The plastic does very little to keep the palm warm. I tried it one time and did more damage to my palm than if I hadn't.The plastic might help a little if you use christmas lights but only a few degrees.The christmas lights will burn a palm sometimes because of the heat being so close to the frond but there is so much cold air entering the plastic it only helps a little on a really cold night. It might keep you from getting bud rot I never thought of that.

The plastic would be used to keep the plant dry, Cold and damp roots will do more damage

than just the cold temps.

It might be better to use a frost cloth or other covering that 'breathes' + lights,etc, and then

a covering over top of everything to control soil moisture.

Yes, the plastic cover is necessary. The lights alone can not keep the palm warm as it is exposed to the outside temperatures. The plastic keeps the area needed to be heated small enough to alow it to work. It would be like trying to heat your house warm enough in the winter with a furnace but no walls.

Too early to mention. Let's have this discussion in 8-10 weeks. I'll be asking a million questions then.

ilexopaca--that's what i figured. thanks everyone for the help! i was hoping to get off easy but apparently that's not going to be.

Yeah, I want to hear how yall folks do this too. Make sure you get pictures and everything. I myself, just drag, pull, cart, wheel, beg, roll, and push my plants into the greenhouse and slam the door shut. I do visit every now and then. LOL

I want to see how yall protect these in such FREEZING conditions.

Well! aren't YOU the lazy one! LOL ;)

I wish that we had a larger property and a larger greenhouse, but we does witt what we gots! ):)~

We assemble our GH in the fall and take it apart in the spring. It's about a day's work, but it's good to be out in the fresh air. And it's kind of exciting coming up with new ideas of how to make the GH work better each year.

This year, we'll have the main GH and 2 smaller ones going.

Since moving the Washingtonia Robusta to the center of the backyard, it will require its own mini greenhouse... .mini? hmmmmm well, small at any rate.

For the Trachycarpus Takil that's been planted in the ground this spring, it will get minimal protection. Something that may just cover it (not sure yet) and some sort of heat source.

Perhaps this fall, we should start a special thread for the "Northern Folks" where we post progressive info/pix of our setups. The would be a great way to share ideas..... 'cause I just know some of you want to use my blow dryer thingy! LOL :)

As for "visiting" the GH, for me, that's a daily thing for me. Since buying this house (now 3.5(ish) years) this is our first GH. I'm one of those people who suffer from S.A.D., Seasonal Affective Disorder. The lack of light and the closed in feeling that being snow bound brings as well as paralyzing cold temps, can send me into a deep depression.

To fight this, over the years, I've used things like Full Spectrum Lighting... this has helped greatly.

But I have discovered that having the GH has been the best therapy for S.A.D. Now, if I feel the mood swing to low, I can go into the GH and tend the plants, tend the fish, poke around in the soil, etc. It makes such a difference.

Anyway, new thread to come, perhaps in late October. ):)p

Blondboy...I think you hit it right in the head with the SAD thingy. I think alot of people get that, maybe dont know it. I know it sure helps me when its 20°F outside and dark, cold, and I walk into my jungle of pure tropics with orchids blooming, the palms all green and its 65° and steamy. You can smell the fresh dirt just ready to grow something. We can even have a greenhouse thread too. I love to prowl around in the jungle. :-)

Blondboy, how do you keep your greenhouse warm? What do you cover it with?

Blondboy - I remember pictures of that blow dryer thingy from last fall. Hope I'm not getting to personal, but, a question - Is that your blow dryer or your wifes blow dryer you use outside? My wife has enough problems with all my palms already I can't imagine how mad she would be if I used her blow dryer outside to heat a small green house for my palms. If you get away with that you are the blondman (not blondboy).

Blondboy, what kind of greenhouse do you have? I need one desperately for all my seedlings.

