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tropicalzone7_gw

My outdoor palms at the end of the winter.

tropicalzone7
14 years ago

Here they are! First picture was them back at the end of the summer and the 2nd pic is of them as of today. I think the results are pretty surprising. Also the pics of them today are a little darker because it was cloudy and the pictures were taken by my phone.

This was my needle palm in the fall.

This is my needle palm now. It got no protection other than just some x mas lights around the base to melt snow a little faster. It got a little damage, but has grown a healthy leaf within the past month.


This was my sabal minor in the fall.

This is it now. It does have a little damage on the tips which I thought was surprising since it was fully protected. I think that this sabal minor is a little less cold tolerant than most, but it still made it through the winter so I am happy about that.

This is one of my windmill palms back in the fall. Also in case you are wondering, I cut the yucca next to it and rooted it, and now it is inside doing well.

This is my windmill palm now. This was protected and it did pretty well. No real damage (but it looks like it has a lot in the picture for some reason), the leaves are a little bent up from being tied up, and some discoloration by the tips.

This was my other windmill palm in the fall. Since it was doign so poorly in the fall, I did not give it a lot of protection just to see how it does.

This is it now. All it got for protection was some x mas lights and a frost cloth, but the frost cloth blew off and I never put it back on. It experienced 3 snow storms and some of the coldest nights of the year with no frost cloth.

And this was my pindo palm, not in the fall, but back in may 09 when it was first planted.

And here it is now. It got the same protection as my sabal minor and the windmill palm that I did protect, but it looks much better than all my other palms. The leaves are a little bent from being wrapped up, but other than that its looking good.


So they are all alive and considering the lack of protection they got, I think they did pretty good. They dont look as good in the pictures as they actually do probably because of my phone, but when summer gets started Ill take much better pics. I plan on giving it epsom salt to get it growing well again, but that probably wont be until early or mid april when 60s are common.

Comments (26)

  • Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Congratulations TropicalZone!!!!!

    Love the pictures!!!!

    Looks like you did everything right!!!

    I cant't wait to see how fast they take off this summer!!!

    Way to go!!

    Laura in VB

  • brooklyngreg
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi TZ,

    All look fine and the Pindo Palm is truely going to flourish, flourish, flourish this summer. Your technique worked very well, bravo! The pindo fiolage is almost perfect and quite hardy and enjoyed your TLC.

    Please keep an eye on the temps, so far the 10 day forecast looks fine and most years it doesn't drop too much if we sail thru March as a cool month. So far March looks great, in the low 50s the next few days.

    If we are ever forecast to drop below 24* please cover that prize pindo and protect from the wind; we want don't to loose that lush foilage head start she has.

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thank you very much, Im looking forward to some good summer growth. And dont worry about the palms getting cold temps brooklyngreg, my palms wont be seeing below 25F without the protection going back on full force. And there is some rain in the forecast for next week so I will have my pindo palm covered up so it continues to stay dry even though temperatures will be above freezing. I think the lonf term forecast is expecting one last cool down in mid march so if that does happen, they will have to be covered up, but after that, they should be good to go for the summer. Im thinking about using epsom salt around early or mid april on my palms. Do you guys think its a good idea? Thanks in advance and good luck. I hope the long term nice weather comes soon!

  • brooklyngreg
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    LOL, TZ. Yes, I'm a bit over-protective of palms:) Glad yours will be snug.

    Epsom salt should be fine. Do pindo palms really need it like some other palms? I am not sure but it is good food for the palm. My dwarf date palm was going all yellow until I gave her epsom salts, it took three doses over 2 months to get her green again.

    Laura in VB had some great palm spikes she was using that made her pindo bloom in December. Sorry I forgot the name but she will be happy to share it I am sure. I know you have to plant the spike far enough away not to burn the root.

    I'll be posting pics hopefully next week! Looking forward to your comments.

  • jimhardy
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Looks great T7
    Funny,my Butia came through the winter with less damage than any other palms too!

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Its much better to be over-protective than under-protective! I try to give mine some cold, but I think my pindo palm gets treated better than all my other palms (maybe because its the least cold tolerant).
    I looked at all my palms again today and double checked for spear pull and they are all still doing fine. Once the winter is offically over I will cut off whatever dead tips there are so they look a little better. My sabal minor got the most damage with my needle comming in 2nd (but like I said, it had no protection). My pindo did the best of all of them and had no damage, but it was in its protection for a good part of the winter and never saw below about 24F.
    I also looked closer at other things and found some mint actually sprouting next to the pindo palm (probably from the heat the protection gave off). I also had some Easter Lily bulbs on my deck all winter long and they are still green (I thought they would be gonners). Since they made it throught the winter, I will be planting them in the ground when the weather get a little warmer. The ground is not frozen at the moment, proving spring is on the way!

