Saying goodbye to my palms

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

Forecasted temps in my area over night are somewhere between 25-30 degrees. That’s the end. I will be saying one last goodbye today to most of them. Sad stuff. 

[Jim in Los Altos]

There will be damage but I bet most will recover. 

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

1 hour ago, Cocoa Beach Jason said:

Forecasted temps in my area over night are somewhere between 25-30 degrees. That’s the end. I will be saying one last goodbye today to most of them. Sad stuff. 

Yeah that last two winters were so mild, I’m in Jacksonville and I’m also saying goodbye to my palms and tropical trees

[Johnny Palmseed]

52 minutes ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

Yeah that last two winters were so mild, I’m in Jacksonville and I’m also saying goodbye to my palms and tropical trees

So I know that you were not happy with me and my comments before but this is exactly what I was trying to convey. I was not trying to hurt your feelings or be unsupportive of your ventures. I was simply advising you of the harsh reality of nature. Nature does not care what mankind has described a region to be or that a general trend of warm temperatures is a sign of some sort of absolute minimum temperature. This type of thing happens and will continue to happen. I have (as well as many others) seen this occur several times in my lifetime and have come to the realization that Florida is not immune to intense arctic cold fronts, especially at the worst possible time. Planting tropical palm trees in Florida is always a risk as is any zone pushing. If you want to grow coconuts and similar palms, that’s great but they will never be viable long term in North Florida. And as you can see, even Central Florida is not a sure thing. At this point, there are people in South Florida who are worried because they have super tropical stuff like Areca Vestiaria and Cyrtostachys Renda in the ground. So they have been zone pushing too and it had been working out due to the moderate winters. But it had risk all along just like growing Coconuts and Adonidia in Jacksonville. Wrap your plants, add lights, move what you can indoors and hope for the best. But if your plants die, you will always be able to replace them. It just depends on whether you want to continue spending money on temporary plants.

[Johnny Palmseed]

2 hours ago, Cocoa Beach Jason said:

Forecasted temps in my area over night are somewhere between 25-30 degrees. That’s the end. I will be saying one last goodbye today to most of them. Sad stuff. 

What do you have that you are concerned about?

[Than]

I don't know what you grow but I believe the damage won't be as bad as you think. You may lose some plants but not as many as you think. If they are under cover and the soil is dry and/or sandy, they'll be OK.

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

3 hours ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

What do you have that you are concerned about?

What’s the lowest low anyone has ever pushed a tribear? 

[Cocoa Beach Jason]

I will report back after this passes and let you know what made it and what croaked. I’m saying good bye to the cocos. 

[Fusca]

16 minutes ago, Cocoa Beach Jason said:

I’m saying good bye to the cocos. 

Best of luck to you.  There's a Fiji Dwarf in Harlingen, Texas that I have defoliated and wrapped with a canvas painter's tarp each of the last 4 years hitting 27°F each year.  So far so good.  Here's pics from last winter.  

[Than]

11 minutes ago, Fusca said:

Best of luck to you.  There's a Fiji Dwarf in Harlingen, Texas that I have defoliated and wrapped with a canvas painter's tarp each of the last 4 years hitting 27°F each year.  So far so good.  Here's pics from last winter.  

To me it's hard to understand how a place so far south can get temperatures below freezing. You are at the same latitude as Dubai, with an all time minimum of 45F or south Taiwan with an all time record low of 40F! But anyway, you managed to keep a cocos alive, so things must be good there for palms.

[SeanK]

31 minutes ago, Cocoa Beach Jason said:

I will report back after this passes and let you know what made it and what croaked. I’m saying good bye to the cocos. 

This is why I recommend 

1. 90% of your plants completely cold-hardy.

2. Keep the delicate stuff in the back yard, so your neighbors never see all your protection efforts.

3. Try to choose small species to protect, because they're easier to protect.

[WaianaeCrider]

And I thought I had a PROBLEM with the CRB INVASION.  At least MOST of my palms are un-affected.  So Far that is.

[Fusca]

55 minutes ago, Than said:

things must be good there for palms.

Most of the year it is.   Thankfully the freezes are short lived - usually less than 8 hours and rarely multiple times in a winter.  We've only been below 40°F three nights this winter with the one freeze.  But it only takes one extreme event to wreak havoc.

