Dear Illinois Palms Grower,
I am wondering if your palm is just slowing down in response to cooler weather. Do protect your palm from cold and moisture or you will likely lose it like I lost my trachys in zone 7b due to cold after rain. It took two to three years for them to perish. Winter damage is cumulative in palms, especially if a cold winter is followed by a cool summer like my palms had after their first snowy and cold winter.
Best wishes!
Palmfan

I agree, I would just think it's the cooler weather. The soil temperature is down into the 40s

The colder weather is to blame. Mine stopped growing a few weeks ago, which is the last time we saw weather in the 60s. Recently, we've had unusually cold weather, with temps only reaching the 40s and 50s. I bet it's hardening off for winter. Nothing to worry about as long as it looks healthy.

I do plan on giving my palm alot of winter protection, and we'll see how it works. This is my first time overwintering palms outdoors, so I am still learning alot of stuff. I also have two more questions; 1. During the winter, do you need to water your palm? and 2. since S. Minors have their crown underground, do they still get bud rot? I do appreciate all the comments from all of you!

If you ask if you water during the Winter, and you are in a Z5-6, that means you are NOT "over wintering" it, I presume???????????
Buddy, you need to wrap that palm with X-Mas lights, burlap & fallen leafs covered with plastic.

To make it more specific, I was saying should I water it WHILE it is being overwintered.

Depnding on the amount of warmth provided in your overwintering techniques, ( I assume you are mulching, wrapping and covering in plastic and using xmas lights to provide warmth) you should water 3-4 times from December through February. Use warm water (not hot) don't overwater and water during a warm spell and water in the morning. Is that enough instructions.

Illinoispalms,

With my trachy I just wrap it when necessary. I bundle the fronds with bungee cords, wrap rope lights around it, attach a $12 thermocube thermostat to it which turns on the lights automatically at 35F ( i know a bit overkill but thats okay) and then just wrap the crown and trunk in frost cloth in several layers. It takes about 20 minutes and I do it maybe three times each winter, about a week at a time during the coldest of weather. I let the palm sit out in all winter conditions, anything above 12F, which includs the rain and snow (I just dust the snow off the leaves). I do dump some luke warm water, NOT HOT, on the palm about once a month.

Also, your trachy is done growing for the season. Especially with this very cold fall we are having.

Good luck

Kyle

I agree that it has finished growing for the season. I just wanted to add my experience with winter protection. I went overkill and built a small temporary enclosure the last 2 years. I kept an electric heater inside to keep the temps no lower than 20 degrees. The enclosure was 1/2" plywood except for the southern wall which was twin wall polycarbonate. I had no venting whatsoever. The night temps were controlled by the thermostat and the day temps sometimes reached 100 degrees indicated by the thermometer inside exposed to the sun. I was worried about the heat, but both years the palm came through just fine. I never once watered the palm from late November through mid March. One thing that probably helped me buffer the sometimes extreme heat was the many jugs of water I had surrounding the trunk. These jugs also acted as "phase change material" during cold weather. The heater didn't run very much at all, only on the single digit nights. I wish there was an affordable phase change material for the greenhouse I keep no lower than 55 degrees.

I've brought home two large furniture boxes to put over my Trachy and Robusta. I will spray them with a silicon spray to keep them from getting soggy. I also plan on mulching them and wrapping lights around them. I will also cut out 3 inch by 3 inch holes in the top of the boxes for air. Hopefully I wont need to put the boxes on for a while.

I agree with all who indicated it was the cold that is slowing your palm down. After today with highs in the 70s, it should be the last day(s) of growth as we are due for some colder weather. Oh well, time to get the machete out and cut the Musa Basjoo banana plants down. BTW, you guys are too paranoid about protection as you won't need it until it gets really cold, like below 15F. I have been told horror stories about palms rotting from too much protection for too long and in the spring they are mushy. My advice is to wait and even then, if it warms up, take off the protection to allow air circulation. Good luck and don't worry yet.

I've been monitering my palm for the last couple of days, and it's not doing real well. One of the new leaves and spear are shriveling up, but the smaller spear is doing fine (It has two spears). We did have an extremely cold 19 degrees a couple of days ago, but the symptoms started a day or two after it. Any suggestions on how to correct this?

I was just checking on my palm and found that it is still getting worse. Both of the spears are now feeling very soft and they are turning yellow. The small spear is also opening prematurely. Anyway, I don't want to lose this palm and I need help fast!