    Im glad the epsom salt worked for you, and I figure it cant hurt to try (especially on my windmill palms which have been discolored since late last summer).
    Also Laura, if you see this post, I would be happy to know the brand of those palm spikes. This summer Im really going to try to encourage lots of growth on my palms.

    Brooklyngreg, Im looking forward to seeing how your palms did this winter too.

    Good luck!

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jimhardy...
    That is kind of weird. Maybe they were just healthier than the others. I think my pindo is one of the healthiest palms I have in the ground as of now. I think maybe I treated my pindo palm better too because it is one of my favorite palms, but whatever the reason is, Im just glad its here to enjoy for another warm season. Thanks for posting and good luck with your palms and cacti. They are looking great!

  • statenislandpalm7a
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Everything looks good my pindo got some burn on it i'll post some pics. Your pindo's leaves grow straight up while mine are curving. How big is your pindo about

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hmm, not sure about the height exactly, but im thinking about 3 feet tall to the tallest point. Ill measure it tommorrow, but its dark now.
    I realized that my pindo palm doesnt curve as much as others, its also pretty green for a pindo palm, but I guess all palms vary a little.
    Good luck with your palms, looking forward to seeing some pics!

  • Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hey TZ,

    sure I will share what i use on all of my palms!!!

    Besides using Epsom Salts maybe once in the spring then mid summer, I fertilize my trees with Lutz Palm tree fert. spikes. They have worked very well for me since 10 + years.

    I spike the trees in the spring ( it's also reccommended to do it again in the fall) but I don't. Maybe in the middle of the summer I spread some granulated Palm Tone on them along with ES then watch them take off!!! Mr Lutz is a very nice man...he usually answers the company phone...Check online under Lutz Fert. Palm Spikes. If you have any problems send me a email and I will give you his phone number!!!

    CHeers! Here's to the first sign of spring!!!! Yeehaa!!!

    Laura in VB

  • Loveplants2 8b Virginia Beach, Virginia
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    TZ, I forgot to mention that I only use the Green Maint. spikes. They send them by the case. If you don't want a whole case they sell them by the 3 pack. They also have other types for different types of palm problems (defic..etc) but the green are for healthy palms!!!

    Good Luck...Let me know if you had any luck with mr Lutz!!!

    Have a great day!!!

    Laura in VB

  • islandbreeze
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for sharing and nice pics. That is a beautiful sabal minor! How many gallon was it when you planted it? Has it grown much for you? Looks like its a couple plants growing together...

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks laura, I looked at his website, and the prices look pretty good so I think its worth a try especially after seeing how nice and full all yours are. I think that with the epsom salt will really give them the push to grow well. I'll give them the fertlizer in early spring and I'll tell you how they loon. And sometime in the middle of the summer I'll add some liquid miracle gro which seems to work pretty well on all my other plants.

    Thanks Islandbreeze. I cant remember exactly what size it was when I planted it, but I think it was a 7 gallon. You are right, it is more than one plant, (3 plants actually) which is probably one of the reasons why it costed 75 dollars (but I think it was worth the price). I got it at lowes ( this is first time they offered cold hardy palms in my area at a lowes). It has only grown maybe a leaf or 2 all summer, I havent really kept track, but it is slow. Its kind of hard to see, but you can see the spear of the palm a little in the picture and the spear has just about doubled in size over the winter, which is pretty good considering the fact that they need lots of heat to grow well. Im hoping this summer is warmer than the last because it lost about a month of good growth due to the rainy june we had last year. Im also hoping that it might make some flowers this summer, but we shall see!

    Thanks for looking everyone, Good luck!

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Unfortuntely my needle palm had spear pull. Its actually pretty wierd that the most tender of my palms (my pindo palm) had no damage, my windmill palm had little damage, my sabal had burnt tips, and my needle had spear pull! It is true that is was unprotected, but so was my sick windmill palm which still has its spear! But anyway, I treated it and there is a completely healthy baby underneath it with no spear pull so I dont think I completely lost it. Also no other leaves are pulling so Im hoping that a new spear regrows. Ill just have to keep it warm and dry for now and hope for the best.
    I'll keep you all updated!

  • josephine_sc
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Windmills fine, pindos fine, med fan palms, fine, needle palms, fine, sylvester palm, dead. Trachycarpus princeps fine - apparently as hardy as the windmills and waggies, not a bit of cold damage. We had a rough winter for here and this is without any sort of protection except a good layer of mulch. I live in an area that can go from 20 F to 60F in 48 hours so covering things just isn't practical.

