My palms are taking the cold well so far

[happypalms]

With winter in full swing temperatures down to 2 degrees Celsius and widespread frosts my little palms are fairing well a little damage and a few dead ones I was expecting that but you have to zone push with so many new varieties there is bound to be some winners and losers certain varieties I stay away from knowing full well they won’t grow others I keep on trying research and asking around and palm talk certainly helps in choosing what varieties are worth trying and germinating the seeds seems to help with acclimatisation and keeping the wind out the cold draughty winds are not nice to seedlings throw in some wet weather and its touch and go to see who wins and who doesn’t make it time will tell!

[happypalms]

Kerriodoxa are doing well for the first winter 

[Harry’s Palms]

Is this “safety in numbers” ? Some of those are quite young and marching along. Harry

[Patrick]

I don't know what you're smoking. It's the middle of summer

[happypalms]

14 hours ago, Patrick said:

I don't know what you're smoking. It's the middle of summer

Might be summer for you but here in sunny Australia it’s the middle of winter!

[happypalms]

19 hours ago, Harry’s Palms said:

Is this “safety in numbers” ? Some of those are quite young and marching along. Harry

Could  be Harry safely in numbers but my greenhouse has plastic walls so that might help a bit choosing the right varieties helps too.

Richard 

[Patrick]

5 hours ago, happypalms said:

Might be summer for you but here in sunny Australia it’s the middle of winter!

Just joking. I easily get down to -2 every year. I used to zone push, but now I say push and let die. Hey, that might be a catchy name for a song....

[Alberto]

22 hours ago, Patrick said:

I don't know what you're smoking. It's the middle of summer

 I must be smoking the same as it's winter here also 😀 in southern Brazil... Wow, nice seedlings! I never was courageous enough to try a lot of this species you are growing there.... BTW Chuniophoenix nana grows well for me....

[peachy]

This year my winter nights have been warmest in memory.  2c is the lowest so far but usually between 4 and 7c.  Last year and again this year,  winter started earlier than usual, with the cool nights starting late April instead of mid June, so I am hoping this won't become the new normal.  Last year saw 7 or 8 daytime temps remain in the mid teens,  something we only get once or twice per winter. This year the daytime seems to stay either just on or a bit under 20c, instead of the low to mid 20s. Funnily enough, the palms and other exotic plants seem to be doing fine and things that are bare sticks most of winter still have leaves.  All my expensive palms I bought at the palm show, I decided to bring indoors, a fatal decision I am ashamed to say as the heating, which has been on much more than usual, has been killing them off, no matter how often I mist them.  It's been about 16 years now since the last big frost, thankfully.

Peachy

[Jonathan Haycock]

This has been our first winter in Bahrs Scrub so can't compare like-4-like to previous years, but on the whole it's been quite a mild one. We've dropped down to 6C a few times, but most lows have sat around 8-10C, quickly warming up to 20-25C. That is pretty much on par with what we experienced in Pacific Pines, which is a little further South and closer to the ocean. 

I have lost a Cyrtostachys renda on the front porch, but it was still recovering from the previous winter. Plus it was purchased just before last winter in Mackay so didn't have enough time to acclimate in SE QLD before the cool weather arrived. The C. renda seedlings I have under the alfresco have sailed through their second winter, but they are kept in plastic tubs with the lids on most nights. 

[happypalms]

12 hours ago, Alberto said:

 I must be smoking the same as it's winter here also 😀 in southern Brazil... Wow, nice seedlings! I never was courageous enough to try a lot of this species you are growing there.... BTW Chuniophoenix nana grows well for me....

Give any palm a go if your confident it will surprise you what will live you have to be prepared to lose a few but you will win a few it’s a gamble but well worth it you just never know.

[happypalms]

4 hours ago, peachy said:

This year my winter nights have been warmest in memory.  2c is the lowest so far but usually between 4 and 7c.  Last year and again this year,  winter started earlier than usual, with the cool nights starting late April instead of mid June, so I am hoping this won't become the new normal.  Last year saw 7 or 8 daytime temps remain in the mid teens,  something we only get once or twice per winter. This year the daytime seems to stay either just on or a bit under 20c, instead of the low to mid 20s. Funnily enough, the palms and other exotic plants seem to be doing fine and things that are bare sticks most of winter still have leaves.  All my expensive palms I bought at the palm show, I decided to bring indoors, a fatal decision I am ashamed to say as the heating, which has been on much more than usual, has been killing them off, no matter how often I mist them.  It's been about 16 years now since the last big frost, thankfully.

