Cold Damage on Palms

This winter was a rough one that is for sure. It was above average through December and now in February its back to the 80's but the entire month of January was brutal. It hovered on average in the 40's and 50's which took a toll on my crown shafted palms. If you have any questions about palms please leave a comment.

[@Offshore1977]

I totally understand. I used to live near Miami and was surrounded by tropical palms. Ever since I moved to Orlando, I have been planting tropical palms. So far I have 4 different types of coconut palms growing in my yard trying to see which variety does best in cooler climates. I also have adonida, princess palm, spindle and royal palm. So far with these warm winters they have done great.

[@wildtropics5354]

oh yes they are abundant and in natural climate in Miami, but even then orlando can suffice well for tropicals.

[@freezy5898]

@@wildtropics5354 whats the temperatures in your winter ❄️? What was your coldesg winter?

[@debiegordon3787]

What great info...i had no idea about the HEART of the CROWN👍👍👍🌴🌴🌴🌞🌞🌞

[@downburst1]

Great job. All the best with the recovery. Plants want to live, so if they grew well before the long cold then they’ll recover in the most part.

[@krafter324]

I have some Princess Palms/Hurricane Palms (Dictyosperma Album) that weren't super happy about the weather in Saint Pete this winter, but overall they look really good. Stayed green with only a little stunt in growth. Thanks for sharing.

[@wildtropics5354]

Dictyosperma Album are amazing! I want one so bad to add to my collection, glad to hear yours is doing alright

[@bauplunk]

We had a very similar winter here in 9a South East Ireland, only difference is 70f-80f would be peak temps for the year. The only feather palms that grow here are Jubaea, Butia, Mules, Pheonix, and hardy Chamadorea. Lost a P. Roebelleni a few years ago. The fan palms do much better here particularly Trachycarpus and Chamaerops.

[@jfveb]

Are you going to make another video showing what happened after the treatment or did they all die ?

[@nicolassaarni88]

I can’t believe your robellini burnt. Must have been real frost settled there.

[@ShadowNight-kt3dz]

This was a hard winter for me also. I’m in 9a and we hit 15 one night. I didn’t protect anything since I was on vacation and lost almost everything. I lost majesty palms, sylvester palms, Mexican fans, queens, and even a butia lost its crown. But my canary island palms made it no problem, they lost all their fronds but recovered fast. My mule palm burned but has recovered. Around New Orleans (2 hours from me) it hit 20 in some areas. They are a solid 9b. I haven’t been this year, but before the freeze I’ve seen royal palms and foxtail palms down there. Even some mature Norfolk pines by the lake. I’d hate to see what happened to them.

[@wildtropics5354]

gosh I am so sorry to hear about what happened to you. It's part of have an unusually cold winter, it reminds me of 2010 when the south got hammered with cold. I hope that you have been able to replace some of your collection and that they do better this year! Thing is learning from the past and correcting it for the future.

[@Will_Grow_Plants]

This winter sounds a lot like the winter we're struggling to get out of right now. (Northern California)

[@gasubtropics]

Are you planning on making more palm videos?

[@SenorZorrozzz]

I am watching your video. I live in Texas where I live it was more than five below. We went for more than 14 days without water and electricity. My huge mature palm trees look dead. In the past I’ve had to cut off all of the leaves water them to death and hope that they will revive in the past so I’m having some have it. I’m in the middle of your video I hope that you can give me better instructions and what I’ve had in the past I hope there’s a way out.

[@omargomez3880]

Any luck? All my palm trees were hit hard in deep south TX.

[@tommydifiore2265]

Did i miss how you used the fish fertilizer? By the way. This was incredible info. I am currently trying to have my palm make it thru this Ny winter. So when march rolls around and i unwrap. In going to use your techniques. Just subscribed btw

[@eliyeaha4024]

G'day mate Im just wondering about the foxtail palm, because I live in the Canberra region where we get frost a few times each winter, but there are a lot of foxtail palms here that don't get frost damage at all and yours look like they are dead. I guess it might be because the foxes are native to Australia. It just really confused me. Cheers mate 😎

[@wildtropics5354]

they are native to Australia but the northern part of the continent. it also depends on the maturity of the palm as to how much resistance it has to cold. older they are the hardier they are

[@Rocketman0407]

Is canberra really humid or dry? The drier air the less impact the cold will have. The duration of the cold is also a huge factor. If a foxtail just experiences 30f for a breif time during the nights and its varm the day after that is usually fine.

