Those are beautiful....I wish I was a zone 10, maybe with global warming. LOL

Where is the nursery located?, what's it's name?
how much did you get that coconut for?

Details are in this thread
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/palms/msg0821344317189.html?7

I'd also add that they have 2 locations...

Galveston-

The Golden Mayalans are usually considered some of the most tender of the Coconuts. So, I guess they really will be a test of your climate.

I dont have any yellows in the ground (only a Green Malayan that I bought with 3 ft of trunk for extra hardiness), but I have 4 Goldens in pots. I have heard that they will start showing cold damage around 38-40F. I guess we shall both see!

The other thing to keep in mind about Coconuts is that they require nearly constant warmth. Many times it is not outright cold that kills them, but prolonged cool. This seems to be why even in Zone 11 areas of California that Coconuts wont really grow (outside of that famed Newport Beach Coconut). A few months of temps in the 60's for highs seems to do them in. Ive read that it is because the palms stop metabolizing when the soil temps get below about 60F.

Galveston-
Those are great looking Coconuts. Best of luck with it. May I suggest a couple of tools you and Spock can use to determine the viability of growing coconuts in the ground in your area. 1st is weather. com (left a space so that a hyperlink wouldn't form) you can check out the average highs and lows for your area and the record highs and lows. Do this all winter. Just type in your zip code and look up next month. For example if you did it now you could see all of that information for September. Do this also for a location you know coconuts thrive (Fort Lauderdale is an exaple), also do it for a location where they are marginal (West Palm Beach is about the northern most location on Florida's eastern shore). I know someone will jump on and say "well they have them wherever". I know from experience that when driving up A1A that West Palm Beach is about as far north as I've seen them and they looked pretty ruff. If your average highs and lows and record lows are signicantly lower than West Palm Beach you really may want to re-consider putting them in the grownd. As a Michigander with palms in the ground that may sould hipicritical but I'd hate to see you lose something. Especially when I'm guessing if you left them in a pot you would only have to bring them in a for about 8-10 weeks. Another great website is (agian I'm leaving some spaces) www.greencastonline .com/SoilTempMaps.aspx Just click on your area and it will tell you what the soil temperature is in you area. Do this all winter if you see that it falls below 60 for long stretches that is another reason to have pause. I would just suggest doing this all winter and then determine what kind of chances you would have. I hope this helps.

Andy

Andy -

You are 100% correct and arent being hypocritical. Coconuts are completely and 100% reliable only in relatively small areas of FL. The rest of us lust after them still as they are the "holy grail" of palms it seems.

Without some means of protection, outside of this relatively small area of FL, they will likely eventually perish.

In my area, the normal soil/air temps are OK (the coldest month averages about 72F/50F)....its just the periodic cold blasts that do them in if given enough time. It might be a decade or more between these really bad killing fronts, but eventually they reshape the landscape into what Mother Nature wants!

In 1989, even many Queen palms were killed in Central FL (it dropped into the 20-22F range in much of Central FL and into the teens in Galveston) so forget about Coconuts in that winter in either of these two places.

The real arbiter of finding what will grow where is to just drive around and see whats in the ground in your area. If one sees lots of "X" plant/palm and its of good size, then odds are its at least relatively hardy for that area. If sighting of certain things are spotty at best, then odds are that palm/plant is marginal. The latter is the case in my area for things like Coconuts. One can find them, but outside of areas right on the water, they are not found lining the streets.

But, a challenge is always fun and having the same things in one's yard as everyone else isnt :-)

The holy Grail is a good description as I feel the same way. That's why I continue to grow them up here in pots even though they are "doomed to a slow death". It amazes me how much more quickly the dwarfs like the one Galveston just got feather. I am envious of both of you. I have about 3-4 weeks tops before mine have to come back in.

Like Larry said, the golden aren't as hardy. I would have gone with a green personally for the best chance of survival. Either way, beautiful looking palm and good luck!

