2026 2026_02 - Florida Palmageddon Observations and Damage Photo Thread

[pj_orlando_z9b]

On 2/23/2026 at 8:37 AM, pj_orlando_z9b said:

I have several types of cordylines and have mixed results. Like most other plants, cordylines that were protected from winds and under overhangs look untouched. Even the same plant looks totally different in some cases. Exposed looks bad, understory great. 

Here is an example of my cordyline. Same plant impacted when exposed vs ok under the eave. Also optimistic the foxtail spear appears green. 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

I went back to review how my coconut recovered from the 2018 freeze. Took a good 1.5 years to regrow the entire crown. 

2018 min was 28F. This year was 25F and change so about 2-3 degrees lower. I believe freeze duration was 4 to 5 hours longer.

Pic is Feb, June and Nov of 2018.

[Bkue]

Page 7 looks like a bountiful garden compared to my disaster in Oviedo. Not sure on casualties yet but looking like severe. Royals, several very large Adonidias, 100’s areca’s although the lowest are green, coconuts, citrus, bananas, mangos, ti, ginger, crotons, aboricolas, colocasia, fiddle leaf, birds, you name it. Torched. Even the Bismarcks got hammered but should do fine. Only the Europeans, sabals, and livistonas appear unfazed. 

[MarkC]

I got a photo of the “famous” highway 17 coconut in Fort Meade. It’s completely fried.

 

[Jimbean]

Another royal palm in habitat with freeze damage

https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/340110091

[idontknowhatnametuse]

11 hours ago, MarkC said:

I got a photo of the “famous” highway 17 coconut in Fort Meade. It’s completely fried.

 

Must be of a tender variety

[MarkC]

1 hour ago, idontknowhatnametuse said:

Must be of a tender variety

I’m hoping it can pull through. 😞

[HudsonBill]

On 2/22/2026 at 3:52 PM, FlaPalmLover said:

Anyone else have cordyline fruticosa totally destroyed by the cold front? I didn't know they were so cold sensitive. Mine look like they're toast. They were 3-4 feet tall already. I didn't protect them because I didn't know they were that sensitive.

They come back easy.  If you cut them it will shoot out 2 or 3 shoots. I trim mine back every year to keep them bushy. Those and my crotons in the open defoliate almost every year. 

[MarkC]

I wanted to share what I believe are probably the nicest coconuts in Naples and probably amongst the nicest in SW Florida that I have come across. They are next to the post office off Goodlet-Frank Rd. There’s a canal right near them so they are able to get filtered irrigation.

This is not the warmest location in Naples, but it’s clearly one of the most ideal for cocos. This location bottomed out at 36F this winter, and is typically 2-3F warmer on the coldest nights than my home just past Livingston.

[Frank]

My experience with A. pinnata is that it always comes back after a hard freeze, even if the center spear pulls out.

Just wait.

One year I had to wait until August before a new leaf pushed up from the center.

Frank 

(New Smyrna Beach)

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Christmas palms looking good. First is a triple trunk version. Red circles are the sharpie line growth in 3 weeks. The other is a larger double trunk one that had no protection. 

[Bazza]

Friday update from New Smyrna Beach on the barrier island......

Will post photos next time.

Looks like my Pandanus is done. To be honest - it's taken some pretty big hits from 2 hurricanes in previous years so hasn't really been the Pandanus it once was, anyway.  Still sad to see her go.

I'm a little more optimistic today seeing some green remaining in the center bud areas of most all my palms. Including the 3 big Coconuts.

I gave them a liquid feed a week ago and just now hit everything with a granular.  I truly think it will help.

I'll hit them again with some Banrot this weekend. So far they've gotten 2 Copper fungicide treatments and on the Coconuts only a Banrot drench very early on.

Regardless of what survives - it's going to be ugly for a couple years, that's for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

Fishlips in Port Canaveral has some pretty untouched adonidia facing East. More evidence the wind was one of the biggest offenders. 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

5 hours ago, Bazza said:

Friday update from New Smyrna Beach on the barrier island......

Will post photos next time.

Looks like my Pandanus is done. To be honest - it's taken some pretty big hits from 2 hurricanes in previous years so hasn't really been the Pandanus it once was, anyway.  Still sad to see her go.

I'm a little more optimistic today seeing some green remaining in the center bud areas of most all my palms. Including the 3 big Coconuts.

I gave them a liquid feed a week ago and just now hit everything with a granular.  I truly think it will help.

I'll hit them again with some Banrot this weekend. So far they've gotten 2 Copper fungicide treatments and on the Coconuts only a Banrot drench very early on.

