Don't freak out. LOL! My coconut has had centipedes all fall/winter and it keeps growing and looking fine. I've hit it with neem oil and houseplant insect spray to knock down the gnats. They helped with the gnats (a little) but didn't touch the centipedes. Don't get me wrong. They're not all over my coconut but I see them from time to time. Think of all the critters that get in our plants outside. I wouldn't worry too much about it unless the plant shows some decline. Jay

Here's a quick update. All of the palm are doing fine (amongst other things in my basement). All are being overwintered in an unfinished portion of my basement. The temperature in there is stable, no special humidifiers, no windows (I have some flourescent lights on 24 X 7 to ensure they get enough light) and I don't water them much during the winter either (once a month or so?). They really don't grow much, in fact, they seem pretty darn dormant during the winter, but they maintain just fine. Spring will soon be here and then they will head outside to spend the summer. There must be 30 plants in that room so it's pretty much a jungle back there, but here are a few pics, the best that I could manage considering the situation. Andy...yes, I'm the one who used to live in Chicago...it's me!

All i can say is i started them on a heating mat...used crappy lights/south facing window at first, and then moved them into a little greenhouse i have in March. Would actually move them back and forth...take them out about 11AM and bring them back in at 4ish! Greenhouses are awesome on clear sunny spring days...outside temps of 30 and inside around 90F...did that until mid May or so and since then its been so warm they have sat outside on the driveway. This spring has been very warm as most of you guys know. I do fertilize? water regularly. I have a lot of gardening experience...been container growing plants for almost 10 years. I like the performance i get out of containers. Especially with certain veggies. Just WATER! a lot during hot weather. I'm always scared i'm going to fry the roots. I got the seed of Ebay. I really don't know if i'm going to keep all these or what. I have WAY too many plants! Basjoo... just getting going. I store the corms in the basement.

Hey Ptmclanahan, As far as growth rates, that sounds phenomenal even for a tall variety, and you said that you planted a dwarf. That is the fastest growing coconut palm I have ever heard of. They are fast growers, but man yours is growing faster than a weed! The fastest one I have ever had is a Hawaiian Tall, which grows about 4.5-5ft. per year. Dwarfs, usually only grow about 3.5-4ft. per year. The Malayan Dwarfs start producing their first coconuts at about 3-4 years after sprouting, therefore, you can literally have one with a trucnkof only about 4ft. that will have coconuts on it. The talls, however take 7-8 years to produce their first coconuts and their trunks are usually about 15-20ft. tall at that point. I am sorry, but I feel compelled to jump in on the Zone argument. I live in Coconut territory here in the Lower Rio Grande Valley, and it sounds like we have more of them here than what you are describing in the Orlanda/Kissimmee area, yet our winters are slightly cooler here than yours are. There is a pretty good looking Golden Malayan Dwarf about 15ft. tall in San Benito (just south of Harlingen). And I have seen some good looking 30ft. tall Mexican Talls in Brownsville, so I wouldn't be worried about yours making it through the winter, especially if you have a lot of lakes (that have water in them; how bad has the drought been there?). Remember to fertilize your dwarfs with a good palm fertilizer with a 12-4-8 ratio and micronutrients. Fertilize around the base of the palm (a few inches away from the base out to the outer range of the leaves, work the fertilizer into the top couple of inches of soil, then water them good). Do this in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Then mulch with Cypress Mulch (a good native mulch) to a depth of about 2 inches in about a 3ft. radius pattern around your palm, but not right up againt the trunk- allow about 2-3 inches of space from the trunk to the mulch). If you do these things, your Malayans should be fine, even in Kissimmee, and you should have coconuts in about 3 years! They will probably grow to be about 25-30ft. tall to the top of the crown in your area! Enjoy! John