Queen palm frond suddenly falls over. Why?

[Palm and Pool]

My Queen palm's newest front went from straight up to straight down.  Any ideas?

This has happened before, but then it was soon after a freeze, one of the first new fronds to emerge. 

This time the palm has sent up several new fronds but suddenly the new one snaps in half and hangs down.

We had a bad freeze 15F eight months ago, so I wouldn't think that the cause.  We had a cool spring and a brutal hot summer and drought, so those are the conditions.  I water it every day, sometimes twice.  Sometimes I let the water run on it for an hour or so, maybe once every 10 days or so.

I hope I am doing something wrong so I can stop!

I would appreciate any thoughts, etc.

Thanks

[PalmatierMeg]

Palms can and do exhibit cold damage many months after a winter cold front, including death. I had a trunking Hydriastele beguinii collapse dead 9 months after a record Jan cold front in 2010, I think it had been dead all along but didn’t know it.

I am surprised your queen survived 15F at the time.

[Palm and Pool]

Yikes.

I hope it is just damage and not death.

Thanks for this information. I really appreciate it.  I just didn't figure freeze damage would show up this  late.

I'll cross my fingers and hope for the best.

[SeanK]

My palmetto did that with 3 fronds (still green) after 5°F.

[Palm and Pool]

Did it survive?

 

[Palm and Pool]

On 8/19/2023 at 5:09 PM, PalmatierMeg said:

I am surprised your queen survived 15F at the time.

It was wrapped with Christmas lights and cardboard, etc.

I have another Queen palm question, if you don't mind.

When the fronds are completely dead and dried out and crispy and grey, I cut them off as close as I can to the trunk, but that still leaves several feet of leaf base on the tree.  Is there some other preferred way of managing the dead fronds?  Should I just wait till they fall all the way off on their own?   I haven't seen anyone do that, but that doesn't really mean much.

Thanks