i live in zone 9...planted a travelers palm but with the cold snap i covered it...i dont think it was damaged by vcold but the weight of the sheets broke the longs beautiful leaves does anyone know if they will come back and should i cut these broken off.thanks
travelers palm
corrigandee: Are you certain your palm is a Ravelana (Travelers Palm)?
http://www.floridata.com/ref/r/rave_mad.cfm
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/2068/
I notice the entry in Plant Files says they are hardy in zones 9 and higher but I'm thinking that is an error. I've never seen a Ravelana anywhere other than the southern portions of the state, they are hardy in zones 10 and 11.
Plants that have had frost damage here in Central Florida should not be pruned for another couple of months to be certain we don't have any more freezes. We are sure to have more frost sometime before the end of February/first of March and the way this winter is looking so far probably another freeze or two. The palm fronds should bend with the weight of cloth but will eventually stand back upright after the weather warms up. You said the weight of sheets broke branches? Did the sheets get wet in the rain or from irrigation system making them very heavy? You should remove any covers during the day to allow sunlight and water to reach the plants and re-cover them if temp's are predicted to dip overnight.
I'm hoping we don't have another record breaking cold winter like last year but so far it doesn't look promising for us.
tthank you the branches are more creased and bent over i dont think they were wet and i took the sheetsoff the next day...i too read the plantfiles saying ok in zone 9..that is why i planted it i will give it a try..to let them maybe come back up on their own...i hope..i will have to really babysit this one im afraid
the problem with these is that they grow so fast under normal conditions that even if it lives through this cold, eventually it will get too big to cover. i do wish you luck with it but i'm afraid i see heartache ahead. here is one i planted about ten years ago at my old place. my dp was down there this past spring and took some pictures of my old plants.
What is a dp, Debi? I have been in need of a travelers palm since I first saw pictures of it. How great you got to see your baby again! How beautiful it looks.
When I was in the LA area a few years ago, I got 2 little ones, like 1 inch pups, from a big one at our hotel. 1 got lost in the madness here but the other is now about 2 feet tall now.
Ravenala grows quickly here.
This plant grew from seed about 14 & 1/2 years ago. It is now making viable seed as a few seedlings are popping up near the adult.
This photo was taken about 1 & 1/2 years ago.
THANK YOU SO MUCH...ur tree is beautiful by the way
hey kell! Happy New Year!
dp is john (my dear partner)...i never know what to call him.......lol
he took lots of pictures of my old babies. i can't believe how much everything has grown in the six years we've been gone....if it was up to john, we'd be back in the Keys tomorrow! lol
Hi ya trackin! It seems like here in central Fla. the winters are getting colder every year ... which makes me want to live in a warmer climate (like the South Pacific!) I love the Fla. Keys, but I hate the traffic in South Fla. I'm glad John took pic's of your old plants for you!
Dave: Nice Palms!
Waaa ... I want to live where the Traveler's Palm grows!
Happy New Year, lin!
the ficus you sent me is looking great, btw, and living inside. these cold winters are starting to get old!
Glad your ficus is doing well, this is the mom plant after being left out in the cold.
That does not look good Plantladylin!
Hello back Debi! OH! Dear partner! LOL Sounds good!
I was in Florida last month, well now actually in November of last year. WOW that sounds like a long time ago! LOL I saw the best palms all over Naples. No Travelers palms though. Lots of cool plants!
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
oh lin, that is sad.....will it come back you think?
kell, i read on here somewhere that you were in florida....naples is gorgeous and lush!
we are warm at least now.....finally.....
LOL, there's still a bit of life in that Ficus ... it should survive if we don't have any more freezing nights ... alas, we still have January & February to get through and they are usually the months we have a chance of freezes. I will move it to the covered deck if we get more cold weather!
Kell: You visited one of the prettiest areas in Florida in my opinion. I bet you saw a lot of Royal Palms in Naples. I haven't been down that way in a long time but I remember seeing a lot of them years ago.
I live in Marco Island and my travelers palm is at the bottom of our hill (yes 24 foot elevation for the house) and it gets very cold-- some damage to the Hawaiian Sunset vine, but the palm is massive. We got to 32 degrees the last 2 winters-- I left the orchids out in a pool cage over a koi pond, and some other orchids on the trees and there was no damage there either. It's an odd sub-climate and yes, very pretty!
We bought a house 4 years ago with two big Traveler Palms, and although they looked very ragged after the last two winters, they are certainly alive and kicking. If only they would stop trying to 'travel' and turn at right angles to the fence, I could keep them looking nice. With regular pruning and irrigation they can look gorgeous even this far north. (South Sarasota, about 2 miles inland from the Intercoastal)
As they get older they tend to become too clumpy. I think they always look better as a single trunk, but try tell that to them.
