Palmageddon Aftermath Photo Thread

[Swolte]

On 3/7/2021 at 1:46 PM, necturus said:

They closed down the back part of the nursery at Caldwell's which is a bamboo forest. Most of the clumping bamboo looked dead or dying.

Thanks for sharing. Great place to visit and they have a unique selection of plants! Too bad to hear about the damage. Hope some of the (impressive) bamboo pulls through there. 

[Collectorpalms]

Yes, that was my thought why they no longer sell them.

What is that common clumping palm in the RGV, I cant think of it, Dypsis? but I have respect for smaller palms that do not have thorns and can be protected.

[Keys6505]

41 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Come to Houston, oversized 5 gal king palms for 30 bucks pretty good deal imo 

Grabbed one today.  Thanks again for the heads up!

[Keys6505]

12 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

 

What is that common clumping palm in the RGV, I cant think of it, Dypsis? but I have respect for smaller palms that do not have thorns and can be protected.

Adonidia?

[Collectorpalms]

1 minute ago, Keys6505 said:

Adonidia?

Not Adonidia, Those don't like cool weather. But I have seen Kings in Westchase, Houston last during the warm decade, but they got over two stories high. 

[Collectorpalms]

17 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Not Adonidia, Those don't like cool weather. But I have seen Kings in Westchase, Houston last during the warm decade, but they got over two stories high. 

I am thinking of Dypsis Lutescens, but I might try a potted Dypsis onilahensis 

Dypsis onilahensis – Floribunda Palms & Exotics

[Xenon]

19 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

Not Adonidia, Those don't like cool weather. But I have seen Kings in Westchase, Houston last during the warm decade, but they got over two stories high. 

Dypsis lutescens

[Collectorpalms]

8 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Dypsis lutescens

Yes, They had sizable ones in Houston at a gas station at BW8 and old 290. But they also had large Royals at the Hotel around there too.

[Xenon]

1 minute ago, Collectorpalms said:

Yes, They had sizable ones in Houston at a gas station at BW8 and old 290. But they also had large Royals at the Hotel around there too.

Some clumps in Highland Village were gaining nice size, planted in 2018. The 2000s were the heyday of zone 10 palms in Houston, some stuff squeaked by until 2017/2018. 

[ahosey01]

22 minutes ago, Collectorpalms said:

I am thinking of Dypsis Lutescens, but I might try a potted Dypsis onilahensis 

Dypsis onilahensis – Floribunda Palms & Exotics

These are one of my most favorite palms.

[Reyes Vargas]

On 2/20/2021 at 1:30 PM, Reyes Vargas said:

My bottle palms look much better than my pygmy date palms.

Update on my bottle palm.  They did end up completely defoliating but the center spear has started to push.  My pygmy date palm still look the same.  No new growth.

[oliver]

Did you protect that bottle palm? I only have one and don't really care for it, so I left it. I think it's dead. I did protect my bottle/spindle F1's and I think they will make it

[Xenon]

24 minutes ago, Reyes Vargas said:

Update on my bottle palm.  They did end up completely defoliating but the center spear has started to push.  My pygmy date palm still look the same.  No new growth.

Still have a long way to go regarding it's ultimate fate, but that's a good sign!!! Are your royals moving at all? 

[Reyes Vargas]

3 minutes ago, Xenon said:

Still have a long way to go regarding it's ultimate fate, but that's a good sign!!! Are your royals moving at all? 

No, my royals are toast.  The trunk is very soft when I push in with my finger.  I'm going to cut them down pretty soon because I don't want to risk them falling on someone.

[Reyes Vargas]

19 minutes ago, oliver said:

Did you protect that bottle palm? I only have one and don't really care for it, so I left it. I think it's dead. I did protect my bottle/spindle F1's and I think they will make it

The only protection that I gave it was putting a blanket over it.  My royals are gonners.  The trunk is like mush and am taking them down pretty soon.

Edited March 10, 2021 by Reyes Vargas

[oliver]

The big Royal's in Brownsville still iffy, but I've seen a few green spears emerging. I'm talking about the 50 footers. The small ones with less than 10 feet of wood look pretty bad!

[NBTX11]

53 minutes ago, Reyes Vargas said:

The only protection that I gave it was putting a blanket over it.  My royals are gonners.  The trunk is like mush and am taking them down pretty soon.

What was your low temperature?

[Sabal_Louisiana]

So what kind of strategy are you guys in South Texas going to take about (re)planting this year?

