Preparing for freezes with Washingtonias

[palmofmyhand]

Hey everyone, I bought some traditional incandescent christmas tree lights to help protect my Washingtonias. I can see that we will be having lows of 28 and 32 degrees in the upcoming week. Does anyone have any tips or tricks that I should know about before wrapping the lights around these bad boys? I was thinking about buying a thermocube as well so that it would kick them on automatically every time it drops down to 35 degrees. 

[JohnAndSancho]

That sounds like my forecast, just mine are a lot smaller and tbh I can't justify going that hard on protection for them. 

[NC-Key-Bar]

I thought this was really good advice. I’m planning to use this general method for my Washingtonias in zone 8. I appreciated the detail and up close look. 
My themocubes turn on at 37F, and off at 45F.  
Thanks @Allen

[MarcusH]

3 hours ago, palmofmyhand said:

Hey everyone, I bought some traditional incandescent christmas tree lights to help protect my Washingtonias. I can see that we will be having lows of 28 and 32 degrees in the upcoming week. Does anyone have any tips or tricks that I should know about before wrapping the lights around these bad boys? I was thinking about buying a thermocube as well so that it would kick them on automatically every time it drops down to 35 degrees. 

According to your weather forecast you don't have to do literally nothing.  Fronds will burn in the low 20s.  Temperatures in the low teens is more of a concern.  That's where Robusta hybrids really show how cold hardy they are. 

[N8ALLRIGHT]

I wouldn't sweat that forecast. You could just cover with a sheet for the cold evening if you want to. 

I personally think they won't blink at 28

[PalmatierMeg]

16 hours ago, N8ALLRIGHT said:

I wouldn't sweat that forecast. You could just cover with a sheet for the cold evening if you want to. 

I personally think they won't blink at 28

I agree. Washies are unfazed by temps hovering at freezing. They are good to the low 20s, even the teens but I would be prepared to protect if lows fall below 20F day or night unless they rebound quickly once the sun rises.

[palmofmyhand]

The lights don’t feel warm out in the cold even though they are incandescent but hopefully they will help. Got em set up now and will be using every night that we drop below freezing. Wish me luck guys.

[palmofmyhand]

Just an update, not bad at all of a reaction from these palms having the night down to 26 degrees and below freezing for 7 hours. Slight frond browning from freeze damage with the least mature one showing the most damage. Brown showing in the spots with the most frost, Hopefully the rest of the winter will be just fine for these things and they will continue growing at a fast pace. They are almost unfazed like you guys said. Got my fingers crossed that we have a mild winter but who knows what is to come.

[Allen]

On 11/18/2025 at 2:27 PM, palmofmyhand said:

Just an update, not bad at all of a reaction from these palms having the night down to 26 degrees and below freezing for 7 hours. Slight frond browning from freeze damage with the least mature one showing the most damage. Brown showing in the spots with the most frost, Hopefully the rest of the winter will be just fine for these things and they will continue growing at a fast pace. They are almost unfazed like you guys said. Got my fingers crossed that we have a mild winter but who knows what is to come.

Nice palms.  The palms will need to be wrapped or enclosed to provide more than the about 2F increase the unwrapped lights will give off on calm nights

[palmofmyhand]

Here’s what they look like now, still not terrible but a very noticeable difference.

[palmofmyhand]

On 11/24/2025 at 8:46 AM, Allen said:

Nice palms.  The palms will need to be wrapped or enclosed to provide more than the about 2F increase the unwrapped lights will give off on calm nights

thanks for the advice, I still have frost blankets from last year, but it gets annoying going out and wrapping them each night that it is going to freeze. I know it would be less work than replacing the palms in spring though. It would make me much happier if they survived unprotected.

[ZPalms]

On 11/25/2025 at 11:45 AM, palmofmyhand said:

thanks for the advice, I still have frost blankets from last year, but it gets annoying going out and wrapping them each night that it is going to freeze. I know it would be less work than replacing the palms in spring though. It would make me much happier if they survived unprotected.

You can get frost jackets with zippers and draw strings, I’m going to get those for my washies and you can leave them on long term especially if they are white. They will let diffused light in but also breathable but you can unzip them.

[MarcusH]

On 11/25/2025 at 10:45 AM, palmofmyhand said:

thanks for the advice, I still have frost blankets from last year, but it gets annoying going out and wrapping them each night that it is going to freeze. I know it would be less work than replacing the palms in spring though. It would make me much happier if they survived unprotected.

Robustas are zone 9a/b but do also well in zone 8b but will burn in the low 20s . That's something you have to live with. 

[NC-Key-Bar]

I was actually surprised you saw as much burn as you did after a brief low.  Augusta is probably right on the fringe - where good/bad genetics will make or break them.

Are there many Washingtonias around that area? 

