There are few palms as alluring as coconuts so I don't blame you for trying to grow them a little north of their range. At best, they will last for a number of years unprotected. Chances are you have Jamaica Tall seedlings, still rather common in the Keys, and they take a touch more cold than the Malayans & Maypans, the coconuts commonly available in s. Fla. nurseries. I hear that coconuts were fairly common on Clearwater Beach until freezes around 1960 or so wiped them out. If it were me, I would plant them in a place where their eventual demise would not be overly noticed. Generally speaking, 32 degrees and you get brown spots on the leaves -- a few more degrees and the leaves are killed, and they recover slooowly when that happens, if you're lucky.

I'd use the search function for ways to cover your palm. You'll get a lot of hits and you can sift through the results and see many methods in which people use. Try and plant it under a canopy in which it will still receive sun. I know it sounds like an oxymoron but a tree overhead really helps out with the radiational cooling during the winter months. You won't get much growth during the winter(compared with the summer months) so your main objective should be to keep it alive and preferrably undamaged from the cold. It will then allow it to explode with growth and not be dormant. Your best bet for survival would be to get a mature coconut with some trunk.

One with some trunk will recover from a frost/freeze albeit near complete defoliation. I would get a big Maypan hybrid with several feet of trunk and plant it in a protected spot. They're tough. As for what you can do for small Coconut palms in Tampa, cover in frost cloth from Florikan in Sarasota and wrap with blankets and sheets. Do not use heat unless you know what you're doing and can moniter the temp. Others have tried in Tampa with Coconut palms only to have very disappointing results. There are more interesting species that will take Tampa's worst freezes without blinking....no damage. Come to the CFPACS meeting Saturday. At least try to make the sale/auction at Mike Evans' place in St. Pete.

Could you run the sprinker if a frost threats? Just like they do over citris crops if there is a chance of a frost.

Thanks for the feedback thus far, but I need to clarify that I already have 4, 2 ft Coconut palms that I'm trying to grow here in Tampa. Any advice on how to keep them warm this winter will be very helpful :) Thanks

TOO COLD

I just offered buying a trunked Maypan as a suggestion since a freeze will come sooner or later, and the Talls and Maypan hybrids hold up the best in those events. The best advice one can give....if you have to have a coconut palm....get the largest one you can get. I do not know what else you can do for young coconut palms other than frost cloth, blankets and sheets. I do not use artificial heat under any circumstances.

I've grown coconut palms in tampa for the past 10 years! As long as you protect them during the winter months you'll be fine. If you drive down bayshore blvd, you'll see a house in the 5000 block with six beautiful trees full of nuts - it's a beautiful sight!

I may be wrong but I thought I say one or 2 out by clearwater, isnt that the same zone as tampa? I dont live there so I dont know for sure

There are plenty of seeding coconuts in Tampa. The biggest is a Panama Tall variety on Trask street, just north of Gandy Boulevard. It was planted in 1990 and has set seed many times. Once large and established, it takes a severe, multiple day hard freeze i.e. 1989 to wipe out these plants. The trick is getting it to that size.

Ray

IMO, the best way to grow a Coconut in most areas of central FL is to buy one from down south with 3+ ft of trunk to start with.

I know its cheating, but it gives one a big advantage in the pursuit of long term survival.

"I may be wrong but I thought I say one or 2 out by clearwater, isnt that the same zone as tampa? I dont live there so I dont know for sure"

It depends which part of Tampa and which part of Clearwater. There are parts of Tampa which border on 10b and other parts which are closer to 9b.

Likewise with Clearwater....areas near the beach are 10b most years, and other areas are 9b/10a. Id say most of Clearwater is 10a over the long haul.

Clearwater Beach is loaded with Coconuts as nearly every house has one in the front yard.

There are plenty of seeding coconuts in Tampa. The biggest is a Panama Tall variety on Trask street, just north of Gandy Boulevard. It was planted in 1990 and has set seed many times. Once large and established, it takes a severe, multiple day hard freeze i.e. 1989 to wipe out these plants. The trick is getting it to that size.

Ray

How did this coconut fare during the 2010 freeze? Did it SURVIVE?

Last year before the freeze I looked it up on the google map thing. Appeared to have about 15-20 feet of trunk.