After the Polar Vortices in NJ
Posted: Tue Apr 01, 2014 11:36 pm
Perhaps you folks in England heard about the three or four polar vortexes that brought a mini Ice age to North America this past February. It got so bad that Minnesota had to close its public schools for fear of children getting frostbite on their way to lessons. Minus 30 Celsius can do that.
On the Mid-Atlantic Coast, at the edge of the humid subtropical and continental climate zones, we never dropped below -15, but there were many days the temperatures didn't rise above 0. This past weekend I uncovered my palms and checked the damage.
The sabal minors -- one covered and one just buried under our multiple snowstorms -- suffered some leaf damage but look good. The same for a needle palm. My trachycarpus appear virtually undamaged. Give those suckers a windbreak and you could probably grow them anywhere up to Massachusetts.
I'll have to wait to see what's going to happen with the jubaea x butia. It now has substantial leaf burn but no spear pull. A butia x jubaea was not so lucky. I've also got a citrumelo on watch. It defoliated, as in past years, but I also see some ominous cracks in the bark. I should have covered it, but the damn thing is more than two meters tall now.
On the Mid-Atlantic Coast, at the edge of the humid subtropical and continental climate zones, we never dropped below -15, but there were many days the temperatures didn't rise above 0. This past weekend I uncovered my palms and checked the damage.
The sabal minors -- one covered and one just buried under our multiple snowstorms -- suffered some leaf damage but look good. The same for a needle palm. My trachycarpus appear virtually undamaged. Give those suckers a windbreak and you could probably grow them anywhere up to Massachusetts.
I'll have to wait to see what's going to happen with the jubaea x butia. It now has substantial leaf burn but no spear pull. A butia x jubaea was not so lucky. I've also got a citrumelo on watch. It defoliated, as in past years, but I also see some ominous cracks in the bark. I should have covered it, but the damn thing is more than two meters tall now.