Ohio River Meso/Microclimate Kentucky/Indiana Border

[KYPalmExperiment]

So, the 2023 USDA Hardiness Zone Map shows a peculiar 7b spot in Northern Hancock County, Kentucky, extending slightly into Tell City/Perry County, Indiana. This area is entirely surrounded by a colder 7a zone and is not far from an even colder 6b zone. Upon reviewing the climate data, it appears Tell City largely avoids temperatures below 0°F and actually boasts a higher average annual minimum temperature than Murfreesboro, TN, which is considered firmly within 7b territory. Tell City even had a few yearly streaks that could even be classified as 8a, I found this quite interesting, suggesting that the Ohio River and its surroundings might be creating a moderating or mesoclimate effect in that small area.

[Palmerr]

Danggg good research. I didn’t see that on the KY map. That could hold up some more palms than even for me.mwould be interesting to start a palm project or something there idk and see how stuff fares there. Especially near the river.

[kinzyjr]

Time to mass order Sabal minor varieties like 'Cherokee' and 'McCurtain'  

I'm sure they could grow on some of the south facing slopes as you approach the river valley.  Cairo, IL has bananas, and could probably grow Sabal minor and Rhapidophyllum hystrix with good siting.  User @donofriojim1 used to come on the site with palms in the Cincinatti area: 

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/76813-cincinnati-hardy-palms-post-arctic-blast/

It looks like he has updated videos on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@cincytropics/videos

[KYPalmExperiment]

2 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

Time to mass order Sabal minor varieties like 'Cherokee' and 'McCurtain'  

I'm sure they could grow on some of the south facing slopes as you approach the river valley.  Cairo, IL has bananas, and could probably grow Sabal minor and Rhapidophyllum hystrix with good siting.  User @donofriojim1 used to come on the site with palms in the Cincinatti area: 

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/76813-cincinnati-hardy-palms-post-arctic-blast/

It looks like he has updated videos on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/@cincytropics/videos

Evansville, Indiana about 50 minute drive west of this spot, there's plenty of Sabal Minors that grow unprotected on a berm at the Mesker Park Zoo, supposedly they were sourced from a Oklahoma grower so likely McCurtain. There's also an unprotected Sabal Minor in a neighborhood in downtown Evansville that I saw in person, it's gotten huge and has probably hundreds of seedlings growing underneath it.

[KYPalmExperiment]

5 hours ago, Palmerr said:

Danggg good research. I didn’t see that on the KY map. That could hold up some more palms than even for me.mwould be interesting to start a palm project or something there idk and see how stuff fares there. Especially near the river.

Tell City's is about 20 minutes away from me, and there's this park by the river with a huge concrete floodwall. Maybe I'll try planting something there to see what happens. 

[Palmerr]

11 hours ago, KYPalmExperiment said:

Tell City's is about 20 minutes away from me, and there's this park by the river with a huge concrete floodwall. Maybe I'll try planting something there to see what happens. 

Wouldn’t hurt! A new invasive species has been identified in West central Kentu- Just kidding just kidding

[KYPalmExperiment]

7 hours ago, Palmerr said:

Wouldn’t hurt! A new invasive species has been identified in West central Kentu- Just kidding just kidding

Haha I think Sabal Minors would actually be beneficial here if they were naturalized big time, way better than some of those invasive Asian vines that take over the ground and trees. However, the Sabals might be outcompeted by vines too.

[KYPalmExperiment]

Just now, KYPalmExperiment said:

Haha I think Sabal Minors would actually be beneficial here if they were naturalized big time, way better than some of those invasive Asian vines that take over the ground and trees. However, the Sabals might be outcompeted by vines too.

Also, it's believed before the ice age that Sabal Minors probably grew all the way up to New England, I think now they are reclaiming lost territory.

[Palmerr]

20 hours ago, KYPalmExperiment said:

Also, it's believed before the ice age that Sabal Minors probably grew all the way up to New England, I think now they are reclaiming lost territory.

Don’t completely quote me on this, but I’m pretty sure they found ancient sabal palmetto trunk fossils in the NE USA which is really cool

[Palmerr]

No, I’m wrong their parent tree (A different palm) was found there dating back to 15 to 18 million years ago, which Massachusetts was in that climate area (Warm Subtropical) at the time that FL was in it. which is still crazy which gives evidence that sabal palmetto COULD have also been up there due to.. it’s parent being found in the same… yeah And sabal palmetto evolving  70 some million years ago, and this fossil dating back to 15 to 18….. yeah pretty cool