Kentia (Howea) Survival & New Growth – Arbon/Stachen (Switzerland, Zone 8b/9a)

[Mazat]

We wanted to share a true 'Pura Perfezione' moment from our balcony fortress on the 4th floor in Stachen, Lake Constance. My Howea forsteriana (Kentia) survived this very cold winter outside with solid professional protection! ❄️🛡️

We used multiple layers of heavy fleece combined with Sagex (Styrofoam) for thermal statics. The result: She is pushing a new spear right now! 🌿🔥

Today we are basking in a phenomenal 

 (20.2 C / 68.4 F) in the shade, with a stable pressure of 1021 hPa. 🌬️💎

[Harry’s Palms]

It sure didn’t like the cold! Hopefully have time to recover before next winter . They are pretty slow at that age. Harry

[Palmensammler]

Why did you leave it outside? Howea are perfekt indoor plants inour areas. Hopefully it recovers.

Greetings Eckhard 

[Phoenikakias]

Similar to  King Pyhrrus saying, another such survival and the plant will be ruined.

[Mazat]

Update on the technical data: While my solar-ventilated Bresser weather station at ground level (425m) recorded a minimum of -10.3°C (13.5°F), we only had 3 ice days in the valley. Up on my 4th-floor balcony, there were no ice days at all. Thanks to the thermal mass of the building and my 100% passive Sagex (EPS) insulation, the temperature rose above freezing every single day. This is why the Howea have solid spears and are already pushing new growth. Passive protection works if you understand your microclimate!

[happypalms]

What are they doing to that poor kentia, as an Australian I must stand up for one of finer palms living abroad in such cold conditions, please send my condolences to the palm!

[Mazat]

7 hours ago, happypalms said:

What are they doing to that poor kentia, as an Australian I must stand up for one of finer palms living abroad in such cold conditions, please send my condolences to the palm!

No worries, Richard ! ❤️ This Kentia is a survivor in the Arbon/Stachen fortress! She is just toughening up for the upcoming spring. She sends her regards back to NSW!🤗

[Phoenikakias]

22 minutes ago, Mazat said:

No worries, Richard ! ❤️ This Kentia is a survivor in the Arbon/Stachen fortress! She is just toughening up for the upcoming spring. She sends her regards back to NSW!🤗

What is the temperature right now in the region around  Bodensee? With real and permanent warming up there is a slight risk, that all severely scorched plants collapse.  Have you applied any fungicide preemptively?

[Mazat]

10 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

What is the temperature right now in the region around  Bodensee? With real and permanent warming up there is a slight risk, that all severely scorched plants collapse.  Have you applied any fungicide preemptively?

Indeed, the warming is quite intense! It`s currently 12.3 C on the balcony fortress here in Arbon/Stachen Lake Constance! I`ve checked the tissue, and so far, everything remains stable. I haven`t applied a fungicide yet, but i have it ready in the fortress to prevent any rot-error during this spring eruption! Thanks for the heads-up, Konstantinos🤗

[Palmensammler]

On 3/8/2026 at 6:13 PM, Mazat said:

Update on the technical data: While my solar-ventilated Bresser weather station at ground level (425m) recorded a minimum of -10.3°C (13.5°F), we only had 3 ice days in the valley. Up on my 4th-floor balcony, there were no ice days at all. Thanks to the thermal mass of the building and my 100% passive Sagex (EPS) insulation, the temperature rose above freezing every single day. This is why the Howea have solid spears and are already pushing new growth. Passive protection works if you understand your microclimate!

Sorry I cannot understand your statement.  Why does the Kentia look that bad if the passive protection worked?
My both  Kentia inside do not have any single leave damage. 
It might survive but does it look happy? Plants deserve the best care possible. 

Just my point ov view.

