Butia Odorata Seedling Spear Pull

[OriolesRock100]

Hello all, had my first (and hopefully looking like only) casualty from this winter. Had a butia seedling just spear pull today, which kind of stunned me because it has not seen below 30°F, and has not been below freezing for more than a couple hours (maybe like two or three light freezes the entire winter), being pampered in my garage. It saw the same exact conditions as a CIDP and Washingtonia robusta (among other more hardy things) which are both happy as can be right now, so the only explanation I have is that the rain we received the day before the last 31°F night it saw must have froze in the crown and did it in. The spear did not have much rot on it at all, so my question is this - how good of a chance does it have of recovering from this? It's only a year-old seedling, so my guess is a spear pull is devastating to its growth. However, I also saw almost no rot on the spear and just applied copper fungicide, so I think I caught it pretty early before any major infection. I hope I don't have to start over since these are hard to germinate and grow so slowly (and are pretty expensive to find online).

 

[Fusca]

21 minutes ago, OriolesRock100 said:

Hello all, had my first (and hopefully looking like only) casualty from this winter. Had a butia seedling just spear pull today, which kind of stunned me because it has not seen below 30°F, and has not been below freezing for more than a couple hours (maybe like two or three light freezes the entire winter), being pampered in my garage. It saw the same exact conditions as a CIDP and Washingtonia robusta (among other more hardy things) which are both happy as can be right now, so the only explanation I have is that the rain we received the day before the last 31°F night it saw must have froze in the crown and did it in. The spear did not have much rot on it at all, so my question is this - how good of a chance does it have of recovering from this? It's only a year-old seedling, so my guess is a spear pull is devastating to its growth. However, I also saw almost no rot on the spear and just applied copper fungicide, so I think I caught it pretty early before any major infection. I hope I don't have to start over since these are hard to germinate and grow so slowly (and are pretty expensive to find online).

It should recover even at that size.  Just keep the hole dry and don't remove any fronds.  It may take awhile especially if you haven't really warmed up yet.

[OriolesRock100]

11 minutes ago, Fusca said:

It should recover even at that size.  Just keep the hole dry and don't remove any fronds.  It may take awhile especially if you haven't really warmed up yet.

That's a relief to hear it at least isn't a guaranteed death. I will keep it inside in my indoor greenhouse with lights until we get consistently warm outside so it stays dry and at least somewhat warm. Thanks for the quick reply!

[Las Palmas Norte]

 

2 hours ago, OriolesRock100 said:

I will keep it inside in my indoor greenhouse with lights until we get consistently warm outside so it stays dry and at least somewhat warm. Thanks for the quick reply!

Conditions suitable for growing rather that sitting idle are your (it's) best option. Best of luck.

[OriolesRock100]

23 minutes ago, Las Palmas Norte said:

 

Conditions suitable for growing rather that sitting idle are your (it's) best option. Best of luck.

Understood, thanks for the advice. So would best protocol be to move it outside every sunny day above 50°F then move it inside under a grow light if it storms/rains or if we get cooler temps? Or is it better to leave it inside under grow light the whole time so the conditions are more consistent? We probably won’t consistently have highs above 70° for another month or so

[Las Palmas Norte]

9 hours ago, OriolesRock100 said:

... So would best protocol be to move it outside every sunny day above 50°F then move it inside under a grow light if it storms/rains or if we get cooler temps?...

I suppose you could, although 50°F is by itself not really growing weather for Butia. Natural sunlight is certainly beneficial and if it's calm, can warm things well beyond 50° in a sheltered spot. Your call.

[Luis Arroyo]

That brown at the very end of the broken off spear is indeed rot. Get a bottle of 3% hydro peroxide and a straw. Get the strawberry an inch into the peroxide bottle and cover the top of the straw with your thumb to create a suction. Aim the bottom of the straw directly over the hole of the seedling and release the thumb. The peroxide will instantly pour into the hole and foam it up, killing the germs instantly. After that let it dry. If the heart is fine, you will see the rest of that spear begin to push out and you'll know it's alive and well.

[TropicsEnjoyer]

On 3/23/2026 at 2:14 AM, Luis Arroyo said:

That brown at the very end of the broken off spear is indeed rot. Get a bottle of 3% hydro peroxide and a straw. Get the strawberry an inch into the peroxide bottle and cover the top of the straw with your thumb to create a suction. Aim the bottom of the straw directly over the hole of the seedling and release the thumb. The peroxide will instantly pour into the hole and foam it up, killing the germs instantly. After that let it dry. If the heart is fine, you will see the rest of that spear begin to push out and you'll know it's alive and well.

never thought about using a straw, that’s actually really smart for getting it into the holes that are hard to directly pour into.