my big coconut palm in Jacksonville was my first palm and I made lots of mistakes caring for it. after this rare freeze should I just replace it?

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

after the freeze its not totally dead but would look bad for a long time and i pulled of many pedioles and made countless mistake since it was my first palm. and it didnt grow for the first 4 months. should i replace it? spear is a little burned but not fulled dead yet

[kinzyjr]

4 hours ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

after the freeze its not totally dead but would look bad for a long time and i pulled of many pedioles and made countless mistake since it was my first palm. and it didnt grow for the first 4 months. should i replace it? spear is a little burned but not fulled dead yet

Good question, and one only you can ultimately answer. 

For me, the palms here that have survived I'm giving the time to attempt a comeback.  They may eventually croak, but that's life.  Anything that goes will either just be removed and returned to the yard, or replaced by something bulletproof at 20F.

No one would blame any of us for just starting from scratch, though.

[kevojax]

I'm near you in Jacksonville and this freeze really bummed me out. I'm taking a (small) step back from palms this growing season to focus on some bulletproof natives trees for canopy and microclimate creation. I'm hoping it gives me some quality conditions to try a few more potential/marginal palms in upcoming seasons. 

At the end of the day it's all personal preference, but if your coco is still alive, consider keeping it around, waiting and seeing what happens vs. just replace it. It may take a while to come back, and may get hit hard again next year, but it's already adjusted and stronger for what it's been through!

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

here are pictures

[kinzyjr]

8 minutes ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

here are pictures

While I plan on giving the coconuts here time to recover or check out on their own, there's a lot of other stuff I'm considering removing just because I'm tired of looking at it.  Plantae-palooza is coming in less than 3 weeks, and that will be my best chance to get plants hardy to 20^oF at cost.  Then there's the whole pen full of Livistona and Brahea species I ordered from RPS last year that need a spot in the garden and a tray of silver Serenoa repens from @PalmBossTampa.

It's tough to put off instant gratification.

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

1 hour ago, kinzyjr said:

While I plan on giving the coconuts here time to recover or check out on their own, there's a lot of other stuff I'm considering removing just because I'm tired of looking at it.  Plantae-palooza is coming in less than 3 weeks, and that will be my best chance to get plants hardy to 20^oF at cost.  Then there's the whole pen full of Livistona and Brahea species I ordered from RPS last year that need a spot in the garden and a tray of silver Serenoa repens from @PalmBossTampa.

It's tough to put off instant gratification.

I was gonna go but out of nowhere I have a weightlifting meet then. I typically have them Wednesday’s but I have one saturday

[5am]

It's painful to toss a plant but the garden should be a source of enjoyment, not despair. If it hurts to look at, just remove it. Otherwise leave it alone until it recovers or a replacement is found.

[jreich85]

I would check the color of that spear and also mark it to see if you notice any spread growth with the warmer weather. I have failed about a dozen times with coconuts here in Jax because I love them so much I couldn’t give up, but growing then is near impossible unless you can protect them and provide supplemental heat over winter. I’m down to one I have potted so I can move it inside when it gets cold. It’s still suffering, and I had another one die last winter that never saw frost or freezing temps, but just couldn’t handle sustained cool temps. Beccariophoenix alfredii is a cool palm that really looks a lot like a coconut and handles our climate much better. I’m not sure where to get them, but there was a guy that worked at Jax Palms who was selling them locally when I talked to him a couple years ago. He may be on here as well.

 

[SeanK]

Looks like there's green in there. I would start it on hydrogen peroxide twice a week and add a stronger fungicide every 14 days.

As it gets bigger, it will be harder to protect. If you replace it, look for something you can cage or box, like a Bottle palm.

[Than]

Plant other staff that you like looking at and caring for while the cocos is recovering. This way you'll keep your mind and eyes busy with smth else.

However, even if it pulls through, this damage will happen again and again where you live. So if it pains you to see the cocos in a poor state, better get rid of it. A cocos that will go through your winters looking good is a chimera. 

[Mazat]

17 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

While I plan on giving the coconuts here time to recover or check out on their own, there's a lot of other stuff I'm considering removing just because I'm tired of looking at it.  Plantae-palooza is coming in less than 3 weeks, and that will be my best chance to get plants hardy to 20^oF at cost.  Then there's the whole pen full of Livistona and Brahea species I ordered from RPS last year that need a spot in the garden and a tray of silver Serenoa repens from @PalmBossTampa.