Regardless of what survives - it's going to be ugly for a couple years, that's for sure!

 

 

 

 

 

I'm gonna try Banrot on my plumerias. I'm near 100% confidence both died at least to ground so will try to save the roots. I trimmed back to where I saw whitish tissue but black is showing up on the trunks. Sad, one was pretty large and had deep red flowers. 

Have you had succes with Banrot?

[Bkue]

8 hours ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

Christmas palms looking good. First is a triple trunk version. Red circles are the sharpie line growth in 3 weeks. The other is a larger double trunk one that had no protection. 

Dang. I still have a hint of green but seeing no movement. No spear pull but not looking good. Not seeing trunk oozing. Riddle me this though…. On the Christmas and royals, the foliage is fried but the petiole is still green (ish). Does that offer hope? 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

21 hours ago, Bkue said:

Dang. I still have a hint of green but seeing no movement. No spear pull but not looking good. Not seeing trunk oozing. Riddle me this though…. On the Christmas and royals, the foliage is fried but the petiole is still green (ish). Does that offer hope? 

Yes it does offer hope.  That's how mine are. I did protect the one in the pic. Wrapped the bud and had some C9 lights on the ground to give off heat. So that helped. My other wasn't protected and the spears are pushing slower. 

[kinzyjr]

@Bkue + @pj_orlando_z9b + et al.

Hope you both get a few Adonidias and Roystoneas to push through.  It's looking like I'll be removing one Royal and one Adonidia.  The others should be able to pull through.  Two of my coconuts are pushing new green growth, so there is hope there. 

While I was working the booth at the plant sale today, a few people asked me what the pinnate palms were on the east side of Summit tower downtown.  My answer of Archontophoenix cunninghamiana apparently caught them off-guard, but when I explained that the building blocked all of the wind, it made sense why they were green.

[Merlyn]

The damage on some palms and cycads seems wildly inconsistent.  It's really strange:

• Dioon Merolae has 8 or 9 totally torched fronds, and one untouched solid green one!
• Zamia Vasquezii on the N side of an Alfredii is 100% burnt to a crisp, and an identical one 6 feet away looks nearly perfect.

More normal is the behavior of some Encephalartos Ferox in the open (exposed to wind) 100% torched, others with some windbreak are lightly damaged.

I did pull one spear from a small B. Alfredii today.  It is about 3 feet tall, so it is still super skinny near the bud.  I haven't tried pulling on many spears yet.  I am sure of 100% mortality on all Burretiokentia and Cyphophoenix species, along with several Dypsis/Chysalidocarpus Lanceolata and Pembana.  The Lutescens will probably regrow from the roots.  A bunch of others probably have bud death and I just won't know for a couple of months.  Some stuff I am just going to "edit" out now instead of trying to fix them.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

@Bkue + @pj_orlando_z9b + et al.

Hope you both get a few Adonidias and Roystoneas to push through.  It's looking like I'll be removing one Royal and one Adonidia.  The others should be able to pull through.  Two of my coconuts are pushing new green growth, so there is hope there. 

While I was working the booth at the plant sale today, a few people asked me what the pinnate palms were on the east side of Summit tower downtown.  My answer of Archontophoenix cunninghamiana apparently caught them off-guard, but when I explained that the building blocked all of the wind, it made sense why they were green.

Thanks. Wishing you well too. My coconut although growing has oozed out in a few places on the trunk. Like a dime size. I've read that can be ok as long as it is growing. Ugh, not feeling good about it tbh. I lost both plumerias...trunks are turning black. My autograph plant I'm leaving alone for now but saw some oozing for the first time today. So frustrating, all from one night.

[HudsonBill]

What i have learned over the last 5 years.

Coconuts do way way way better than anyone gives them credit for.  I uave yet to lose a coconut due to cold. I have lost tons of 9b safe palms. Kentia, teddy bear, dreadlock palm, flamethrower etc 

Royals foxtails kings coconuts all fry but don't die ever no matter what. 

Ive learned that if it grows well in California in 9b it will probably won't in florida 9b. 

 

 

[pj_orlando_z9b]

12 minutes ago, HudsonBill said:

What i have learned over the last 5 years.

Coconuts do way way way better than anyone gives them credit for.  I uave yet to lose a coconut due to cold. I have lost tons of 9b safe palms. Kentia, teddy bear, dreadlock palm, flamethrower etc 

Royals foxtails kings coconuts all fry but don't die ever no matter what. 

Ive learned that if it grows well in California in 9b it will probably won't in florida 9b. 

