mexican fan plam in cold

[2palm]

i have a Mexican fan palm that i took outside for the warmer months and texas being texas a random "cold" wave came and made the palm yellow. im telling you this because i don't know the temp when washies turn that color. it got down to 40 f. idk if thats what caused it maybe its something else but it seemed like the problem. please let me know! (im not worried about it its already gotten better from when it happened)

pics:

[SM458]

Might be just focusing its growth on the new fronds? 

[2palm]

19 minutes ago, SM458 said:

Might be just focusing its growth on the new fronds? 

that new spear open really fast so that would make sense

[SM458]

My experience, Washingtonia palms are difficult to grow in pots. Not sure if it stressed from being root bound already too.

[Harry’s Palms]

I don’t have any in pots but if they are in the ground , 40f is just another day! Harry

[Leelanau Palms]

Suspect cultural stress (dry, cold, pot bound) with senescence of older fronds. 

[Silas_Sancona]

Mex Fans seem to have a bit of variability ...Have seen these growing in borderline  8B /8A  areas in S AZ where it can drop into the upper teens. 

Sierra Vista: Street View Date : 2023. There's a yard not far from these w/ a young Queen planted ( Probably dead now )






Douglas: Street View Date: 2/ 2024.





....So a few overnights in the 40s shouldn't bother them at all, even younger specimens..


At the same time, have seen tall specimens like the ones pictured above get totally torched by a relatively minor freeze in places not that far removed from Tampa, FL. that don't seem to get any colder during the worst possible cold spells there  than it can in S.E. AZ. ...where a night or two ( ..or 4 ) in the teens can occur almost each winter.

Some here got nipped a little after a couple nights that bottomed out at right around 29-30F for about an hour around Sunrise back in Jan / early Feb..


Other than that, have seen chunky youngsters that had popped up / not been removed from neglected 24" boxes next to X desired tree in the box w/ out issue ..other than looking dry-ish and thirsty due to competition w/ the tree for water.

[SM458]

I see Robusta growing my area in my town. We get hot and we get super cold. They handle my climate well. The leaves do get frost freeze but they rebound quick after spring. I think the issue is the pot and the palm focusing growth on it new fronds.

[2palm]

3 hours ago, SM458 said:

I see Robusta growing my area in my town. We get hot and we get super cold. They handle my climate well. The leaves do get frost freeze but they rebound quick after spring. I think the issue is the pot and the palm focusing growth on it new fronds.

yes a bad time im going to replace the pot as soon as i get ahold of it.

[Gville Palms]

40f should not have any real impact. I have not personally see any meaningful frond burn until it reaches mid to low 20s but freezes also don’t last very long here. Two winters ago it was around 20f for 4 nights in a row and even very tall specimens didn’t take much damage. That said, yours is in a pot so the roots are more exposed which can stress the palm out more easily during cold spells. 

If you’ve had it inside (non-greenhouse environment) for awhile, that can really stress some palm trees out. For whatever reason, many do not do well as houseplants, especially for long periods of time. I would give it as much sun and heat as you can and also fertilize it if you haven’t done so. PalmGain is a popular and good fertilizer. Moving it up to a larger pot wouldn’t hurt but I’ve seen much larger healthy looking Washingtonia in similar sized pots. Other factors are probably more important than the pot size. 

[Chester B]

I have found that Washingtonia in pots are a real PITA.  The only thing that could keep them somewhat happy are well draining soil and daily watering.  If they don't get water for a few days in the sun and warm temps they start doing what your palm does.  I bought some this winter and was waiting to decide where to put them in the ground.  A few days without water and a couple fronds per palm turned yellow and brown.

In the wild it seems that most photos show them in gullies, valleys where they tap into the ground water.  They may live in dry climates but they have good access to water.  Hopefully others can confirm or dispute this statement.

[jwitt]

@Chester B

In the wild it seems that most photos show them in gullies, valleys where they tap into the ground water.  They may live in dry climates but they have good access to water.  Hopefully others can confirm or dispute this

 

Exactly why they are not "wild" in the desert.  They need and love wet soil, at least for their roots. 

[bgifford]

My Washingtonia looked often very pitiful when it was in the Pot (somewhat your size). Especially during the time it was inside the Garage during the Winter. Once I put it in the Ground, It took off on another level and have never seen it have the droopy Leaves or weird discolorations (except for the dry edges after the long winter in its Box). 

[jwitt]

They are touchy in pots, and their growth is hampered. 

Here is 2 day old seedling with a nearly 8"(and growing) root.  Extrapolate that info using a pot....

[jwitt]

My take-

Your palm was getting ready to grow.  They will "suck" energy from older leaves right before growth resumes. I do not think it was due to the cold.  I think it was liking the outside sunshine and preparing to resume growth. 

My  planted washies do the same thing most springs, with no temperatures anywhere near leaf damaging.  Perfectly green w/no damage til mid to late March(central NM), than a 50% brownout, by early April. 

All that said, robusta is not a good choice for the Permian basin, but filifera can be long term in some areas.  Also, your potted robusta is most likely root bound.  

I think the "trick" to growing washies in the Permian basin is siting and mostly to get them to slow down in the fall(best to use drought, slowing the tender new growth from those Texas blue northers that happen hours after that nearly 90f day in December. 

My take

 

[5am]

Anything that grows fast is going to need more frequent water and nutrients. All of mine stay outside year round and although I'm in a different climate, we still had a couple nights reach freezing. This 4 year old keeps 4-5 leaves and whether it's root bound or not the growth is constant.

The real problem with washies in pots is that they grow so big so fast that they're hard to shuffle around the yard when I change my mind. (Notice the torn leaf?) I'm going to look into root pruning like I think @Pal Meir does as an effort to keep it manageable.
 

[PalmatierMeg]

On 4/21/2024 at 3:45 PM, SM458 said:

My experience, Washingtonia palms are difficult to grow in pots. Not sure if it stressed from being root bound already too.

Agree. Washies, like many large growing palms hate pots. Plant it and let it grow. And they yawn at 40 degrees. Find something else to keep indoors as a houseplant.

[WisTex]

On 4/23/2024 at 8:52 AM, Chester B said:

 

In the wild it seems that most photos show them in gullies, valleys where they tap into the ground water.  They may live in dry climates but they have good access to water.  Hopefully others can confirm or dispute this statement.

They do very well on North Padre Island when established, even when surrounded by concrete or non-pervious weed barrier under a rocked yard.  I attribute that to the Island having a fresh water table five to eight feet under its surface.  The biggest danger to them are trimmers who leave three fronds on them.