[Allen]

On 11/25/2025 at 10:45 AM, palmofmyhand said:

thanks for the advice, I still have frost blankets from last year, but it gets annoying going out and wrapping them each night that it is going to freeze. I know it would be less work than replacing the palms in spring though. It would make me much happier if they survived unprotected.

Put some Sabal palmetto or Trachycarpus fortunei in there with 2-3 Sabal minor around them in a bed or a group of 3 Trachycarpus fortunei or Sabal palmetto in a triangle pattern off of one or both of the pool corners.  A area of bananas would be good there too

[palmofmyhand]

13 hours ago, NC-Key-Bar said:

I was actually surprised you saw as much burn as you did after a brief low.  Augusta is probably right on the fringe - where good/bad genetics will make or break them.

Are there many Washingtonias around that area? 

Not very many, I’ve driven around all over town through the ins and outs and I have probably only seen 10 in the Augusta area but that was from really being everywhere in town. It also surprised me, that’s why I had to post pictures. My Sylvesters last year were even worse and got totally fried after the second freeze like that, they didn’t stand a chance. Those were smaller though but were also 3 gallon sized. But this is why when everyone said they don’t take damage until certain temps I was still hesitant to believe them. 

[palmofmyhand]

12 hours ago, Allen said:

Put some Sabal palmetto or Trachycarpus fortunei in there with 2-3 Sabal minor around them in a bed or a group of 3 Trachycarpus fortunei or Sabal palmetto in a triangle pattern off of one or both of the pool corners.  A area of bananas would be good there too

I have 6 trachycarpus, 4 behind the diving board, 2 on the far left. A chamaerops humilis pair on the corner. Those three Washingtonias on the far right, and two sagos on each side nearest to the house. It was like an art project coming up with this design. I’m not a big fan of how banana trees look and I only am not growing Sabals because they grow super slow and I can’t get them in a 3 gallon size. I could’ve spent $500 a piece for some 6-10ft palmettos but I didn’t want the trunks to be trimmed at all until they reach their maximum height. Also felt too pricey to spend 2,000 on those, I just went ahead and bought the 4 washingtonias for much less that are fast growing, as long as I can get lucky enough to see them live long term.

[Than]

I agree with everyone else, they'd probably be fine without any protection at all. I also think you'd help them more by covering them with some horticultural fleece than with those Xmas lights. The lights could help when the temperatures go down to the low 20s, provided the palms are also wrapped. The fleece can stay all winter long, no need to put it on every night - especially if it has a zipper so you can open it and give them fresh air when temperatures are high enough.

[MarcusH]

2 hours ago, palmofmyhand said:

I have 6 trachycarpus, 4 behind the diving board, 2 on the far left. A chamaerops humilis pair on the corner. Those three Washingtonias on the far right, and two sagos on each side nearest to the house. It was like an art project coming up with this design. I’m not a big fan of how banana trees look and I only am not growing Sabals because they grow super slow and I can’t get them in a 3 gallon size. I could’ve spent $500 a piece for some 6-10ft palmettos but I didn’t want the trunks to be trimmed at all until they reach their maximum height. Also felt too pricey to spend 2,000 on those, I just went ahead and bought the 4 washingtonias for much less that are fast growing, as long as I can get lucky enough to see them live long term.

If I would have the knowledge about palms that I have now back then when I started planting palms ,I would have never planted my Robusta nearly 4 years ago.  This palm is even iffy in my cold 9a zone.  Every year all fronds burn. Trust me when I say you'd be better off investing in Sabal Palmettos. Yes they're way more expensive at first and not nearly as fast growing as a Robusta but you grow those Robustas on borrowed time and eventually protecting them will become impossible one day.  Palmettos will be pretty much evergreen for the most part in your 8a zone.  Think about the cost to remove 4 dead trunks one day.  Investing in Palmettos will be cheaper down the road plus you don't have to stress yourself out with all the protection.  Just my 0.2 

[Allen]

On 11/27/2025 at 8:00 AM, palmofmyhand said:

I have 6 trachycarpus, 4 behind the diving board, 2 on the far left. A chamaerops humilis pair on the corner. Those three Washingtonias on the far right, and two sagos on each side nearest to the house. It was like an art project coming up with this design. I’m not a big fan of how banana trees look and I only am not growing Sabals because they grow super slow and I can’t get them in a 3 gallon size. I could’ve spent $500 a piece for some 6-10ft palmettos but I didn’t want the trunks to be trimmed at all until they reach their maximum height. Also felt too pricey to spend 2,000 on those, I just went ahead and bought the 4 washingtonias for much less that are fast growing, as long as I can get lucky enough to see them live long term.

Yes you have more there than I realize.  And it looks great.  I do believe you are in trouble with the Washingtonia though.  Also those Trachy that size can take damage under 21F or ice so you might want to consider protecting.  They usually grow back but those are still vulnerable being so new

[Fusca]

On 11/10/2025 at 6:23 PM, palmofmyhand said:

The lights don’t feel warm out in the cold even though they are incandescent but hopefully they will help. Got em set up now and will be using every night that we drop below freezing. Wish me luck guys.

