All Activity

Hello all! My first post here in a long time...I was just in Corpus Christi over the weekend, and was pleased to see some cocos on North Padre Island still alive after last month's cold event. I was pleasantly surprised by most plants I saw in the area, I was expecting total carnage. Most strelitzia were undamaged on the island, which was surprising as well. Looks like the official low at CRP airport was around 26F/-3C, areas on N Padre were likely closer to the freezing point based on plant damage. Here are some pictures I took last Sunday, February 15.

Hey everyone......been a while and sorry I have not read what has been posted since I last posted but wanted to post a quick update on my palms. My 3 Coconuts are the ones I'm most concerned with. Everything else - while full of brown fronds - look like they are going to pull through, thankfully. And we'll see about the Veitchia joannis. I can't see what's happening with the spear because it's so dang tall...lol... I'm still pleasantly surprised at how well my Ptychosperma and Archontophoenix held up. With the warmer weather I thought I'd hit everything with a second dose of copper all over the crown and soaking the spear as much as possible, so did that this afternoon. Will also do a liquid feed this weekend. I think it would help. Good luck everyone and I will followup down the road when I know more...

They dislike transplanting or any root disturbance, the one you have there if you have to move it good luck and you will need a large solid root ball. My advice leave it alone odds on it will die if you move it.

A mild ..but nice.. 64F at 1:36PM under the occasional, light breeze, and wispy cloud streaked wall to wall sunshine as we await the approach and passage of one last low pressure system, currently scheduled to race through the area over night. Unless up in the Foothills, don't expect more than a pavement wetting -at best- from this system as it rolls through. Ft. Hill neighborhoods? ..you might get a quick, light wetting ..If you're lucky. Tomorrow looks about the same as today w/ temps hanging in the lower to mid 60s. Enjoy it because........... After the possibility of some low 40s / upper 30F readings at sun up on Saturday morning around town, only direction is up ...wayyy up.. as we count down the final 7 days of the month. Question as we reach the finish line is ..Could we reach ..if not surpass.. the warmest high ever recorded in February?? YES, you heard that right.. As i mentioned before, if you're a mild weather lover, ENJOY the next 24 to 36 hours cuz' that's probably the last of it for the season. Temps returning to the 80s is all but a guarantee by Sunday. Mid 80s are back in action by Monday / UPPER 80s by Wednesday, ..per the current forecast. While it certainly could change, last two days of the month are looking down right HOT ..for this point in the year at least, in every forecast model run right now. Can see the currently suggested forecast high of 90 for next Saturday but, Knowing how temps. have over preformed during our heat waves so far this year, that forecast 90 might end up reaching ..or exceeding.. the 92F reading that represents the hottest temp ever recorded in February.. Should it actually reach 90, officially, mid 90F ( ...or 95+? ) readings are all but a guarantee at the neighborhood level.. Lows jump from the suggested upper 30s / low 40s Saturday morning, to the upper 50s / low 60s by -at least- the middle of next week. Morning lows in the 60s could fall within record territory should they occur. As far as any more rain / snowfall? ..If no one gets spat on over night, that is it for rain chances, for awhile. High country should get sommore' snow over night but, ..with the heat returning, both here and up in the mountains, whatever snowfall gains might have been made over the last few days will be gone by next weekend for all but the highest spots.. ...Additionally, This may be just a taste of what lies ahead as March arrives since the High Pressure area forecast to build over the area over the weekend may only lock itself in as the calendar ...and season... flips. Needless to say... Pretty safe to say that, at least for us ..and likely S.Cal., " Winter " 25 -26 ...is OVER!! *** Remember, with the abrupt change to ..potentially.. quite toasty.. temps on the way, shortly, Hydrate / STAY Hydrated!! Have already been some heat -related issues out on the trails ..and it's only February.. Just because temps aren't exceeding 100F doesn't mean you can't get into trouble if you're not drinking enough liquids. It is 2026, Don't be an idiot, Drink enough / bring enough water with you while out enjoying the great weather ahead.. ****

That awesome

I tried moving a 15 gallon one that had been planted and it died a slow death.

The only thing that fixes this is multiple hurricanes/tropical storms…. and we are a long way out.

Who or how does one go about reporting to the powers that be of done possibly sketchy activity

Licualas and water go together, I think the moss is a good sign of a healthy microclimate. Only problem is, licualas never mix up those seeds with other licualas, I can be practically impossible to tell what varieties they are for a long time🤣

I still have trackycarpus princeps popping up two years later so they take a while to germinate, even had them germinate on the potting in between potting time. The best part is more free plants. Richard

All air is dry at -5f. That is a fact, and the property of air. At -5f the dewpoint is also -5f or lower(dry,dry,dry). That said, Las Cruces had rain, freezing rain, and snow during that -5f event.

Beautiful display and really striking in that large green container.

One of my Dendrobium speciosum is close to full bloom. I moved this one and another under my patio cover to protect them from the rain, wind and wind borne debris. It was a good call. Chrysalidocarpus pembanus leaves have come down in various parts of my garden, a banana stalk loaded with a bunch of almost ripe bananas came down and several snapped leaves on other palms.

One thing I noticed about this winter is some of the models going doomish fast, and pretty much staying consistent well before the event, then proving true when most winters those outliers are safely disregarded. Those models are saying a possible light freeze and frost in late February, which is completely possible here, so I expect that to pan out with water temps going up too. 85 yesterday and near 80 so far today, so hopefully that warms everything up for the usual quick drop and recovery. Anyone that avoids a frost or freeze should be good until next fall I think 🤞.

Seems Licuala and moss enjoy a symbiotic relationship.

Yeah definitely a smart idea. I might do that with mine they are pretty big so I don't really want to bring them in

Probably I'll cover them with a tarp to trap some ground heat. I have three rows of 2x6s straddling cement blocks.

It would seem that when you get those cold snaps, it's dry cold air. Those Filiferas can certainly take a lot of cold in the dry form. I've seen them come back in Las Cruces, NM from -5 F.

I appreciate the info.

I bet they'll be fine I have two S.minor sitting outside right now, I'll bring them in a couple of days we have a couple days that will be in the 30s then we'll be back to the mid-high 40s and 50s.

Don't touch it! It will come back. Maybe give it some extra water when you can. If you try and move it, it's almost a guaranteed death sentence. aztropic Mesa, Arizona

Two royals in habitat showing damage https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/339113012

Yah, what Chester said. They are thought to be extremely intolerant to root disturbance. Here in SF a tree crew hired by the city "maintained" my Howea in the same way. It died.

From what I've been told Bismarckia are extremely intolerant to having their roots disturbed in anyway. I think this might be one of those palms that can't be moved, unless you can get ALL of the roots.

To be honest your wife may not have a choice about the lawn if things keep playing out like they have been and follow the path that is predicted. I'm actually kind of shocked that the city hasn't imposed a no lawn watering ban. A bit of advice to fellow Texans, don't eat any fish you catch, especially out of Trinity and Galveston Bay. Same goes for down near Corpus. I did see next week is looking to be pretty warm, possible 90s in San Antonio and 100 in deep south Texas.