[ck_in_fla]

6 hours ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

So I know that you were not happy with me and my comments before but this is exactly what I was trying to convey. I was not trying to hurt your feelings or be unsupportive of your ventures. I was simply advising you of the harsh reality of nature. Nature does not care what mankind has described a region to be or that a general trend of warm temperatures is a sign of some sort of absolute minimum temperature. This type of thing happens and will continue to happen. I have (as well as many others) seen this occur several times in my lifetime and have come to the realization that Florida is not immune to intense arctic cold fronts, especially at the worst possible time. Planting tropical palm trees in Florida is always a risk as is any zone pushing. If you want to grow coconuts and similar palms, that’s great but they will never be viable long term in North Florida. And as you can see, even Central Florida is not a sure thing. At this point, there are people in South Florida who are worried because they have super tropical stuff like Areca Vestiaria and Cyrtostachys Renda in the ground. So they have been zone pushing too and it had been working out due to the moderate winters. But it had risk all along just like growing Coconuts and Adonidia in Jacksonville. Wrap your plants, add lights, move what you can indoors and hope for the best. But if your plants die, you will always be able to replace them. It just depends on whether you want to continue spending money on temporary plants.

You are being 100% realistic.  I have a number of things that may be toast by morning.  This will be an excellent test of Becarriophoenix alfredi.  Mine is getting really large.  We will see how this tree deals with 24 or 25 degrees...

[quaman58]

Size really matters. That's a big TRi bear; hard to believe a (hopefully) short event could take it down. In 2007 we had a brutal low 20's event that lasted about 5 days. (Nightime temps). I lost lots of small stuff, but nothing established . Best of luck, I know it's stressful..

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

10 hours ago, Johnny Palmseed said:

So I know that you were not happy with me and my comments before but this is exactly what I was trying to convey. I was not trying to hurt your feelings or be unsupportive of your ventures. I was simply advising you of the harsh reality of nature. Nature does not care what mankind has described a region to be or that a general trend of warm temperatures is a sign of some sort of absolute minimum temperature. This type of thing happens and will continue to happen. I have (as well as many others) seen this occur several times in my lifetime and have come to the realization that Florida is not immune to intense arctic cold fronts, especially at the worst possible time. Planting tropical palm trees in Florida is always a risk as is any zone pushing. If you want to grow coconuts and similar palms, that’s great but they will never be viable long term in North Florida. And as you can see, even Central Florida is not a sure thing. At this point, there are people in South Florida who are worried because they have super tropical stuff like Areca Vestiaria and Cyrtostachys Renda in the ground. So they have been zone pushing too and it had been working out due to the moderate winters. But it had risk all along just like growing Coconuts and Adonidia in Jacksonville. Wrap your plants, add lights, move what you can indoors and hope for the best. But if your plants die, you will always be able to replace them. It just depends on whether you want to continue spending money on temporary plants.

I watched Walt Darnell’s video and did what he did expect I used a heating blanket, I bought one today. I have first a sheet around trunk. On top of that I have heating blanket, and then on top of that I have a sheet( heating blanket is not touching the ground). And then I have a medium sized frost cloth slightly over the sheets + frawnds. And then finally, I have an even bigger frost cloth above all that as well. I have two coconuts and the bigger one takes cold harder, but it was never healthy when I bought it. It had overgrown its pot and the roots were bone dry, I bought it in June, and it didn’t grow until August. But after that I grew rapidly. And we even had a warm front where it grew a couple in a week in winter. So once it’s fully established by next winter, it will tolerate cold much better, my little one grew a month after it was planted so that’s why I think I think it got hit hard. Although none of them are dead yet. I think they will survive.  every 10 years we have a night like this like 2011 when it got into the low 20 ‘s. you are right about them not growing like the ones in south Florida do. But in the next 10 years when that cold does cold there is no way I’m still living in Jacksonville, I’ll be in south Florida in the nice wheather.

[Than]

Guys don't forget to share the outcome of this cold wave in the cold damage report forum. Fingers crossed for you.

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

11 hours ago, Than said:

Guys don't forget to share the outcome of this cold wave in the cold damage report forum. Fingers crossed for you.

where is the cold damage report forum?

[idontknowhatnametuse]

3 minutes ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

where is the cold damage report forum?

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/forum/13-freeze-damage-data/

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

Just now, idontknowhatnametuse said:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/forum/13-freeze-damage-data/

thank you

[Golden10]

22 hours ago, ck_in_fla said:

You are being 100% realistic.  I have a number of things that may be toast by morning.  This will be an excellent test of Becarriophoenix alfredi.  Mine is getting really large.  We will see how this tree deals with 24 or 25 degrees...

How did the beccariophoenix do? 

[Central Floridave]

I took a major hit in my yard. South Merritt Island, north of Pineda.   Hoping to see some recovery as a lot of the tropical palm fronds got fried.    Most of my croton and copperleaf are limp and those are the first to show damage.   