[wimmie]

On 3/7/2026 at 4:15 PM, Mazat said:

We wanted to share a true 'Pura Perfezione' moment from our balcony fortress on the 4th floor in Stachen, Lake Constance. My Howea forsteriana (Kentia) survived this very cold winter outside with solid professional protection! ❄️🛡️

We used multiple layers of heavy fleece combined with Sagex (Styrofoam) for thermal statics. The result: She is pushing a new spear right now! 🌿🔥

Today we are basking in a phenomenal 

 (20.2 C / 68.4 F) in the shade, with a stable pressure of 1021 hPa. 🌬️💎

Experimenting can sometimes be a good plan, but if the palm has to recover completely each spring/summer, you are slowly but surely killing it! I think you'd just stick with Chamaerops, Trachycarpus, Butia, Phoenix canariensis/dactylifera, Jubeae and Parajubaea torallyi; They cope much better with periods of light frosts! But of course, the choice is yours!  

[Gitano Iwan]

11 minutes ago, wimmie said:

Experimenting can sometimes be a good plan, but if the palm has to recover completely each spring/summer, you are slowly but surely killing it! I think you'd just stick with Chamaerops, Trachycarpus, Butia, Phoenix canariensis/dactylifera, Jubeae and Parajubaea torallyi; They cope much better with periods of light frosts! But of course, the choice is yours!  

True, every summer it's getting not enough sun and heat to recover if it's every winter the same story over and over again, it will be a war of attrition for this plant and after two or three years it will be done.

[Phoenikakias]

2 hours ago, Gitano Iwan said:

True, every summer it's getting not enough sun and heat to recover if it's every winter the same story over and over again, it will be a war of attrition for this plant and after two or three years it will be done.

Nana, I do not think it would come  alive out of a second trashing such as the recent one.

[Gitano Iwan]

6 minutes ago, Phoenikakias said:

Nana, I do not think it would come  alive out of a second trashing such as the recent one.

I dont think so either. 

[Palmensammler]

Me too

[wimmie]

So.......?😎

[Janni]

22 hours ago, Gitano Iwan said:

I dont think so either. 

I totally agree.
Maybe it‘s just the curiosity how far you can push the zones. I live just a few kilometers from @Mazat and have the same curiosity. my gardening hobby consists very much of „Zone pushing“.
But eventually, you have to recognize when you‘ve come to an end, where you can‘t go further. For example, my Chamaedorea radicalis in the frontyard are literally growing backwards. I know they won‘t be looking good anymore, no matter if they technically survive our winters. This year will be their 5th summer, but they‘ve become my ugliest plants in the garden. I‘ll replace them by something else. 

[Gitano Iwan]

The thing with palms they can come clean out of a winter but die on you in summer because of the damage the winter brings.

[Mazat]

Subject: Quick Update from the Fortress – Growth doesn't lie! 🌿🔥

Hi everyone, thanks for the lively discussion and the critical views!

Special thanks to Janni for the neighborly perspective – I totally get your point about the Chamaedorea in the front yard. However, there’s a massive biological difference between a ground-level garden and a 4th-floor balcony fortress.

While it was -10.3°C (13.5°F) in the valley, my microclimate here—supported by the building's thermal mass and my 100% passive Sagex (EPS) insulation—prevented even a single ice day on the balcony!

The proof is in the pushing:
Despite the skepticism about a "war of attrition," my Kentia is already pushing a solid new spear right now! This isn't "growing backwards"; it's active regeneration in real-time.

To Phoenikakias: Don’t worry, Konstantinos! I have the fungicide ready in the fortress to prevent any "rot-error" during this warm spring eruption.

The experiment continues. Fortune favors the bold! 🌴💎

 

Kind regards

 

Mazat

 

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[Hu Palmeras]

Mazat my friend,

Restore it in spring. For next winter, install heat lamps and insulate the balcony with plastic or nylon. Wrap the palm tree in bubble wrap and frost netting.

🌴🌴🌴💪💪

[Hu Palmeras]

3 hours ago, Mazat said:

Asunto: Actualización rápida desde la Fortaleza: ¡El crecimiento no miente! 🌿 🔥

Hola a todos, ¡gracias por la animada discusión y los puntos de vista críticos!