[@Rocketman0407]

​@wildtropics5354 don't forget lenght of cold wheater and humidity. In dry climates you can often grow palms two zones warmer compared to a climate with the same tempratures in the humid southeast. Albuquerque, NM is a great example of it.

[@RDuval-mb9lk]

Looks like you are trying to revive the dead. i would just replace them.

[@SenorZorrozzz]

So do I cut away the dead leaves which is going to basically destroyed so much of it or do I just leave them? Because they looked at. I have some that are subtle still a little green in them but what do I do?

[@content1]

Can you do a video about how do you wrap the plants please which type of cloth and other tips. Doesn't it get wets with the cloth? Thank you

[@wildtropics5354]

this video may not be about wrapping palms but it is the same exact process. I would encourage you to watch this video. These guys are a little too environmentally liberal in my opinion but the simple fact of how to protect plants is still good. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aobKp3iOl92iibc

[@lukefinley8701]

It's almost spring my dude..i haven't even watched the video tbh,but i'm guessing you could make some good ones for spring time js

[@wildtropics5354]

Luke Finley yep im hoping to make some that is for sure!

[@freerobuxcheckmychannel2521]

I'm not trying to discourage you but I don't think your palms do that well they do better in tropical climates

[@ILH665]

They can't plant TROPICAL plants there in North or part of Central Florida too !!!! Season freeze will be BACK again every time! Period!

[@pretty95138]

did your christmas palm survive after the fungicide treatment?

[@wildtropics5354]

Sadly no

[@pretty95138]

ohhhh lools like mine will die too :(@@wildtropics5354

[@rubenramirez283]

I think I lost my Alexandras palms three also my small bottle palms what to do I hope they came back. I trimmed them hopefully they'll come back if not I'm going to have to replace them. Brownsville TX

[@wildtropics5354]

what you can do is use a marker and mark the new spear at the base of the crown. give it a week or 2 and see if the spear has grown out any in that time. if it has then the palm is still alive. if not it is either in shock or dead sadly

[@Salmiyaguy1]

"it's a wet rain?" Is there any other kind?

[@gladisgutierrez7990]

Wow 😲

[@JoseGonzales-ul9sv]

Do you have coconut trees

[@KeyDevy]

Is it possible for cycads to grow in Maryland or in zone 7a?

[@SenorZorrozzz]

Praise god

[@khalidrather569]

Will palms survive if temp in winter goes below till 23 degree Fahrenheit or -8 degree Celsius?

[@wildtropics5354]

absolutely some will, it just depends on which palm you are talking about. there are many different palms, each has its one cold tolerance

[@khalidrather569]

@@wildtropics5354 I don't thing the ones I got to sprout r cold hardy .. they r Arabian black dates.. it's quite easy to sprout thpugh

[@bigd8812]

Great video. However my windmill palm tree in Raleigh,NC is very brown no green. A neighbor gave me some mulch for the winter and she started to brown up. I have two palms. Both browned up but I was quick to save one. The one in the front yard is completely brown. All mulch has been removed. Here in Raleigh,NC most nursery don’t have palm fertilizers they just sell palms. Basically saying good luck with keeping it healthy. My palm that’s completely brown is 6 years old and over 5ft. Frost was not my problem. So what can I use to revive it. The leaves are still strong in the trunk. HELP!!!

[@wildtropics5354]

thanks for posting this. It sounds to me like the one in the front yard which is browning could have gotten a disease from lack of nutrients even before the winter hit and then the winter just outright killed it. Windmill palms (Trachycarpus fortunei) are very cold tolerant under normal conditions but one that is weak can be taken out real fast due to cold or even pest infestations. I would encourage you to look into the merit stem(new spear) and see if it is growing at all or if there is any green in the base of the stem. You might even have to pull apart the pedials and start looking down into the heart. If you see any browning or it feels gooey in there or smells rotten then...its dead im sorry to say. As for the one in the back it might be doing better cause it is in better soil or a well draining area or an area tat gets more water. Not sure exactly what your yard is like but all these things can play a factor in the health of the palm. You can normally buy fertilizer at a local Walmart, unless its different in NC. A good 10-2-12 fertilizer will help the healthy palm stay healthy.

