Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Unfortunately even if palms look ok now they can still die. In the UK it is often not until the weather warms up in late spring that palms finally croak. The best thing to do is every few days give the central spear a very light tug (& I mean light, don't yank it out!) If it comes away in your hand then the palms growth bud has rotted (you will notice the base of the spear will usually be soft & smells too) If you catch it in time though you can try to save the palm, by pouring some fungicide or even better some Hydrogen Peroxide into the hole where the spear was & keep the palm dry (don't let any rainwater get into the hole). I have had many palms recover by doing this in the UK...
The best things to wrap palms in are old blankets or horticultural fleece THEN wrap plastic sheeting over that (to keep them dry) Just wrapping in plastic will do more harm than good...
Tennesseestorm, I private messaged you yesterday because I was searching the web for information on what to look for in a dead windmill palm and found your posting from the winter of 2006. I had wondered about the fate of that palm but read it in this most recent posting. I live in Northwest Tennessee and our winter weather has mirrored yours. My five foot (not sure how old but I've had it 4 years) windmill palm has suffered the same fate as yours. I did cover mine up for the first time since owning it when we were about to hit that first really cold snap but I did it in plastic which I've since learned was a no-no. I even provided a heat lamp thinking that would at least save the crown. I checked when I got in from school yesterday and the new spears are still firmly attached but they are themselves brown like the fronds. I did read yesterday though that if the petioles were still green then that is a good sign. Mine are. Check yours. That may give us a little ray of hope. Keep me updated.
Very interesting thing to see palm trees growing with relative success most if all the time as close as TennesseeI hope that your palm trees manage to pull through out of their damage, I wish you the best of luck and hope that next winter isn't anything like this past winter has been, wish I knew others around me who have attempted and have had varying degrees of success with plants that ordinarily don't grow in the climate I live in.
Thanks for the replies! Well warm weather is here, flowers are up, grass is having to be cut and trees are leafing out. I cut all of the "dead" from the trees today. Sadly one of them had the spear pull out, but the one closest to the house didn't, so I hope it make a come back.
Now, the one that had the spear pull - what is next? What should I do? The copper spray? Where do you get it?
I was actually able to find this spray at several local places... I ended up going to Home Depot and picking up some of the Bonide Copper Spray. Now, on the one that had the spear pull, do I spray down where the spear was or pour it down in there... do I spray the tree all over with it?
I just went out there and sprayed a quite a bit down where the crown pulled out and even sprayed a little down the one that didnt have spear pull. Keeping my fingers crossed and will wait.
Does anyone know what causes palm fronds to not push all the way out of the center before they open. I have a 6-7 year old windmill that sustained some damage from the cold last year. It grew very little last summer and the center fronds are tight and green but look stuck in the center. Not having a stalk and opened at the top,of the trunk
Little late to reply to this, but in my experience of growing palms in a cold climate (Grand Junction CO), is and I cannot emphasize this enough is you must have fast draining soil, if your soil stays wet between waterings and not allowed to dry, your palm will suffer. If your palm survives the abuse its growth will be very stunted. A good rule of thumb is your palm should have 1-4 unopened spears depending on size and species, if it's spears are green and opened, but no petiole showing, it's most likely getting too much water, also I had similar symptoms with my T. Fortunei, ended up being earwigs in the crown of it which caused spear pull in late April, used insecticide and copper fungicide spray when I saw that, and has since started pushing new fronds! Your palm will show that it's dehydrated by yellowing or browning tips on older fronds and drooping leaves. If those symptoms show after watering you know your soil needs more aeration/ oxygen.
Another good cold hardy palm is Sabal Minor. I wish these got used more in zone 7. Their growth point is underground so they get insulation from the ground. I would think that these are bullet proof in zone 7. I have a Sabal Minor McCurtain that I planted next to me house and it survived last winter with little leaf burn. I covered it with a garbage can on one occasion where the temps didn't get above freezing for 8 consecutive days.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I hope that your palm trees manage to pull through out of their damage, I wish you the best of luck and hope that next winter isn't anything like this past winter has been, wish I knew others around me who have attempted and have had varying degrees of success with plants that ordinarily don't grow in the climate I live in.
