Why I hate Kansas...

[jfrye01@live.com]

Didn't know where to post this so I'll put it here: Ugh! I hate Kansas! Can't wait to get out of this hell...it is going to SNOW AND ICE tomorrow...with lows in the low to mid 20s tomorrow night...which, of course, means it will be in the teens at my place. I wouldn't worry if my butia wasn't already compromised, but I honestly don't know what to do...my Butia is the only palm in the ground, the others are still able to be moved back indoors, so I think I'll do that...no need compromising the health of the others...I'm thinking I'm gonna tie up the fronds, take Christmas lights (the regular kind, I don't have any C9, and you can't buy them around here this time of year), wrap the trunk, emphasize the growth point, and wrap the fronds, then wrap that with a thick wool blanket...Hopefully, that will suffice for just one day and night...Highs will go back into the 70s with lows in the 60s and 50s by the end of the week...this is pure craziness...My poor peach trees, which have big beautiful blooms on them, are toast:( My dad seems to think throwing a tarp over them will work, but I have my doubts...Oh well, that's part of living in the midwest:( Rant over. Carry on:)

-Jacob in Kansas (Soon to be FLORIDA!)

[jfrye01@live.com]

Oops. Forgot about my washies...they're pushing up some beautiful growth now as well...they're pretty easy to protect, a couple black 5 gallon buckets with a brick on top...It's also raining right now, which would be beautiful and amazing if it wasn't going to freeze tomorrow...for 36 hours...I'll throw some Christmas lights over the ground around the bases of the palms to keep the root balls from freezing...oh the fun of unpredictable spring weather...

[kahili]

Sorry to hear about the weather. After you wrap the butia with the blanket-don't forget to cover the blanket with a piece of plastic that will keep the blanket dry. Nothing worse than a wet/frozen blanket touching the palm leaves.Good luck.

[jfrye01@live.com]

Thanks! I didn't think about that! And yeah, this weather is crazy...I mean, we're known for having unpredictable weather here, but I can't remember having a freeze this late ever in my life. Yeah, Kansas gets cold, but mostly northern Kansas. Here in the southern part of the state, we're actually pretty mild, our climate is more on par with north Texas...negative temperatures are very rare here...Luckily, this cold is going to be short-lived, and I think it's a pretty safe bet that it'll be smooth sailing from here on out...(Let's see how much more figurative language I can fit in one post:P )

[Zeeth]

I would pull the Butia out of the ground and take it inside. It hasn't established yet so it won't be a big harm

[waykoolplantz]

S Fla native...3 x years at KU. Wasn't into palms then but I see it can't be easy. Best of luck

[jfrye01@live.com]

Yeah, it doesn't get as cold down here as it does up in Lawrence, however, the weather is just as unpredictable, if not worse! Seriously can't wait to get out of here, but I don't know if I ever will...

[DoomsDave]

This is why I left Ohio. The picture below was taken on March 29, 2014.

Spring is [not] here, spring is [not] here,

Life is [not] skittles, and life is [not] beer . . .

[jfrye01@live.com]

Ugh! That's probably what it will look like here tomorrow! ( Well, parents wouldn't let me dig up Butia and bring it inside...so here's what I did...(I'll upload pictures later)

Tied up fronds, wrapped with regular Christmas lights, wrapped trunk and crown with thick blanket, wrapped the whole thing with another wool blanket, then covered the open top with a trash bag...I put a remote thermometer inside all the wrapping so I can have temperature recordings...

[DoomsDave]

Mom cried a river when I roared off to Cali

[Silas_Sancona]

Agree that it is definitely colder up in Lawrence and the northern part of the state in general than further south.. Lived close to Clinton Lake for a few years. In a 24 hour time frame, the weather went from an afternoon around 80 to 35 by the next morning. We also saw a rare freezing fog event, greatly enhanced by winds blowing off the lake, that day.. before snowing later. Thinking that was the same year we had the mother of all ice storms. Watched about 4" of ice form on my Balcony and stair railing that night. Woke up to ice reaching from the second story roof to within 8 feet of the ground when it was all over. Thunder-ice is a weird thing to experience first hand.