Gracias especialmente a Janni por su perspectiva vecinal. Entiendo perfectamente tu punto sobre la Chamaedorea en el jardín delantero. Sin embargo, hay una enorme diferencia biológica entre un jardín a nivel del suelo y una fortaleza con balcón en el cuarto piso.     

Si bien en el valle hacía -10,3 °C (13,5 °F) , mi microclima aquí, apoyado por la masa térmica del edificio y mi aislamiento 100 % pasivo de Sagex (EPS), ¡evitó incluso un solo día de hielo en el balcón!    

La prueba está en el empuje:
A pesar del escepticismo sobre una "guerra de desgaste", ¡mi Kentia ya está lanzando una nueva y sólida lanza ahora mismo! Esto no es "crecimiento inverso"; es regeneración activa en tiempo real.   

A Phoenikakias : ¡No te preocupes, Konstantinos! Tengo el fungicida listo en la fortaleza para prevenir cualquier "error de podredumbre" durante esta cálida erupción primaveral.    

El experimento continúa. ¡La fortuna favorece a los audaces! 🌴 💎

 

Atentamente

 

Mazat

 

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I never imagined you had such low temperatures. In winter, I get -3 to -4 degrees Celsius at sea level. In the same area, but at higher altitudes, it can reach -14 degrees Celsius or lower. Further south in Chile, the temperature is even colder, almost apocalyptic.

[Hu Palmeras]

Listen to me, gentlemen. We mustn't lose hope. Even if I go to Antarctica, I'll take all my palm trees with me. Even if the giant Jubaea trees survive, I'll be satisfied. We will not lose hope. I've been quite offended when people ask me how I can have exotic, tropical palm trees in a cold climate. They're palm trees, not bombs. And I won't harm anyone by having them. They are my most precious plant kingdom.

[Phoenikakias]

8 hours ago, Hu Palmeras said:

Listen to me, gentlemen. We mustn't lose hope. Even if I go to Antarctica, I'll take all my palm trees with me. Even if the giant Jubaea trees survive, I'll be satisfied. We will not lose hope. I've been quite offended when people ask me how I can have exotic, tropical palm trees in a cold climate. They're palm trees, not bombs. And I won't harm anyone by having them. They are my most precious plant kingdom.

Lol you have reminded me of a saying by Reiner Werner Fassbinder: Ich werfe keine Bomben, ich mache Filme.

[Mazat]

On 3/13/2026 at 2:08 AM, Hu Palmeras said:

Listen to me, gentlemen. We mustn't lose hope. Even if I go to Antarctica, I'll take all my palm trees with me. Even if the giant Jubaea trees survive, I'll be satisfied. We will not lose hope. I've been quite offended when people ask me how I can have exotic, tropical palm trees in a cold climate. They're palm trees, not bombs. And I won't harm anyone by having them. They are my most precious plant kingdom.

Hugo, my friend, you look great and happy—that makes us too here happy.

And yes, anything is possible; those who take risks win in the long run 🤗☀️

[Hu Palmeras]

Thank you so much. I hope you manage to grow more palm trees. The palm kingdom already exists; you just have to go after it.

🌴🌴🌴🌴🦜🦜🦜

[Mazat]

Hi everyone,

Quick update for the skeptics of the "war of attrition": Today, March 20th, my balcony fortress in Arbon/Stachen (443m) has officially transformed into a tropical greenhouse!

After a minimum of +5.4°C (41.7°F) on the balcony last night (while it was -1.1°C / 30°F at ground level), we just hit a phenomenal 21.0°C (70°F) in the shade with 60% humidity this afternoon! 📈💎

The result is undeniable: our Howea forsteriana (Kentia) is not just surviving; she is actively exploding. As you can see in the photo, the new spear is already opening up! 🦜🌿 This is the power of thermal mass and understanding your microclimate.

While some might call it a "trashing," I call it a "Pura Perfezione" spring awakening. ☀️🇮🇹❄️

Fortune favors the bold!

Kind regards from the Lake Constance Fortress,

Mazat

[Hu Palmeras]

🤭🤭🌴🌴💪💪🦜🦜🦜