It's tough to put off instant gratification.

I think that's very wise advice. As long as there's still a chance, I would wait and see.

[Mazat]

4 hours ago, SeanK said:

Looks like there's green in there. I would start it on hydrogen peroxide twice a week and add a stronger fungicide every 14 days.

As it gets bigger, it will be harder to protect. If you replace it, look for something you can cage or box, like a Bottle palm.

yes, Sean. that gives hope.

[ck_in_fla]

6 hours ago, Mazat said:

yes, Sean. that gives hope.

Why don't you consider replacing the Cocos with a Becarriophoenix alfredi?  When well cared for, they can look like a Cocos on steroids.  Mine, here in the Orlando area, is getting very large.  And, we bottomed out around 27F.  While other really tropical things look like they were attacked with a blow torch, the B. alfredi laughed at those temperatures and continues to look fantastic.  Even in your Jacksonville location, the times you would even need to think about protecting it would be far less than the Cocos you have now.  Just a thought...

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Why not plant an Acrocomia?

[SeanK]

50 minutes ago, ck_in_fla said:

Why don't you consider replacing the Cocos with a Becarriophoenix alfredi?  When well cared for, they can look like a Cocos on steroids.  Mine, here in the Orlando area, is getting very large.  And, we bottomed out around 27F.  While other really tropical things look like they were attacked with a blow torch, the B. alfredi laughed at those temperatures and continues to look fantastic.  Even in your Jacksonville location, the times you would even need to think about protecting it would be far less than the Cocos you have now.  Just a thought...

Would Becarriophoenix fit in that small space he has?

[ck_in_fla]

10 hours ago, SeanK said:

Would Becarriophoenix fit in that small space he has?

Good point.  He may need to find another space.  But, the increased cold tolerance would allow him to choose another spot.  I suspect her chose that spot because of the protection it offered.  If the Cocos had grown, it too would have eventually outgrown that spot...

[SeanK]

Does P.coccoides stand a chance with the humidity?

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

On 2/11/2026 at 9:20 AM, Than said:

Plant other staff that you like looking at and caring for while the cocos is recovering. This way you'll keep your mind and eyes busy with smth else.

However, even if it pulls through, this damage will happen again and again where you live. So if it pains you to see the cocos in a poor state, better get rid of it. A cocos that will go through your winters looking good is a chimera. 

 

On 2/11/2026 at 7:13 PM, ck_in_fla said:

Why don't you consider replacing the Cocos with a Becarriophoenix alfredi?  When well cared for, they can look like a Cocos on steroids.  Mine, here in the Orlando area, is getting very large.  And, we bottomed out around 27F.  While other really tropical things look like they were attacked with a blow torch, the B. alfredi laughed at those temperatures and continues to look fantastic.  Even in your Jacksonville location, the times you would even need to think about protecting it would be far less than the Cocos you have now.  Just a thought...

i have no idea where to get one

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

13 hours ago, ck_in_fla said:

Good point.  He may need to find another space.  But, the increased cold tolerance would allow him to choose another spot.  I suspect her chose that spot because of the protection it offered.  If the Cocos had grown, it too would have eventually outgrown that spot...

i think i might replace it with a healthy coconut palm it was my first palm ever and i ripped all the boots of when i didnt know i was supposed to, never fertilized, i also thought it be a good idea to fertilize with reef aquarium salt, and i picked out a bad palm that all the roots were brittle, and i ripped off so many boots at one point it was oozing sap. If the second year fails ill just get something like a bacarriophenoix alfredei

[ck_in_fla]

9 minutes ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

 

i have no idea where to get one

I ordered mine online.  It arrived bare root wrapped in damp newspaper.  I immediately planted it in the ground.  That was 4 years ago.  It has grown into a monster...

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

On 2/10/2026 at 7:24 PM, kinzyjr said:

While I plan on giving the coconuts here time to recover or check out on their own, there's a lot of other stuff I'm considering removing just because I'm tired of looking at it.  Plantae-palooza is coming in less than 3 weeks, and that will be my best chance to get plants hardy to 20^oF at cost.  Then there's the whole pen full of Livistona and Brahea species I ordered from RPS last year that need a spot in the garden and a tray of silver Serenoa repens from @PalmBossTampa.

It's tough to put off instant gratification.

Nevermind my meet got cancelled.

