2026 2026_02 - Florida Palmageddon Observations and Damage Photo Thread

[bubba]

[bubba]

L. grandis, A.vesteria and P. coronado left to right at Four Arts:

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Old redneck at the church:

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At Ann Norton:

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L. grandis at Ann Norton:

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Neovetchia storkii at AN

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Whole bunch of stuff:

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Double Coconut still ticking 

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Pritchardia Pacifica and P. thurstonii still ticking but never look happy:

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Greenery:

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Spicata

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Satakentia

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We will see how long these Lipsticks keep ticking 

[bubba]

Overall PB and inland WPB likely missed a bullet and cancellation of tropical plantings have been placed on hold!

[Moose]

Our low was 33.6°F - brutal wind. All mature palms appear undamaged.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

22 hours ago, jreich85 said:

Does anyone have a recommended frequency for  the peroxide/fungicide treatment? I’ve defaulted to twice a week, but worried that may not be often enough. I have had the same observations here in East Jacksonville as others have seen. On a positive note my one B. Alfredii did have a cover I put over it, and is doing great. Copernicia prunifera seems to have sailed through, as well as some potted C. prunifera and C. alba. I have a small arenga Engleri volunteer that was uncovered that has shocked me with its resiliency, and my neighbors’ larger one looks good too. I have what I labeled a few years ago as Chrysalidocarpus cabadae that I put heat mats around and threw a cover over that is also doing just fine. It’s been so hardy I question if I have mislabeled it. The royals, foxtails, spindle, arecas, and Pygmy dates are bronze and probably a fight to keep alive. I think the adonidias are in a primo spot and will hopefully be okay. We saw 23, 28, and 31 as our lows.

 

I'm sort of new to treatments too. I hired a professional who sprayed copper fungicide and part 2 is 2 weeks later (Feb 20). He told me too much copper could harm a palm. Hope he's right because that seems like a long time between treatments. For the others I use peroxide and apply every other day. My majesty bubbled on Sunday. Today it didnt. Hope your palms recover. 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

These photos are only 4 months apart. Ugh. One night of freezing but happened to be 25F. Most sensitive have been treated with copper fungicide and, marking each spear with a sharpie 3 days ago, i confirmed all are moving their spears. This includes adonidia, bottle, foxtail, and coconut. Doesn't mean they're safe yet but at least alive. 

Got on a ladder to mark a new area of my coconut spear and noticed a new inflorescence pushing that is green (circled in blue). Will be interesting if it continues to push out because my experience is a stressed palm doesn't put it's energy into fruit. 

[Kiplin]

29 minutes ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

These photos are only 4 months apart. Ugh. One night of freezing but happened to be 25F. Most sensitive have been treated with copper fungicide and, marking each spear with a sharpie 3 days ago, i confirmed all are moving their spears. This includes adonidia, bottle, foxtail, and coconut. Doesn't mean they're safe yet but at least alive. 

Got on a ladder to mark a new area of my coconut spear and noticed a new inflorescence pushing that is green (circled in blue). Will be interesting if it continues to push out because my experience is a stressed palm doesn't put it's energy into fruit. 

That's very encouraging news! Hope things continue to push upward!

[Matthew92]

Disney World Landscaping Cleanup Underway After Historic Cold Outbreak (photos in article)

[Kiplin]

Still have plenty of green on this coconut. Trying to mark the spear to get an official read. Buccaneer is browning, starting to get a bit worried. I keep applying hydrogen peroxide and there's a minimal amount of bubbling. Everything else seems to be trying to push through. Just gave the plumeria a good prune to get off the squishy tips. I'd be surprised if it made it but honestly the wood looks pretty good so we'll see!

[kinzyjr]

1 hour ago, Kiplin said:

Still have plenty of green on this coconut. Trying to mark the spear to get an official read. Buccaneer is browning, starting to get a bit worried. I keep applying hydrogen peroxide and there's a minimal amount of bubbling. Everything else seems to be trying to push through. Just gave the plumeria a good prune to get off the squishy tips. I'd be surprised if it made it but honestly the wood looks pretty good so we'll see!