Blondboy-
I'm asking a question that has already been asked but how do you keep it warm? And if you don't mind me asking if electic power is used how much moola does it add to your electic bill. I could really use a green house but with $160.00 gas bills (maybe higher this winter) I havn't wanted to also jack up my Edison bill. Just curious,

thanx,
Andy

bigdogg30 a simple, little 5,000 BTU ceramic heater like you can get from Walmart. It's connected to a "baseboard" type thermostat that's mounted on a stick in the center of the GH. I have it set to around 12C (54F) more or less. I have a 2nd heater, also on its own thermostat. It's set a bit lower than the other one. That one compensates for those periods when the temps dip so low that the 1st heater is working too hard. Works out rather well.

oppalm no wife. Not my thing. The blow dryers I got at Walmart (love that place) for something like $12 or $15 each... can't remember, but they were cheap.

These I also have connected to other baseboard type heaters (love those things too... so versitile). Depending on what's being protected, they are set at different temps. Like the Trachy, for the last 2 winters, I had the thermostat set to something like 5C (41F). Also several 2 quart bottles of water and a larger 25 Gal pail to buffer the temps.

As for blondBOY or blondMAN, some from this column, some from that column! LOL I use the word BOY in my nic as a reference to my inner child. Something I never want to lose.

austinl It's a hoop house that's made here in Canada. For better reference, I suggest that you hit the greenhouse forum. Lots of amazing information there on types and costs of greenhouses. And quite frankly, better than we get up here... or at least, much better prices. :)

andyandy First, if I could only pay $160 per month, during the winter, for Gas to heat the house, I would be a happy man.... boy.... manboy... ROFL! That being said. Our first year with the greenhouse only saw about a $40 per month difference (thereabouts, if memory serves). Then, the 2nd year, I made a change with the bubble wrap that I thought would provide more insulation, but in fact, cut down the sun's light, thereby, not heating during the day. So the heater ran way too much. The electric bills where high that year.

So last winter, I went back to my previous format and added some sterafoam insulation on the 2 end walls. Last year's electric bill was only about $20 to $30 difference, thereabouts. Needless to say, I'll be sticking with this current setup.

It would be much better if the GH was in an area where it got all day sun, but sadly, no.

Plus, if I can just get off my duff and build a project that I've been thinking about, it could reduce heating to much less even. I want to build a solar heat collector that cycles hot liquid (anitfreeze) through a condensor, either into the 2 large water barrels or, if we decide to keep the fish in the house, I could heat the water in the pond to a fairly high temp and let that disapate during the night.

My problem is, is that I'm pretty much a lazy @#$*@#&% and lack motivation to start something new. Must be that S.A.D. thing! LOL ;)

Hope that answers your questions.

Thank you for the info. I have a large Roebellini in a VERY large pot. about 200lbs (91 kilos). It will BARELY fit through my front door but I'm just not sure if even four of us could get it back into the house. I've got about 6-8 weeks to figure it out.

You can do it, bring that baby inside. You will be glad you did next spring. :-)

Have you a cook-out, and right before you eat, get everyone to help you drag it in. You will be surprised at how fast they work, because supper is on the table. LOL

Oh now THAT's very sneaky!

hmmmmm must make note of that! LOL :)

I think you're right, 4 guys should be able to movit it in. I'll have to leave it in the living room facing the living room window.it will getcouple of hours of direct morning sun (faces north). It just fits in the front door but is too wide to go through any inside doors. I'm going to have to figure out how to keep the cats out (screen door mesh maybe)

I bought something similar (movers dolly) to this to move my big pots around. It sure beats getting your friends hammered and asking them to help you move plants around. Come to think of it, you can still get your friends hammered but with this movers dolly there is alot less lifting and more 12 ounce curling. (one of the finer things in life). You can build arm strength doing 12 ounce curls, which is good when you are moving palnts around.

Its a movers dolly. You can buy them at Home Depot, Lowes, etc. You can also sit your buddies on it and push them around the house. I have never done this I have just heard about it.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93614

Moving it per say will not be the problem. I can just put it on a moving blanket and slide it down the driveway. Getting it up the steps of my porch is where it will be tough. Plus getting it trough the front door which it BARELY fits through. Then up one more little step to the living room floor. it's going to take up a lot of room also. It's about 40 inches wide at the top. it will look cool though. I planted two sabal minor seedlings in it. In addition of course to the roebellini itself

Here is a link that might be useful:

I thought it was too soon to talk about. It's falling down to 52 tonight. Did I miss something is it October 11th

I think you will be glad you took it in. It will look nice next year.