Wow, beautiful coco palms there.

I feel a "road-trip" to JRN Nursery coming-on. I'll have to trade my Arizona business trip with a co-workers's Texas trip next month. LOL

Best of luck to ya.

Well, As my wife said, "I bet well be driving back up here next week for the green 1"

It may not be next week..
but im sure ill have 1.
I wish the crdb database was still working so I could have known about the golden... still im not unhappy about it, id do it again...

I am still going to put it in the ground. I know the every 10 yr freeze will kill it... I think the average winter here will probably leave it wishing it'd been bound for lauderdale but, Id think it should survive. (only time will tell) I definetly didnt buy it for a container palm.. its a 50$ annual :) or hopefully biannual, diannual etc.
we have a climate similar to central/middle florida probably close to what spockvr6 has, the only real difference is that those "bad" freezes we will be 10 degrees worse or so here. (either way they are dead!) Im right near the water (close on 2 sides far away on the other 2 LOL!) so it should help keep the temp up some id think (er I mean hope!). also, Similarly to Fl. if we have a cold day were generally back to at least 60 the next day if not 70's a few days later. I can tell ya from experience that the only palm I have that doesnt grow in the winter is my dypsis decaryi, so far everything else never stops growing, they only slow down.

Also, I have no false illusions, I know the tree will not be long for this world but, itll be fun watching the neighbors ask what it is! they already think im a freak with all the palms!

For what its worth this should help increase the temp a few degrees huh :)

yesterdays sunset btw..

Beautiful sunset Galveston.

In the end...you are right....the bad freeze will kill the Coconuts whether the temp is 15, 20 and probably even 25 (although Ive heard stories of some pulling though at that temp).

I think you can protect yours and give it a fighting shot.

Youve given me pause to do some digging on Galveston weather and for the last decade or so, the winter time average lows have been stellar! They have been better than all but the most protected areas in my parts. So, all that water around you is certainly your friend.

The only thing I would think about some is the average daytime temps. According the records I could find, Galveston's normal daily high in January is only 62F. Thats a solid 10-12F less than the normals for central FL. The record high in January is only 78F, which is about the normal January high temp in areas which Coconuts thrive (like Homestead, FL where most of the commercially grown Coconuts are).

So, I am not sure how that will affect the Coconut over the long term. But, thats what fun about this....seeing how things go when not many others have tried. Doig the same old same old like everyone else on the street is boring. You hit the nail on the head regarding the neighbors....theyll be wondering what the heck you are doing. Mine already think Im nuts. If the test fitting of palm socks last summer didnt do it, then the firing up of the propane heaters around the yard a few weeks ago to test things out probably did :-)

Hmm,

for the first time I actually went out and looked at the wunderground averages and records graphs for our locations (tampa for you :) ) you definetly have a longer growing season!
it appears like our averages in the winter for lows are about the same but your right the thing that may do it for me is not having the high temps in winter that you guys have.... thats also thanks to that mediating water.

Yes...the lows are dang near identical in winter, but the highs vary a bit. But, I am always a bit hesitant about some of this data as it does not always apply directly to ones own yard. In my case, the lows seem a bit off sometimes. This data says I should average 72-74F lows through summer. I have a weather station which logs data every 10 seconds to my PC and I havent had a single morning that cool. So, I suspect the official station that provides the long term data for weather.com is in a part of town that cools off more at night. Once one gets away from the Gulf, the daytime highs are up and the nightime lows are down.

Yes it may not apply to ones own yard but I doubt it's that far off. I can say that a coconut in the ground when the average low is 52 and average high of 62 will not make it. That is an average temperature of 57. A coconut with sustained soil temperatures below 60 is a gonner. I'm not trying to be negative, just realistic. I'm putting heat mats and x-mas lights around the pots of mine tonight because the average temperature (high + low/2 not average high) around here for the next 10 days or so will be about 64 and with out this help I would be bringing them in already. Damn early fall.

