Wind broke my Washingtonia 23/12/2013
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 11:08 am
I have gales here in most months of the year and December 2013 is no exception. The difference with the 23rd December storm is the size of the storm and direction of the wind. As the storm was HUGE I ended up with southerly winds gusting up to 69.8mph for 24 hours 
with the southerly winds blowing directly up the garden so there is little to filter it before it slams into the Washingtonia.
Washingtonia are quite wind proof and but damage normally occurs during the winter. The most common damage is broken leaflets or the fan gets split into segements right up to the hastula, causing the fan to collapse, but on this occasion (23/12/2013) the petiole was snapped with the leaf fan intact.
It takes considerable force to snap a petiole, so presume the leaf was bent down vertical by one gust, then caught by another violent gust before it was able to spring back up.
with the southerly winds blowing directly up the garden so there is little to filter it before it slams into the Washingtonia. Washingtonia are quite wind proof and but damage normally occurs during the winter. The most common damage is broken leaflets or the fan gets split into segements right up to the hastula, causing the fan to collapse, but on this occasion (23/12/2013) the petiole was snapped with the leaf fan intact.
It takes considerable force to snap a petiole, so presume the leaf was bent down vertical by one gust, then caught by another violent gust before it was able to spring back up.
