How to save the palms

[Palmlex]

Hey! I have a couple of trachycarpus and a butia capitata. Since this is turning out to be likely the coldest February on record and we're expecting almost a week of low temperatures around 3-12F (-16 to -11C), with max temps expected to reach around 24F (-4C), and I currently have around 2-3 feet of snow around the palms, I was wondering what the best course of action would be.

I'm thinking that removing the snow just to cover them with fleece is probably counter productive, since the snow would likely provide more insulation than the fleece in the freezing cold. So I was wondering if I could just cover the remaining exposed parts with fleece and pile up snow on top of them.

If going with this option, I'm also wondering if I should pile up the snow tonight while still being 24F or wait for the cold, so they're covered for less one less day, but at the expense of possibly losing some heat without the snow insulation. 

Has anyone tried anything like this? Your input would be greatly appreciated. 

[Chester B]

I think that's too cold, and for too long with supplemental heat.  I would wrap with incandescent Christmas lights/string lights and then with frost cloth/fleece.

I would watch @Allen 's video for reference.

 

[PalmatierMeg]

I suggest during future winters you set up a protection plan before, i.e., autumn, to protect your palms. Do lots of research on the forum in advance, select what you want to use, then obtain it before the snow falls. I used to search thrift stores for cotton flannel sheets, sweat shirts, hoodies, t-shirts to cover/dress up my palms. Some of them looked like the 7 dwarfs "Hi Ho-ing home from work" through my yard. As I live in SWFL I don't use strings of lights, thermocouples etc. because I don't get terribly cold for long. Often, I dress my small palms the evening before, then remove the fabric the next day when the sun comes up and heats things up.

Good luck.

[Trachy nanus]

It depends on how big the palm trees are.
If they are smaller, I would shovel snow over them. I have done this many times, it is the best protection.
If they are bigger, you need some kind of heat source, light cables, heating cables, fan heaters, grave candles or something similar.
Then cover with fleece or tarpaulin, but make sure that nothing can burn.

[Palmlex]

 

28 minutes ago, PalmatierMeg said:

I suggest during future winters you set up a protection plan before, i.e., autumn, to protect your palms. Do lots of research on the forum in advance, select what you want to use, then obtain it before the snow falls. I used to search thrift stores for cotton flannel sheets, sweat shirts, hoodies, t-shirts to cover/dress up my palms. Some of them looked like the 7 dwarfs "Hi Ho-ing home from work" through my yard. As I live in SWFL I don't use strings of lights, thermocouples etc. because I don't get terribly cold for long. Often, I dress my small palms the evening before, then remove the fabric the next day when the sun comes up and heats things up.

Good luck.

Thank you for your answer. I am usually reasonably ready I would say, but the forecast was pretty much the same for most days of the past month, so not great, not terrible, and then a couple of inches of snow were forecasted which turned into 20 inches and now the palms are mostly buried and the forecasted temperature went from 16F to 3F... I think my best bet is to completely cover them with snow, since I have lots of it and they're already 70% covered. It's the most snow we got for at least 7 years I would say and the temperatures can either be spring like or frigid this time of year. I probably got fooled by the zone 8a/8b winters we had for the past few years.

 

2 hours ago, Chester B said:

I think that's too cold, and for too long with supplemental heat.  I would wrap with incandescent Christmas lights/string lights and then with frost cloth/fleece.

I would watch @Allen 's video for reference.

 

Thank you, Chester. I always liked how simple this protection method seemed, but I don't think I'd have enough space to keep all the boxes and I am also not comfortable having wires around the yard.

[PalmatierMeg]

@Palmlex, don't take weather forecasters at their word, especially on long term forecasts. Months down the road their predictions will likely fall apart and endanger your palms.

[Palmlex]

1 hour ago, PalmatierMeg said:

@Palmlex, don't take weather forecasters at their word, especially on long term forecasts. Months down the road their predictions will likely fall apart and endanger your palms.

Oh, you're totally right and I seldom do. This time I did because it wasn't a long term forecast. Over the course of 2 weeks it went from warmer than normal temperatures, to normal and then ultimately to way below normal. By that point I only had fleece and 2 feet of snow. 

I did completely cover them with snow and hope they make it.

[Trachy nanus]

@Palmlex

They will definitely make it, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Under the snow they are protected from low temperatures.

In my area on the edge of the Alps and 750 meters above sea level, I have had to pack up my Trachycarpus every autumn for 25 years. The lowest temperature I measured during that time was -23.7°C.

But the effort was worth it.

[RichardS]

Unfortunately the forecasts are quite unreliable. Sometimes even for the following night. For example the forcasted minimums for 17. February 2025 in southwest Slovakia were like -6°C just the day before, however some locations on the northern side of Little Carpathians in western Slovakia dropped to like -10°C that night, even a bit lower on open fields. Even Bratislava airport dropped to -7°C. And I remember the long term forecasts from this January, that said that this february would be above average without any strong cold events. I don't think we had a single above average day this february so far and now we are experiencing a really strong cold wave, so at best we'll only get like 5 above average days at the very end of february and not even those look especially warm, so this february will most likely end up as the coldest one or almost the coldest one in the recent years. Not even comparable to the forecasts we had.

