotimon@gmail.com said:

. 

 

Edited December 10, 2021 by dmaliotimon@gmail.com
it posted my reply twice to dont reply to this one

[maskedmole]

A blanket works nicely especially on sabal minor and needle palms when the temperatures get below 20 degrees or so. It doesn't get below 20 very often in winter here so I only have to do it a handful of times a winter. They would honestly probably be fine if I did only did it below 12 degrees or so. Now with the windmill palm, definitely I like to protect it below 20 or 18 degrees. If there is moisture like freezing rain then a tote on top of the blanket works to prevent moisture from seeping through. I probably don't even have to do this for the sabal minor and needle palms anymore because they are established so I probably baby them a little bit.  After a few years in the ground they should toughen up. I used to mulch mine also but this year I'm not mulching my sabal minor or needle palms. Mulch harbors moisture anyway.  You have to remove the mulch as soon as warm weather hits or there will probably be rot or fungus problems.

With my windmill palms, this year I put chicken wire around them and I live in basically a forest so I filled up the chicken wire with lots and lots of oak leaves, about to the heart of the palms. I heard with oak leaves there will be less chance of fungus problems or probably none at all. Needle and minor stay small enough just to use blankets. I like to buy the ones for $2 dollars and something at walmart. Not sure how much they are now though. I also have kept old jackets and hoodies that I would have otherwise gotten rid of to throw over them in case a cold spell arises. My needle and minors are probably tough enough now to handle my winters without any protection at all. So far this winter they haven't gotten any and haven't batted an eye, or should I say leaf. I'm a bit warmer than you so you might just have to protect a little more than me but it should be easy enough for you to at least get by with needle and minor palms. A nice wind break helps also. 

When my windmill palms get bigger with tall trunks, I will probably have to find some way to wrap the trunks or just use christmas lights. I might climb the trunks with a ladder or something and place over the crowns when it gets super cold. I can still use the chicken wire and leaf method to protect the roots/ lower trunk. I have windmill palm seedlings also grown from hand. The woods around my house are so dense I almost have to do nothing to protect them as the leaf fall in fall/winter about covers them all up for me lol. 

Edited December 11, 2021 by maskedmole