I think your rain dance worked, it rained all day here. :-)
We needed it for a change.

Yeah, what's up with the temp swing thing?

Geeze! it hit 12C last night! (54F).

I definately prefer the heat to the cold, any day.

Andyandy,

Beautiful palm and nice pot but I think the size of that pot may be too big for the palm. If there is too much soil under the roots in the winter the sun doesn't warm the pot to evaporate the water the roots could rot. It is better to have a smaller pot you need to water more often.

One thing I started doing is planting my large plants in plastic pots and then put the plastic pot in the nice clay pot. This doesn't look quite as nice but you sure have an easier time moving things around.

Good luck that palm will look great in the house and I'm sure you will get lots of comments on it.

Hey Andyandy, when you get done repotting, send that pot to me. I am always in need of a BIG pot. My Queen wants a new house to live in.

I was looking around my pots the other day and I found that I have 1 MEGA pot, I be it is a 60 gallon pot. Now thats BIG.

Gee.....after reading some these other posts, I'm thinking I got off lucky. I have a Mexican palm and a Washington palm outside, and I just put a wire cage around them and fill with leaves and straw. A Chinese fan palm in a pot gets the same treatment. They all made it through the winter of 05/06 just fine. My big 'baby', a 5-year old Foxtail, has to come inside though.

Wingo...share some pictures of your Foxtail if you have some.

Andy, I think Winskirk is right about that pot. Don't palms like to be root bound? Reason I ask, I keep my palms rootbound and I have not lost any. On the other side, I did repot three palms when I started the hobby, thinking the more pot, the bigger they will get. All three died. I called PD and they told me to keep palms in a pot that is rootbound so the roots can eat and drink. With a too big pot, the nutrients go into the dirt, not the roots.
But it does look beautiful. You have done a great job with it.
Since you have done a great job with it, maybe you can answer my question about PDP. I have a friend that has 4 in a pot that are all about your size. She told me that it seeded last year. SO I went out and bought me one with 5 in the pot with the smallest being about a 2' trunk. "Lowe's" had it for $40, but on a $25 rack. I told the guy I wanted it for the $25 and he said OK. Anyways, do think she was truethful and I might have seeds? Is this because of the 4 she had, one was a female and another was a male? Or do you think she was full of it?

I understand the pot idea/root bound concept, and the fact that the pot needs good drainage. (I think drainage is the key word). But when you compare this to the real world, when you plant a palm/any plant, they are NOT root bound while in the ground. So, how does anyone know if they really like to be root bound in the first place. If I plant a little plant in a big pot and the soil/dirt has good drainage, then my plant would look to me as the same if I had planted it in the ground. Now, on the other hand, if my pot has poor drainage, and alot of water collects at the bottom of the pot, then we have problems. We also have to think of mother nature and give her time here too. If one looks at the culture of specific palms, one finds that in some areas, palms do not get water every day, while in other areas they might get a 15 min rain everyday. So, I think in order to grow your palm, you need to provide good drainage, then look at the culture and see if you need to keep it moist/wet/dry/etc....

I think our pots only become a problem when our soil/dirt is our #1 problem.

I hear what people are saying about the pot and root rot. I'm not too worried about it I had it in a garbage can last winter with NO drainage holes and it was fine. It gets VERY dry in a furnace heated home in the winter. The water just gets sucked out of the soil. Orchiddude- Im glad my dance worked. For all the heat I like for my palms if there was an eden it felt like it did up here this weekend. There was not a cloud in the sky and it was 80 both days. Low humidity also. It doesn't get any better than that and the palms like it fine also.

YOU folks were kidding, but it is a good idea! "WINTER PROTECTION OF PALMS" should be a topic all it's own. HOw could we make it happen? we could be real snobby and not let anyone over zone 8 view the topic. JUST KIDDING!