Hope it makes it.  We're all in wait-and-see mode.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

At work near I-Drive, I was surprised a large group of reclinata are all yellow and brown. It is in an open field. It will be fine but wouldn't think 25ish would fry the fronds. 

As it warms, so much has browned around town. Looks so odd around Orlando. 

[Kiplin]

It was so weird flying into Orlando on Monday after the cold front and just seeing brown everywhere from the plane. It felt like we were flying into Denver.  It definitely looks like winter around here. I'll certainly be very glad to see some green soon!

I'm surprised that those reclinata fronds burned so hard. I had always thought they were hardy but then again, the combination of winds and cold were awfully tough for these palms. 

[kinzyjr]

@pj_orlando_z9b + @Kiplin That's odd for Phoenix reclinata.  All or most of them here in Florida are actually hybrids, but the two I grew from seed are completely undamaged.

[Kiplin]

I've been told that keeping the palm well fertilized, particularly with potassium, helps them handle the cold much better. So I've always made sure to keep mine fed well. Maybe that's the difference for those reclinatas as I doubt they have been fed much at all...

[Matthew92]

21 hours ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

At work near I-Drive, I was surprised a large group of reclinata are all yellow and brown. It is in an open field. It will be fine but wouldn't think 25ish would fry the fronds. 

As it warms, so much has browned around town. Looks so odd around Orlando. 

I remember reading an article somewhere from after the 1989 freeze in Orlando and people were saying everything was so brown it was a very depressing atmosphere for awhile. 

[FlaPalmLover]

The foxtails on 17-92 in Sanford are very bronze... hopefully they will make it because it was a bold move by whoever planted them to plant them in the median somewhere that's a little marginal for foxtails, and they looked great before this cold front. They should be planted in more medians in general, in my opinion. @Merlyn has probably already seen these depending on where he lives in Sanford, but thought I'd share for others not in the area.

 

 

 

[FlaPalmLover]

On 2/12/2026 at 7:44 PM, kinzyjr said:

Hope it makes it.  We're all in wait-and-see mode.

How often are you guys watering your cold-damaged palms? @pj_orlando_z9b   I don't want to overdo it, so I've only been doing so about once a week, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't be doing it 2-3x/week now that it's warming up some. I'm planning to wait another week or so before putting any fertilizer out.

[kinzyjr]

44 minutes ago, FlaPalmLover said:

How often are you guys watering your cold-damaged palms? @pj_orlando_z9b   I don't want to overdo it, so I've only been doing so about once a week, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't be doing it 2-3x/week now that it's warming up some. I'm planning to wait another week or so before putting any fertilizer out.

I'll admit to not watering or fertilizing at all.  If we actually get rain on Sunday, it will help.  More than fertilizer, I might do a Banrot on a few things.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

50 minutes ago, FlaPalmLover said:

How often are you guys watering your cold-damaged palms? @pj_orlando_z9b   I don't want to overdo it, so I've only been doing so about once a week, but I'm wondering if I shouldn't be doing it 2-3x/week now that it's warming up some. I'm planning to wait another week or so before putting any fertilizer out.

I watered the soil really well last weekend. Wanted to do 2x a week but I was so busy with work this week I didn't get a chance. I have been following my spear growth and all my palms are at least alive. The bottle is now pushing up green which makes me happy. I'm planning to add a root stimulator. Lukas said they also recommend a nutritional spray but I thought I read no fertilizer until at least March?

[Matthew92]

From livestream today by YouTuber ResortTV1. The large Pandanus in Tomorrowland at Magic Kingdom doesn’t look good.

Mast trees also look rough but I see a little green farther down. 

[Jimbean]

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/338620461

 

Evidence that it dropped below 30F in coastal Collier county

[pj_orlando_z9b]

This is a common drive through South Orlando post-freeze 

[kinzyjr]

23 minutes ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

This is a common drive through South Orlando post-freeze 

Definitely liked it better when it was all green.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

11 hours ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

This is a common drive through South Orlando post-freeze 

Does every street look like this in Orlando?