Coconut tree in zone 9a/9b

[Guest]

I want to grow a coconut tree but everywhere I'm seeing that it needs a warmer climate and will die from the cold. Where I'm at in the summer it got to 115°f and I haven't seen it go below 32° this winter. I was wondering with winter protection, if a coconut tree would survive and fruit. And if so what winter protection would I need? 

[idontknowhatnametuse]

Plant a hardier variety like Mexican Tall or Panama/Pacific Tall

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

4 hours ago, yadaliee said:

I want to grow a coconut tree but everywhere I'm seeing that it needs a warmer climate and will die from the cold. Where I'm at in the summer it got to 115°f and I haven't seen it go below 32° this winter. I was wondering with winter protection, if a coconut tree would survive and fruit. And if so what winter protection would I need? 

Where exactly do you live?

John

[Maltese coconut project]

Depends also on the length of your low temperatures

[Johnny Palmseed]

Sounds like you are in desert conditions. Coconuts don’t love dry conditions and they really don’t like extreme temperatures whether hot or cold. Although the high temperatures would be tolerated with plenty of water, the cold temperatures would likely be a problem. If you post your general location, others in your area would be able to advise you about what you can and can’t grow.

[Maltese coconut project]

Although in cool and chill weather fairly dry is better than wet 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, Mr. Coconut Palm said:

Where exactly do you live?

John

Selma, ca

[Guest]

13 hours ago, yadaliee said:

I want to grow a coconut tree but everywhere I'm seeing that it needs a warmer climate and will die from the cold. Where I'm at in the summer it got to 115°f and I haven't seen it go below 32° this winter. I was wondering with winter protection, if a coconut tree would survive and fruit. And if so what winter protection would I need? 

I found this video of this guy growing his coconut in zone 9b. He only protectes it when the temperature goes below 20°. Would following what this guy did work for me?

https://youtu.be/LFBCHCbwEtU

[Xenon]

3 minutes ago, yadaliee said:

I found this video of this guy growing his coconut in zone 9b. He only protectes it when the temperature goes below 20°. Would following what this guy did work for me?

https://youtu.be/LFBCHCbwEtU

No, you should abandon this idea. Coconut in Selma, Ca is not going to work out without a greenhouse (way too cool for too long, it doesn't matter if you freeze or not...coconuts need warmth even in winter). Walt in Florida is much much much warmer than you in winter/year-round, nearly tropical aside from the odd cold snap. 

[Billy]

Go with Beccariophoenix alfredii instead.....

[Mr. Coconut Palm]

10 hours ago, yadaliee said:

Selma, ca

Okay.  Sorry, but like Jonathan said, forget it there, too chilly.  There are only a few isolated microclimates in Southern California where it is possible, and where people have successfully grown them, but those are isolated locations with an ideal microclimate that is ideal for them in such an otherwise cool wintertime climate region.

John

[Blueman]

Coconuts stop producing chlorophyll around 50 to 60 degrees, so it's not just the temporary plunge from a cold front, but the average winter daytime temps that are important.  As Xenon said, there has to be daytime warmth throughout the year.  Southern FL has a number of winter days in the 80's.  I'm in 10A FL and coconuts here almost always need to be under tall evergreen canopy to survive longterm.  It's only in 10B that coconuts thrive in FL, and that's a very small percentage of the state.  

Becarriophoenix alfredii is a great suggestion for 9B.  

 

[DCA_Palm_Fan]

2 hours ago, Blueman said:

Coconuts stop producing chlorophyll around 50 to 60 degrees, so it's not just the temporary plunge from a cold front, but the average winter daytime temps that are important.  As Xenon said, there has to be daytime warmth throughout the year.  Southern FL has a number of winter days in the 80's.  I'm in 10A FL and coconuts here almost always need to be under tall evergreen canopy to survive longterm.  It's only in 10B that coconuts thrive in FL, and that's a very small percentage of the state.  

Becarriophoenix alfredii is a great suggestion for 9B.  

 

Hmmmi have to disagree with your assessment of coconuts in zone 10A.   I’m in 10A as well.  St. Petersburg Florida and there are quite a few long lived, tall, very healthy and fruiting coconuts here. They do just fine here with little to no issues at all.  I see them daily here and have loads of photos of many of them.   
 

now for the OP, no.  Coconuts are not viable in that climate for all of the reasons stated so far in this thread.   

[Blueman]

If you're near lucky enough to live near a large body of water (the Gulf, Lake Ochochobee, etc), you won't get as much frost those of us in the bulk 10A FL who are further inland.  Frost is the first thing to kill tropicals inland.  I'm deep down south in inland 10A and I've had 1/4" of ice on foliage when we've dipped below 30.  I haven't seen any long term surviving coconuts here, and people try them every year.  5 miles closer to the Gulf and there's 50'+ coconuts.   

How low have your temps been in St Pete in the last 15 years?  Have you hit high 20's?  

[kinzyjr]

36 minutes ago, Blueman said:

How low have your temps been in St Pete in the last 15 years?  Have you hit high 20's?  

It depends on what station you are closest to:

Station: USW00092806 (Albert Whitted Airport - KSPG)

Station: USW00012873 (St. Pete/Clearwater Intl. - KPIE)

Station: USC00087886 (Albert Whitted #2 - KSPG - there are more years available in the almanac mentioned below)

For anyone that wants it, a full almanac of NOAA data for Florida is available here:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/66320-florida-freeze-and-weather-station-data/?do=findComment&comment=1064607

It doesn't include the December 2022 data as of this post.  There are also a few airports that report data on NWS that do not have a NOAA download available.  I'm working on a way to scrape that data and include it in the almanac, similar to what was done for Zephyrhills Airport (KZPH).

[Little Tex]

11 hours ago, kinzyjr said:

It depends on what station you are closest to:

Station: USW00092806 (Albert Whitted Airport - KSPG)

Station: USW00012873 (St. Pete/Clearwater Intl. - KPIE)

Station: USC00087886 (Albert Whitted #2 - KSPG - there are more years available in the almanac mentioned below)

For anyone that wants it, a full almanac of NOAA data for Florida is available here:

https://www.palmtalk.org/forum/topic/66320-florida-freeze-and-weather-station-data/?do=findComment&comment=1064607

It doesn't include the December 2022 data as of this post.  There are also a few airports that report data on NWS that do not have a NOAA download available.  I'm working on a way to scrape that data and include it in the almanac, similar to what was done for Zephyrhills Airport (KZPH).

why did the clearwater station report 20 degrees higher than the others?

[kinzyjr]

8 hours ago, Little Tex said:

why did the clearwater station report 20 degrees higher than the others?

I'm assuming you mean for the year 1998.  The Annual Lows for 1998:

• USC00087886 (KSPG #2)  : 42F
• USW00092806 (KSPG #1) : 26F
• USW00012873 (KPIE)       : 45F

The station USW00092806 recorded erroneous figures in November 1998 that threw off the calculations.  Thank you for asking the question, because the 26F was able to sneak through the algorithm I use to sanitize junk data (it was above 20F in this area and non-negative).  I'll know to sanitize this data manually for the next report.