  • theseventhlegend
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice palms tropicalzone7. I think the worst of the winter is behind you. Your palms should put on some good growth and strengthen this year since they won't be in shock from trying to recover. Good luck.

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for your comments! All my palms look like they are ready to grow, my needle palm will be a little behind due to its spear pull, but I have a feeling that it will grow back eventually and it is a pretty fast grower considering it is a needle palm.

    Also josephine, sorry to hear that your sylvester palm didnt make it, but im happy to hear that your princeps did. They seem like they are just as cold tolerant as windmills.

    Good luck everyone!

  • brooklyngreg
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I get the impression that pindo palms respond well with some winter protection. Apparently they can endure cold well if tucked in for the winter. I suspect keeping them dry adds a full zone of protection. Add lights for heat and they winterize well.

    I can imagine 5 years from now we will have to use pool covers to cover these palms as they grow large.

    Looking forward to it!

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Im looking forward to that too! Im sure that this palm will be getting harder and harder to protect (in fact it is actually a little too large for my garbage bin method now), but I look forward to the challenge of keeping it alive. Who knows, maybe one day (probably 15 years from now or more), it will fruit for me. Even if the fruit never developed, it would be pretty cool just to see. I wonder how tall they get in shade? Mine is in pretty good shade epecially during the winter months and if the trunk stays short, I could always try to cut the leaves back half way and fit it into my upside down garbage bin, but I wont have to worry about that for a few more winters.

    Good luck!

  • brooklyngreg
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    true TZ,

    I suspect depending on our winterization methodology and the weather that WE SHALL SEE THEM FRUIT! Especially if we use the spikes Laura in VB used when hers bloomed in Dec. I found that telling.

    I think they can bloom after 6-7 years actually. Its worth researching.

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    14 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    In a mild climate we would be seeing fruit in 5 or 6 years with no doubt. I just like to overestimate so Im not disappointed. I think that in 10 years it will be a very large fruiting age (possibly fruiting) Pindo palm. Lots of good fertilizer and protection should get them to a very healthy adulthood.

    Good luck!

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Nice,Alex! The pindo looks so tropical in your pics. I hope they do good this winter! Do you get nervous that a very cold storm somes and wipes some of out plants out? I know I would. Will you pindo ever be able to survive your winters without any protection? Also,what is spear pull?
    Nice windmill and needle!
    -Hunter

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Hunter! This is actually my pics from 2 winters ago, so most of them have grown a ton since! I got very worried during cold spells for the first year I overwintered the palms, now I dont get too nervous, but I still check on them constanty and pray that the low temperatures are warmer than forecasted!

    Unfortunately this pindo in this pic has been in decline (not because of the winter, but because of the terrible location its in soil and sun wise). I planted another pindo palm this year in a better location and so far it has grown 3 fronds! There is a pindo only 5 or 6 blocks from me that is HUGE! Its about 10-12 feet tall and at fruting age (maybe it will make some fruit soon). It gets some heat and a tarp, but it doesnt seem like its too much of a hassle to protect and it must have been in its spot for a long time now.
    Pindo palms will always need protection in my area because not only are they not fans of the cold, but they especially hate cold rain or snow. I lost a potted pindo palm after a low temperature of only 23F. I had Yucca guatemalensis (Yucca Cane) last way longer than that!

    Now about spear pull. When a palm trees die, they dont always look it right away, but usually a good indicator to tell if it is dead or not is if you tug on the "spear" or newest growing leaf that hasnt opened yet. If it slides out really easily, its basically dead (there are ways of reviving it that can work). Even if it doesnt slide out, it doesnt mean its alive because some palms like washingtonias and butias dont get spear pull too easily when dead. Dont pull on spears if the palm is healthy, only do so if you think its dead (usually after a winter). I did have a pygmy palm that had spear pull indoors from being too dry over the winter, but I gave it some water and by the end of that summer, it recovered.

    I actually enjoyed looking at these old pics of mine! They remind me of how my yard once was, and how much more there is now!

    -Alex

  • Hunter_M
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Alex, I really appreciate you bieng so nice and typing me a nice response. It makes me happy. :)
    Thank you!
    -Hunter

  • tropicalzone7
    Original Author
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    No problem! Sometimes I dont realize how long my responses are until after I send it, lol!
    -Alex

  • brooklyngreg
    12 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I agree Alex, its safer to over estimate (pindo fruiting) so you give yourself some tweeking space. I also find this helps with my schedule and budgeting.