As much as people might think the humidity during the summer is unbearable here in Florida, id say the days temps reached 100 degrees + 95+% humidity there in Kansas in July or August were worse. At least there is a sea breeze.. and the beach here. There, there was no escaping the blast furnace.


The one thing I do miss are the Thunderstorms there,.. Storms on the Plains are an in a class all their own.

-Nathan-

[jfrye01@live.com]

Agree that it is definitely colder up in Lawrence and the northern part of the state in general than further south.. Lived close to Clinton Lake for a few years. In a 24 hour time frame, the weather went from an afternoon around 80 to 35 by the next morning. We also saw a rare freezing fog event, greatly enhanced by winds blowing off the lake, that day.. before snowing later. Thinking that was the same year we had the mother of all ice storms. Watched about 4" of ice form on my Balcony and stair railing that night. Woke up to ice reaching from the second story roof to within 8 feet of the ground when it was all over. Thunder-ice is a weird thing to experience first hand.

As much as people might think the humidity during the summer is unbearable here in Florida, id say the days temps reached 100 degrees + 95+% humidity there in Kansas in July or August were worse. At least there is a sea breeze.. and the beach here. There, there was no escaping the blast furnace.

The one thing I do miss are the Thunderstorms there,.. Storms on the Plains are an in a class all their own.

-Nathan-

I have family in Tonganoxie, just NE of there...they said it went from rain to snow in less than 30 minutes today...Today was one of those "bipolar weather" days...it was 85 degrees here til about 2:00. A cold front (and severe storms) pushed through, temperature instantly dropped to 55 degrees. Right now, it is in the 30s...Big change from 24 hours ago, when it was 70 degrees... Oh well, forecast shows temps rising again in a couple days...I agree, summer SUCKS here. It is WAY too hot...We're a state of extremes, which will probably kill more than a couple of my palms...I'm thinking the Sabal palmetto and the washies have best chances of survival with the heat...I predict the Trachy and Butia burning to a crisp by the time July rolls around...Oh well, we'll see. Lol

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I would recommend frost floating row covers for the peach and palms. Just make sure none of the fabric makes contact with any foliage. Peach blossoms will be fine with floating row cover, blossoms can take 28F.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Here is a link explaining how it works:

http://gardening.about.com/od/toolschool/qt/Row-Covers.htm

[Xerarch]

Agree that it is definitely colder up in Lawrence and the northern part of the state in general than further south.. Lived close to Clinton Lake for a few years. In a 24 hour time frame, the weather went from an afternoon around 80 to 35 by the next morning. We also saw a rare freezing fog event, greatly enhanced by winds blowing off the lake, that day.. before snowing later. Thinking that was the same year we had the mother of all ice storms. Watched about 4" of ice form on my Balcony and stair railing that night. Woke up to ice reaching from the second story roof to within 8 feet of the ground when it was all over. Thunder-ice is a weird thing to experience first hand.

As much as people might think the humidity during the summer is unbearable here in Florida, id say the days temps reached 100 degrees + 95+% humidity there in Kansas in July or August were worse. At least there is a sea breeze.. and the beach here. There, there was no escaping the blast furnace.

The one thing I do miss are the Thunderstorms there,.. Storms on the Plains are an in a class all their own.

-Nathan-

I have family in Tonganoxie, just NE of there...they said it went from rain to snow in less than 30 minutes today...Today was one of those "bipolar weather" days...it was 85 degrees here til about 2:00. A cold front (and severe storms) pushed through, temperature instantly dropped to 55 degrees. Right now, it is in the 30s...Big change from 24 hours ago, when it was 70 degrees... Oh well, forecast shows temps rising again in a couple days...I agree, summer SUCKS here. It is WAY too hot...We're a state of extremes, which will probably kill more than a couple of my palms...I'm thinking the Sabal palmetto and the washies have best chances of survival with the heat...I predict the Trachy and Butia burning to a crisp by the time July rolls around...Oh well, we'll see. Lol

Summer heat won't kill Trachy or Butia, they thrive in places way hotter (and over a longer season than Kansas) I'm sure you get your share of days over 100, but that doesn't matter. You don't sustain the heat over 9 months of the year and your nighttime lows don't stay extreme like like they do in Florida or the gulf coast.