Do you find yourself snakebit and ready to take a more conservative approach to what you will attempt to grow or just treat 2021 as a fluke and move on as before?

 

[ahosey01]

15 minutes ago, Sabal_Louisiana said:

So what kind of strategy are you guys in South Texas going to take about (re)planting this year?

Do you find yourself snakebit and ready to take a more conservative approach to what you will attempt to grow or just treat 2021 as a fluke and move on as before?

 

I think they should all plant Cyrtostachys renda but that's just me.

[Reyes Vargas]

25 minutes ago, NBTX11 said:

What was your low temperature?

Lowest we got here was 22f or 23f.  My thermometer that I have recorded about 24f as the lowest but I don't think it's a very accurate thermometer.

[Reyes Vargas]

20 minutes ago, Sabal_Louisiana said:

So what kind of strategy are you guys in South Texas going to take about (re)planting this year?

Do you find yourself snakebit and ready to take a more conservative approach to what you will attempt to grow or just treat 2021 as a fluke and move on as before?

 

I went by a house in the Mercedes area today and they already planted two new royal palms and what looked like a Adonidia merrillii.  I myself am looking for some coconuts to plant.

[Xenon]

Some more carnage footage from Houston. Robusta against south or east facing buildings unsurprisingly looks the "best". 

 

 

[Xenon]

Here's what's  left of South Padre Island...nuked coconut @ 0:04 and nuked big Pandanus @ 3:42. There's a strange lack of damage on the Cook pines. Royals are defoliated but crownshafts look green. Tip damage on black mangroves 

 

[MesquiteRetreat]

Just watched the video “Best Mind Set When Disaster Strikes”. Is this the proper way for me to prune my Phoenix roebelenii? I thought it was best to leave fronds that still have some green. How does he know that, “I know they are gonna die”?

[boaterboat]

Two of my 5 livistona chinensis are showing signs of hope. 1 is questionable and 2 are looking bad (one with spear pull).  I know their cold hardiness is somewhat questionable, but they look much better than robustas in my area, just west of Austin.  Am I overly optimistic, or is it a slower decline, and am I delaying the inevitable?

I am also wondering about the rust colored staining on the bases of the questionable palms. I would appreciate any insight there. The palms that have some green on the spears don’t have it. I have been treating with copper fungicide since the freeze. 

As I climb and check the status of my livistona chinensis every day, I realize how much I love the look of their slender trunks, and I am likely going to plant many more as I hope the others will make it. 
 

Pic of the cool little tree frog is just for fun. It found a spot in one of my dead Mediterranean fan palms. 

[Xerarch]

On 3/10/2021 at 1:30 AM, Xenon said:

Here's what's  left of South Padre Island...nuked coconut @ 0:04 and nuked big Pandanus @ 3:42. There's a strange lack of damage on the Cook pines. Royals are defoliated but crownshafts look green. Tip damage on black mangroves 

 

The robustas look unscathed at least.  I'm really floored at how terrible they look in Corpus, crowns collapsed etc.  I can't believe it.  I've seen robustas take 18 degrees in Arizona and come out with only some minor leaf burn.  I know all about desert vs humid climate and durations of cold etc.  But still, I'm surprised how bad they got beat up in Corpus and they look perfect on SPI.

[MesquiteRetreat]

I am having the exact same "rust colored staining" on my Foxtails (Wodyetia bifurcata). I, too, would sure appreciate any insight. Thanks!

[PricklyPearSATC]

1 hour ago, MesquiteRetreat said:

I am having the exact same "rust colored staining" on my Foxtails (Wodyetia bifurcata). I, too, would sure appreciate any insight. Thanks!

Have this too..on numerous palms

[Reyes Vargas]

2 hours ago, MesquiteRetreat said:

I am having the exact same "rust colored staining" on my Foxtails (Wodyetia bifurcata). I, too, would sure appreciate any insight. Thanks!

That rust coloring on the trunk means that the palm froze solid to the core.  That is the palm crying.  There is no saving those palms.  That happened to 4 of my Foxtails and I just cut them down yesterday.  They already smelled rotten. 

[MesquiteRetreat]

How very, very sad. Not what I wanted to hear, but I really appreciate the information. So now I need to figure out what will go in their places. Foxtails are my favorite...or were...

[ahosey01]

On 3/9/2021 at 11:30 PM, Xenon said:

Here's what's  left of South Padre Island...nuked coconut @ 0:04 and nuked big Pandanus @ 3:42. There's a strange lack of damage on the Cook pines. Royals are defoliated but crownshafts look green. Tip damage on black mangroves 

 

I guess I am planting a cook pine now...

