Covering butia capitata/ jubea chilensis.

[karl66]

As the rain is lashing down at the moment, and has been for the last 5 hours i've put the waterproof umbrellas over the tops. Even though the weather is mild is it still an advantage to keep them dry even though its not freezing?. karl.

[Darlo Mark]

I'm not an expert on these palms but I'd imagine they won't enjoy wet and cold soil. I think you are right to keep them on the dry side.

[jezza]

I have this over my little capitata. It's been left open except for last night when it lashed it down but i opened it again this morning...

[Nigel]

The LESS protection you guys give those plants until the hour they really need it, the better.
Dont protect in any way , let them harden off to the elements, this is an important part of the overwintering process.

[karl66]

The LESS protection you guys give those plants until the hour they really need it, the better.
Dont protect in any way , let them harden off to the elements, this is an important part of the overwintering process.

Nige, i thought to much rain would not be good for the spear. karl.

[karl66]

Does this apply to yucca rostrata& faxionia?, as i thought these were better dryer in winter. karl.

[Nigel]

Once estabished yuccas should be ok in a well drained soil , but its probably prudent to keep them dryish for the first winter.

[jezza]

The LESS protection you guys give those plants until the hour they really need it, the better.
Dont protect in any way , let them harden off to the elements, this is an important part of the overwintering process.

Hence why i leave it open.

[Andy Martin]

I have put covers (clear corolux screens on a wooden frame) over all my palms except the Trachies.This will keep them dry through the Winter. Ive managed to get it done before the rains so they are super dry. This will not protect them from the cold except from direct radiation frost but i have plenty of dry bracken ready to place around the trunks to reduce cold penetration into trunk and meristem. Even this however will not stop a permafreeze of the type we had last December.
I have BTW a struggling Jubaea, Chamaerops Humilis, Cerifera,Mount Etna, a recovering small Butia Capitata and an unknown Sabal which I purchased from Vale but was supposedly Minor but isn't. My three Trachies which will be unprotected are Fortunei, Wagnerius and Nova all surviving last Winter without damage.
My Princeps (blue) Oreophilus, Manipur, Martianus "Nepal",small Geminisectus, Latisectus and small Nainital are under cover.

[Nigel]

I used to think i was bonkers out at night when it was -8C putting blankets and fleeces on my plants , but you lot are far more bonkers putting protection when its still warm

[karl66]

I used to think i was bonkers out at night when it was -8C putting blankets and fleeces on my plants , but you lot are far more bonkers putting protection when its still warm

I think you've read it wrong , I'm not fleecing or wrapping just an umbrella overhead to keep palms dryer. You lot have drummed it into me that its not just cold that kills but cold & wet. Well with all this rain what happens if tempratures suddenly nose dive . karl.

[Nigel]

Karl, the rain can only do good at this time of year in those temperatures. You really dont need to worry about your palms until the first SEVERE cold is forecast.
Dont worry about light frosts , even -6C if its a positive temp the next day is nothing.
Your palms will laugh at that weather. I always believed it was better to let the palms be exposed to this to toughen them up and I never had problems in normal winters.
Rain will only damage palms your size either when the ground is waterlogged and remains saturated for days which is never a problem in a raised bed or good soil, or if it rains in the day and is -8C the next night and the water can freeze in the spear area causing damage.
Bristol is a particularly rainy place where I lived and I never worried about rain with my palms, only about severe cold, the spells when it was -8C at night and not much into the positive by day. When you get a spell of severe cold thats when you need to jump into action and protect things.

[karl66]

Karl, the rain can only do good at this time of year in those temperatures. You really dont need to worry about your palms until the first SEVERE cold is forecast.
Dont worry about light frosts , even -6C if its a positive temp the next day is nothing.
Your palms will laugh at that weather. I always believed it was better to let the palms be exposed to this to toughen them up and I never had problems in normal winters.
Rain will only damage palms your size either when the ground is waterlogged and remains saturated for days which is never a problem in a raised bed or good soil, or if it rains in the day and is -8C the next night and the water can freeze in the spear area causing damage.
Bristol is a particularly rainy place where I lived and I never worried about rain with my palms, only about severe cold, the spells when it was -8C at night and not much into the positive by day. When you get a spell of severe cold thats when you need to jump into action and protect things.

Ok nige, we will put this to bed!!. I do know how rainy bristol is as i used to contract down there 20 odd years ago. We re-roofed a tyre factory in Brislington near bath & it rained solid for a week and cost me a lot!. karl.

[Las Palmas Norte]

Allowing rain water to pool in the crown is fine, as long as it doesn't freeze. Repeated freezes of this nature will damage the emerging spears and create a potential problem with rot from decaying plant material.

Cheers, Barrie.

[karl66]

Allowing rain water to pool in the crown is fine, as long as it doesn't freeze. Repeated freezes of this nature will damage the emerging spears and create a potential problem with rot from decaying plant material.

Cheers, Barrie.

Thanks Barrie, were not expecting any frozen weather here yet . karl.