I doubt it'll survive as well--being planted in late October means that it did not have a chance to become established. Do you have any space for it as a containerized plant--even a frost-free garage, attic or basement may work. You can always dig it up, and sell it on eBay.--Otherwise, it's small enough to easily protect. My mid January temps average upper 30's (highs), mid 20's lows (though we're there already). A mature, well-established plant can deal with this (even unprotected) but I doubt one that has just been planted will pull through the winter--especially unprotected.

i think it will live just more damage than if planted in spring obv. its obv. much colder there but i plant windmills all the time this time of year and they are fine... they are very hardy and ground is much warmer than the air this time of year also maybe mulch it and just a cardboard box or bucket over top it will def. live then. good luck great palm

Im not sure if it will survive. If you protect it from any moisture it does have a chance, but if it is exposed to winter moisture, it will definitely be dead. They are cold hardy to 5F, but that doesnt mean that their wont be damage, and they can die a lot sooner than 5F if the duration of the cold is long, or if its wet all the time. WInd might be another problem, even though it looks like its somewhat sheltered where you have it.

Good luck!
-Alex

It is in probably the most protected spot I can plant it without giving it active protection, planted against the foundation/basement wall should keep the roots from freezing too much, and its planted on the south side of the house. I know you can't see it from the picture, but it is planted under an overhang that should keep it pretty dry. Whenever it rains or snows, the rocks where it is planted never get wet or snow covered.

This palm is just experimental, I have 3 much larger windmills protected in the ground in my back yard as well as a garage full of hardy tropicals. I just wanted to see what would happen...At the very most, I may just throw a trash can over it on those nights that we hit 5 or below.

Throwing a trash can on it during nights below 15F or rainy days, might be all it needs to survive. Its a good experiment and I hope it survives! Its growing about a zone lower than its recommended growing range so it would be really cool to see it survive with no added protection!
Good luck!
-Alex

It's under an overhang, so it doesn't get wet when it rains. I have heard that planting it on the south side of a building adds about a half zone of protection, so we will see. This week is putting it through a true test, seeing as we are having January-like weather right now during late November/early December. If things average out, however, this cold right now may be a blessing in disguise and allow for warmer temperatures later on into the heart of winter. Or maybe that's just wishful thinking ;)

Interesting experiment,good luck!

I agree that it may warm up(January thaw)later in winter,hopefully we are looking at a 6
week pattern then back to milder weather-for a while. Hopefully.

The only bad thing about early cold is Trachys have less time to harden off,it will be interesting to see how it does.
Your cold may not be that extreme in regard to low temps....
we will just have to see how it does with prolonged low temperatures.

I have always thought in a zone like yours the Trachys should be able to survive(generally)without heat,
if they had some kind of cover that would allow day temps to pop up above freezing.

Takil see's mid teens to 50s in it's mountain habitat during winter.

Winter is off to a cold but not yet frigid start here!

Hi,

Its in such a good location, why not give it some Christmas Lights for nights below 20 and cover it with a regular trash can and spare its life and the leaves may even survive. Also, your outlet is right there, how much easier do you want it?

Well I looked at the 7 day forecast, and as of right now they're predicting 15 for a high and 8 for a low next tuesday, so maybe I will cover with some lights and a trash can on those super cold days.

Good plan-

it would be nice to see it around in spring(-:

Sounds smart, your palm will be happy and you will be in the Spring when she is uncovered! I would leave her covered most of the winter with a plastic trash can weighed dowm of course and turning the lights on when temps are below 20! Just uncover her during thaws above 38. We have heard many sucess stories on this site from using these methods.

Good talking to you.

Greg

Islandbreeze(Ryan I think?)has been on this forum for 6 years.(-:

Oops-3 years)-;

my bad.

Yes Jim its Ryan. And you're correct, it has been about 6 years, maybe more that I've been on this forum and been growing windmills the whole time. Just a screen name change when I had to create another account. This is the first time I've planted one on the south side up against the foundation of my house, so probably best chance for long-term success. My others are all planted out in the yard away from the house. Anyway, this early cold is kinda disappointing. These are mid-January temps, not early December.

The trash can protection method should work really well. It worked for all my palm trees last year and temperatures in there were 18F to 23F warmer than the outside temperature. I also had a frost cloth over the christmas lights which may keep even more warmth, but It should be okay with just the lights and a garbage bin. I agree, this early cold is really disappointing! The forecast has many days that are below average for January!
Good luck!
-Alex

I would be concerned about the palms not getting any light with the trash can left on for an extended period. Is that something I should worry about?

Not if they are kept cold/cool,I overwintered a Needle palm
in a leaf cage through -18(F) with no light or heat.

This is pretty dang early for these kind of temps,esp with
even colder temps coming late weekend- early next week!

We will just have to see if La Nina sends a warm up the first week or two in January.....
if not this could be a long winter.

I would be fine with it staying cold as long as winter is over late Feb/early March (-:

I just found out I live in zone 6b now. I noiced it never get passed -5 anymore. Or Centern Indiana has not got a bad weather in a few years. I hope we changed zones.

Let's see pics of this baby :)

Well I did kinda chicken out and protect it as advised by pretty much everybody who responded, with christmas lights, burlap and a plastic bag, so I didn't put it to the unprotected test like I originally planned. However, it has been unprotected for the last couple weeks, all of which have been lows in the low 20s or even mid teens, and highs in the 30s to no more than 40.

It is looking good, but the leaflets are still closed up. It's part of the coping mechanism for the cold weather, but I'll try to get a pic up tomorrow. Came out very well, seeing as I didn't use any mulch or lights over the ground for warmth to the root zone, AND it was almost November by the time I planted it.

The first WagxFort and Fortunei I ever planted were/was in November
-they made it through the winter as well as anything I ever tried.
My other 2 in the house died-LOL

Kinda :-0

It was wise to cover it up since it had such a great location and now you will have it another summer. That's rewarding. Although, you did uncover it too soon but it should be fine. You still put it to the test making it endure nights in the teens. That could damage it. I ended up covering mine back up as the weather swung back to the 20s at nite:( I figure why take a chance since i like the palms and they can be costly at larger sizes. By saving the palm you saved yourself a $50-100 expense to replace it:)

How about an updated picture:)

I just bought a windmill palm. I put my pictures on www.tropicsofmichigan.com which is a group that just started up this spring and wants to meet a few times a year.

I have a windmill palm that has been in the earth since last spring. I have Christmas lights wrapped around it, and some protective cloth. I live in zone 7. Evening temperatures for March vary from - 10 to 0. Can I uncover it now?

Assuming you are talking about -10 to 0 Celsius?!

Approximately, where on earth are you located? Makes a difference. My air temps in NJ (Zone 7) are running well below normal this March, but the sun is getting hot and a covered plant with lights on it would be cooking during a sunny day.