In October of 2004 Dr. Wade, with the help of the Southeastern Palm Society, planted several species of palms that are native to locations known to have colder winter temperatures than most palms will endure. These were planted in ordinary Georgia farm soil, placed under drip irrigation, mulched with pine straw, and fertilized with plain old 16-4-8 fertilizer. He recorded low temperatures and growth rates during that time. There is a detailed chart showing all of this data that I will be glad to scan and email to whomever would like to see it. It’s only one page and may help someone decide which palm to plant in their landscape.

There was also another chart included in the handouts that listed eleven species or cultivars of palms, the low temperature at which damage occurs, and the lowest temperature from which that palm can recover. Again, I will be delighted to email this on request.

Notably, Dr. Wade commented that winter survival for palms is determined by how well established they are prior to cold weather. This makes sense to me. Any plant, not just palms, are much more hardy when they are well-established. Why then, would Dr. Wade start the research project in late October? The beginning date on his hand out is October 22, 2004 and that tells me several things: First, Dr. Wade really is confident of his ability to gets plants established prior to the onset of cold weather. Second, he had very good cultural conditions at the farm (which can easily be duplicated at home, by the way). And last, it’s OK to plant palms now.

There is one little secret ingredient that Dr. Wade used. I’m not sure how significant it is, and perhaps a little more research would be helpful to know. He used trace elements in addition to the fertilizer on the palms. I”m not clear if he used a fertilizer that included trace elements, or if he added them. I suspect the latter is true. In greenhouse crops, having those trace elements available can make or break a crop. In native soils, where many or all of those trace elements are already present, it’s tough to tell if they help.

It’s a little bit of a chore to locate trace elements if you wanted them. If I were doing this I would go to a greenhouse or grower supply house and buy a bag. Try finding it online. In fact, if it’s available online,it might be easier to find a dry or water soluble with trace elements mixed together. In either case, don’t expect to find it in small, homeowner-sized quantities. It will be in large bags meant for growers, so share it with fellow palm aficionados.

Reading between the lines in Dr. Wades research, I think it is worth emphasizing that all of his palms are being grown in the ground! Many times we want to put palms in containers to show them off in the landscape, but containerized plants of any type are much, much more prone to cold damage. Those in containers should be dragged in to the garage on the coldest nights.

The coldest night recorded in Watkinsville in the last five years was a reading of 12 degrees just 90 days after planting. No damage was noted on the handout. The project continues, stay tuned.