[kinzyjr]

37 minutes ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

Nevermind my meet got cancelled.

We'll see you there.  Usually it's me, Dave Hall, and Steve selling plants and T-shirts.  The last couple of years have been good for sales.  There was word going around that Cypress Gardens Nursery was going to have a booth.  They sell palms as well.

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

9 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

We'll see you there.  Usually it's me, Dave Hall, and Steve selling plants and T-shirts.  The last couple of years have been good for sales.  There was word going around that Cypress Gardens Nursery was going to have a booth.  They sell palms as well.

I’ll buy some, I think I’m going to get a rare palm they don’t sell at Home Depot there. Also my big coconuts inner spear is starting to stink, it was never healthy it’s dunno. I think I’m going to try a coconut one more time. I could replace it with a bacarriophenoix alfredei but I just don’t like the look of them.

[kinzyjr]

11 minutes ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

I’ll buy some, I think I’m going to get a rare palm they don’t sell at Home Depot there. Also my big coconuts inner spear is starting to stink, it was never healthy it’s dunno. I think I’m going to try a coconut one more time. I could replace it with a bacarriophenoix alfredei but I just don’t like the look of them.

If you want a smaller coconut that's easier to protect, I can bring my Red Spicata Dwarf Hybrid.  I took it out of the ground before this freeze. It had just started looking really good again after the December 2022 cold and this one would have put the nail in the coffin.  The overall height with pot is about 2 ft.  It's small, but healthy and growing.

My thoughts on Beccariophoenix alfredii are that it isn't as gorgeous as a coconut palm, but it is alive unassisted here.  It's cousin Beccariophoenix fenestralis is much better looking healthy, but it took near total defoliation under the same circumstances in my yard.  If any of my coconuts survive, I'll count myself lucky.  There are three I think will eventually die and two that have a decent shot.  The two that might live are my Maypan and my Atlantic Tall (a.k.a. Jamaican Tall).  The three that might die are a Green Malayan Dwarf, a Panama Tall, and an unknown cultivar sold as Fiji Dwarf.

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

5 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

If you want a smaller coconut that's easier to protect, I can bring my Red Spicata Dwarf Hybrid.  I took it out of the ground before this freeze. It had just started looking really good again after the December 2022 cold and this one would have put the nail in the coffin.  The overall height with pot is about 2 ft.  It's small, but healthy and growing.

My thoughts on Beccariophoenix alfredii are that it isn't as gorgeous as a coconut palm, but it is alive unassisted here.  It's cousin Beccariophoenix fenestralis is much better looking healthy, but it took near total defoliation under the same circumstances in my yard.  If any of my coconuts survive, I'll count myself lucky.  There are three I think will eventually die and two that have a decent shot.  The two that might live are my Maypan and my Atlantic Tall (a.k.a. Jamaican Tall).  The three that might die are a Green Malayan Dwarf, a Panama Tall, and an unknown cultivar sold as Fiji Dwarf.

Ok how much is your spicata and how big is it?

[kinzyjr]

1 hour ago, Maddox Gardening-youtube said:

Ok how much is your spicata and how big is it?

You can claim it for free.  We'll call it a door prize.

 

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

5 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

You can claim it for free.  We'll call it a door prize.

 

Ok thank you so much

[Merlyn]

On 2/12/2026 at 7:36 AM, SeanK said:

Does P.coccoides stand a chance with the humidity?

Generally no Parajubaea tolerate FL's swampy humidity.  I think Sunkha is the only one that people have grown down here, but I wouldn't guarantee my memory on that!  I tried a BxPJS from Patrick, but it just sulked for a while and then croaked.

[Maddox Gardening-youtube]

On 2/10/2026 at 2:50 PM, kevojax said:

I'm near you in Jacksonville and this freeze really bummed me out. I'm taking a (small) step back from palms this growing season to focus on some bulletproof natives trees for canopy and microclimate creation. I'm hoping it gives me some quality conditions to try a few more potential/marginal palms in upcoming seasons. 

At the end of the day it's all personal preference, but if your coco is still alive, consider keeping it around, waiting and seeing what happens vs. just replace it. It may take a while to come back, and may get hit hard again next year, but it's already adjusted and stronger for what it's been through!

Yeah the past 10 years were so mild and everyone was starting to plant crown shafts palms. It was a real bummer. Now Jacksonville looks so bland