[jfrye01@live.com]

True...and I guess since they survive the heat in Dallas, which is much hotter than us for longer, it'll be fine...didn't think about that...lol...The good news of the day is, it was 30F when I woke up this morning...under my wrapping, it was 55F according to the remote thermometer. Supposed to drop into the mid 20s tonight...I'm optimistic things will work out...lol

[_Keith]

Didn't know where to post this so I'll put it here: Ugh! I hate Kansas! Can't wait to get out of this hell...it is going to SNOW AND ICE tomorrow...with lows in the low to mid 20s tomorrow night...which, of course, means it will be in the teens at my place. I wouldn't worry if my butia wasn't already compromised, but I honestly don't know what to do...my Butia is the only palm in the ground, the others are still able to be moved back indoors, so I think I'll do that...no need compromising the health of the others...I'm thinking I'm gonna tie up the fronds, take Christmas lights (the regular kind, I don't have any C9, and you can't buy them around here this time of year), wrap the trunk, emphasize the growth point, and wrap the fronds, then wrap that with a thick wool blanket...Hopefully, that will suffice for just one day and night...Highs will go back into the 70s with lows in the 60s and 50s by the end of the week...this is pure craziness...My poor peach trees, which have big beautiful blooms on them, are toast:( My dad seems to think throwing a tarp over them will work, but I have my doubts...Oh well, that's part of living in the midwest:( Rant over. Carry on:)

-Jacob in Kansas (Soon to be FLORIDA!)

I can see hating Kansas for sure. But you are far too young of a man than to base your future on living in a place where you can grow a palm, or anything else. It's a big world out there and nothing holding you back but your own imagination and willingness to take what a your age is a relatively low risk. Go for it. Roll the dice, while young with little to lose. As you get older you may find the ability to do that gets smaller and smaller.

[Umbrae]

Palms in Kansas, you got a tough row to hoe amigo, I did get a little chuckle though of using Dallas as a benchmark for heat lol, stay toasty sir!!

[Funkthulhu]

Dear Jacob, please cast your eyes across your northern border, I'll be standing there in my snow-shoes waving back. . .

(though, honestly, everything was pretty much melted by noon yesterday)

[Alicehunter2000]

Wise old Keith is correct (emphasis on the old part).....do it while your young.

[jfrye01@live.com]

My decision on where to live will be based on my aviation career path, and most airlines have a fairly large presence in the Metroplex (American and Ameriflight (a cargo airline) come to mind)...Of course, Dallas isn't ideal to grow palms either, but it's far better than Kansas...

Dear Jacob, please cast your eyes across your northern border, I'll be standing there in my snow-shoes waving back. . .

(though, honestly, everything was pretty much melted by noon yesterday)

Haha! How cold did it get up there?? Our low last night was 25...we had an inch of snow on the ground Monday morning, it was all gone by about 11:30 AM though...Funny, just south of us about 20 miles, it was 45 degrees last night...Oh, the Midwest...gotta love it...

[Alicehunter2000]

Bo Goran screen name BGL might be able to introduce you to some folks out in Hawaii in the airline biz. Wouldn't that be a sweet gig.

[Ken Johnson]

I will trade free room and board for a palm grower to work for me.....20 miles SOUTH of Miami! Sorry no runway but Tamiami is close by...LOL Or one of my neighbors has a strip.

[waykoolplantz]

I know a Palm grower with a brand new FBO at Opa Locka

(bring Toto)

[_Keith]

My decision on where to live will be based on my aviation career path, and most airlines have a fairly large presence in the Metroplex (American and Ameriflight (a cargo airline) come to mind)...Of course, Dallas isn't ideal to grow palms either, but it's far better than Kansas...

Dear Jacob, please cast your eyes across your northern border, I'll be standing there in my snow-shoes waving back. . .

(though, honestly, everything was pretty much melted by noon yesterday)

Haha! How cold did it get up there?? Our low last night was 25...we had an inch of snow on the ground Monday morning, it was all gone by about 11:30 AM though...Funny, just south of us about 20 miles, it was 45 degrees last night...Oh, the Midwest...gotta love it...

Houston is a nice hub city. But then again, S Florida is the only place I know with so many international airports in such close proximity.

