The Trick(s) to Overwinter Tropicals in a Cold Climate | The Barefooted Gardener

[@GotoHere]

Just moved to southern Texas from Taxachussetts. Planting palms and tropicals for first time. Most Texans don’t even consider tropical plants and go with desert/scrubby native plants. When they see my backyard they are flabbergasted. Bamboo, palms, and all the awesome tropicals I can plant.

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

That’s awesome! Yeah, it’s amazing how much you can grow in Texas. Taxachussetts is pretty accurate and funny!

[@tinglerh]

Anvil pruners are intended for dead/dry wood branches, whereas bypas pruners are for live branches. Using a bypass pruner on a dead branch will bend and dull the blade.

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Great to know! Thank you! That makes a lot of sense.

[@mywalledgarden]

Really interesting video, I need to get more semi hardy plants and start using my garage.

[@ashfaq2004]

Well Done Clark. You inspired me to upload my winter storage video

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Thank you! Let me know when it’s up.

[@ambert.3792]

this is so good! i am so so grateful i found your channel with a couple weeks left!!! i wish i could have you do a consultation with all my plants. keep up the good work, and thank you for your videos!

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Thanks Amber, will do!

[@matthewallegretto6702]

Thank you for the info on coffee cup not wanting to go dormant. Last year I dug them up along with Bikini Tini, before the frost killed the foliage. Does coffee cup or Bikini Tini produce corms? I know Esculenta & Calidora produce corms, & I had success winterizing them. Do you know if Diamond Head black Elephant Ears & Alacosia Aloha produce corms or should they be dug up & potted for the winter? There is a frost advisory for my area tonite, here in N. E. Ohio so any info you can lend will be very helpful! Thank you. By the way, where do you live?

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Hi Matthew, Bikini-Tini is said to be a zone 6b/ 7a hardy variety, so you should be OK to plant that in the ground in spring and have it come back for you, with a thick layer of mulching. Coffee cup I’m not sure if it produces a corm; seems like they do grow quick enough that there is definitely a potential for that, but I’m not 100% sure. Aloha should produce a corm because mine currently is going dormant slowly but I just dug it out (& potted) this afternoon to be safe and I plan on letting it be dormant for the winter in my attic. I’ve never grown ‘diamond head’ but if I had to guess, I would guess it doesn’t produce anything substantial enough to go dormant for winter. If you got any frost thus far, should not be enough to damage elephant ears.

[@matthewallegretto6702]

Thank you the quick response. I dug out 5 Diamond head yesterday, the largest leaf measued 36 inches x 26 inches on a plant 8 feet tall! I just hate to dig them up but what are my options? Let them get slimed by frost & cold then die? If they don't winterize then atleast I gave it a shot. I dug out 5 Coffee Cups, 4 Bikini Tini the largest one was 9' tall, growing in my front landscape bed next to that large leaf Diamond head! I may leave esculenta gigantica in til the frost gets it, its so sad, largest leaf is over 42" long x 36" wide, also in the front bed. I appreciate knowing that you have a heart for these amazing plants and are willing to share this information with others. Thank you for letting me know that I'm not alone in this crazy love! Thank you, Matthew

[@Nulife23]

Great info. Iam deciding what to do for overwintering my Calabasas and alocaisias..I do have a greenhouse which I keep at 45 degrees....I just dug up a huge red banana and it is now upside down and draining for a week or so before storing for the winter..

[@msnyc8778]

Wow beautiful job!!! I was shocked to discover that your paradise is actually in NY... WOW I’m in NY too but right outside the city. I’m fortunate enough to have a small front and back yard too. Now you got me brainstorming! (Mostly for the front) as I covered the back with concrete years ago. Any ideas on where to start? Thanks in advance, and keep up the good work!

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Thanks so much! Nice, small garden spaces can be exquisite. I like to start with my shrubs and perennials... well first you’d need to assess how much sun the area receives. Next, planning the shape of the bed: I like curvilinear patterns. Amending the soil with lots of compost is critical. You can “top dress” the area that’s already planted to improve soil health. Once the perennial plants are planted, I’ll add my tropical focal points. Also adding a small water feature, probably a fountain will create the ambience, although that you could add on top of the concrete in the back, and essentially make raised beds with retaining wall. Just remember with raised beds, you need plants a zone or two colder than where you are located.

[@kennyjackson1707]

Great video and good information. Have you ever grown any tree ferns? I bought six this year and I’m trying to winter them with a grow light in my garage.

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

I have, but the humidity wasn’t high enough... so it didn’t make it. They are hardy (I think) to zone 8 as a perennial. Maybe try one against the south wall of the house.

[@cynthiaporchia2973]

I always enjoy your videos. Content/inf is Great!

[@MiscellaneousMichelle]

Yayyyyy another video from you ☺️

[@dannyguanti2567]

I would have liked more information on temperatures settings, how cold can the plants survive, how much water should you use how to take care of them generally, when it's safe to take them out again etc. rather than wasting a lot of time on the varieties that you have there!

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

That would require separate videos for the nuances, but they can take similar environments so that’s why it’s kind of a tour, as in, certain plants which all grow well as houseplants, and others need grow lights and more of a dedicated area.

