Hey guys, That green Malayan of yours Paul looks pretty good considering the beating you guys had this past winter. I am surprised the coconuts didn't drop. Anyway, there is a good one sheet publication that used to be put out by the Florida Extension Service (they used to send me a lot of good palm info over here to Texas) called, "Treating Cold Damaged Ornamental Palms" that has some really good info on bringing them back from the brink after a hard winter. As far as cold hardiness is concerned, I believe the Mexican Tall is probably the most cold hardy for the Rio Grande Valley as well as Florida, being hardy down to about 27F when it is an established adult palm, as opposed to the Jamaican Tall being hardy down to 28F. The Indian Tall from Central inland parts of India is probably the most cold hardy of all coconut palms. My best guess is that it is hardy down to 26F. If only we could get them over here. For those of you interested in seeing some nice looking Texas coconut palms in Brownsville, look up this address on Google Earth: 2278 S. Indiana Ave., Brownsville, TX. There are four good looking coconuts in the front yard of this house, with the largest about 25ft. tall in overall heighth. I have seen a couple in Brownville that are about 35ft. tall, with a few coconuts on them. More would produce coconuts in the Valley if the lawn care/tree trimming crews would quit cutting off the flower spikes when they emerge from the crown and if the homeowners and business owners there would water them more since it is a semi arid climate.

Hey Palm Penguin, Coconut palms are my specialty. I have studied them since I was a boy. I live near Harlingen, Texas, barely in Zone 10a by the skin of our teeth. They are becoming more popular here. You can actually palnt grocery store coconuts, and sometimes they will sprout. I have one that just sprouted about 3 and a half weeks ago from one that I bought at HEB in Bryan, Texas. It had the husk on it. They sprout better when they have the husk on them. You can actually get the unhusked ones to sprout sometimes too, but you have to keep them really watered, since they will often crack open without the husk to protect them. The husked ones are usually sold green or golden depending on variety. It is best to buy the largest one you can find. Set it out in full sun in the warmer months and let it brown up. This may take a few weeks. Once the husk is brown, it is ready to plant. Plant it in a 3 ar 5gal. pot with a good organic sandy based potting soil. Place the coconut on its side and bury it about halfway. Set it out in full sun in 90 degree weather and water it every day. Within 2-3 months it should sprout, but I have had a few take as long as 6 months to sprout. Once it has sprouted, water it about 3 times per week. Take it in when the temperatures drop below 40 at night, then set it back outside when the highs are in the upper 60's to 70's in the winter. Give it a good southern or western window inside on cold days so that it can still get some sun. If you live in a Zone 10 climate like me, you can plant it in the yard in the springtime. Plant it on the south side of your house if you can. This will give it some protection from winter winds. However, be sure to plant it at least 8ft. away from the house to give it room to grow. Five it a good palm fertilizer that has micro nutrients about three times a year: spring, summer and, fall. Oh, and be sure not to plant it too deep. Plant it at the same depth it was at in the pot. Mulching around it will help control weeds and adds some rich organic matter to the soil. NEVER use weed killer near your coconut palm or any other palm. ENJOY YOUR COCONUT PALM. THEY TRULY ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PALMS!

Coconut palms have been tried for years in Galveston. Moody Gardens had 3 Malayan Dwarfs in the late 90's that were about 10-11 ft. tall to the top of the crown. None of them made it because the temps there are just too cool throughout the winter (from Dec. to about late Feb.). A coconut palm can take a quick freeze down to 28F or 29F easier than it can take 2+ months of prolonged cool weather with no freezes. The furthest north in Texas that coconut palms have been successfully grown is the east side of Corpus Christi (east side of Ocean Dr., at Flour Bluff, and at North Padre Island). There is a coconut palm about 21-22 ft. tall to the top of the crown on the south side of a two story house at the east end of Ocean Dr. The house backs up to the bay, and the driveway is right in front of the palm, so it gets some radiational heat coming off the drive in the winter. Also, it has two full grown queen palms on either side of it to protect it. Even so, this palm was defoliated in the last hard freeze here in 2011, with temps in the 27F range for about 24 hours, but it DID recover and now has a flower spike coming out, and will probably have coconuts on it by the end of the year!

Queen palms In some ways the fronds resemble that of coconut palms. Another beautiful palm to consider is the Cuban royal, however, its' trunk is lighter in color than that of the coconut palms. But it's a beautiful palm nontheless and I believe should be utilized more often along the Texas coast if possible. I'm gonna experiment growing royals probably next year. My zone is technically a zone 10a since minimum lows are in the low 30s (F). I don't know how the cooler than South Florida daytime temperature will affect them. Does anybody have success growing royals in California?