Date Palm barely survived last winter and is looking weak, should I take it indoors this winter?

[PashkaTLT]

Hello everyone,

The heating inside my winter boxes overloaded my power lane last winter (the coldest winter in at least 10 years) and turned off.  I noticed it too late and lost 3 palms. Another one - pygmy date palm - barely survived (only 1 of 3 trunks survived) and is looking weak.
Is it better to leave it planted and protect with a box & heating, or is it better to take in doors for this winter and wait until it recovers more (which may bring the stress of uprooting it)?

[Las Palmas Norte]

You claim you over loaded the electrical circuit while heating your enclosure? If so, what did you use as a heat source? Was this a grouping of Phoenix roebelenii (Pygmy Date Palm)?

 

[PashkaTLT]

I had 6 palm trees on the same line, some having more than 1 heating source, and on the coldest night, when it was like -15 degrees Celsius (~5 Fahrenheit) , all heating sources turned at once and breached the 15 amperes threshold. 

This year I've added another line.

It was a grouping of Pygmy Date Palm, there were 3 trunks. I bought it like this. Only 1 trunk survived.

[Las Palmas Norte]

That's going to be a struggle no matter how you approach it. Typically the multi-planted Pygmy palms roots are extremely intertwined, so separating them without serious damage will be ... well, I think you get the picture. You'll have to cut down the dead stumps if you plan on protecting the small survivor. As you're probably aware, these don't take a whole lot of cold before encountering trouble. Good luck.

[SeanK]

Throw it away. 

We get pigmy dates cheap here. This year was a bonus with large trunked plants offered.

[MarcusH]

9 hours ago, PashkaTLT said:

I had 6 palm trees on the same line, some having more than 1 heating source, and on the coldest night, when it was like -15 degrees Celsius (~5 Fahrenheit) , all heating sources turned at once and breached the 15 amperes threshold. 

This year I've added another line.

It was a grouping of Pygmy Date Palm, there were 3 trunks. I bought it like this. Only 1 trunk survived.

Pick your poison!!! Your Pygmy is already struggling to survive and by digging it out would just add more stress to its plant . Without protection , this has a zero chance of survival.  I'm in a cold zone 9a I keep my Pygmys in pots . They can handle some cold below freezing but not for long at all . Also they take a long time to recover.  Keep that in mind. 

[ryjohn]

I agree with others... that palm you might as well let go and start over with something much better for $20.  And unless you can't find any other species, I don't see the allure enough in any pigmy date to warrant protection.  If I'm going to have to protect to that level it is going to be something hardier and less dime-a-dozen (i.e Jubaea. Chamaerops, or Chamaedorea)