Winter Palm Shelter

Contstructing a reusable winter palm shelter. This is what's needed in my zone 5 climate to grow palms & tropicals in ground.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Palm shelter
• winter protection
• plant shelter
• cold protection

[bananatree94]

cool idea but i think it would probably be just as much work if not more than just digging it up and potting it for the winter. then again this is only a one time project... i dont think my sub will let me have that thing in my yard tho haha. i do have an old playhouse from when i was little tho with glass windows... i wonder if i could modify that for the plants in the winter.. i could probably hang some UV lighting in there too.. hmm idk.

[KansasPalms]

My idea here was to overprotect for a few years to allow the plants to establish themselves. Once big enough, I'll change to burlap wrapping & heat tape to get them through the winters.

(Washingtonia & Trachycarpus are fast growers once established :-)

[drterdal]

Interesting, but hopefully more than I need down here in OK.

[KansasPalms]

Thanks for the comment!

Last years low here was -7 F. Had built a similar set- up just covered with poly, was working fine until animals clawed their way inside to keep warm... lol

Hopefully this one will keep the intruders out last a few years!

[TerdalFarm]

That's 10 oF colder than we had down here. I lost my Wasingtonias but not the Chamearops or Butia.

[KansasPalms]

I'm trying a Filibusta in there now, (W.filifera X robusta), hopefully it will take a few more degrees of cold. Good to hear your Chamaerops & Butias came through, are you growing any Sabals? I'm trying with minors & palmettos planted out, the only protection they're getting is leaf mulch.

Good luck with everything this winter!

[bananatree94]

@KansasPalms ahh i gotcha. thats a good idea. lol i thought you were going to do that every winter. a good idea for the burlap wrapping is to wrap the palm tree in christmas lights first and then put the burlap over it. that way, on the really cold nights you can plug the lights in and they will provide extra warmth to the tree

[tonmagicwon]

good idea //you only spent about a trillion dollars when you could hav just got another plant

[TerdalFarm]

Having trouble with reply....

[TerdalFarm]

Send me an email (username at g mail) and I'll send photos and info.

In brief, leaf mulch was a problem for me last spring (infection). As for Sabal, I don't have a local source for large potted specimens which is what I prefer.