 

 

I hope. Mine all bounved back from 2018 so holding hope. I think one thing that helps is our ridiculous hot summers allow for tropical plants to build a lot of fronds which becomes storage of food. I think most of us on this board fertilize well too. 

[HudsonBill]

Just now, pj_orlando_z9b said:

I hope. Mine all bounved back from 2018 so holding hope. I think one thing that helps is our ridiculous hot summers allow for tropical plants to build a lot of fronds which becomes storage of food. I think most of us on this board fertilize well too. 

My coconuts got absolutely fried last year all came back about half canopy before this freeze. They handled this freeze better than 1 night last year. Healthy palms 100 percent will do much better but it's wild what they grow in California taht just does horrible here

[Matthew92]

 

 

[Hombre de Palmas]

I am posting one photo of our garden pre-Armageddon as a test to make sure I have formatted it correctly. This is my 1st attempt to post photos here. This is from my wife's phone camera.

From 9-30-2025       Happier Times.

 

[Hombre de Palmas]

That same area today.

I just haven't had the heart to post photos before now. I haven't looked at the "before" photos until today. I will work on a more comprehensive photo documentation of the wreckage of our garden in the coming days. I apologize for the quality of the photos. That is not my strong suit but it certainly gets the point across.

 

 

 

[FlaPalmLover]

Removed a few palms from my yard today. Definitely a somber day, but it had to be done, and a lot of lessons were learned I think. I also trimmed away all of the damaged trunk from my cordylines. Hopefully they will recover.

Here's what the coconut that's fairly close to me here in Deltona is looking like now (it's the only nice one I'd seen in town prior to the cold snap). I see some green on the petioles, so not sure if it may have some chance of a recovery. The owners didn't do anything to try to protect it.

[Hombre de Palmas]

I imagine it was a somber day. Sorry for you.

[idontknowhatnametuse]

1 hour ago, FlaPalmLover said:

Removed a few palms from my yard today. Definitely a somber day, but it had to be done, and a lot of lessons were learned I think. I also trimmed away all of the damaged trunk from my cordylines. Hopefully they will recover.

Here's what the coconut that's fairly close to me here in Deltona is looking like now (it's the only nice one I'd seen in town prior to the cold snap). I see some green on the petioles, so not sure if it may have some chance of a recovery. The owners didn't do anything to try to protect it.

Petioles look fine, I think it will make it.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

1 hour ago, FlaPalmLover said:

Removed a few palms from my yard today. Definitely a somber day, but it had to be done, and a lot of lessons were learned I think. I also trimmed away all of the damaged trunk from my cordylines. Hopefully they will recover.

Here's what the coconut that's fairly close to me here in Deltona is looking like now (it's the only nice one I'd seen in town prior to the cold snap). I see some green on the petioles, so not sure if it may have some chance of a recovery. The owners didn't do anything to try to protect it.

It may. They really should treat with fungicide if they haven't. It is stressed and just figuring things out.

[pj_orlando_z9b]

I mentioned about my coconut earlier. I got the ladder out today to try and get as close to the spear as possible.  Pic on left is from a few days after the freeze where I put a sharpie on a long stick to make a mark. The right is today. Spear pushed up over 12"  it's opening and I'm seeing green. If I marked the petiole, odd that it's more brown when the petioles exposed to the freeze are still green. This is what I did the last month:

Copper fungicide x 2 14 days apart

Root stimulator 

Recovery mix applied to soil. It's like a very light fertilizer

Banrot

Watered well once a week

Now I'm leaving it alone and see what happens. 

[idontknowhatnametuse]

24 minutes ago, pj_orlando_z9b said:

I mentioned about my coconut earlier. I got the ladder out today to try and get as close to the spear as possible.  Pic on left is from a few days after the freeze where I put a sharpie on a long stick to make a mark. The right is today. Spear pushed up over 12"  it's opening and I'm seeing green. If I marked the petiole, odd that it's more brown when the petioles exposed to the freeze are still green. This is what I did the last month:

Copper fungicide x 2 14 days apart

Root stimulator 

Recovery mix applied to soil. It's like a very light fertilizer

Banrot

Watered well once a week

Now I'm leaving it alone and see what happens. 

[Hombre de Palmas]

Couple more photos from my garden.

This one is taken the day before the catastrophe.

 

Similar photo below taken today, 3-2-26

The brown tree in the background is a Mango. I am increasingly optimistic that the Wodyetias will pull through.  As an aside, all of the Earleaf Acacias around here (they are everywhere) are defoliated and/or burned. Not sure if they will recover, but most likely will.

