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Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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Posted by dln949 (My Page) on Sun, Apr 6, 08 at 0:13
| I uncovered a needle palm I had planted outside in our SE Minnesota backyard in April, 2007. This photo shows how it looks. It is alive, but it is looking like it had a tough time in the winter. I protected it by covering it with a lot of mulch, under a transparant plastic blanket with many holes poked in it. I had minilights under the plastic blanket in amongst the mulch.
I'm looking for advice. My understanding is that this plant grows very slowly, so can I expect much of a recovery out of this plant? Do you think it is a goner? Would I be better off just starting over with a new plant?
Just for giggles, I'll show you the trachy in our backyard, it did much better than the needle palm:
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| The only thing I would say for that needle is don't let it get to cold and wet now in its weak state if you could provde a little exrta warmth for it,how did you protect your trachy and where can I get a pair of shoes like that? |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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Hope is - I think much more care, fertilizers and maybe to clear surface of stones? The condition of Trachy is perfect - what was a minimum temperatures (and how long frost period) last winter in your locality?
With best wishes Antti |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| I would say that plant probably isn't worth your time, and you're best off just pulling it and trying a sabal minor "McCurtain" in its place. They seem to grow faster than needle palms. If your needle does make a comeback, you can expect a maximum of probably 2 new leaves this year. To me, a palm with 2 leaves isn't worth the effort. Great job protecting the trachy though, how did you do it? Please share! Just out of curiosity, what zone are you in? |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| the needle palm is probably a goner. Cool shoes, though. |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| I am in zone 4. To protect the Trachy, I erected a small minigreenhouse we had purchased - the kind you see people use to get a jump start on vegetables in the spring. Inside it I strung minilights on the tree. I also had a small electric space heater inside it. The lights and heater were hooked up to a thermostat, so they came on only when the temps inside got below about 30F. I also mulched around the trunk. Inside the mulch I wrapped the trunk with insulation. I don't remember our exact minimum temps this winter, but it must have been around -20F. We had many, many below zero days. The frost period was basically Dec - March. The shoes you see in the top photo you can probably pick up at a Goodwill-type of store - that's all we can afford to give our daughter, after all, her old man blows the family budget on wierd stuff like palm trees in Minnesota! |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| Islandbreeze: "To me, a palm with 2 leaves isn't worth the effort." That's an interesting comment. That is how I feel. However, where would a person find a place that will mail order a larger-sized - e.g., seven gallon sized plant - needle palm or Sabal? Everything I find on the internet is the two-leaf, one gallon variety. The larger stuff I find they won't deliver. |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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I am like Islandbreeze in that I would try something else.
I too (Zone 5 Kansas) planted a Hystrix last Spring, but I also planted two regular Sabal Minors. The Hystix was dead by Feb.. The two Minors are still alive and that was with no protection, only being planted on the South side of my house.
What I would do is (but you HAVE to do it FAST as the timing is getting short) try to get with a family member or friend in North Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, etc., and see if they can dig one up for you and send it. Wouldn't have to be a big one as mail prices are soaring.
Then plant that in your yard in a South face. Also, they LOVE LOVE LOVE water. You can not water it too much.
Buts thats just my opinion. |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| Needle palm won't put out more than 3 fronds so if that is good enough for you just leave it. I had two that looked like that at the end of last winter and they both recovered. The trachy looks really good though. |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| That's interesting that a couple of you say that a Sabal Minor would work out better in a cold zone than a Hystrix. Why would that be? Everything I've read on the internet - and we all know that if its on the internet, it is correct - says that the Hystrix is the most cold hardy palm. Thanks again everyone. |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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I just ordered a sabal palmetto and sabal louisiana from this place. and they were huge for the price. They were 3 gal. bare root but I put them in 7 gal pots because they were root bound. They were at least 30 inches tall.
I'll post a picture if you like.
Shipping was very good. |
Here is a link that might be useful: needle palm
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| That trachy looks amazing for zone 4! The reason I say go for a sabal minor over a needle is because sabal minor will outperform a needle palm in cold hardiness the first couple winters until the needle gets established root system, which can take a couple years. I know this from personal experience. I have a 25 gallon needle that's about 4.5 feet tall, and a 15 gallon sabal minor that's 6 feet tall. These are big palms. I just planted both of them last year. While we only got down to zero this winter, the sabal minor only had some minor tip burn, while the needle looks pretty ragged. It's still alive, but some of the leaves look a little freeze dried. The sabal minor definitely did better. Also, sabal minors don't get bud rot. You can get larger sabal minors from Chilly Palm Tree Company, and from what I understand, they do ship mail order. |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| Islandbreeze post a pic of your minor i love to see big ones ! |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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| All good advice for sure from people who know!If you want to dig a sabal up you better know someone in china ,you will also need explosives and a backhoe |
RE: Sad looking needle palm in SE Minnesota
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