[Reyes Vargas]

18 minutes ago, MesquiteRetreat said:

How very, very sad. Not what I wanted to hear, but I really appreciate the information. So now I need to figure out what will go in their places. Foxtails are my favorite...or were...

If I were you I would replant the foxtails if that's your favorit palm. This cold that we got was a once in a 30-40 year event.  Can it happen again next year or the next few years (yes) but the chances are minuscule.  I also lost a couple royal palms that I grew from seed in 2015 I  believe and they were tall and beautiful until this cold event.  I'll post a picture of My royal palms just before they got nuked.  I'm definitely replanting.  Royals grow so fast that they will be huge in no time.  Don't give up on the Foxtails plant more.

Here are my two seed grown royals that I planted 2015 give or take a year.

Edited March 11, 2021 by Reyes Vargas

[Xenon]

13 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

I guess I am planting a cook pine now...

I don't think it's that clear cut...they got absolutely nuked/killed by 23/24F on parts of Galveston Island back in 2018. This freeze really has me scratching my head...the royals on SPI have lime green crownshafts (some already pushing green leaves) and a lot of zone 10 stuff looks like it might recover. Just further up the coast in Corpus looks like a warzone with burned queens and robusta and crownshafted palms just falling over. 

Edited March 11, 2021 by Xenon

[Xenon]

7 minutes ago, Reyes Vargas said:

If I were you I would replant the foxtails if that's your favorit palm. This cold that we got was a once in a 30-40 year event.  Can it happen again next year or the next few years (yes) but the chances are minuscule.  I also lost a couple royal palms that I grew from seed in 2015 I  believe and they were tall and beautiful until this cold event.  I'll post a picture of My royal palms just before they got nuked.  I'm definitely replanting.  Royals grow so fast that they will be huge in no time.  Don't give up on the Foxtails.

Here are my two seed grown royals that I planted 2015 give or take a year.

The big ones are more hardy as well. Some big royals in southern Hidalgo and Cameron county are already pushing green growth. It seems like this year's freeze might not be a total "royal palm killer". 

 

[Austinpalm]

3 minutes ago, ahosey01 said:

I guess I am planting a cook pine now...

Only the biggest Araucaria seem unfazed by the cold in February.  Many small are very scorched and medium sized show brown tips.

[MesquiteRetreat]

Reyes Vargas. Your Royals were lovely! I feel your pain. Everything looked so beautiful here, too, before this horrid freeze. This was the view before and after from our bedroom window. Hard to see, perhaps, but the Royal and Foxtail fronds are completely brown in the after shot. [Hope I upload them correctly.]

My hubby is heart-broken, as well. He wants to replace the Royals in the front of our home with Sylvesters, which all look great. Curious, IF, and it is a big IF, our Royal were to survive, how long would it take before it looks good again. There is so much conflicting information on the web...some say a year...some say several years.

 

[MesquiteRetreat]

Just realized my before photo is an older photo, but you get the idea. Right now, I can see the Royal fronds are still "upright"...but the Foxtail fronds are all kinked and hanging, although the spears are still upright.

[oliver]

Don't plant any silvestris. They will succumb to whatever Phoenix disease we have here in the lower Valley ?Lethal yellow or Tx Phoenix decline. I would replant Royal's if yours are even dead? Mine here in Brownsville already throwing a green new leaf. Royals will look like nothing happened to them by fall

[oliver]

The smaller Royal's if they live, will likely have a narrower trunk section where the crown is now, for several years. Shows they were survivors!

[Reyes Vargas]

5 minutes ago, MesquiteRetreat said:

Reyes Vargas. Your Royals were lovely! I feel your pain. Everything looked so beautiful here, too, before this horrid freeze. This was the view before and after from our bedroom window. Hard to see, perhaps, but the Royal and Foxtail fronds are completely brown in the after shot. [Hope I upload them correctly.]

My hubby is heart-broken, as well. He wants to replace the Royals in the front of our home with Sylvesters, which all look great. Curious, IF, and it is a big IF, our Royal were to survive, how long would it take before it looks good again. There is so much conflicting information on the web...some say a year...some say several years.

 

If your royals are alive it won't take years to look good again.  Royals grow so fast if you water them and fertilize them will put out 1 new frond a month.  By the end of this year it should have put out at least 8 maybe more fronds.  That is if your plan is alive.  Like @oliver said here in Texas Phoenix Palm succumb quiet often to lethal bronzing.  I would just plant more royals and Foxtails.