Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Ravenea rivularis - Majesty Palm - can take it how cold?, 1 by KiMFDiM

KiMFDiM wrote:
I had to make a trip to Tampa in early August to spend my brother's last few days with him (he had melanoma cancer). Both my brother and I are big on the plants and gardens and we used to share alot of information. When I returned home (western New York, zone 5b), I purchased a Majesty Palm as I really wanted to add a touch of my brother to my plant collection (besides the ones he gave me before he left us). The palm is very healthy and stands as tall as me (I'm 5' 4").

As I began researching how to care for this beauty, I discovered that they are very, very difficult to raise indoors, if not impossible. I had purchased this with the thought of keeping it on the patio outside during the summer and wintering indoors.

Let me first start by explaining where it will be indoors:
In my family room, I have an indoor pond set up as I bring my fish indoors from the outside pond (I like them in here to keep me amused, instead of leaving them outside all year. The pond sits in the corner of the room (the south east corner). In the room on the west wall by the pond is my plant stand equipped with 6 fluorescent grow tubes, two tubes for each shelf...3 shelves in all. I load the shelves with plants and place them on the floor in front of the pond...all the plants sit on pebble trays. On the south wall next to the pond, I have a large sliding glass door that gets the wonderful southern sun. This is where I put my hibiscus tree and where I plan on putting the majesty palm. I also have hot water base-board heating, so between the pebble trays, the heating system and the pond, it is very humid in here. Also, between the south facing sliding door and the grow lites, it is very well lit, also, even in the darkest days of winter. I am really hoping that these conditions help to meet it's heavy demands.

Now the question:
I want to leave this palm outdoors as long as I can before bringing it in to maximize the benefits it gets outside. At what temperature should I bring it in at the latest? Is the colder temperatures in Florida different than the same temperatures here in NY?

Thanx in advance for any suggestions!

Lisa