I was going to post more photos but my camera skills pale in comparison to my wife's abilities. She took photo #1 on her phone, I took #2 this morning on my kindle so you can see why I choose to regroup. She has graciously agreed to document the carnage with me tomorrow morning. Once they are downloaded, I will continue the documentation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some photos of our garden starting with a blank canvas in November of 2017. We had relocated back to the states from Central America because of our parents bad health. We had originally planned to settle around Cape Coral but our dog Lucie, who we found abandoned in the rain forest, and returned with us as a souvenir discovered PSL and that was that! She has since become a real saint and is in heaven now! 

October 2017

 

November 2017 pretty bedraggled garden going in.

Couple Years later...

Couple more again...

 

I will post recent photos and additional photos of the aftermath of the "Fatal Florida Freeze" in the next day or two.

 

 

[kinzyjr]

Today was the start of removing plants that were dead or so close they had little chance of recovering.  Thus far, the attached sheet is where things stand.  The plants marked in Dark Blue were removed today.  The plants marked in light blue are others I anticipate removing at some point.  There are enough plants in the garage to fill empty spaces (and then some), but I do plan on keeping a lot of the space open.  My intent is to hold off until at least fall to start treating these as actual observations for the Cold Hardiness Observation Master Data because things will inevitably change.  The Atlantic Tall is recovering about as quick as @pj_orlando_z9b's coconut.  The Maypan is a little slower.  The photo is of the Atlantic Tall from the ladder today.

 

20260302_TentativeGardenDamageReport.xlsx

[Bkue]

On 2/27/2026 at 2:07 PM, pj_orlando_z9b said:

Christmas palms looking good. First is a triple trunk version. Red circles are the sharpie line growth in 3 weeks. The other is a larger double trunk one that had no protection. 

I’m cooked. Loosing hope. Dropped a bunch of fronds yesterday and still have green(ish) crowns but got zero growth. Spears don’t pull and no collapse but nearly no color and the spears that were growing haven’t opened or moved an inch. Royals, adonidia’s, or areca’s. Bananas pushed out about 1ft, areca’s down low pushed, hibiscus starting to push, arguable aboricola. Looks like a wasteland here. Going to wait till the weekend to start cutting.  
 

the Christmas while huge for my area aren’t a shock. I expected the royals to do better. Areca’s not shocked but I may lose the ones with 10ft of trunk. Bismarck took a shot too. Several bleached fronds and about a half dozen “broken” by the trunk hanging down. 

[tep1981]

Here's the Coconut Palms and Royals on Jasmine Blvd, Port Richey, Florida taken March 1st 2026

[kinzyjr]

8 hours ago, Bkue said:

I’m cooked. Loosing hope. Dropped a bunch of fronds yesterday and still have green(ish) crowns but got zero growth. Spears don’t pull and no collapse but nearly no color and the spears that were growing haven’t opened or moved an inch. Royals, adonidia’s, or areca’s. Bananas pushed out about 1ft, areca’s down low pushed, hibiscus starting to push, arguable aboricola. Looks like a wasteland here. Going to wait till the weekend to start cutting.  
 

the Christmas while huge for my area aren’t a shock. I expected the royals to do better. Areca’s not shocked but I may lose the ones with 10ft of trunk. Bismarck took a shot too. Several bleached fronds and about a half dozen “broken” by the trunk hanging down. 

It's hard not to just start cutting immediately because of how bad everything looks.  Hope that you have a few success stories as well.  

[HudsonBill]

19 hours ago, tep1981 said:

Here's the Coconut Palms and Royals on Jasmine Blvd, Port Richey, Florida taken March 1st 2026

I pass those all the time. Havnt in awhile though. 

[Bazza]

Couple photos I took showing my poor Pandanus. Like I said the other day...it had already been decimated by hurricanes in 2 previous years, so guess this is Mother Nature's way of finishing the job.

 

The Pandanus clusters that just fell off the tree. The other plants here are Mammy Crotons, which I haven't touched.....

 

Here's the day I brought her to my home 20 years ago. Picking her up, along with two Bismarcks, from my friend's tree farm in Edgewater.

 

Fast forward 14 years and she's in full glory here.....flanking the new bamboo gate I made with one of my (3) 2017 planted Coconuts on the other side...

Sad to lose her but she had a great life and was loved & cherished as much as any tropical specimen could ever be loved & cherished.....

[philinsydney]

Do you know what species of pandanus it was?

[Bazza]

7 hours ago, philinsydney said:

Do you know what species of pandanus it was?

Yes.....utilis.