[Central Floridave]

Becarriophoenix alfredi.  Two of my biggest show no frond damage.  

you can see the foxtails above the first photo got fried

of course, can always see damage weeks later but I’m impressed with this palm   

 

[Than]

15 hours ago, Central Floridave said:

Becarriophoenix alfredi.  Two of my biggest show no frond damage.  

you can see the foxtails above the first photo got fried

of course, can always see damage weeks later but I’m impressed with this palm   

 

Given the strong winds you had along with the cold, I am surprised foxtails are just partially fried. I'd expect demise..

[ck_in_fla]

On 1/31/2026 at 5:21 PM, ck_in_fla said:

You are being 100% realistic.  I have a number of things that may be toast by morning.  This will be an excellent test of Becarriophoenix alfredi.  Mine is getting really large.  We will see how this tree deals with 24 or 25 degrees...

 

On 1/31/2026 at 5:21 PM, ck_in_fla said:

You are being 100% realistic.  I have a number of things that may be toast by morning.  This will be an excellent test of Becarriophoenix alfredi.  Mine is getting really large.  We will see how this tree deals with 24 or 25 degrees...

I had 24F and 25F on three consecutive mornings.  So far, my Becarriophoenix alfredi looks unscathed.  Not even any frond damage so far.  I will monitor it closely especially as we move into spring.  But, I have to say this species looks to be a perfect addition here in zone 9B East Central Florida.  

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, Than said:

Given the strong winds you had along with the cold, I am surprised foxtails are just partially fried. I'd expect demise..

Never too late for one in your yard, Than!

[Than]

20 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Never too late for one in your yard, Than!

Let's see what I can squeeze in in 450 sq.m. haha!

[Phoenikakias]

1 hour ago, Than said:

Let's see what I can squeeze in in 450 sq.m. haha!

This particular one I would accommodate it in any case 

[Than]

1 hour ago, Phoenikakias said:

This particular one I would accommodate it in any case 

Beautiful species, grows fast and is not picky about the soil... However, there are very few in Kalamata.. if any. There must be a reason for that. Pietro says "the adult plants can resist to exceptional and very short lasting decreases of temperatures to -2 °C." On the 13d of January I had -2C for several hours.. 

I may give it a go if I find a large enough specimen to buy. I can't be bothered with more tiny seedlings.

 

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, Than said:

Beautiful species, grows fast and is not picky about the soil... However, there are very few in Kalamata.. if any. There must be a reason for that. Pietro says "the adult plants can resist to exceptional and very short lasting decreases of temperatures to -2 °C." On the 13d of January I had -2C for several hours.. 

I may give it a go if I find a large enough specimen to buy. I can't be bothered with more tiny seedlings.

 

It is quite picky about the soil, but it is also rather cool tolerant. Do not let yourself misled by the reports in Florida A sudden and longer lasting cold spell than few hours may be more damaging, because the palms are caught with 'pants down ' that is in active growth.

[Than]

41 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

It is quite picky about the soil, but it is also rather cool tolerant. Do not let yourself misled by the reports in Florida A sudden and longer lasting cold spell than few hours may be more damaging, because the palms are caught with 'pants down ' that is in active growth.

Do you have any in the ground?

[Phoenikakias]

1 hour ago, Than said:

Do you have any in the ground?

Three

[Than]

23 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Three

planting distance 20cm I see; running out of space eh? 

[Phoenikakias]

Just now, Than said:

planting distance 20cm I see; running out of space eh? 

Awfully

[Than]

10 hours ago, Phoenikakias said:

Awfully

I feel you. Did you get them from seedlings or seeds? They look quite young!

[weldertom]

Waiting to see what survived.  

 

Might be GOOD NEWS in a month or two-------- as in "Hey, I just got some new palms in the ground!" 

[Than]

On 2/4/2026 at 7:33 PM, Phoenikakias said:

It is quite picky about the soil, but it is also rather cool tolerant. Do not let yourself misled by the reports in Florida A sudden and longer lasting cold spell than few hours may be more damaging, because the palms are caught with 'pants down ' that is in active growth.

bought one today; you are a bad influence 😅

[Phoenikakias]

47 minutes ago, Than said:

bought one today; you are a bad influence 😅

Audentes fortuna iuvat...

[Than]

2 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Audentes fortuna iuvat...

Yes but qui non sapit non audet...

[Phoenikakias]

21 hours ago, Than said:

Yes but qui non sapit non audet...

Per periculum et errorem...