[@bigd8812]

WildTropics Thanks for your reply. I will try to see if the stem is still green. I went to a forum and found that if you use hydrogen peroxide down the center of the palm it could kill any disease in the palm. So far nothing yet. So I'll try your method today. If it is dead when I get a new palm tree how often should I put in fertilizer and should I put the fertilizer in the initial planting? Thanks Dave

[@wildtropics5354]

Oh absolutely I use hydrogen peroxide all the time on my palms. Basically it acts just as is does on humans if you get a cut or anything. It just prevents infection and can even kill bugs if there are any within the crown of the palm. Typically hydrogen peroxide is a preventative and not a curing agent though so if the palm is already dead it wont do much. in the event of a freeze copper fungicide is a good preventative but only use that in extreme cases. As for replanting a new palm it is best to use bonemeal down in the whole where the palm will go and then fertilize it 3 times a year. March, Mid summer, and then again in October.

[@bigd8812]

WildTropics Ok so I cut the trunk about a foot from the top. It's dead. I will wait to get a new one around May. Weather has been up and down March and April. Thanks for your info. I'll will be more conscious to my palm for now on as I feel that it probably died from infestation. Could be lack of feeding as well. I tried Jobes spike fertilizer. I seems like it never worked but that was last year. I will definitely check up on the new Palm more often between bugs and lack of nourishment. I had that Palm for about five to six years 😞

[@wildtropics5354]

I am SO sorry to hear that, it was really sounding like it might have been dead but i was holding onto hope that it wasn't. I know the disappointment and I am with you on the irritation from constant cold and pests this winter. This winter was bad, really for the entire east coast north and south. ALL of the palms in this my video here ended up dieing. There were doing so well and some I had had for a few years so I was so sad to see them go, about 28 died in total this year...I just spent a fortune a few weeks ago replacing them all.

[@bigbrick1909]

Great video do you think I could grow a Sylvester palm in the Atlanta area. Zone 8a

[@wildtropics5354]

it should do fine it is harty down to about 15F. its main killer is salt so you will be fine there haha

[@bigbrick1909]

@@wildtropics5354 well no salt here except table salt..😁 thank you

[@bigbrick1909]

@@wildtropics5354 thank you stay safe

[@outsidesmoking9805]

The house I'm renting has 2 huge palms. All the fonds are brown on both, except one has a little green on the top. I didn't wrap them because I didn't know I had to. Anyway, I think the frost killed them, but maybe the one with the green part will come back? I'm in South Carolina.

[@wildtropics5354]

Thanks for submitting your question. Well that is hard to tell honestly, there are a lot of factors that go into determining the life of the palm. For starters, what species of palm is it do you know? I'd guess a palmetto since those are quite common in SC. Also what part of the state do you live in. As for the palm itself where is the green located, is it near the trunk and is it the center frond?

[@outsidesmoking9805]

WildTropics Thank you so much for responding and sorry I only just saw your response. Yes, it's a palmetto. The green is right at the top, center (seeing a little more green since I last posted, actually), and I'm in Charleston. I really appreciate your input.

[@wildtropics5354]

oh a palmetto (Sabal palmetto) are pretty abundant in SC especially near the coast like that. If the green is right near top of the trunk (base of the spear) then you should be ok. If it is showing signs of growing where more green is coming out as the new spear pushes its way out then the palm is alive. It will probably be set back a little due to the winter cold but it will slowly begin to grow again.

[@outsidesmoking9805]

WildTropics Cool! Thank you, and I'll let you know👍

[@fastfishwater9787]

Sabal palmetto are actually native to the Charleston area, are you sure it is a Sabal palmetto? When I was down there after the freeze all of the Sabal palmetto were green, it was the other palms that were less cold tolerant, like Mexican Fan Palms and Livistonias that had damage. Look up Mexican Fan Palm, that may be what it is, but they normally come back.