[@PlantzNThings]

Very Interesting. Where do you Keep your borneo king ? This year I was experimenting more with total dormancy in the garage. Usually I like to keep all my plants inside in a semi dormant state... but that is becoming Very difficult with limited space and a Passion for the Large leaves.. this coming fall I will be experimenting with Banana dormancy … I have a nice IceCream Banana and instead if chopping off its head... maybe I could defoliate it and keep it in the garage... I'll experiment with one plant from the clump before I go all the way :) Thanks for the tour :)

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Thank you! I brought my Borneo King to the greenhouse I work at, but it was kept at 45°F all of January, so it gradually went mostly dormant: the stem is still green but the leaves all died off. I think it’ll totally work for some of your plants to be stored in the garage. For me, in Western New York, the cold really sets in after Christmas; that’s when I bring in the most tender plants. I’m glad you enjoyed the tour! Are you ready to be done with winter too?

[@PlantzNThings]

@@TheBarefootedGardener - Makes sense that you would utilize a greenhouse if it was available. I usually keep mine in the grow space and cut back hard on the watering. I have both a Borneo King and A Borneo Giant, happy that spider mites haven't found them yet :) And Yes, I can't wait for winter to be over... Our winters are the same... I am Zone 6b... wish it was a little higher

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

That’s a solid approach. One benefit to keeping them at home is you have control over them the whole winter. There’s a month that the greenhouse is closed and I can’t see my plants. 😕 That’s good the spider mites haven’t found your Alocasias! Pests are such a pain! Tropical horticulturists would always appreciate warmer zones, for sure!

[@ibusmith9428]

Thank you so much for sharing this! I just got a Rojo Congo Philodendron, zone 9 according to what I found on Google. It's still summer now. I was wondering if I can keep it in the basement during winter. In the fall, should I cut the leaves before the frost and keep it in the basement?

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Ibu Smith You live in zone 9? It may overwinter against the foundation. I’m not sure how well it would overwinter dormant, if it does, then definitely let it go dormant on its own. They do make great houseplants, just keep it in a sunnier room.

[@ibusmith9428]

@@TheBarefootedGardener Thank you for your reply! I'm in zone 6 and was brand new to this plant. I did decide to bring it inside, and it has been growing new leaves, so beautiful. Starting this year, I slowly planted more tropical plants outside. And will re-watch your videos to prepare them for winter.

[@goodlistener711]

What is the brand of the grow light? can't understand when you say it. Also, thanks for the great information. Tropical grower here as well in Nebraska.

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Hey Scott, Youre welcome! I’ve had good results with Vivosun, but they are tough on your eyes.

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Do you dig up a lot of your tropicals?

[@IntegraGuy561]

I planted chinese fan palms at my brothers in zone 6 (near cleveland, oh) and he never pulled them out before winter. They came back!

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

😳that’s awesome! Did you protect them at all?

[@IntegraGuy561]

@@TheBarefootedGardener nope they were just mulched well ❤🌴

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Amazing! I want to try that now!

[@IntegraGuy561]

@@TheBarefootedGardener do it! They were just the ones from home depot. Ive had needle palms and windmills here, too. They survived but didnt perform well enough so i left them behind when i moved

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

I think I have a perfect spot. Surprising that the needle palms didn’t do well.

[@northeasthardytropicals541]

Nice info here.

[@StovallH]

What is done with the white bird of paradise during the winter?

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Good question. I usually dig up the strelitzia before frost- that said they do get a brief cold period. Then I grow them in the brightest room in the house. They are probably root hardy to zone 8b.

[@SupremeFamilyGarden]

Nice video

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Thank you!

[@Orodski]

The alpinia is winterhardy, so I don’t understand why you bring it inside

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Hi Orod, Interesting. Hardy to what zone/ how cold? My winter temps basically always go below 0°F.

[@Orodski]

The Barefooted Gardener I live in Belgium and the plant can go till -10 C

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

New York has been below -20°C, sometimes colder. Nevertheless I can try mulching it like I do bananas. Thanks for the idea!

[@cafedunier]

How cold does your garage get?

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

I just put in a thermometer: so far, the coldest I’ve seen is 34°F close to the house, and a few degrees colder on the outer edge.

[@ksero1000]

What do you do with your Borneos & when? I think I see Borneo looking plants in your little microclimate but I know that the ones I see of yours are way to huge to be in there I bought a few of them after watching your videos back in April. Now I’m getting nervous. 😰 I’d love to see them BIG next year. 😊

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Before mosaic virus wiped out my collection of elephant ears and philodendron (as a result of Brian’s Botanicals infected plants) I took them in after the first frost, and the massive leaves would get cut back to where it meets the stem. You can store them in a cool dry place (like an attached garage or basement) until spring. You can literally forget about them for the winter when dormant, or they can be grown indoors in the brightest room you have, and keep them drier than outside. Hope that helps!

[@ksero1000]

@@TheBarefootedGardener yes thank you! 💚

[@ksero1000]

I got to look up this mosaic virus thing bc my Eva nana trees are looking bad.

[@PennsylvaniaPanda]

God loves all of y’all so much He came in the flesh to die and rise so that if we choose to accept Jesus as our one true Savior turning from our sins we may be gifted eternal salvation through Christ’s perfect sacrifice on the cross. Have a great day