[NorthFlpalmguy]

Be sure you go to central/south Fl if you want to grow a true variety of palms or else you will be stuck with very few more (outdoor) species than you already have. I have 6-7 gallons of queen palm seeds that will never make it here but I learn my lessons the hard way lol. You know Dallas and Houston aren't bad choices and they are much closer to your home. They have quite a palm passion from what I can tell there also so you would be in good company.

Edited April 17, 2014 by bbrantley

[JakeK]

My decision on where to live will be based on my aviation career path, and most airlines have a fairly large presence in the Metroplex (American and Ameriflight (a cargo airline) come to mind)...Of course, Dallas isn't ideal to grow palms either, but it's far better than Kansas...

Dear Jacob, please cast your eyes across your northern border, I'll be standing there in my snow-shoes waving back. . .

(though, honestly, everything was pretty much melted by noon yesterday)

Haha! How cold did it get up there?? Our low last night was 25...we had an inch of snow on the ground Monday morning, it was all gone by about 11:30 AM though...Funny, just south of us about 20 miles, it was 45 degrees last night...Oh, the Midwest...gotta love it...

You'd be surprised what you can grow in the DFW area, especially in the warmest micro-climates. There is a member here, Tony, from DFW and he used to post pictures of his garden and other palms he has spotted in the Metroplex. It won't be So. Florida or So. California, but it is warm enough for quite a variety of palms.

[DoomsDave]

Jake, as Mama used to say, in another context:

"Take your time young man . . . " and check out all the places.

Why be stuck in the U.S.? Singapore is a rich country right on the equator, more or less, plenty of planes, great food . . . (a thought) And, lots and lots of PALMS!

[Ben in Norcal]

Also, Singapore has no agriculture. So, no agriculture restrictions.

[fr8train]

pshhh

To be fair though the only palms I have are in pots.

Edited May 9, 2014 by fr8train

[jfrye01@live.com]

pshhh

To be fair though the only palms I have are in pots.

No thanks, you can keep that weather. My dad used to have a friend that lived in Cheyenne, and the company that owns the refinery there (HollyFrontier) also owns the refinery here in El Dorado...Anyway, my dad's friend tried to come to El Dorado as much as possible in winter because, according to him, it was "warmer"..Now, take into account, our average winter highs are around 40, average lows are 19. Ha.

[fr8train]

pshhh

To be fair though the only palms I have are in pots.

No thanks, you can keep that weather. My dad used to have a friend that lived in Cheyenne, and the company that owns the refinery there (HollyFrontier) also owns the refinery here in El Dorado...Anyway, my dad's friend tried to come to El Dorado as much as possible in winter because, according to him, it was "warmer"..Now, take into account, our average winter highs are around 40, average lows are 19. Ha.

The way your dad's friend felt about El Dorado is how I feel about Cheyenne. I'm there fairly often and it always feels, and it is, warmer than Laramie. There are a lot of mild days sprinkled in during the winter however. It's t-shirt weather sometimes in February, in Cheyenne anyway.

[jfrye01@live.com]

pshhh

To be fair though the only palms I have are in pots.

No thanks, you can keep that weather. My dad used to have a friend that lived in Cheyenne, and the company that owns the refinery there (HollyFrontier) also owns the refinery here in El Dorado...Anyway, my dad's friend tried to come to El Dorado as much as possible in winter because, according to him, it was "warmer"..Now, take into account, our average winter highs are around 40, average lows are 19. Ha.

The way your dad's friend felt about El Dorado is how I feel about Cheyenne. I'm there fairly often and it always feels, and it is, warmer than Laramie. There are a lot of mild days sprinkled in during the winter however. It's t-shirt weather sometimes in February, in Cheyenne anyway.

I guess it all comes down to what you're used to...what zone are you and what palms do you grow?

[fr8train]

I guess it all comes down to what you're used to...what zone are you and what palms do you grow?

I'm from Illinois originally, so I'm used to winters, here they're just more prolonged and the summers are much cooler. I believe Laramie is zone 4, but I'd imagine growing anything here would be difficult. I used to grow various cold hardy palms in the ground in Illinois, but again, I no longer live there. As far as potted palms I have various trachys, brahea, trithrinax, sabal, phoenix..most are small. I find that the cold hardy varieties are more forgiving than tropicals, even as indoor plants, maybe excluding certain trachys, which I don't seem to have much luck with.