What I see with this use of lights is for survival only.  If you had wrapped up the fronds instead of the trunk you probably would have seen less (probably zero) damage at those temperatures.  As others mentioned if you aren't providing extra protection when temperatures drop into the teens it'll be important to wrap the trunks as you did here.  Even if you lose all the fronds and the palms survive you won't notice by summer's end because Washingtonias grow so fast.

As far as newly planted small Trachycarpus (less than 15-gal size) I agree with @Allen, you can expect spear-pull unprotected below 20°F in the first winter but will survive.

[NC-Key-Bar]

My robustas are similar in size. Planted in June. Both with a strand of lights, and frost cloth on top. Although, I’m not sure how much heat this is really adding. It basically takes morning sun for the thermocubes to turn off.  Last night and tonight are our first real freezes. 

[palmofmyhand]

3 hours ago, NC-Key-Bar said:

My robustas are similar in size. Planted in June. Both with a strand of lights, and frost cloth on top. Although, I’m not sure how much heat this is really adding. It basically takes morning sun for the thermocubes to turn off.  Last night and tonight are our first real freezes. 

are you leaving the cloths on all winter or only putting them on when it freezes?

[Las Palmas Norte]

I though it was reasonable to get started on my protection as well. I have the basics in place now. I can add C7 lights at ground level if I think they'll be required. I have a roll of hot water tank insulation to wrap around the wire cage. I have to devise some anchor straps.

 

[NC-Key-Bar]

13 hours ago, palmofmyhand said:

are you leaving the cloths on all winter or only putting them on when it freezes?

I'm going to leave them wrapped through February, i think.  I did not plan to wrap this early, but started seeing projected lows below 25.  And my work is very busy from now till the EOY, so didn't want a cold night to sneak up on me.
Last night hit 23 on my home weather station - my filiferas showed no damage, neither did my L. nitida.  Sort of wish the robustas were unprotected to get a comparison.

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, NC-Key-Bar said:

... Last night hit 23 on my home weather station - my filiferas showed no damage, neither did my L. nitida.  Sort of wish the robustas were unprotected to get a comparison.

The extent of cold damage is rarely evident directly after a cold event. Having said that, aren't the palms mentioned above, within the safe range of hardiness?

[NC-Key-Bar]

5 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

The extent of cold damage is rarely evident directly after a cold event. Having said that, aren't the palms mentioned above, within the safe range of hardiness?

They are. I think the robusta and nitida probably have similar survival temps, but my experience last year was that it took more to burn the nitida. The robusta would start burning below 20F, but the nitida seemed to stay green well into the teens. Then a single night at 13F made both defoliate. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

52 minutes ago, NC-Key-Bar said:

They are. I think the robusta and nitida probably have similar survival temps, but my experience last year was that it took more to burn the nitida. The robusta would start burning below 20F, but the nitida seemed to stay green well into the teens. Then a single night at 13F made both defoliate. 

Good to know, although it's highly unlikely I'll ever plant a Livistona nitida. I'm keeping my palm plantings as trouble free as possible. I still want to get this Washingtonia thru some winters and see it flourish. I did finish the protection by wrapping the palm and anchoring the cage using concrete foundation / pier blocks and load straps.

 

[jwitt]

3 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Good to know, although it's highly unlikely I'll ever plant a Livistona nitida. I'm keeping my palm plantings as trouble free as possible. I still want to get this Washingtonia thru some winters and see it flourish. I did finish the protection by wrapping the palm and anchoring the cage using concrete foundation / pier blocks and load straps.

 

@Las Palmas Norte

Have you used this method of protection on your Washingtonia last year?  Just curious. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

1 hour ago, jwitt said:

Have you used this method of protection on your Washingtonia last year?  Just curious. 

Last year I used a framed insulated enclosure. No wrapping, just mini lights and C7's laid out on the ground at the base of the trunk. It worked perfectly.

Top down view looking inside the enclosure.

[NC-Key-Bar]

5 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Last year I used a framed insulated enclosure. No wrapping, just mini lights and C7's laid out on the ground at the base of the trunk. It worked perfectly.

Top down view looking inside the enclosure.

I like the pocket of air inside. That alone probably gives you a “free” 5 degrees F without any added heat. 

[Las Palmas Norte]

6 hours ago, NC-Key-Bar said:

I like the pocket of air inside. That alone probably gives you a “free” 5 degrees F without any added heat. 

I didn't make any temperature comparisons, but it would be fair to conclude that there's some advantage. I used 1 inch DuroSpan for the 4 walls and a double wall 6 mil poly hinged top. I could then open the enclosure on fair days. On cold nights, I added a fitted foam board onto the top section for added insulation. This concept works fine in my zone 8 climate and may not be advisable in colder zones, at least without added measures like palm wrapping etc.