Post-Winter 2026 Results Thread

[Ben G.]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

That's a good point,  I'm not sure why I hadn't though of that.  Last winter my hybrid Livistona went through winter and seemed fine, but started to go downhill fast and spear pulled like this.  The previous summer it had a quarter sized tunnel opening at the base and to me it looked like a hole from an underground mammal.  I covered it a few times but it would come back, and the I covered it with a rock and a new hole appeared elsewhere.  The palm ended up dying and when I removed it, it had a large hole bored into it, so it was being eaten from the bottom.  After I learned on here it was likely an ox beetle I have been vigilant ever since.  I did find enormous beetle larvae in that garden too, so it all made sense.  They first started showing up around April last year and I would have to check on the palms every morning, and would find new holes every few days and flood the beetles out and destroy them.  This lasted for around 6 weeks and then no more holes after that.

So @Ben G. do you remember any holes at all last summer?

I haven't noticed any holes at the base, though I haven't inspected the base closely. With all of the old leaf bases around the bottom, I have not gotten a good look. 

I know what I will be doing after work today though. 

[amh]

3 hours ago, Chester B said:

That's a good point,  I'm not sure why I hadn't though of that.  Last winter my hybrid Livistona went through winter and seemed fine, but started to go downhill fast and spear pulled like this.  The previous summer it had a quarter sized tunnel opening at the base and to me it looked like a hole from an underground mammal.  I covered it a few times but it would come back, and the I covered it with a rock and a new hole appeared elsewhere.  The palm ended up dying and when I removed it, it had a large hole bored into it, so it was being eaten from the bottom.  After I learned on here it was likely an ox beetle I have been vigilant ever since.  I did find enormous beetle larvae in that garden too, so it all made sense.  They first started showing up around April last year and I would have to check on the palms every morning, and would find new holes every few days and flood the beetles out and destroy them.  This lasted for around 6 weeks and then no more holes after that.

So @Ben G. do you remember any holes at all last summer?

I had an issue with the ox beetle last year and lost about 10 Sabal minor. When I looked at the pictures that @Ben G., I saw a similar pattern of the newer growth dying. It could be freeze or freezing rain damage, but I would look for bore holes.

 

 

[Chester B]

The beetles seem to show a preference for Sabals but they have attacked my needle palms and Livistona.  
 

I’m not sure if they are in San Antonio though.  I thought they were more relegated to the more humid and wetter areas along the gulf coast.  

[Ben G.]

1 hour ago, Chester B said:

The beetles seem to show a preference for Sabals but they have attacked my needle palms and Livistona.  
 

I’m not sure if they are in San Antonio though.  I thought they were more relegated to the more humid and wetter areas along the gulf coast.  

I have no experience with these beetles, but I read that they can be found all the way west into Arizona.

That said, I found no evidence of beetles on or around my Sabals today. Given the timing, I am pretty positive that my palms just reacted really poorly to freezing rain because they are not as established as I thought they were/should be.

It was definitely worth looking into the beetle alternative though. 

[Chester B]

11 hours ago, Ben G. said:

I have no experience with these beetles, but I read that they can be found all the way west into Arizona.

That said, I found no evidence of beetles on or around my Sabals today. Given the timing, I am pretty positive that my palms just reacted really poorly to freezing rain because they are not as established as I thought they were/should be.

It was definitely worth looking into the beetle alternative though. 

You may not see any holes they could be gone by now.  I would watch out for any tunnels near the base of your palms starting in April.   I inspect daily, as I have lost a small palm when I forget to to check that one for two days.

It would be best to remove that grass around your palms at least a few feet.  Better for the palm overall and you'll be able to see any tunneling easily.

[Las Palmas Norte]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

...I inspect daily, as I have lost a small palm when I forget to to check that one for two days. ...

Does anyone use a sticky insect barrier, or are these able to overcome an impermeable boundary like that? Constant inspection for these must be an annoyance.

 

[Chester B]

2 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

Does anyone use a sticky insect barrier, or are these able to overcome an impermeable boundary like that? Constant inspection for these must be an annoyance.

 

People have tried all sorts of things without luck.  They are like the size of a walnut and very strong. I would not use sticky tape, there are so many other small animals in my yard that I don't want to harm.

They seem to have a season, last year it was around 6 weeks.  When the palms get to a certain size they are safe.  Considering there are tens of thousands of Sabals growing in the wild around me, you'd think the chances of encountering one would be low but If I remember correctly I killed about 10 of them last year.

[Las Palmas Norte]

21 hours ago, Chester B said:

People have tried all sorts of things without luck.  They are like the size of a walnut and very strong. I would not use sticky tape, there are so many other small animals in my yard that I don't want to harm.

They seem to have a season, last year it was around 6 weeks.  When the palms get to a certain size they are safe.  Considering there are tens of thousands of Sabals growing in the wild around me, you'd think the chances of encountering one would be low but If I remember correctly I killed about 10 of them last year.

Yes. The sticky entrapments are non-selective. As far as I'm aware, there's no predatory insects around here, at least none capable of boring or killing a palm Thankfully.

[Ben G.]

@Chester B

How does this look? 😁

Now I only have about 18 more palms and trees to clear grass away from before I have them all looking uniform. I will probably find the time to get them all done just in time for next winter. 🤷‍♂️

[Chester B]

On 3/14/2026 at 6:25 PM, Ben G. said:

@Chester B

How does this look? 😁

Now I only have about 18 more palms and trees to clear grass away from before I have them all looking uniform. I will probably find the time to get them all done just in time for next winter. 🤷‍♂️

The palms will appreciate that for sure.  Hopefully they all pull through.

