Pygmy Date Palm

[ThaRage]

Just curious if anyone has used the box/green house method with Christmas lights and thermocube for a Pygmy date Palm. I’m in zone 7a Nashville TN. I’ve been successful with several washy, windmill, and dwarf palmettos but just planted a Pygmy date Palm in April of this year.  It’s growing like crazy but scared it won’t survive the winter covered.  Any thoughts or suggestions?
 

also is anyone else in my area growing palms?  Very rare to see any tropicals around here even though our climate really isn’t that harsh with a little TLC.  

[kinzyjr]

@ThaRage Welcome to PalmTalk!

In the ground, the generally accepted cutoff for them is around 25F down here.  In a pot, you're going to want to keep the pot from freezing as that could kill the roots.

[Fusca]

3 hours ago, ThaRage said:

Very rare to see any tropicals around here

Rare indeed, although you've got a nice selection planted!  I'm from Knoxville (used to be 6b) and have relatives in Hickman, Lewis and Dickson counties.  When I moved here from Knoxville in 2000 I had a pygmy date palm in a container (since 1988!) and eventually planted it outside my house in the Houston area.  It will definitely need protection.  Even here it starts to show leaf damage around 27° even though it's bud hardier than that and will come back from complete defoliation if it doesn't get too cold.  Like Jeremy said below about 25° is about their limit.  I believe @Allen has some nice palms growing in Murfreesboro and can probably give you some good info about what can be grown there as well as his protection methods which he has posted in other threads.

Edited October 29, 2020 by Fusca

[ThaRage]

Thanks Fusca I’ll check out his other threads.   I think you guys pretty much answered my question.  Box method with Christmas lights should keep it alive just fine if it’s good to mid 20s. Thanks a lot. 

[climate change virginia]

14 hours ago, ThaRage said:

Just curious if anyone has used the box/green house method with Christmas lights and thermocube for a Pygmy date Palm. I’m in zone 7a Nashville TN. I’ve been successful with several washy, windmill, and dwarf palmettos but just planted a Pygmy date Palm in April of this year.  It’s growing like crazy but scared it won’t survive the winter covered.  Any thoughts or suggestions?
 

also is anyone else in my area growing palms?  Very rare to see any tropicals around here even though our climate really isn’t that harsh with a little TLC.  

That will probably die in your zone unless you can magically bring the temp around the date palm 25 degrees if you plant it in the ground. You will also need to make sure ground does not freeze then you will have a pygmy date ice pop.