"Yes it may not apply to ones own yard but I doubt it's that far off."

I think it depends on exactly where one is and where the station is.

Example-

If one were to look up the station in downtown St. Petersburg that is commonly used to give the temperature for the county I live in, then expected that temp to be seen in their yard, they would be quite disappointed. Actually, crushed would be more like it! The coldest morning that station logged this past winter was 46F, while my yard saw 34F. Some other stations located inland areas in cold pockets dropped into the middle 20's!

All of this variance is in maybe 25-30 miles from the reporting station.

This is why I bought a weather station earlier this year and log the data for myself.

But, I understand what you are saying with regard to average temps.

But, I am looking forward to seeing what happens with Galveston's Coconut. True...odds are against him due to average temps (as they are against me due to periodic cold fronts), but its a worthwhile experience. Perhaps not as much as getting one to grow in Detroit though :-)

Galveston1602,

Can you update us next Spring so everyone knows try it or not to try it. Am in Pearland, TX so.... not gonna try it until somebody like you tell us that it can be done. You're right about the temp in SE TX doesn't get that cold more than a couple days before it going back up in the 70s.
Good luck and keep us posted.

NamNhi

Don't focus so much on those highs but on the average lows and the "average Temperature". If you're consistantly falling into the low 50s and into the 40s with some frequency those palms are going to get root rot. Even if you don't get a freeze. At the very least put someting in or on the soil that will heat it. If you can keep it in at least the low 60s you may have a fighting chance. If your intent is to try this for sure I would maybe keep it (them) in pots for a season or two. The larger and older the palm the more hardy it's going to be. In any case the best of luck.

Im realistic enough to know that no matter what if they grew here reliably we'd at least see a few in the 3-5' range...

to my knowlege, there is 1 coconut in the ground on the island. I dont think youd see any coconuts off the island around here at all.... Because it looks like the temp goes down by 7-10 degrees just 10 miles inland.

heck, I guess im going to go have to buy a weather station!
(larry what brand is yours and do you like it?)

I am thinking of trying a few tricks to keep the soil warm... Ill let yall know how it turns out. hopefully i wont have a full failure on the first winter, especially since it will be protected inside:)

I recently bought a coconut palm from there... At least I hope it's a coconut... Were u able to confirm that yours was indeed a coconut? I would hate to think what I bought isn't one but I would rather confirm

Coconut palms have been tried for years in Galveston. Moody Gardens had 3 Malayan Dwarfs in the late 90's that were about 10-11 ft. tall to the top of the crown. None of them made it because the temps there are just too cool throughout the winter (from Dec. to about late Feb.). A coconut palm can take a quick freeze down to 28F or 29F easier than it can take 2+ months of prolonged cool weather with no freezes.

The furthest north in Texas that coconut palms have been successfully grown is the east side of Corpus Christi (east side of Ocean Dr., at Flour Bluff, and at North Padre Island). There is a coconut palm about 21-22 ft. tall to the top of the crown on the south side of a two story house at the east end of Ocean Dr. The house backs up to the bay, and the driveway is right in front of the palm, so it gets some radiational heat coming off the drive in the winter. Also, it has two full grown queen palms on either side of it to protect it. Even so, this palm was defoliated in the last hard freeze here in 2011, with temps in the 27F range for about 24 hours, but it DID recover and now has a flower spike coming out, and will probably have coconuts on it by the end of the year!

By the way, coconut palms do pretty well during normal winters in the Lower Rio Grande Valley from Harlingen and Brownsville to the coast (South Padre Island), with Mexican Talls growing to 40+ ft. tall to the top of the crown, and Malayan Dwarfs growing to 25 ft. tall to the top of the crown, with coconuts on them, when they receive adequate watering. The Rio Grande Valley is a semi arid climate that only receives about 26 inches of rainfall annually, less in the more inland areas.