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Palm Freeze Damage Remedy

2 months ago

This palm has not grown large fronds from its head since a freeze in Feb 21. If I saw off the top going down to where there has been growth, will it have a chance to recover? And should I put anything on it after to prevent disease?

Featured Answer

41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)

2 months ago

last modified: 2 months ago

L Clark, don't underestimate a cycad's ability in terms of rejuvenation. I bet it begins to pup all along that trunk, and I would not rule out it reemerging from the crown. Yes, cut off the dead leaves. This is a popular cycad in North America because it is relatively cold hardy for a cycad. Wear gloves when you work around them, some people report serious skin issues when punctured with the leaves. I've grown them for about 40 years and never had the misfortune, but you find all kinds of crazy stories online..., some rising to the status of horticultural legends. All cycads have a dark side..., they had to avoid being eaten by dinosaurs, so, they do have some potent botanical DNA to respect! LOL!

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Comments (8)

Shaun Reilly
Original Author
2 months ago
41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
It's not a palm tree, it's a cycad. Cycas revoluta to be precise. I would just leave it be. I have had them come back from 100% leaf defoliation (not due to cold though). They also tend to sucker freely, so will never all be lost. You can try feeding it, cycads are relatively big feeders, they also tend to grow in spurts, so, it may not seem to be doing much and then get into a growth spurt. All mine are due to move outta the garage this week, up here in NJ/Zone 7a/b.
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my pygmy palms got hit hard this year by the frost, some more then others, but they are starting to recover slowly. i think every winter since we have put them in, they always get some frost damage and it does take a while for new fronds to replace the damaged ones. since the damage was so extensive this time, i do not think they will look great again until next year (if we do not have another hard freeze). i know some people in our neighborhood have already ripped out their damaged pygmy palms and have replaced them with new ones. i am going to be patient and just wait it out since our palms are pretty large now. give them a little more time. how established were your palms before the freeze?
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I've had them cut back by cold- pretty common. I've never cut into them as the plants themselves as I had said,healed and then shed the shrunken tips. Now,if your talking some kind of ( It is only November should not be any cold damage) bacteria problem...then yes keep removing the rot until you reach healthy stem and let that dry,or put sulphur on it. Also try to cut at an angle that sheds water. Angle cuts also- a pruning lesson here- heal more naturally looking. Straight across does not.
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i forgot to mention .... i had a lot of browning in spring... especially on variegated plants... and also noted on all p. thunbergiana .... my theory is that it was very mild last fall .... read the warm [relatively speaking as to prior years] ... but not hot ... for an extra month .. thru almost Xmas .... then immediately below zero .... i like to water real late in the season .. but it always becomes a carp shoot as to blowing out the irrigation pipes before they freeze solid ... so they may have gone into winter a bit drier than i preferred ... and i wonder if they were not properly hardened off before the sub zero weather??? or so it goes.. ken
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Paul, I can't seem to get a pot big enough anywhere. I bought one at home depot yesterday and it is just a little to small. I got the palm in the garage with the root ball wrapped in plastic and i put some water on the roots to keep it moist. The temp in the garage is at 60 with high humidity. Tomorrow i am going to try this nursery over here called sids and see if they got somthing that will work. As far as that goes the palm looks great! I sprayed the leaves with wiltproof to protect it from moisture loss and to help with the transplant shock...once i get it into a pot LOL. I will keep everyone updated.
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L Clark (zone 4 WY)
2 months ago
Well, it used to look nice...
callirhoe123
2 months ago
You can cut off the dead fronds. They won't be coming back to life.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 months ago
a dead brown leaf is not going to resurrect itself..even during the easster season ...

but that doesnt say the rest of the plant was in anyway affected.. long term ...

but i dont know what your hurry is.. let it bud out for spring .. or whatever it may do.. and trim it in mid to late summer.. when you know darn well sure.. whats viable.. and whats not ... the plant always tells you.. if you are patient enough to let it ... they dont work on our schedules.. most of the time..

ken
41 North (Zone 7a/b, NE, coastal)
2 months ago
What Ken said..., a single cycad may live to over 1,000 years. They ain't in any rush.
Embothrium
2 months ago
last modified: 2 months ago
Tape-style strands of incandescent lights can be wrapped around palm trunks and left turned on to increase how much cold these will survive - maybe you can try that with your cycad for improved results in future.

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