Alex at what point will you not protect your palms anymore?

I will be lessening the protection for the windmill palms this winter, this winter none of them will have any heat. Once I see them with a really nice and noticeable trunk, I will only protect below 10F or when there is a very very severe freezing rain event (and that would be overhead protection. That translates to maybe once or twice a winter, and probably some years where it goes with no protection at all.
Unfortuntately I will always have to protect the livistonia, european fan palm, and butia. Hopefully global warming starts to kick in so I can stop protecting those, lol, but at this rate, winters just arent mild enough here the past few years that they can go with no protection. Its been about 5 years since we had a really nice and mild winter.
-Alex

I still cover mine, i built a home made greenhouse around it with 2 by 4's and clear pastic sides and top. it gets the sun and warmth and has grown even in winter. you can email me and i will show you some pics...californiamike64@aol.com

take care Mike

I use a sheet of PVC lattice, bend it into a circle, fasten with zip ties. Then I secured house insulation (fiberglass pink panther type) to the inside of the cylinder that the lattice formed. I take another piece of lattice and bend it over the top of the cylinder to form a roof that is arched to shed any snow and rain. I cover the whole thing with a clear plastic furniture bag. Depending on your zone, lights are optional. I am a cold zone 6b in Michigan, so I use lights. Pretty inexpensive, although the lattice is the costliest part. I protect 3 windmills this way, ranging in size from 3 1/2 ft up to 6 1/2 foot. I also have a 5 foot Dracaena that I use this method on. Works very well, and took a couple years of trial and error to come up with this protection method. I'm growing windmills in Michigan with success, so it is proven.

Thanks for all the tips and ideas.

Alex, I plan on using the garbage can method for my smaller palms with lights. I would advise against trying to make your tracky conform too much to our winters, remember the potted butia you left out last year could not stand that winter and an unprotected tracky could not withstand that unless it at least had a covering, not matter how strong it seems. Just my two cents..lol.

Mike, I usually do that but its so much work that I think I'll try the lattice/fencing idea covered with plastic.

Good idea Islandbreeze - does it work for you?

I got a good winterize tip from a local palm enthusiast (Turtile here on this forum). Instead of plastic wrap, he recommended Tyvek (builder's house wrap) because it keeps water out, but it still breathes. A combination of a burlap wrap, leaf cage/ thick mulch at the roots and Tyvek for keeping water out will give tender palms a chance for survival for moderate winters.

Dear Greg

Since I am lazy,I prefer to make it as easy as possible,really.
It has nothing to do with having over 60 palms/cactus to protect! LOL

Here are 4 methods I have tried and like,all but the
bigger "hoop" house are heated with X-mas lights...my favorite(:

All of them together.

O.k. really 5 ways,there may even be a few more in there somewhere.

I covered my Sequoia with this umbrella greenhouse,
I love these things but they take a lot of heat.
This is what I used the first year for the first
2 Trachys I ever planted.

I have no name for this but it is kinda my favorite...
one layer of green plastic coated fencing with 2 layers
1" clear bubble wrap and a layer of opaque foam between
the another layer of fencing to hold it in place.
I use a trash can lid with a burlap coffee bag in-between
for insulation,it can also be draped over the south side
if the sun is heating them to much..15-20 7wt(x-mas) lights.

Large "Rose cones" protected all my Tree ferns etc.
8/7wt bulbs all hooked into a thermocube/on at 35F/off 45F.

Washys cover this way-same double b-wrap,thermocube etc,
I will need to add 2' to these this year-and more x-mas lights.

I opened the top on these when I could.

Heres what I did the first winter(-:
pretty wasteful but fun!
Now that the palms/etc have grown so much I can't afford to light up the neighborhood!-LOL

More insulation less lights these winters!

{{gwi:595741}}

Anyway,that is some of what I have done over the years
(not all though)hopefully this will give some of us some better
ideas on how to improve protection-like me!

Temps in the garden have ranged between -18F and 106F over the past 4 years.

Brooklyn-- I am in the same situation as you, maybe further down the road.

I traditonally used leaf cages. As my Trachys and Butia are now all 6 ft and growing, this is becoming tough as I have to find tall stakes and attach tarps to them.

My Trachys are all past the 3 year test and I think mummy wrapping them in burlap is it for this winter. My Butia will get Xmas lights in addition to burlap. I would build a hut but I have a lot going on regarding house repairs.

My Euro is still small enough for a trash can. I do not protect Needles or Sables other than lots of mulch. Maybe I will wrap them in burlap.

I think my Trachys could be left unprotected. Maybe next year.

Having said all that, IMHO and all things being equal and doable. The greenhouse with a light bulb and thermocube is the best way. But...there is that height problem again.

Greg, I definitely do remember that potted pindo palm. I wont even risk my trachy until I think its ready and even then, it would never be exposed to anything that it hasnt seen somewhere down the line at that point. I have much more confidence with Trachys than Butias though since the closest healthy Butia unprotected is probably a good 6 hour drive south (and you have to go a good 7 hour drive away to VB to get to lots of nice Pindos!).
Trachys on the other hand are surviving unprotected around here. I mean, most of them are in great spots and none of them are very impressive in height, but they are surviving the winter which gives hope that our climate is only a little colder than what they can handle. Its probably not even the cold that does them in as much as the rain and snow around here.
-Alex