Polar Vortex Jan 2025 - Are you preparing your palms?

[Mazat]

15 hours ago, Tropicdoc said:

what’s this? I like it!

cordyline australis probably,.

the tips are soft, not like yucca gloriosa or other yuccas.

outplanted in october 2024

Had no problems with -6 degrees Celsius/21 Deg. Fahrenheit twice

[Subtropical LIS]

8 hours ago, Xenon said:

Polar vortex is a long distant memory...

Doesn't get any better than this 😅 

I would agree.  We made it to 82 F here today in Jupiter, FL. We really can't complain...the entire southern half of the USA from California to North Carolina was in the 70's F and 80's F today:

 

[PaPalmTrees]

23 hours ago, Xenon said:

Polar vortex is a long distant memory...

Doesn't get any better than this 😅 

not for the mid atlantic or the east coast =/

[amh]

On 1/25/2025 at 5:30 PM, JeskiM said:

I don't have any recommendations, but I just thought about something that my uncle does up north.  My uncle grows fig trees in the Pittsburgh PA area.  Just before winter he will dig them up, lay them over, and bury them under dirt, etc. Them in spring, pulls them back up and stakes them. Keep in mind theses trees are 20 to 25 footers and he uses heavy equipment (he owns a construction company), and does snap the roots, etc. Gets fruit every year.

Makes me wonder if that trick could work on some tropicals ?

-Matt

I think this would be a great idea for marginal, deciduous subtropical species, but as Jonathan mentioned, I think most tropicals would die. 

It might work on a tropical vegetable crop like Manihot esculenta or Cnidoscolus aconitifolius.

[Tropicdoc]

I did this exact thing with my tropical herbaceous stuff when I saw the forecast. Things like monstera and philodendron I just dug up put in the garage and now they are all back in the ground

i think they will do better than if I would have left them with roots in the ground because this weather event was a record breaker 

[Tropicdoc]

On 2/4/2025 at 9:39 AM, Mazat said:

cordyline australis probably,.

the tips are soft, not like yucca gloriosa or other yuccas.

outplanted in october 2024

Had no problems with -6 degrees Celsius/21 Deg. Fahrenheit twice

I can never seem to find a regular green trunking cordyline australis. It’s either red star or tropical cordylines

[Chester B]

13 hours ago, Tropicdoc said:

I can never seem to find a regular green trunking cordyline australis. It’s either red star or tropical cordylines

They aren't that common here in the south.  Anywhere else in the country you can buy them at any place that sells plants.

I have seen them at HomeDepot and a private nursery here in Houston.  They're never sold as Cordyline , usually they're sold as Dracaena or "Green spike" or "Spikes".  Generally they are brought in with the annuals for use as the "Thriller" part of a potted plant arrangement.  They'll be small and cheap, $1-$4 dollars.

[Robbertico18]

Was out in the garden this afternoon checking all the spears and had one baby mule palm spear pull so went ahead and sprayed every palm that stayed outside with a lil hydrogen peroxide just to be safe 

[Cody Salem]

10 hours ago, Chester B said:

They aren't that common here in the south.  Anywhere else in the country you can buy them at any place that sells plants.

I have seen them at HomeDepot and a private nursery here in Houston.  They're never sold as Cordyline , usually they're sold as Dracaena or "Green spike" or "Spikes".  Generally they are brought in with the annuals for use as the "Thriller" part of a potted plant arrangement.  They'll be small and cheap, $1-$4 dollars.

I have actually had a hard time finding them here in Oregon too.  The market is flooded with all the pretty colored ones being sold with annuals.  It took about a year to find a hardy green one.  It was probably $40 but they were big and already started trunking. 

[Cody Salem]

It looks like Oregon isn't escaping the cold this time.   Its still 4 or 5 days away but they're saying that 100% of the models are in agreement.

I guess that's still about average for Z8b, so maybe I shouldn't complain too much.

[PaPalmTrees]

Looks like the cold temperatures are coming back

[Chester B]

13 hours ago, Cody Salem said:

I have actually had a hard time finding them here in Oregon too.  The market is flooded with all the pretty colored ones being sold with annuals.  It took about a year to find a hardy green one.  It was probably $40 but they were big and already started trunking. 

HomeDepot sells them all the time. You can usually pick them up for a buck in late summer. 
 

The only place I’ve seen plants labelled as Cordyline australis is Tony’s Garden Center in Boring. They have pretty decent ones for under $15 and ones that are around 4 feet tall for around $60-$70.  But I worry about those larger ones as Cordyline like to send a big tap root down. I think in the long term the smaller one may outperform the bigger one. They grow pretty fast too if you give them lots of water. 

[Chester B]

12 hours ago, Cody Salem said:

It looks like Oregon isn't escaping the cold this time.   Its still 4 or 5 days away but they're saying that 100% of the models are in agreement.

I guess that's still about average for Z8b, so maybe I shouldn't complain too much.

That sucks. Portland is zone 9a so it’s bumping on that lower limit. 

[Cody Salem]

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

HomeDepot sells them all the time. You can usually pick them up for a buck in late summer. 
 

The only place I’ve seen plants labelled as Cordyline australis is Tony’s Garden Center in Boring. They have pretty decent ones for under $15 and ones that are around 4 feet tall for around $60-$70.  But I worry about those larger ones as Cordyline like to send a big tap root down. I think in the long term the smaller one may outperform the bigger one. They grow pretty fast too if you give them lots of water. 

You're right, I forgot that I did see them there.  I probably didn't want to spend that much for one at the time.  I'm really happy with the one I finally found, it's over 8 ft in just 2 years.  I trimmed off all the dead leaves after last winter, so all the green is one year of growth.

[Cody Salem]

3 hours ago, Chester B said:

That sucks. Portland is zone 9a so it’s bumping on that lower limit. 

 

It can't be as bad as last winter when these were the HIGH temperatures for the day.

 

1/13/2024