Peachy

Hi peachy I just leave my plants outside with protection especially the new ones but if I have to bring them in it’s the bathroom usually the coldest place in the house out of the  way of the heater but I get over bringing them in and out daily plus one day I want to plant them in the garden or keep in the collection in the greenhouse so eventually they go outside i could not imagine putting plants inside every winter for 5 years then planting them only to have them die first winter in the ground so they have to tough it out for winter from day one I know it’s cruel and costly but that’s the way it is glad you’re getting warm days only about 5 weeks of cold to go so hang in there.

Richard 

[happypalms]

3 hours ago, Jonathan Haycock said:

This has been our first winter in Bahrs Scrub so can't compare like-4-like to previous years, but on the whole it's been quite a mild one. We've dropped down to 6C a few times, but most lows have sat around 8-10C, quickly warming up to 20-25C. That is pretty much on par with what we experienced in Pacific Pines, which is a little further South and closer to the ocean. 

I have lost a Cyrtostachys renda on the front porch, but it was still recovering from the previous winter. Plus it was purchased just before last winter in Mackay so didn't have enough time to acclimate in SE QLD before the cool weather arrived. The C. renda seedlings I have under the alfresco have sailed through their second winter, but they are kept in plastic tubs with the lids on most nights. 

I don’t even try to grow the red renda so many people ask me can I get them I just say forget that dream of them there is one in the Coffs botanical gardens in a climate controlled hothouse and they are nice but a bit overrated a well kept red areca vestria is nicer your climate sounds pretty good to me but you always have to prepare for  that cold snap one year it may take ten years but it does happen.

[peachy]

23 hours ago, happypalms said:

Hi peachy I just leave my plants outside with protection especially the new ones but if I have to bring them in it’s the bathroom usually the coldest place in the house out of the  way of the heater but I get over bringing them in and out daily plus one day I want to plant them in the garden or keep in the collection in the greenhouse so eventually they go outside i could not imagine putting plants inside every winter for 5 years then planting them only to have them die first winter in the ground so they have to tough it out for winter from day one I know it’s cruel and costly but that’s the way it is glad you’re getting warm days only about 5 weeks of cold to go so hang in there.

Richard 

I saw a pair of Swallows on monday, a very welcome sight in this long winter. The last few days have been in the low 20s too so the omens are looking good for an early spring.

Peachy

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, peachy said:

I saw a pair of Swallows on monday, a very welcome sight in this long winter. The last few days have been in the low 20s too so the omens are looking good for an early spring.

Peachy

That’s a good sign I was watching one at work the other day on the wing feeding an amazing bird I have lost one benga dawn calpytrocalyx the betel nut palms I got the other day are long dead already my fault in a way bringing bare rooted palms in the middle of winter from tropical cairns and a couple of baby Kerriodoxa that have never seen winter before but doing pretty good so far.

richard 

[peachy]

2 hours ago, happypalms said:

That’s a good sign I was watching one at work the other day on the wing feeding an amazing bird I have lost one benga dawn calpytrocalyx the betel nut palms I got the other day are long dead already my fault in a way bringing bare rooted palms in the middle of winter from tropical cairns and a couple of baby Kerriodoxa that have never seen winter before but doing pretty good so far.

richard 

I got my betel nut palms in december and they were all dead within 10 days.  I am surprised at the Calyptrocalyx.  In the past mine saw many minus 3 nights without damage.  My baby Kerriodoxa is doing fine, the cold hasn't bothered it at all.  Only one of the small palms outside is showing any sign of damage,  and that is just some yellow cold spot marks. It is all the bigger ones that I bought at the palm show and brought indoors for winter that have died.  I was needlessly worrying about my joey on a stick, it is doing fine on the back patio and not a trace of damage so far.

Peachy