I would try to get some kind of a heat source if you can. With a good heating cable and a frost cloth you can avoid getting any damage on your palms. I would also be careful with the snow. It can be a good insulator for small palms if they are completely covered, but on a night with clear skies and radiational cooling, snow will get really cold and it will block sunlight from reaching the palm and possibly warming it, even if just slightly.  Also if the temperatures don't rise above freezing for a very long time it can also be a problem even if the lows aren't that low. They'll most likely make it if thay aren't very tall and you covered them completely like you said, but I think a heat source is the only way to be sure in these kinds of temperatures. I hope things turn out well for you.

[Palmlex]

4 hours ago, Trachy nanus said:

@Palmlex

They will definitely make it, I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Under the snow they are protected from low temperatures.

In my area on the edge of the Alps and 750 meters above sea level, I have had to pack up my Trachycarpus every autumn for 25 years. The lowest temperature I measured during that time was -23.7°C.

But the effort was worth it.

Your palms are gorgeous. And actually this entire area around them looks amazing. Great job!

They are fully under the snow and I'll actually cover them a little more since I got a little more snow over night. 

 

3 hours ago, RichardS said:

Unfortunately the forecasts are quite unreliable. Sometimes even for the following night. For example the forcasted minimums for 17. February 2025 in southwest Slovakia were like -6°C just the day before, however some locations on the northern side of Little Carpathians in western Slovakia dropped to like -10°C that night, even a bit lower on open fields. Even Bratislava airport dropped to -7°C. And I remember the long term forecasts from this January, that said that this february would be above average without any strong cold events. I don't think we had a single above average day this february so far and now we are experiencing a really strong cold wave, so at best we'll only get like 5 above average days at the very end of february and not even those look especially warm, so this february will most likely end up as the coldest one or almost the coldest one in the recent years. Not even comparable to the forecasts we had.

I would try to get some kind of a heat source if you can. With a good heating cable and a frost cloth you can avoid getting any damage on your palms. I would also be careful with the snow. It can be a good insulator for small palms if they are completely covered, but on a night with clear skies and radiational cooling, snow will get really cold and it will block sunlight from reaching the palm and possibly warming it, even if just slightly.  Also if the temperatures don't rise above freezing for a very long time it can also be a problem even if the lows aren't that low. They'll most likely make it if thay aren't very tall and you covered them completely like you said, but I think a heat source is the only way to be sure in these kinds of temperatures. I hope things turn out well for you.

It's been an exceptionally terrible February for more sensitive plants. I don't even check long term forecasts because those almost never come true. This February was supposed to be warmer than average too, however, while we're supposed to get an average temperature (whole month, including highs and lows) of around 3C (37.4F), and last year having an average of 7.6C (45.7F) for the month of February, it looks like we're now headed for an average of -3C (26.6F), which is incredibly cold. That makes it 10C colder than last February, which is incredible considering this is the average temperature for the whole month. And even compared to regular February temperatures, it's about 6 degrees colder on average...

I'm not sure the palms are going to make it since it's exceptionally cold, but I can't fight the weather and I definitely wasn't ready for quite possibly the coldest February on record when nothing was predicting it to be this way. 🫠

[Luis Arroyo]

On 2/18/2025 at 9:42 AM, Palmlex said:

Hey! I have a couple of trachycarpus and a butia capitata. Since this is turning out to be likely the coldest February on record and we're expecting almost a week of low temperatures around 3-12F (-16 to -11C), with max temps expected to reach around 24F (-4C), and I currently have around 2-3 feet of snow around the palms, I was wondering what the best course of action would be.

I'm thinking that removing the snow just to cover them with fleece is probably counter productive, since the snow would likely provide more insulation than the fleece in the freezing cold. So I was wondering if I could just cover the remaining exposed parts with fleece and pile up snow on top of them.

If going with this option, I'm also wondering if I should pile up the snow tonight while still being 24F or wait for the cold, so they're covered for less one less day, but at the expense of possibly losing some heat without the snow insulation. 

Has anyone tried anything like this? Your input would be greatly appreciated. 

Take an empty 2L bottle of soda & fill it with very hot tap water. Replace the lid & place it under the frost rcover/fleece. You may cover it with snow to make sure the wind doesn't blow the fleece away.

The hot water will soon cool off, but it will not freeze. Effectively regulating the temperature and keeping it above freezing. Like a water wall. Even after a day or two of freezing night temperatures I've been pleasantly surprised to find the water cold, but completely clear of any ice.

[Trachy nanus]

@ Palmlex

Hello Palmlex,
I'm curious how your palm trees survived the cold snap in February?
Did the piles of snow protect the plants?