How can I save these palm trees

[Nyhockeyref93]

So here in Florida we had that cold front that did a number on all my Clusia plants and my two Christmas palms which are babies and were just put in the ground. The Sylvester palm is thriving great.

 

what can I do to speed up the growth process?
 the Christmas palms have all turned brown and the new frond sprouting looks brown as well.  They do seem to be alive, just need a lot of love.  I have been watering them.  Anything I can give them to help them. 

[happypalms]

They looked cooked, not a lot you can do ATM, just wait for it to warm up prune off all the dead foliage and wait and see, you may need to rethink your choice of palm for the position they are in. It looks like there is no thermal protection except for the pool. If it’s still cold watering is making the situation worse you need warm soil temperatures to get the palm’s metabolism moving cold wet roots are not helping. 

[SeanK]

PSL is at the edge of where you could grow Christmas palms. With the cold snaps this winter, you might be better off going to MIA next month and buying new ones.

Do you know how other z10 palms have done near you (Triangles, Spindles, Bottles)?

I would consider some mules (Butia x Syagrus) in case we get more cold in our winters.

[Harry’s Palms]

I think it is just wait and see at this point. I am sorry to see this but , hopefully , by Spring you will see new life. Harry

[Nyhockeyref93]

3 hours ago, happypalms said:

They looked cooked, not a lot you can do ATM, just wait for it to warm up prune off all the dead foliage and wait and see, you may need to rethink your choice of palm for the position they are in. It looks like there is no thermal protection except for the pool. If it’s still cold watering is making the situation worse you need warm soil temperatures to get the palm’s metabolism moving cold wet roots are not helping. 

Yea they look bad, it’s been 80 during the day, so I think the cold is done. 

[Harry’s Palms]

Wow ! From cold snap to 80f seems to be quite the swing in temperature . That would be tough on any plants , except maybe cacti. Harry

[sonoranfans]

Welcome to palm talk!  It got kind of cold on the east coast at that latitude last couple weeks, very unusual as its been at least a 15 year period since the last cold snap like that near stuart.  Christmas palms may die in that cold, some died near me in 2010 at 28F, check for spear pull and use peroxide/daconil if it pulls.  Or, as was stated they are available everywhere in florida so you could replace them.  You could also investigate alternatives and you are in the right place here to do that.  

[Nyhockeyref93]

So this is their current state.  Some green is observed inside the fronds, but doesn’t look great 

 

 

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

15 minutes ago, Nyhockeyref93 said:

So this is their current state.  Some green is observed inside the fronds, but doesn’t look great 

 

 

The positioning of these Christmas Palms doesn't look bad at all.  I have to wonder what temps were recorded in this spot here?  They were definitely tested it looks like.  I know some spots in West Palm Beach recorded 30 for the low in early February.  I'm actually impressed with the hardiness of these, all things considered.  The green in the crown area is always a good sign.

[Johnny Palmseed]

17 hours ago, Nyhockeyref93 said:

Yea they look bad, it’s been 80 during the day, so I think the cold is done. 

Don’t get tricked into thinking that. The temperature by itself is not a good indicator of the future. As indicated by the arctic blast, we were about 80 one day and 25 the next. I’m not saying it will be freezing again but you really need to look at date, current temp, frontal activity, sun/cloud cover, etc…

As for the palms in the pics, the small diameter ones are probably not going to make it. Larger ones have more reserves and have a better chance. You should know soon whether any will have a chance. If you don’t see any solid green growth by the time it is steadily warm, they are probably dead or not worth trying to save. Also, some palms will look ok for a while and then collapse suddenly. 

The damaged fronds are not repairable and the palm will need to regrow to replace them. You can try to add some fertilizer to spur some new growth but any growth will be limited until summer.

[Davidlon]

Just for a thought,  I have found if you have oak trees that cover your palms even slightly can make a big difference. Anyone growing palms where you can get frost should have high oak canopy or other trees that retain their leaves in the winter. 

[weldertom]

4 hours ago, Davidlon said:

Just for a thought,  I have found if you have oak trees that cover your palms even slightly can make a big difference. Anyone growing palms where you can get frost should have high oak canopy or other trees that retain their leaves in the winter. 

This.

 

I'm in Melbourne Beach and have ample oak coverage with marginal zone palms ( Kentopsis/ Chambeyronia, Adonia, Buccaneer etc).  Makes a huge difference.  Not to say we didn't have damage, but it was mitigated quite a bit by the canopy provided.

[Atlanta Area Palm Guy]

I was surprised to hear about Christmas Palms in the Orlando area.  I am not very familiar with them, but I didn't think they were that hardy.  I have seen they could be severely damaged/die at 32.0 F or 30.0 F or 28.0 F.  

My guess is that it would be best to put these in the warmest microclimate you could find when planting in the Orlando area.  Probably some tough ones if they survived this event in the Orlando area.