[Las Palmas Norte]

So far this winter (6 days left) no temperatures lower than 29°F / -1.6°C. Musa basjoo are still standing tall with just the leaves frosted. March can be fickle so with any luck, these will pick up right where they left off last year.

[Ben G.]

14 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

So far this winter (6 days left) no temperatures lower than 29°F / -1.6°C. Musa basjoo are still standing tall with just the leaves frosted. March can be fickle so with any luck, these will pick up right where they left off last year.

Very nice. I am glad winter was kind to you this year. I hope the growing season is good to you also.

[Las Palmas Norte]

5 hours ago, Ben G. said:

Very nice. I am glad winter was kind to you this year. I hope the growing season is good to you also.

Hoping you and everyone gets a good growth season for 2026. Some of the eastern regions really need that after the reports I'd heard.

[SeanK]

12 hours ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

So far this winter (6 days left) no temperatures lower than 29°F / -1.6°C. Musa basjoo are still standing tall with just the leaves frosted. March can be fickle so with any luck, these will pick up right where they left off last year.

If this winter was typical for you, You should replace basjoo with orinoco.

[Ben G.]

After a week away from home, I found that one of my two Sabal mexicanas was pushing new growth. Both (disappointingly) spear pulled after 20F and freezing rain.

The other still showed now sign of a new spear. The fronds also looked to be slightly yellowed compared to the other one. So, I bit the bullet and performed surgery to try to save it... hopefully before it is too late.

Fingers crossed I will see some growth in the next few days. 🤞

 

[Chester B]

On 3/28/2026 at 7:40 PM, Ben G. said:

After a week away from home, I found that one of my two Sabal mexicanas was pushing new growth. Both (disappointingly) spear pulled after 20F and freezing rain.

The other still showed now sign of a new spear. The fronds also looked to be slightly yellowed compared to the other one. So, I bit the bullet and performed surgery to try to save it... hopefully before it is too late.

Fingers crossed I will see some growth in the next few days. 🤞

 

You definitely made the right call.  Hopefully it pulls through, but its not looking great.  If you need replacements, Pollinatives has some small and some larger non trunking ones for sale.  Small ones were $22 and the larger size was $42 I believe.

I have two updates to my damage list.  3/4 needle palms now show damage, the same as last year and I forgot to mention that I killed a Brahea moorei outright.  In general all the palms are growing out of their funk, so I have a bunch of unsightly fronds to look at for the next year.

[Allen]

On 3/28/2026 at 7:40 PM, Ben G. said:

After a week away from home, I found that one of my two Sabal mexicanas was pushing new growth. Both (disappointingly) spear pulled after 20F and freezing rain.

The other still showed now sign of a new spear. The fronds also looked to be slightly yellowed compared to the other one. So, I bit the bullet and performed surgery to try to save it... hopefully before it is too late.

Fingers crossed I will see some growth in the next few days. 🤞

 

Update on this?  I think if no growth in nex 3 days, cut down farther till you see a more round white center.

https://youtu.be/KQ9zPxk5EjY?t=222

 

[Ben G.]

@Chester B and @Allen

There has been some growth. I am still a little worried about the very center spear though. It was lighter in color right after I cut it, but it has turned kind of brown in the sun. It is growing up though.

The pill bugs you can still see in the photos also indicate there is plenty of dead tissue still around to eat too.

I am planning to let it keep going to see if the rotted part of the spear finally pushes high enough to show some green...or it pulls out to reveal a new spear. 

What do you think?

[Allen]

9 hours ago, Ben G. said:

@Chester B and @Allen

There has been some growth. I am still a little worried about the very center spear though. It was lighter in color right after I cut it, but it has turned kind of brown in the sun. It is growing up though.

The pill bugs you can still see in the photos also indicate there is plenty of dead tissue still around to eat too.

I am planning to let it keep going to see if the rotted part of the spear finally pushes high enough to show some green...or it pulls out to reveal a new spear. 

What do you think?

Looking ok.  I think it will be ok if it can push out one frond.  Will set it back a year 

[palmofmyhand]

Update- 2 Washingtonias are recovering nicely, other two are dead and getting thrown out. 2 Younger windmills are still doing fine and new ones are in the ground. Issue- two larger windmills are having a rot issue, one of them spear pulled, the other didn’t spear pull but after applying hydrogen peroxide to both of them they both are fizzing. Also applied copper fungicide to the both of them. It appeared to be sooty mold at the bottom of the spear on the smaller one after pulling them out. The sooty mold also attacked the sago palms nearby which also all browned all fronds and may possibly be dead and not coming back. Any feedback about the rotting windmills would be appreciated, the palms still appear healthy despite the bud rot and I am really hoping they recover as they were growing nicely. Also planted a new chamaerops humilis, as the current pair I have has been doing phenomenal over the years.

[Las Palmas Norte]

5 hours ago, Allen said:

Looking ok.  I think it will be ok if it can push out one frond.  Will set it back a year 

The emergence of these new spears during this stage of development would normally not be subjected to direct sunlight. I'd be inclined to provide an overhead cover/sun filter. This serves two purposes. Keeps rain/moisture out and filters the direct sun. A double layer of 6 mil poly would be one such item to achieve these goals. Just my thoughts. Regards.