Wrapping palms during a dry cold event is useless?

[Palmfarmer]

Does wrapping a palm in Burlap or frost cloth without and Active heat source protect anything at all if it is just a dry cold with no snow and wind? I can see how one could make a "tent" over the palm with them therefore making it slightly warmer because of ground heat. I do see people on YouTube sometimes just wrapping palms without any heat source really tightly with Burlap. What's your experience? 

[Swolte]

In my experience/view, wrapping tightly during a cold event is usually better than not wrapping given that it will protect against frost and the damaging effects of cold winds. But yeah, you're totally right, you won't trap much heat so a 'tent' would be better.

We've had brutal winters every year in Texas since 2021 and I have now come to accept that they are the norm. Fortunately, the real cold snaps usually last under 48 hrs and they are predicted days in advance. I have began to purchase some battery-powered heated socks to have at least some external heat source for some of the younger, more vulnerable palms.

[Ben G.]

1 hour ago, Palmfarmer said:

Does wrapping a palm in Burlap or frost cloth without and Active heat source protect anything at all if it is just a dry cold with no snow and wind? I can see how one could make a "tent" over the palm with them therefore making it slightly warmer because of ground heat. I do see people on YouTube sometimes just wrapping palms without any heat source really tightly with Burlap. What's your experience? 

My experience has always been to wrap with the goal of keeping a palm dry and safe from the wind during winter storms. The wrapping has no temperature boosting effect. It just maximizes the chance of a plant surviving colder temps than it might otherwise.

I have always wrapped with something like a blanket or cloth, with either a tarp or trash can (something waterproof) over the cloth layer. A cloth layer without waterproofing won't do anything if you are getting any kind of ice or snow. And the tarp or plastic layer alone will cause condensation to freeze on your palm without a cloth layer underneath.

In places where the cold isn't always accompanied by precipitation, maybe the two layers aren't always needed. I haven't lived anywhere like that though.