[@VitoATF]

Are there any palm trees I could grow in southern Indiana? I'm right by Louisville,KY

[@wildtropics5354]

absolutely, Trachycarpus fortunei (windmill palm) is very cold hardy

[@marcelodealmeida2272]

Chinese windmill palms seem to be the hardiest.

[@ShadowNight-kt3dz]

VitoATF windmill palms (7a), Sabal Minor (6b), and needle palm (6a)

[@timothykissinger4883]

Yeah,I live in Louisville,Ky and I've got a Needle palm growing next to the house and use no winter protection. It's been growing there for almost 20 years.

[@timothykissinger4883]

@@hurricaneauthority4351 Needle palms do great here in Louisville,Ky without any real winter protection other then growing next to the house.

[@DanielMintel]

Hydrogen Peroxide and Copper Ferogicide?

[@wildtropics5354]

yes the Hydrogen will kill any bacteria that is growing inside the palm and the ferogicide should help eliminate fungus but its a last resort

[@DanielMintel]

@@wildtropics5354 oh, alright, thank you.

[@mickobrien3156]

I've come to the conclusion that every palm in the American Southeast looks like shit compared to California palms. When you look closely every Eastcoast palm, for example... at best they tend to always look anemic and half dead. California palms always look the absolute best. Their Phoenix palms never have any dead fronds. They always look so perfect. Their Washingtonias always look absolutely perfect. And even when people try to bring Sabals, Pindos, Windmills, and more so-called 'Eastcoast' palms to California... they always end up looking better there than their own damn natural habitat. It's embarrassing. In fact, there's no palm Cali can't host somewhere and it will host it better than anywhere else in the USA. California can do both desert palms or humid-loving palms. They can do it all. The American Southeast just sucks. Let's be honest. It's so limited. It can't do desert palms for shit. So those kinds of palms are out. All Washingtonias on the Eastern USA look ratty, tattered, beat to hell, and half dead. And that's the best case scenario. Usually they just die or won't make it past their delicate juvenile stage at all. I don't know, I'm just so frustrated with Eastern USA climate for palms. It's too fickle. One day it's oppressively humid and scorching hot, which also burns the ends of palms, or then it's freezing and killing our palms. If that doesn't kill them or make them just look ratty and anemic, the wind and constant thunderstorms make them look crappy and beat to shit. The winter sleet and ice and snow sets so many palms back for months with that defoliating bullshit. For the first few months of spring you have to regrow the damn whole crown of fronds the winter destroyed. That's a drag. The freezing wet grounds are another potential palm fucker. The Southeast has so many potential land mines for palms. Then there's California... it's always lovely and warm and calm. Even when it rains there is milder and gentle. And if there is a rare winter cold snap in parts of California, it's usually so dry that it won't damage the palms nearly as much as the wet soil in the Southeast that freezes. That just rips apart our palms here. I hate California. But I'm so jealous of their beautiful climate. It's just so palm-friendly. OK, I'm done ranting now. Sorry about that.

[@mickobrien3156]

@@hurricaneauthority4351 All palms replace their fronds. Obviously. But who wants to always have to wait for a new set? And it takes forever to replace them in most cases, often an entire summer... and the point is Southeastern palms always have some proportion of dead fronds. While California palms have virtually no frond damage anywhere. Palms in Southern California always look lush and picture-perfect. Palms in the American Southeast always look beat and worn and tired and sickly and just... 'eh'. Of course this doesn't apply to every single palm species. Of course there are some palms that the American Southeast is better suited for, like the moisture-loving palms that don't just tolerate high humidity well, but require it. The Coconut palm is an example of a palm that does well in the extreme Southern tip of Florida where it's perpetually humid and well above freezing... From Boca Raton down to the Keys. The Coconut struggles to survive Tampa, though. I've seen them there, too. But they tend to look lousy there and their maximum mature heights are stunted there as well. And any area north of, say, Daytona Beach will not grow a Coconut palm no matter what. The Coconut doesn't tolerate even a faint frost. This is why it's only found where there are no annual frost events. And Tampa will on average get at least 1 heavy frost each winter while Boca and Miami and Naples average zero frosts per winter.

[@larrytornetta9764]

Global warming